Recent additions, changes and updates to Don's Maps


Navigation

Back to Don's Maps

Cycling from Amsterdam to Copenhagen

 |  Day 1 |  Day 2 |  Day 3 |  Day 4 |  Day 5 |  Day 6 |  Day 7 |  Day 8 |  Day 9 |  Day 10 |  Day 11 |  Day 12 |  Day 13 |  Day 14 |  Day 15 |  Day 16 |  Day 17 | 

Day 9, 20th June 2014

Spohle - Jade - Brake - Sandstedt - Hagen im Bremischen - Bramstedt

55 km (445 km from the start)

mapday9bsm

From Spohle to Bramstedt

Photo: Google maps

 |  Day 1 |  Day 2 |  Day 3 |  Day 4 |  Day 5 |  Day 6 |  Day 7 |  Day 8 |  Day 9 |  Day 10 |  Day 11 |  Day 12 |  Day 13 |  Day 14 |  Day 15 |  Day 16 |  Day 17 | 





From Maria's Diary:

Spohle

We left Spohle around 7.00 am and cycled towards Jade / Jaderberg. It was cold and grey with occasional showers. We were headed for Ovelgönne but lost our way using the cycle path signs - a big mistake - we then had to cycle in a circle in poorly signposted country and finally reached the main highway to Bremerhaven.

IMGP5241nextmorning20th_0717hsm
Next morning we set off from the fine hotel at Spohle, headed towards Jade.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 0717h 20th June 2014



IMGP5241nextmorning20th_0717hsm
Not long after leaving the centre of town we came across this sculpture of a rhino, welded together from recycled metal scraps.


Note the oxpecker, or tick bird, perching on the back of the rhino. As well as getting rid of parasites, they alert the rhino when danger in the form of human poachers approach.

However, although they were originally thought to be an example of mutualism, recent evidence suggests that oxpeckers may be parasites instead. Oxpeckers do eat ticks, but often the ticks have already fed on the ungulate host, and no statistically significant link has been shown between oxpecker presence and reduced ectoparasite load. Oxpeckers have been observed to open new wounds and enhance existing ones in order to drink the blood of their perches.

Artist: Unknown
Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 0726h 20th June 2014
Additional text: Wikipedia



IMG_2379_0753hcrossinghighwaysm
Along the way the cycleway crossed the major highway number 29, a couple of kilometres before Jade.

The cycleways / radwegs of Germany are very well organised, at no point did we have to cross a busy road.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 0753h 20th June 2014



IMGP5248_0822sm
The weather was cold, grey, and wet. We noticed this warning sign for deer - we are used to warnings for kangaroos, emus, koalas and wombats, but I guess every country has wildlife to look after or beware of.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 0822h 20th June 2014



IMGP5249_jade_0832sm IMG_2380_0832hsm


Entering the small town of Jade.

The need for speed limit signs for trucks was easy to understand, but just how many tanks are on German roads that they need speed advisory signs? These signs became very common in parts of Germany.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 0832h 20th June 2014



IMGP5250_1023hhousesm
House with thatched roof, with the front done in the Tudor style. The infill was done in bricks, with many different patterns. A permanent ridge cover has been used as protection from the weather instead of being of higher quality thatch.

Note the small pegs and connecting wires on the ridge lines, which are part of a lightning conduction system, to stop the roof catching fire after a lightning strike.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1023h 20th June 2014



IMG_2381_1023h_signtobrakesm
At Petershorne we turned left to go to Brake, and ultimately towards the ferry north of there to the other side of the Weser Estuary.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1023h 20th June 2014



IMG_2382well_1043hsm
This delightful little well with a thatched roof was probably ornamental, in that there appears to be no windlass to pull up water in a bucket.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1043h 20th June 2014





From Maria's Diary:

We cycled towards Brake then the ferry crossing which took 10 minutes or so. On the other side it was low gear up and over the levee. At Sandstedt we looked for a coffee but zilch! On to Hagen im Bremischen where we managed to buy the largest Döne Kebab you've ever seen with some coffee.

IMG_2383decoratedpost1127hsm
This tall wooden pole is a maypole, or Maibaum, around which a maypole dance often takes place, usually on the first of May.

Some are erected only for a short time, while some are permanent, as in this case.

Note that the thatched roof of this house also has a permanent ridge cover as protection from the elements, apparently a local tradition.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1127h 20th June 2014



IMGP5252_1156h_ferrysm IMGP5253_1200hsm


IMGP5253_1200hsm
At last we reached the ferry over the Weser river estuary which opens to the North Sea, and lined up as the previous travellers left. Four minutes later, we were on our way.

The weather was closing in, we were wet as shags on a rock, and I was glad of my 'Dutch colours' raincoat.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1156h - 1200h 20th June 2014



IMGP5254_56panoramasm


And a little over ten minutes later, we were on our way again.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1212h 20th June 2014



IMGP5257_1301hsm IMGP5258questrecumbentsm


This 'Quest' aerodynamic shell fits over a specially made recumbent bike, and it travels a lot faster for the same input than when using a conventional bike. In addition, there is storage within the shell.

There is a clear shell made to cover the cockpit, not fitted here, which further enhances the aerodynamics. The advantage only kicks in, however, above about 20 km/h, but since it is heavier, the bike is slower to accelerate, and harder to push up hills. However in the flat lands of the Netherlands and the north of Germany, it has advantages. Some are fitted with electric assist for the hills.

The 'Kegelbahn' sign advertises a nine pin bowling alley, the European version of ten pin bowling, which uses strings to reset the pins, a cheaper way of doing things. The pins are set up in a square shape with the diagonal pointing to the player. The bowling balls are a little smaller, and do not have finger holes.

The game is also played in Australia in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, where German vintners settled.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1301h 20th June 2014
Text: Adapted from Wikipedia



IMGP5257_1301hsm
At Hagen im Bremischen we bought some very large Döne Kebabs and some coffee. We were certainly ready for lunch!

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 1301h 20th June 2014





From Maria's Diary:

Don wanted to spend the night at Bramstedt so we found a hotel and settled in for the night. We drank Scotch and Coke and played cards, had a meal, then I watched Italy get thumped by Costa Rica. I read my emails and stayed awake long enough to see France defeat Spain. The room was warm with hot showers. I washed my hair but we're still trying to dry clothes. The tourist season hasn't really started yet which is good because it's been so cold - wearing my long nicks for days now.

IMGP5265_hotel_0756hsm
We were glad to check in to this hotel, the Landhaus Ahrens Bauernschänke, in Bramstedt.

Photo: Don & Maria Hitchcock 0756h 21st June 2014



Cycling from Amsterdam to Copenhagen

 |  Day 1 |  Day 2 |  Day 3 |  Day 4 |  Day 5 |  Day 6 |  Day 7 |  Day 8 |  Day 9 |  Day 10 |  Day 11 |  Day 12 |  Day 13 |  Day 14 |  Day 15 |  Day 16 |  Day 17 | 

Day 9, 20th June 2014

Spohle - Jade - Brake - Sandstedt - Hagen im Bremischen - Bramstedt

55 km (445 km from the start)


Back to Don's Maps