Day 13 on the Elbe Cycle Route

Sorry for the delayed post! Turns out that signal can be spotty inside ancient castle walls.

Magdeburg to Tangermünde, 46 miles. Thirteen consecutive days on the bike… a new record!

We really enjoyed our stay in Magdeburg. Our hotel was in the Green Citadel, a whimsical building designed by Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The design replaced a communist era blocky apartment and was intended to contrast the very drab surroundings.

Lots of quirky tile work inside and out—it looked like something straight out of a storybook.

Even the mail gets delivered by bike! Deutsche Post carriers on bikes are a common sight in the cities. The service went public in the late ’90s, but the German government still keeps a big stake in the game.

Today’s ride delivered one of the coolest engineering feats we’ve ever seen. At first, from the trail below, we thought we were just passing under another massive bridge. No big deal—we see plenty of those along the Elbe. But then the trail zigzagged up to the top, and we realized it was no ordinary bridge. It was an aqueduct—the Magdeburg Water Bridge—carrying a full-blown canal over the river! In this picture, the Elbe is flowing below (lower left) and the water bridge is on the right.

We followed the canal for a while before arriving at another marvel: two enormous locks that raise or lower cargo ships by 60 feet in a single stage.

This waterway actually lets ships travel from the North Sea all the way to Berlin. Pretty wild to think about cargo ships floating across a river on top of a bridge!

We break for Döner Kebabs!

It really is the perfect cycling lunch. Protein, carbs.

After yesterday’s punishing headwind, we were rewarded with a glorious tailwind. The miles flew by, and before long we rolled into Tangermünde, an ancient walled city.

Booking a room here was a bit of an adventure—everywhere we called was full. Turns out it’s the town’s birthday weekend, and they don’t mess around with celebrations. We lucked into the very last available room, a renovated historic half timber building that’s full of charm.

Here are a few pics of this very fun place!

And the birthday party? Imagine a mix between a Renaissance fair and an upscale carnival, all set against a medieval backdrop. The streets were packed with food stalls, bands, dancers, rides, and beer gardens.

Naturally, we sampled our way through: handbread with cheese and ham, bratwurst, sautéed mushrooms smothered in hollandaise, and a baumstriezel (a cinnamon-sugar chimney cake). And yes—we finally got the gelato we earned yesterday!

Bob spotted the Ferris wheel and couldn’t resist.

From the top, the views over the red rooftops and old city walls were incredible.

There were thousands of people at the festival

When the sun went down, these two road weary cyclers turned in, but the party went on and on. We could hear the concerts and fireworks late into the night. A perfect ending to the day.

We cycle on to more adventures tomorrow !