east deutchland
After freezing my toblerones off at the campsite it was time to head for Berlin. Berlin was roughly 150ks away (in a straight line), but id be using tiny circulating roads via GPS so it could be more than double when factoring in wrong turns, bad roads & chaos. This ride was a tricky one with roadsworks closing off towns, major diversions, and roads that continually seemed to be turning back towards where I originated. At one point I headed through a town that seemed to fade into nothing and I ended up scooting between fields and on to an obvious ex-commi town full of bad cobbled roads, wandering livestock and the obligitory toothless old hag. Old walls, checkpoints and abandoned buildings all pointed to a run down border town dead to the new world. My GPS batteries were on the blink and fuel was low but I just managed to find my way out in time. I ended up reaching Berg and other industrial commi-hellscapes and scrambled just enough in the dark to reach a nice little pension in a cosy town (until a gaggle of guys on scooters turned the main road into a dragstrip at about 11pm). The old lady of the property and I exchanged laughs, shrugs, and pointing and I ended up having a really good steak I didnt really want before going to bed amongst the squealing of adolescent scoot hoons outside. Ahh Germany!