Tue, Dec 27, 2011 - 6.35 mi [Cycling]

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 - 6.35 mi [Cycling] 

6.35 mi in 00:45:12 hours at 8.43 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Cycle along the beach to the fantastic Matarangi Headland and back - 6.3 miles - Just enough to get to 3000 miles for the year and what a spectacular ride to get there.

Photographs :

2996 Miles : Approaching the headland

2996 Miles : A jellyfish on the beach at Matarangi Headland

2999.9 Miles

2999.95 miles

3000 Miles : The Arrival on the beach at Matarangi

3000 Miles + One happy cycist

3000 Miles : Satisfaction with a beer

3000 Miles in NZ

2994 : Apprehensive start at the Beach Bach with a tricky
6 miles to do to reach the 3000 miles in 2011 :-)

2996 Miles near the headland

2996 Miles on Matarangi Headland

3000 Miles in 2011 - The finish on Matarangi Beach, Coromandel, New Zealand

Mon, Dec 26, 2011 - 10.75 mi [Cycling] Matarangi

Mon, Dec 26, 2011 - 10.75 mi [Cycling] 10.75 mi in 00:55:38 hours at 11.59 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Cycle around the whole of town

Sun, Dec 25, 2011 - 7.93 mi [Cycling] Matarangi XMAs Treasure Hunt

Sun, Dec 25, 2011 - 7.93 mi [Cycling] 7.93 mi in 01:14:24 hours at 6.40 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Cycle around town several times creating a Treasure Hunt for the family on XMAs afternoon.

Fri, Dec 23, 2011 - 6.79 mi [Cycling]

Sat, Dec 24, 2011 - 1.82 mi [Cycling] Matarangi Golf Club 1.82 mi in 00:13:16 hours at 8.23 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Cycle to the Matarangi GC where i had a very pleasant round with 2 Americans (Rod & Bud) from Pennsylvania - the course was beautiful but tough - designed by the great kiwi golfer Bob Charles.

Fri, Dec 23, 2011 - 6.79 mi [Cycling] Matarangi

Fri, Dec 23, 2011 - 6.79 mi [Cycling] 6.79 mi in 00:42:12 hours at 9.65 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Cycle around Matarangi where we will be spending Christmas in a Bach and where there are 2 very,very, very old and decrepid bikes - one of which I have named Jonah because he is kiwi, very heavy, well past his best and really quite sick

Sun, Dec 18, 2011 - 8.67 mi [Cycling] Paihia Waitangi Harura Falls

Sun, Dec 18, 2011 - 8.67 mi [Cycling] 8.67 mi in 00:44:23 hours at 11.72 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Cycle up to Waitangi and then walked along the river to the Harura Falls followed by another ride over Mount Bleliscoe back to Waitangi & on to Paihia.

Tue, Mar 30, 2010 - 19.05 mi [Cycling] Paihia Waitangi Forest

Tue, Mar 30, 2010 - 19.05 mi [Cycling]


19.05 mi in 01:24:32 hours at 13.52 mi/h on Pinnacle Hybrid. [Cycling] Good weather again there and back - very odd as there's some horrible stuff about today.

Fri, Dec 16, 2011 - 19.09 mi [Cycling] Paihia to Russell via Wiatangi, Harura & Opua

Fri, Dec 16, 2011 - 19.09 mi [Cycling] 19.09 mi in 01:47:55 hours at 10.61 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Cysle from Paihia across the bridge to Waitangi for an early morning round of golf after which I continued up the hill and across to the harura falls. I then looped back to Paihia and headed up the mian road to Opua from where the ferry took me across the bay and I cycled up to Russell. Not a long ride but with 1831 feet of elevation it was tough

.

3 Miles : This is the 11th hole at Waitangi Golf Club where
I stopped for a quick round mid ride !

4 Miles : The road from Waitangi goes uphill and across the side
of Mount Blelisoe  

5 Miles : A nice view across the bay before entering the forest
across to Harura.

6 miles : Deep in the forest on my way to the Harura falls
There were lots of Lorkeets flying about but sadly none
were friendly enough to let me get a picture of them.

14 Miles : The ferry across the Bay from Opua

19 Miles : The view down to Longbeach from Russell
well worth the ride !

Thu, Dec 15, 2011 - 6.91 mi [Cycling] Paihia Wiairoa Station Loop

Thu, Dec 15, 2011 - 6.91 mi [Cycling]
6.91 mi in 00:32:06 hours at 12.92 mi/h on Hire Hire. [Cycling] Picked up a hire bike at Paihia late this afternoon and managed my first Southern Hemisphere bike ride along the coast from Paihia past Waitangi Treaty House amd the golf course down to Wiairoa Station - Winter Cycling in shorts & Tee shirt -- AWESOME 


Route : 

1 mile : The view across the Bay of Islands from Paihia just along from the
35 Degree South Bar. 

3 miles : This is the largest Waka in the world built in 1940 to celebrate the 100
year anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It was made from
3 Kauri trees felled in the Pukati forest. Waka Ngatokimatawhaorua is 35m
long and carries 76 paddlers and has reached a speed of 27 knotts. It is raced
once a year on February 6th - Waitangi Day.

3 Miles : The flagpole marks the spot where the Treaty of
Waitangi was signed on 6th February 1840. 3 Flags fly which
are the English cross of St George, the Mauri flag and the
modern day flag of New Zealand. 

