EV6 day 25

Quite an uneventful day today. It was advertised as a ‘mainly flat’ day. So more rolling hills to start.🙄

I go up, down, around but mostly up. I have to confess to not being happy with the status quo. I hit another drag up and I can see a family of four in front of me. Mum, Dad, boy maybe 6, girl younger. They have struggled up the hill which is on a separate cycle track next to the road. As ever there is always a corner around which is a bit more hill that you thought had finished! Mum and daughter walk the last bit, dad takes the boy to ride up it. As I pass them, that itself a miracle, the boy loses it and is distraught- dad can’t console him. Back on the empathy theme now- I know just how he feels and I am probably not far off tears myself. What can I do? I remember my supplies, I stop and due to the language barrier can only say ‘bravo’ to the lad who is almost at the top (I have no idea how that translates in German so if he knew what I was talking about or if he just thought I was nuts). But I do have a small chocolate bar- again despite the language barrier Dad is happy to give it to him and fortitude is suitably rewarded. I cycle on smugly. Then I realise that the sister has also got to the top – even if she walked a bit, she still made it I can’t reward one without the other- so I have to return to bravo and mum is happy to take my chocolate bar and hand it to the girl. Family honours are now even – but I no longer have any chocolate. I hope there are no more big hills!

All goes well with a light but constant tail wind- great! I get to the end of the allotted leg and Passepartout has found a campsite about 9kms along but on the route for tomorrow, if I ride it I will knock 9kms off a 109kms day. Great. I make the mistake of following Google maps to his location. He had driven along a flat well surfaced road. Google cycle route took me through a forest track by a stream populated by more starving mossies. By the time I get to the camp I look like something from Boris Karloff- look it up kids!
It is a fabulous site attached to a municipal swimming pool. Toilet and shower are spotless and modern- but there is just one each for ladies and gents. Weird!