Day 15: 22.06.24
Finally on the road again. In the morning, I collected more material, did some last-minute laptop work and said goodbye to Marei. Marei had noticed how much I liked eating the veggie meatballs (my northern German hosts had a good laugh about that word, so I have to use it anyway) from her fridge, so she gave me a bag of them to take with me. Very good bike protein snack. Then a last hamburger and a bun.
The route is a bit of a drag at times. Lots of cycle paths along major roads. I’m used to varied forest paths by now, and I get bored on the tarmac. I’m also a bit slow, I haven’t quite found my rhythm yet. But when a forest path finally appears, I can’t wipe the grin off my face.
It took a lot of effort to find a place to sleep again. I always hope that someone will happen to be outside on their farm, smile broadly at me as they pass by and throw me a place to sleep. That has happened to me before, but mostly I have to ring doorbells. This moment feels very vulnerable. I have no idea who will be behind the door, what mood they are in, whether they feel like being wrenched out of their daily routine. And how do I choose where to knock? If there are only a few houses, it’s easy. Otherwise, I look for houses that don’t seem intimidating. I have to laugh at myself when I don’t dare knock on a farmhouse.
In the lottery of people, I get a flat share this time, which is also a medieval troupe, and dog Buddy. Lucky draw. I also get Indian food and cake, and get to hear some very funny stories – for example, they tell me about a performance in which they included words containing the syllable “met” in every sentence. There is a lot of laughter in this house.
I am happy.
