To (near) Berlin

I am luxuriating. 

I set off this morning in hot but overcast weather to a campsite 50k away. I ended up 80km away in a hotel. Shucks eh?!

I was happy this morning to see the clouds and the flat tarmacked woodland roads pass under my wheels. As the clouds burned away the heat began to really kick in. Before if had felt like someone needed to open the window. Now it felt like the heater had been left on too. 

I realised at about this point that I hadn’t done my usual internet check of the site in the book. Cue an hour of no signal and then finally confirmation that the campsite was caravans only. 

Not one to be put off (easily) I recalibrated.  I found a site 30km away and pushed on. Towards some rather ominous clouds. 

I hit the city with a whoomph. It felt like I turned a corner and suddenly there were noise and cars everywhere. After my woodland ramblings it was rather a shock. Still, I cycled on. 

When the rain clouds eventually burst it was that kind of torrential rain that is a short lived but soaking downpour. It was too hot for waterproofs, they were at the bottom of my bag and, as it started so quickly and decidedly, looking them out would be rather pointless. So I was soaked. Very much to the skin. 

As soon as I could find shelter enough I liberated my phone and used then now stable signal to do a bit of searching. I found a hotel really near me but, because my very wrinkled finger print ID didn’t work for payment passwords, missed the only room. The next hotel didn’t look as nice and was quite a ride away. I ran the search again a couple of times fairly convinced that the room I wanted was showing as taken because it was in my shopping basket. At last, it came back up and this time with a discount. I tried to pay again and this time was successful.

I got a few odd looks but checked in, went to the room, threw my soaking clothes in the bathtub and got changed. One quick trip to the supermarket and a cool shower later, I’m set for the eAs I cycled along I waited for it to ease a little but, it didn’t. It just went on and on and on. At one corner a car drove through a puddled, the water was really warm. 

I began to imagine arriving at the site. No doubt it was now flooding. And it would be that horrible sandy soil. Pegs wouldn’t have a hope of staying put. And it was due to rain for the next day. Would there be a bar to wait in until a break in the weather so I could get my tent up with minimum damp? I hate the way sand sticks to everything in the rain.  Then I began to have a word with myself. By now I was in suburban Berlin a mile from the site. Why was I going to a campsite I didn’t even like the look of? 

vening.