Germany Conquered
Berlin to Copenhagen – Stage 07 – Bützow to Rostock 44 Km (Sat 17-Jun-17)
Weather: 13⁰C min – 19⁰C max, partly sunny, fine
“Who seeks shall find.” ~ Sophocles
Although the route from Bützow to Rostock was only 44 Km it seemed much further because of the strong northerly head wind most of the way. Grey skies when I set off this morning gave way to blue sky as the day progressed, but the icy wind from the north did not abate so it felt a lot colder than the predicted maximum of 19 degrees. Thankfully I was wearing gloves, as well as a long-sleeve thermal vest under my riding jacket.
Wind turbines dominated the skyline for most of the journey. Whichever direction I looked the enormous propellers were spinning, enjoying the strong wind more than me and rotating a lot faster than my pedals. I was amazed at how many wind farms there were, so I checked on Google and found that last year in Germany 28,217 wind turbines generated 12.3% of the electricity in the country (see Germany: WindPower Fact Sheet 2016).
My last day of riding in Germany featured rich farmland and endless fields of wheat. What I have noticed in Germany is that there are no fences, the crops being planted right to the edge of the roads and paths. I wondered whether this might lead to neighbourly disputes, because there does not seem to be any way of telling where one farm finishes and another starts.
As I neared Rostock the architecture of the houses in the little villages changed, the traditional German style houses giving way to brightly coloured houses with steeply-pitched, shiny-tiled, roofs. I presume this is the Danish influence, a style I expect to see much more of after I cross the sea to Denmark tomorrow.
Reaching the port town of Rostock, I have now finished the German stages of my tour (Brandenburg Stage (151 Km) and Mecklenburg Stage (255 Km)), so I now only have the Denmark Stage (302 Km) to go until I finish what so far has been a fabulous tour.
Germany is done and dusted, Denmark here I come!