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Leaky Roof At the port in Rostock, a dismal industrial park and a nuclear reactor spewing steam greeted us. The reactor unnerved Arran and he wanted to ride fast in the opposite direction. As darkness was imminent, we compromised and headed for a forest a few kilometers away. The four-lane road from the dock was deserted. Camped in a forest we couldn't see the nuclear reactor, but it was just over there. In the morning it was raining. Sharon combined all of our remaining food and made a makeshift blueberry cheesecake for breakfast. Handing our leftovers to Arran and Rebecca, Sharon proclaimed it "Breakfast of champions." We went into Rostock to buy groceries. There were tons of cars driving around. Only gas stations and ice cream shops were open. Tourists licking ice cream cones walked around the downtown pedestrian area gawking at sculptures and old buildings with unusual architectural designs. We phoned home. Sharon's brother, Murray was coming to play hockey in Germany September 18. We gave him a list of goodies to bring for us: cycling clothes, camping equipment and peanut butter. After telling us no food stores were open on Sunday, an architect drew us a map to the train station. He said the train station ran a little food store, but the cost was excessive. We went there. I bought a road atlas of Germany with a 1:250000 scale. It would be perfect for finding small roads to cycle on. It included maps of Austria and Switzerland. Bonus. In the station we met Cathy, formerly from Vancouver, with her German husband Torstan. She became an instant friend offering me dark chocolate chunks of Toblerone. Cathy and Torstan had been married for two months. Torstan's parents had journeyed to Canada to partake in the wedding festivities. Cathy had driven them along the Ice Fields Parkway. It was her first time to the park. She eagerly reported, "I really liked Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, too." It was a surprise when she mentioned the buffalo jump because when we told Arran about the jump, he thought we were pulling his Kiwi leg. They answered the phone, "Hello, Head Smashed-In. May I help you?" Sharon couldn't believe Cathy had cycled all over Europe but had never even driven Jasper-Banff before her marriage. Torstan and Cathy had just finished cycling in Sweden; they went there because it was legal to free camp. They were on their way home to Hamburg by train. As they left to board, Cathy, rubbing it in called out, "We'll be having hot showers tonight!" A few kilometers out of Rostock we simultaneously hit a dead-end sign and a storm front. A large concrete bus shelter looked like an ideal eating location. Arran commented, "If my mother could see me now, she would be horrified!" The weather hadn't improved after supper; Arran suggested we set our camprests on the floor. I checked the posted schedule and the first bus was at 9:03 tomorrow morning. It was my first time sleeping in a bus shelter. The roof leaked a little. |
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