Berlin

It is the 15th of August and my adventure begins. I stand in front of the front door and pull it shut, then I am locked out and can take off.

The start goes off without much fanfare. It is not a start at the Brandenburg Gate or with the waving handkerchiefs of the family in the background, but as banal as a bike ride just starts. You get on your bike and hope that you don't get a flat tire or have an accident before the first intersection. With my heavily loaded bike, which weighs almost as much as I do, there's the added fear that the bike will just tip over and trap me underneath. I had that situation once as a child, getting trapped in my neighbor's front door and all I could do was yell for help. I would like to spare my 33-year-old self and my neighbors this situation.

Done, I made it through the first intersection and a soon I leave the borders of the city behind me.

In the afternoon I look after the weather report and see that shortly a tidy summer thunderstorm arrives, which is to rage until late in the evening. I still manage to look for an Italian restaurant nearby and sit out the storm there for several hours. The bike stays outside and passes its first wetness test.
Note to the navigator: think more often about the weather!

At night I drive into a forest to look for a place to sleep. The light of my lamp does not reach far and I barely see the animal on the path in front of me. It is just as frightened about the nocturnal encounter as I am. Bewildered from his hissing noise, I stop and the badger takes the opportunity to escape.Read more