Sunday 10th July

Domitz to Stiepelse - 32.3miles

The music fest last night kept Jen awake but I was fresh and raring to go. So we breakfasted with our jolly hostess who because she had spent three days in London thirty three years ago felt able to communicate with us in our mother tongue - 'Hello', 'Come', 'Follow', 'All is happy'!
All was happy and we departed with her 'Englander come again' ringing in our ears.

                       Our Domitz Pension

The wind was not as strong today but the first 10 miles were through woods and although a little rough were sheltered. Eventually it was out onto the dyke again - a brand new track funded incidently by the EU - and into stork country again. One really can't have too many of these wonderful birds.

We felt quite privileged today as a number of adults flew above us and across our path as we cycled along. The young are also hugely comical as they jump up and down on their nests flapping their wings.

A visit to Hitzacker meant another ferry trip across the Elbe and a trip on a rather quirky tin tub which only took cyclists and pedestrians.

Hitzacker was a nice little Fachwerk town that served us our lunch - a belegte Weltmeisterbrotchen - and had the histories of many of the old houses pinned on their doors.
The return trip on the ferry proved uneventful so we had to continue our journey and make do with more storks and some old thatched buildings that the guidebook seemed to be particularly proud of. Charon, der Fahremann tried to entice us into the Underworld but we declined his offer and cycled on.

We eventually arrived at our Gasthaus for the night and sampled a late afternoon beer before showering and eating supper (rather delicious) washed down with yet another Schwarzbier.

                     Schwarzbier und Pils
        Trout for Jen. Spinach curry for me

             Note the next round of drinks!

I must say I have taken a liking to this delicious beer which has a liquorice after taste and is not as fizzy as a Pils. Perhaps I'll just have that for supper tomorrow!