The First Week

What has happened so far:


I landed in Hamburg tuesday evening, found the hostel, and took a walk around the neighborhood. I went to a pizza shop where they thought I was german and tried to sell me an 8 euro pizza for 4, which was lucky. Then outside a bicycle shop down the street I asked an old man what the sign meant and he said it "used bikes around the corner" and also that it was the best biccycle shop in all of hamburg, so I had high hopes for the next day. I walked around a little more, took some pictures and then went to sleep.






Next day, thanks to jet lag, I woke up at 445 and was out looking for a bike at 5. Unfortunately, every single bike shop in hamburg opened at 10! I walked through most of altona and st. pauli, which both are pretty cool neighborhoods, especially st. pauli, where there was plenty of this:







Hamburg is actually a really nice city, and there are bike paths and little walkways everywhere, especially striking was this:





There was a lot more to look at, but you don't wan't too look like a tourist either.





After walking about 12 miles I finally bought a bike for 150 euro, which comes out to about 220 dollars. It's a bottom end peugot thats probably 20 years old and it didnt even have a chain on it, but I saved some money by doing it myself. Anyway I rode it back to the hostel where I had to buy another night because I hadnt checked out before 12.









The internal bruises from walking 8 hours. Im pretty sure I broke my left foot and forgot about it a few years ago because now it really hurts.


I had to go down and buy some tools because of course I didnt bring the wrench and hex key necessary to affix the rack. After a 4 hour nap and some work I was ready to leave hamburg at about 2200 hours.















I just kept riding north until the streets got quiter and the houses became farther apart. It started raining and once I was past the first village I found the first and the best field and set up the tent for the first time in darkness. This was in a field in a corner where the farmer hadnt planted crops although the spot was about 10feet from the road and completely exposed. I closed my eyes at 0200 and it was so cold I didnt sleep and got up at 430 and was on the road by 500. It rained a little that morning and I found a little road that turned into a dirt path in the woods and I actually disturbed some wild boars living there.












just north of bad oldesloe. Breakfast consisted of brötchen (rundstykker naesten) a pastry, and chokolate milk, you need energy when all you do is bicycle!



















Sleeping arrangements were a little better that night, here Ive pulled in at about 1800 because I was just too tired to go on, about 15miles south of bad sedeberg.










Observe my stealth camping skills. This might have been in someone's back yard, but it was pretty big, and the road was right behind the trees in the background.


Ill post more tomorrow maybe, right now I really have to go to bed.