This morning’s history lesson (since we were too tired last night)…….Wittenberg is also often also referred to as Luther Stadt Wittenberg, because that is where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door and started the Protestant Reformation.  There is a 2003 movie with  Josef Fiennes (which we will now have to see, again) Luther, which chronicles Martin Luther’s life.

We slept in this morning…………’cause we can!  During the night a front came through and dropped the temperatures.  When we finally got out of the door it was 55 and drizzling.  Manfred had said, “when it rains in Germany, it always gets cold”……but it was 95 yesterday and it is the end of June!!  Seriously, a 40 degree drop in temperature?!
No matter, oddly enough after our very long ride yesterday, we were both ready to go, especially in the cooler temperatures.  But a bit of touring first.

Wittenberg is also where my grandfather grew up, so we had to find the house, which was only a mile from our hotel.  Would have knocked on the door, if either of us could have spoken the language, so we did a little more touring of the city and hit the road.
Unbeknown to us, the city had protected us from the blowing wind in our face, the rain didn’t take long to join in.  Which is a real shame, because it was a beautiful day……okay, maybe it wasn’t a beautiful day, but it really would have been a great ride if the temp had not dropped to 50 with a wind chill of 40, and that’s being generous.

Managed a quick picture;the beautiful fields in rich green from the rain, you’ll just have to imagine.

Surprising, neither of us got chilled until in the middle of the woods, we were stopped by another biker wanting to chat, in German.  Then the rain soaked us through via the penetrating wind.  We tried to go further, which required a ferry ride.  On the ferry, not generating heat by riding and one of us shaking from the cold., we both silently contemplated our options.  Then, at the same time we spotted the hotel across the river and both said DONE…..okay, one of us said it louder than the other!

But who could resist, warm, dry and a delicous bowl of HOT soup.

We WILL ride tomorrow!

A little diddy for the day is below.

Composed by the Noe/Bocrie team (of which I claim no part of in reference to below).

“Beer is good,

beer is good,

beer is good for me.

And I drink it every day,

you can plainly see ee.

And at  night at 12 o’clock,

when the fairies peek,

they will find me well and strong with roses on each cheek.”