November 10, 2010

pics #48 - #72

 

Sunday November 7th - Red Overtone Skywalker
In the morning, two predators howling at each other, the relative darkness and my eyes can't see exactly, maybe foxes. What else? Too small for bears, too clean for hyenas, too noisy for wolves. Packing everything back after breakfast takes me some time. The clear sky and beautiful sun makes me forget about the defect stove pump.

          Morning light on the fields, getting away from Emsdetten

The weather is so nice that I stop near a lake, lay down my yoga-sleeping mat. While the tent is drying I practice Primary Series facing the sun. Finding no tree to support me, I discover that I drop back in Urdhva Danurasana on my own, but without support I can't rise up!

          Did I forgot anything?

After this great warming practice, a bread-tahin-fish lunch, and repacking a dry tent it's time to go on toward Glandorf, goal of the day. The day goes well, cycling in T-shirt, enjoying the warm and dry 10 degrees, apart a little point on the map indicating Kattenvenne, where the bicycle path indication loses where I could have simply followed the road.

          At each bridge in Germany, know the speed to take with your Panzer!

In Glandorf, I consider finding a place to camp. I have to ask people, to plant my tent in their garden, and hopefully they will accept that I use their kitchen to cook, because of the defectuous stove. A lake in a forrest tempts me to stay away from houses: packets of dry wood are spread here and there. But there's some danger to start a fire, houses being nearby, not very discrete.

          Lake after Glandorf

When I start ringing at doors to ask for a place in the garden, the 4th house is the good one: Hartmut and Brigitte find me a spot. Very obliging, they are willing to offer me anything I'd need. When I come later in the cold night to cook my food, they offer me a good diner of meat and veggies.
Although I am cooking vegetarian, if people offer me meat, I find it unpolite to refuse. I am still challenged by strict vegetarian, vegan and so on. Afterward they participate in murdering plants! For this time I enjoy a nice meal and good talk with this couple. They even offer me chocolates from Brigitte's company ! After filling the thermos with boiling water, I get back to the tent through the cold for a night of sleep.

          Brigitte and Hartmut: Hosts to remember

Monday November 8th - White Rythmic Wizard

         Bad Laer: Central place

Still waking up early, this day I am faster to pack in thus earlier to hit the road. In Bad Laer, I take time to make pictures of the city center same in Bad Rothenfeld where amazingly huigh and long wooden walls have been constructed to relieve patients. This area is full of city with curative water sources, this the name of 'Bad'.

          Bad Rothenfelde: wall with pouring water for patients

          Bad Rothenfelde: black swans

As the sun is hidden, temperature stays low, 4-5 degrees. Groceries just before climbing the Teutoburger Wald, chain of mountains as Bretons and Dutch would say, chain of hills for others. Lunch in Borghaulzhausen, a quick downhill stretch and I am riding a straight road toward Bielefeld.

          On the way to Bielefeld

          Entering Bielefeld : Rudolf Oetker Halle

I am early in the city, looking for an internet café to check if any of the hosts from warmshowers.org accepts me. Yes! At 19h I meet Uli and Ulla, unpack the bicycle, take a warm shower, get my clothes to wash and soon sharing a good meal full of carbohydrates, while talking with Uli of his cycling trip and with Ulla of her time in India.

Tuesday November 9th - Blue Resonant Eagle

          Bielefeld, gallery store : model in Sarvangasana variation, yoga growing popular!

On a comfortable matress after two nights under the tent in the cold, I deserve to sleep in, then yoga practice, with a wall this time to come back up from drop backs! Taking it easy, I am off to the city center, checking outdoor sport stores to find a replacement for my stove pump. Both stores don't have this spare part. Instead I buy a regular gas stove and they offer me the gas cartridge, cool :)
A few pictures of the center before it's too dark, and back to my hosts for spaghetti bolognese. I stay up late uploading pictures on this website. Now the definition on photo cameras is so high that it is extremely slow!

          Bielefeld: view of the city center

Wednesday November 10th - Yellow Galactic Warrior
In the morning, my hosts kindly knock at the door to wish me a good trip as they are leaving to work. I enjoy the comfortable matrass a bit more. Then up with a quick asana practice and a big müesli. Outside it's rainy, a wise idea to put rain clothes on. Getting away of Bielefeld is long, I simply follow the signs, rather than trusting an imaginary sense of orientation that got me lost and stuck quite some time before!
I lunch protected of the continuous rain in a bus stop. Road indications like Hermannsdenkamll, or Externsteine remind me of places I went through when cycling to Berlin. But in no way I will lengthen my route under this rain! I go through Detmold, which could have deserve pictures.

          Farm near Horn

Later, riding a bumpy bicycle path in a forest, I notice the road is under work and soon I am cyclingthere, enjoying a good asphalt, taking speed downhill! Reaching Steinheim, my goal for the day, I ask people at the end of the bourg. Despite a language barrier, a couple of farmers give me a place in a trail, under a shelter. They are very kind to invite me for coffee and sandwiches, and take my wet cloths to dry. German word of the day: nass = wet.
Dinner is prepared with the new gas stove on this special camping spot!

          Steinheim: Camping in a trailer