Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th July.

Awoke to a fine morning. Left the hotel around 8am and started our exit from Berlin as a convoy. We cycled through the centre of Berlin, under the Brandenberg Gates, and headed out through the suburbs. It took almost 2 hours to clear the city, stopping many times at traffic lights to get all the cyclists through.
It was a long day. We covered 125 ks and got into camp at 6pm. The route was through the lakes through Potsdam. We got hit by a terrific rain downpour outside Potsdam. It only lasted for about ten minutes, and then stayed fine for most of the rest of the day. Camp was at Radigke, via Grubo.
The route was beautiful, through crops and forest, lots of small towns and lakes. Camp was in a lovely spot, very quiet, and we were blessed by a fine evening. Met a Kiwi from Auckland who was cycling from Munich to Copenhagen. During the night we were hit again by rain, and awoke to a light rain falling. This continued and got more heavy as we prepared to leave camp. So we departed in the rain, which continued until Wittenburg.
We were following the R1 cycle route, the main route through Europe. At times it degenerated to a dirt track, and with the rain was very difficult. The bikes have been covered with mud and dirt every day, requiring much cleaning when we arrive in camp every day. John has had to replace his back tyre, as it has developed a fault. The R1 in a more rugged cycle way than we were expecting, with a range of surfaces from beautifully tarmaced two lane cycle way to root-covered dirt tracks suitable only for mountain bikes.
Wittenburg is a beautiful city, with cobblestones in the city centre. We visited the Castle Church to which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door in 1517, beginning the Reformation. We lunched in the city, enjoying the sunshine, and wandered around as it was market day.
The final 20ks to the camp were through Kemberg to Rotta. We are now camped in a pine forest, with a spacious area. The amenities are somewhat Eastern Block! It is a warm evening, tents are up, sun is shining, we a having pre-dinner drinks and nibbles. The cooks are preparing dinner. All is good!