German can be pretty verbose. All German manuals are longer than the English ones. But there are two efficient words which English can never beat – “rechtselbisch” & “linkselbisch”. They mean “on the right/left side of the Elbe”. These expressions are well justified, since the cycling track changes frequently from one side of the river to another. Many of these changes today did not happen across bridges but by ferries. It surprised me how much they substitute bridges here. When asking one ferry boat operator why, he replied smirking: The bridge was planned here for almost a century but was not built for three reasons. First came the war, then the socialism and last the reunification.

Though the fare is affordable, it still divides the countryside and people. Waiting for a ferry, I started a conversation with a local teenager cyclist. He told me that he could count on his fingers how many times he had been on the other side of the river. When the ferry arrived, I challenged him in to join me. But he just said goodbye and returned to this “linkselbisch” village

However, not everyone is so opinionated. When seeing a husband making a photograph of his wife in a park, I suggested that I can take a photo of both of them.
“No, thanks, that’s not necessary” he replied.
“What?” countered almost furiously his wife and continued: “Give this gentleman your mobile, come over to me and smile nicely!”
Yes, her husband changed his mind rather fast.