A Cargobike Tour by La Luz #31
"Don't worry, if there's one thing I can really do, it's riding a bike," I tell my parents. I don't really think I can do it.
I get the bike ready: waterproof bag for the rain, tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag. Comfortable clothes for camping, cycling clothes. Cooking utensils and water bottles. Coffee, porridge, peanut butter, bananas and lots of nuts. Broth, tons of pasta, chickpeas and lentils.
Here we go. Hot and dry days, cold and wet nights. Unforgiving Catalan mountains and cute medieval towns. Montserrat, Pantà de Sau, Alta Garrotxa. Deer, snakes and wild boars. Barely passable paths, impressive views, vast mountains and the best descents of my life. Strange border crossing, Spain flows into France and vice versa. Cheap tobacco and liquor. Perpignan, long hills, even worse trails, vineyards. It rains for the first time and a lot. Rivers in the streets, everything is wet. Ninth day. Dry break in Béziers to plan the route: at this pace it will take me a month to get to Berlin.
Cévennes, Ardèche, Valence. Flat gravel roads along the Rhône to Lyon. Fog sets in, cold and damp days, much colder and damper nights. Perfect timing to lose the gloves. About 1300km left. Besançon, Mulhouse, the maps say. I could have been anywhere, the fog doesn't let up. Rain for days and everything is wet again. I don't know if I can do it.
More deer, eagles, a few foxes, owls and a lonely beaver. Set up camp, warm up, drink tea. I stretch, send messages, cook dinner, fall asleep. Gravel again. A few hours of sunlight near Strasbourg, lots of people by the river. Now I think I can do it. Karlsruhe, Würzburg. After sunset, a serious car accident right behind me. No more driving on the road at night.
Erfurt, Halle, Potsdam. I'm really doing it! 9 full days of rain and fog, what does "dry" mean? From Potsdam to Neukölln it feels like I'm coming back from a day at work. Wild camping in forests and fields, two campsites, a room for much-needed showers. 2147km and 19 days. From 25ºC to 5ºC. From home to home. From Barcelona to Berlin.
Bicycle courier "La Luz #31" belongs to the courier service CROW, which replaces cars with cargo bikes and thus contributes to improving the quality of life in the city. The sustainable courier service also promotes a cooperative way of working. Information at crowberlin.de
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