E11: Gutenberg – Görzig – Weißandt-Gölzau

Friday, July 20: Sunny and warm throughout

Halle, Alexandra’s (€11.4, bedroom with shared facilities, via airbnb)

Early morning at the dentist’s to check whether yesterday’s extraction had gone to plan, then a haircut and a brief visit to the office to finalise next semester’s timetable. Then it was a slow process of packing and trying to check that I had everything with me this time. Decided I would go into town by tram, as I had already brought to light that one train on today’s schedule had been replaced by another, with no seat reservation possible. Managed, however, to get some random lights working in the flat, although I should really read up on the mega new device onto how to set it up correctly, forgot only to turn off the video recorder, won’t be many new episodes of CSI anyhow.

If there had been a loose spanner in the works, then DB would have come crumbling down today. A couple of minutes’ delay in leaving the main station were almost immediately raised to about 10 within 100 m of leaving the station; although it didn’t get any worse further along the line, and thus no connections were endangered, there were announcements on the train about advising people not to change for a faster train in Brunswick, as the faster train was delayed, and you’d be quicker staying on this one.

I had two little boys opposite me who were alternating taking turns in playing with a smart phone (which sharing occasionally had to be policed by an older brother from across the aisle) and annoying each other. I had a woman sitting next to me, and I spent most of my time reading Skeptical Inquirer. The change in Magdeburg was only adventurous insofar as the fact that platform 13 was an isolated addendum to the station, and it involved walking down its whole length to get to the station proper. The replacement train here was an ICE with no aircon in one of the “peace and quiet” cars, so I was treated to a couple of groups of small children generally screaming as if they were on a plane. Halle was soon reached and I could recall the station at Köthen and the view of the Petersberg as we moved closer.

The last stretch was also familiar from travelling to and from Eisleben. Silberhöhe is pretty much GDR cheap and abundant housing, and I stopped at one of the supermarkets for some refreshments for later on, and some breakfast for tomorrow. The place here is very functional, and ridiculously cheap.

Saturday, July 21: Warm but quite cloudy, with a bit of a breeze in the morning

Hiking: 25.0 km

Dessau, René’s (quite spacious and modern room with all cons shared, €22.7, via airbnb)

I was up quite early and nothing was coming from the other inhabitants. Made my breakfast, took out the trash and a bottle for redemption, and was geared up for a three-litre day after a short stop at the supermarket.

Packed everything away, remembered to retrieve everything from the fridge. Pack didn’t appear to be so heavy, but I was soon at the tram stop waiting for the tram to take me all the way across Halle. Once inside I got to the ticket machine which again asked the stupid question of how I was getting to Gutenberg (whether via Sennewitz as the cheapest alternative, or two others). I took the cheapest ticket, which turned out to be right, then remembered to study the ticket carefully and rediscovering that the ticket had to be validated. With that out of the way the trek across Halle could begin.

I had to change in Trotha, into the bus that originates at the main station. Obviously it was easier to get out here and change, rather than try a double change on a Saturday morning. The bus was soon there and then we were on our way for the last ten minutes or so.

Had a drink of the calorie-free lemonade before starting. Most of the landscape was very familiar, so the going was fairly straightforward. I did want to see the basilica in Petersberg, which meant taking a detour to the top. Took a picture here, and then went down and found the continuation of the path. Towards the end I tried one last track to the road, but it had no markings either, so I was a the road with the path leading away on the other side, as the only alternative to the next village, Krosigk. In a valley I decided to follow the stream, and although again all markings were absent, it did eventually reach the middle of the village where a detailed sign could be found. I continued along the stream as close as I could and stopped before the next village for lunch, and continued on for what I thought was as good as dammit, then left the stream for the main road, where lo and behold there was the first of two signs there. Through Kaltenmark, I took the right turns to cross the fields to Kösseln, where I arrived for another drink.

From here I needed to get to Glauzig and then Görzig, which I eventually did, but could find no further signs in Görzig and took a road towards Schortewitz, which was in the wrong direction as far as I could tell, as the compass was not making much sense and I had to rely on the the clouded sun for orientation. Once there, a miraculous sign turned up that seemed to indicate that it would lead to a railway station, and although only two further signs of the sort turned up I eventually reached Weißandt-Gölzau, which was as near as I could get to the end, and called it a day there.

OpenStreetMap

Fairly soon there was a train, but the ticket machine wasn’t operating and the conductrice let me off. In Köthen I had almost an hour to spend so I went off on an ice-cream safari. Not a single ice-cream shop to be found (nor much else) so I was back at the station well in time to get to Dessau. Once off here I wandered around a bit before I found this place, but I was very much on time.

A bit of a chat with René about this and that, then I had to find a supermarket for supplies for the next couple of days. Down there found everything I needed, then it was back here and a question about where to eat. Had a bit of a shower, mainly to wash the feet, and eyed the washing machine for some more extensive washing tomorrow. Eventually I settled on El Greco (Antoinettenstr. 37), very full, but very efficient staff, and a lot of ouzo being thrown around. I had a village platter to eat (two kebabs with giros, salad, chips and rice) and couldn’t finish off the chips or the rice, so that was that. All for €17, although everything did take its time, it was well worth it. I already knew the prices from the West, but had forgotten how large the portions once were (1985 at the Monastiraki in Göttingen).

Latest on the compass/barometer. Change the difference in barometric pressure, and correct altitude is obtained?!?