Wednesday 59 mile

Dessau to Prettin

Am now travelling up the Elbe Cycle Way.I have passed a few other cyclists mainly going the other way, i.e. going downstream. It is beautiful- each town seems to have a grand castle and central square.Rather than coffee shops, these squares have ice cream parlours. The weather is now sunny and warm  but I prefer a coffee at one of the numerous bakeries instead.
 I did meet Sylvio cyling yesterday. I ate my picnic lunch and he smoked his cigarette in the sun. He is heading my direction but thinks he will be much faster than me! He and his brother Enrico are not actually Italian. Their parents wanted to travel but lived in East Germany so were not allowed to travel.I bet they had a Stazi file on them just for calling their sons those names.
   A nice campsite last night with cabins open by pre booking but tent pitches not.A very nice German/American family cycling arrived-they had a pre booked cabin. So I pitched my tent used their key for the shower block and had a nice evening, This morning I was away before anybody official arrived.
 Some Facts:
1. A lot of cobbles not good for cycling
2 In towns they want you to cycle on the pavement
3.Campsites open on Saturday 20th April not before. Some even closed til mid May!
4.Very good cycle paths in the main
5.Recently on my route I have only been passing the more down market supermarkets Netto and Penny (with a very limited selection of fruit and veg)

After lunch stop let Sylvio get ahead, then overtook him an hour later!



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