2-8 July 2006

Date
Datum

Photo of the Day
Foto des Tages

More Photographs
Mehr Fotos

Sun

2 July

UFO HouseThis UFO house was designed and built by a French architect and is the only one of its kind in Germany. It was constructed using recycled materiials, uses an earth warming pump for heating, solar panels for electricity and water heating, and is almost totally self-sufficient. With 3 double bedrooms and a very large living room, it is used by clubs, for conferences, for private parties, and can be rented for varies types of other events.

Wild Falcon

This falcon was looking intently in the other direction when it heard me sneaking up. A turn of the head and snap - it flew away immediately after I captured this photo near Forst on the Polish border.

Mon

3 July

Accident or Art?

I snapped the picture of the day just to the north of Görlitz. Since this car was 100 meters from the highway, the driver must have been going very fast. Judging from the position of the rear puncture point, I doubt seriously that the driver survived.

Görlitz - Germany’s Most Beautiful City

This is one of the many many beautiful buildings in Görlitz. In my opinion, this city is the most beautiful in all of Europe. For such a small city, it was filled with many structures that were not destroyed during the WWII and the people were friendly. On my home page are four people I met across the border in the Polish half of this city - Zgorzelec.

Tue

4 July

Bohemian Forest

From Zittau, I rode to the town of Waltersdorf, where I stayed at a small campground on a farm. Milk fresh from a cow was my meal for the evening. The next morning I was up early and, instad of remaining in Germany, I headed for the Czech Republic and cut through the Bohemian Forest. From there I pedaled to Bad Schandau on the Elbe River just south of Dresden -- the best possible decision I could have made. The Bohemian Forest was stunningly awe-inspiring. Due to the many cliffs and the deep ravine, it was unusually cold - the cool air emanating from the cliffs that never saw sunshine. I almost expected to see little red riding hood skipping along with the big bad wolf popping out from behind a tree. What an incredible experience.

Steamboat in Königstein

Back in Germany, this steamboat came chugging up the river. Angela and I rode on this steamboat about a year before, but somehow it was fascinating to see it spouting smoke into the sky as it passed the town of Königstein.

Wed

5 July

Four Drunks in Freiberg

“Tomorrow, you’ll be dead” was the statement from the guy in the purple t-shirt. The man in the red shirt said, “You are totally crazy.” Why these comments? These men in Freiberg had never seen a traveling biker before loaded with luggage. And I can understand why. Freiberg sits in what appears to be a volcanic crater. The side is so steep that you have to push the bicycle up and over the rim and then ride down into the city. The entire region is filled with similar hills. Nobody in their right mind would ride a bike there with luggage on it. We chatted for a few minutes and I went on my way. You just never know who you’re going to meet up with on a trip like this.

 Later, another that saw me burst into an uncontrollable horse laugh when she saw me - verifying what I thought before. I laughed with her. :-))

Trail near Freiberg

This fern-lined trail was one of many the woods between Dresden and Freiberg - breathtaking and beautiful. I ate lunch in the shade of an oak tree here in the cool of the forest before plunging back into the scorching sunlight of the corn, rape, and soybean fields in the region.

Thu

6 July

Kerstin Funck
Kerstin is a friend of my wife who spent a few months in California together with her many years ago.

Since Martin, Kerstin’s husband, was on a business trip, I decided to stop for my mid-trip break and left most of my belongings there. When I head on south at the end of the first week in August, I will return to pick up my things and visit with Martin. Martin is a partner in the company, Rosskopf and Partner AG which produces quartz and solid surface materials used in kitchens, bathrooms and many other applications. Having seen the product with my own eyes, I can highly recommend it. Click on the link and give them a call.

Maren Funck

Maren just completed middle school, so we went out to eat at her favorite restaurant in Kunnersdorf .

Fri

7 July

Back home again. On the way from the barber to my home, I crashed in the rain and ended up in the hospital. A couple of weeks and I’ll be back to normal again.

Mid-Trip Break

Sat

8 July

Mid-Trip Break