Ahoy!

Our last calendar month on the road begins. 

The road is a magical place. It’s one where  friendships are made. A place where bonds between people are formed. Bonds between people who speak different languages. Bonds between people for a minute, an hour, a day, a life. 

Yesterday was much the same as any other day on the road. Different to the day before and the day before that. Yet the same. The same for the fact we were on the road and it was another unpredictable day. 

A few days ago in Brunsbuttel, as we wandered around we saw signs to “neue schleusen”. Thinking rightly that these were signs to something new, we walked in a different direction. After a while we returned full circle, to the “neue schleusen” to realise that this is the new lock gates. The lock gates to the Kiel canal that joins the Baltic and North seas. They are humungous. At one end an observation point, from where we watched first one ship passing into the lock, then another container ship so vast it had to be escorted in by a tug boat. For a good hour, mesmerised by the spectacle. What we didn’t realise at the time was that watching big ships seems to be something that lots of other people are into.

Then yesterday camped on the mouth of the Elbe, as it washes into the North Sea, we cycled into the local town Cuxhaven. This is the day that we ate fish sandwiches on the side of the harbour. A day that the man making the sandwiches was happy that two foreigners liked his food.

Later on in the day we returned to the campsite and then wandered up to the restaurant near by for a drink. Juliet a customary Aperol Spritz, me a 0.5L of beer. From our seats, fantastic views of the river up towards Hamburg in one direction and out to the North Sea in the other. People enjoying the late summer sunshine. In the distance a brick on the horizon coming down the river from Hamburg. The brick steadily grew larger, minute by minute as it steamed its’ way towards us. As it drew alongside two things became evident. Many other people were sitting out on the grassy bank watching the ships pass and their excitement grew. The second thing is that this ship was twice as big as the one we’d seen in the lock. Possibly more than 400M long, 20 containers across. Neither of us had seen a ship so big up quite so close.

Container ship spotting seems to be a thing on the banks of the Elbe.

Later in the evening, we cooked Kedgeree with some smoked fish that we picked up on our travels earlier and we felt contentment with our bellies full.

This was a day sublime. It was just another day on the road. A day we will cherish with all the rest. 

As our six month journey nears it’s end we have a wealth of stories, film and photos all which need to be sifted, sorted and edited to make something interesting. We’ve also learnt a lot. At the start timid, now bold and confident, knowledgable of the ways of the road. Happy just to be.