Day 15 – The Border
Remembering the old times can be always a topic when I, an ex-Czechoslovak, talk to ex-East Germans. It feels like when two old soldiers meet. They both had no choice, both had to serve In the same terrible army, and though they never met before, they have so many common memories. Sometimes even bragging who suffered more 🙂
The impenetrable inner-German border was the main topic today. For many kilometres it was running in the middle of the Elbe alongside my track. People were telling me stories of restricted areas up to 5km wide, obligatory permits for people living inside, forced evacuations of the “unwanted” ones, and the murdered escapers who tried but did not make it to the side of the Elbe. I even passed through a village that used to be completely circled by a fence. The gates there, during communist, times were closed overnight. Without any bragging, I am happy these times are over.
In one village I get a candid recommendation not to go to the local coffee shop, but to cycle 10 km more to a well renowned one. Here I met two 79-year-old motor bikers from Hamburg. Both dressed in perfect black leather, ideally fitting to their powerful Suzukis. They stopped here on their regular Friday trip, today 400 km long. They mentioned they ride together for years. Looking at their helmets I asked if they have also these built-in walkie-talkies to communicate while driving.
One of them pointing to his friend replied.
“Oh no, why should we? I know already all his opinions…”
![127 km where the last 30 km were involuntarily. Simply no B&B available](https://drsata.eu/de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/img_0580-1024x752.jpg)
127 km where the last 30 km were involuntarily. Simply no B&B available
![Wittenberge. If your grandma had a 'Singer' or 'Veritas' sewing machine, then it was from this, now abandoned, factory.](https://drsata.eu/de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/img_0553-1024x768.jpg)
![Also abandoned, this time luckily, an East German watch tower on the former inner border](https://drsata.eu/de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/img_0560-1024x768.jpg)
![Also the West Germans did their best. A radio and TV tower immediately at the border to reach as many East Germans as possible](https://drsata.eu/de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/img_0562-1024x768.jpg)
![The northern spirit of thatched roofs](https://drsata.eu/de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/img_0570-1024x768.jpg)
![Wide Elbe in Lower Saxony](https://drsata.eu/de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/img_0567-1024x768.jpg)
![Each border has two sides. So no coincidence I met here this 1957 Cadillac, 8 Liter, 8 Cylinder, innumerable horse powers. The friendly owner even started the engine for me, so that I could hear the heavenly sound :) Anyway, most probably the nicest capitalist face from the Cold War era.](https://drsata.eu/de/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/img_0571-1024x768.jpg)
Geschriben 17.06 2022 um 21:55