Magdeburg to Tangermünde

Very slow getaway today - not out the door until 10 am. Very good breakfast though!

The bikes take some getting out - they are buried deep in the basement along with the motor vehicles - in a cage!

Beautiful day but still cold. Brrr! But mercifully there was little wind; and in the sun it was so nice!

First item on the agenda for the day: the Green Citadel (Grüne Zitadelle). This was the last building of my old friend, the eccentric artist-architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser; it was completed 3 years after his death. What a joy his work is!

So we leave Magdeburg, a city founded by Charlemagne in 805 and heavily bombed by the British and American air forces during WWII.

We crossed to the other side of the Elbe river and enjoyed a lovely ride through the Herrenkrugpark which was designed by the garden architect Lenné in the 18th century. We passed the Jahrtausendturm, one of the highest wooden towers in the world; it houses an exhibition of the development of the sciences.

The pathway took us to the Water Junction (Wasserstraßenkreuz) at Hohenwarthe, a large navigable aqueduct regarded as a marine architectural marvel: the longest (about 918 m) trough bridge in Europe. To allow shipping to travel across the Elbe, the Germans have built a canal, complete with locks, which are suspended up in the air.

It was a very pretty ride. Dave and I think we saw a beaver swimming in the river.

We continued on along roads and up on dykes and at Rogätz we used the ferry to get to the other bank of the Elbe again. More lovely countryside.

We searched high and low for a coffee. Finally found a cafe. This is what happens when MF1 orders coffee in German...; I think the cafe owner thought we were crackers. So, we had a kaffee mit milch AND a cappuccino each...

It was decision time now. Do we ride the remaining distance to our destination at Tangermünde, or do we take the train and save our legs? 

Today was always going to be a compromise given there are construction works on the right hand side of the river (travelling NW) and a ferry closed downstream before Tangermünde.

It looked to be a ‘no-brainer’. The train it was! This will save a bit over 40 kms. So we rode to Angern-Rogätz about 4 kms away. The stationmaster there looked very proper in his suit, very much in charge of his domain. He went immediately to the ticket machine - without asking - and purchased our tickets for us! He was the funniest looking guy: a cross between the Lion in the Judy Garland version of the Wizard of Oz and the Walrus in the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland.

We had to change at Stendal station for a 9 minute (!) transfer. We scooted the bikes down the stairs along the ramps at the side provided for the purpose - but very difficult with bikes laden with panniers - not really designed for those! Got the 3 bikes down ONLY TO FIND that our next platform was actually on THE SAME platform we had just arrived at - only it was 120 m further along! Argh! Up the stair ramps again! Double argh! You should have heard my language!

On board was a really nice young couple who told us that Tangermünde is a really nice town so we decided also to forego our planned 28 km return bike ride to the monastery at Jerichow and just relax and enjoy the town. No arguments from anyone re that decision.

After checking in to our very nice accommodation, we had our picnic lunch down by the harbour. 

Tangermünde is indeed a picturesque town with half-timbered buildings and two impressive old churches. Very striking is the Town Hall (Rathaus), a late medieval building constructed in the 1430s. 

We are staying right in the centre of the nearly 1,000 year-old walled, market town. 

Dinner at a restaurant run by Croations - nice people, friendly, with humour; although the service was slow! (they were very busy!!); then off to bed. An early start tomorrow!

The Rathaus by night:

Cycling distance: a mere 40 kms!