November Stats

Number of Rides = 3
Total Distance = 18.47
Miles Time in Saddle = 1hrs 13mins 40secs
 Average Speed = 15.04mph
 Total Elevation Gain = 710ft
 Total Calories = 905

Fri, Dec 2, 2011 - 7.84 mi [Cycling] Newcastle Jarrow

7.84 mi in 00:36:00 hours at 13.07 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Well with all the metros off on strike and my car booked in for a service I had to cycle back from the garage didn't I .... Hmmph the inconvenience of it all .. lol

Sat, Nov 19, 2011 - 3.48 mi [Cycling] Jarrow

3.48 mi in 00:11:56 hours at 17.50 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle down to Jarrow Town Centre to watch the Toon lose their unbeaten run at Man City after a decent performance with their chances to get something.

Sat, Nov 5, 2011 - 7.60 mi [Cycling] Newcastle to Jarrow

Sat, Nov 5, 2011 - 7.60 mi [Cycling] 7.60 mi in 00:30:55 hours at 14.75 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Yet another easy ride home on a high after the Toon beat Everton to go to 2nd in the Premier League

Sat, Nov 5, 2011 - 7.39 mi [Cycling] Jarrow to Newcastle

Sat, Nov 5, 2011 - 7.39 mi [Cycling]


7.39 mi in 00:30:49 hours at 14.39 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] arly morning game of golf left me very little time to get to the match this was a quick cycle up to Newcastle, bike parked and just into St James in time for kick off.

October Stats

Number of Rides = 9
Total Distance = 80.89 Miles
Time in Saddle = 5hrs 40mins 29secs
Average Speed = 14.25mph
Total Elevation Gain = 3,619
Total Calories = 4,088

---

Longest Ride in the Month was 14.54 miles on Sunday 16th Oct - Jarrow to Newcastle loop

Mon, Oct 31, 2011 - 10.88 mi [Cycling] Metrocentre to Newcastle

Mon, Oct 31, 2011 - 10.88 mi [Cycling] 10.88 mi in 00:46:54 hours at 13.92 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle home ffrom the metrocentre - nice night for a bike ride

Mon, Oct 31, 2011 - 9.02 mi [Cycling] Jarrow to Dunston

Mon, Oct 31, 2011 - 9.02 mi [Cycling] 9.02 mi in 00:40:03 hours at 13.51 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Early morning cycle up to Dunston - quite hungover after yesterday but the ride in sobered me up pretty well !

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 - 6.96 mi [Cycling] Newcastle to Jarrow

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 - 6.96 mi [Cycling]


6.96 mi in 00:29:38 hours at 14.09 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycled home from the Toon into a headwind but I didn't even feel it - still on a high as the Toon win again, remain undefeated and go to within 3 points of top


<

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 - 7.53 mi [Cycling] Jarrow to Newcastle

Sat, Oct 22, 2011 - 7.53 mi [Cycling]


7.53 mi in 00:33:19 hours at 13.56 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle up to Newcastle to watch the unbeaten Toon play Wigan - lovely clear sunny day - ideal for riding.

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 - 14.54 mi [Cycling] Jarrow Newcastle Loop

Sun, Oct 16, 2011 - 14.54 mi [Cycling]


14.54 mi in 01:00:23 hours at 14.45 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle up to the match and back to see another great Toon performance - this team refuse to be beaten and came oh so close to winning today - still in the top 4 though
:-)

Sat, Oct 15, 2011 - 6.51 mi [Cycling] Gateshead to Jarrow

Sat, Oct 15, 2011 - 6.51 mi [Cycling]


6.51 mi in 00:25:59 hours at 15.03 mi/h on Pinnacle Hybrid. [Cycling] Fast cycle home from the rugby club - disappointing loss by 8 pts and a very poor Ref who gave Gateshead nothing - Top speed of 35mph - Ooops !

Sat, Oct 15, 2011 - 6.59 mi [Cycling] Jarrow to Gateshead

Sat, Oct 15, 2011 - 6.59 mi [Cycling]
6.59 mi in 00:31:06 hours at 12.71 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle up to Gateshead Rugby Club to present the cheque for our Coast to Coast cycle ride on July 23rd - looking forward to the match v Durham ity and catching up with two good friends Mick & Don.


<iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/121764762'></iframe>

Sept Stats

Sept Stats

Number of Rides = 4
Total Distance = 42.05 miles
Time in Saddle = 3hrs 59mins  32secs
Average Speed = 10.50mph
Total Elevation Gain = 1,840
Total Calories = 2,545

Longest Ride in the Month was 16.39 miles on Saturday 24th Sept - Jarrow to Newcastle loop

August Stats

August Stats

Number of Rides = 23
Total Distance = 1056.29 miles
Time in Saddle = 100hrs 53mins  44secs
Average Speed = 10.50mph
Total Elevation Gain = 39,794
Total Calories = 54,495

Longest Ride in the Month was 122.09 miles on Saturday 20th Aug - Nuremburg to Pilzen.

Mon, Oct 3, 2011 - 9.27 mi [Cycling] Metrocentre to Jarrow

Mon, Oct 3, 2011 - 9.27 mi [Cycling] 


9.27 mi in 00:31:13 hours at 17.82 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Wind ... what wind - the ride home felt altogether different - fast and effortless and mostly well above 20mph

Mon, Oct 3, 2011 - 9.59 mi [Cycling] Jarrow to Metrocentre

Mon, Oct 3, 2011 - 9.59 mi [Cycling]


9.59 mi in 00:41:54 hours at 13.73 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Tough ride up to the metrocentre into a gusting wind which must have been up to 30mph. At least it was a good warm night and decent cycling weather other than the wind.

Sat, Sep 24, 2011 - 16.39 mi [Cycling] Jarrow to Newcastle

Sat, Sep 24, 2011 - 16.39 mi [Cycling]


16.39 mi in 01:09:45 hours at 14.10 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle up to Newcastle to watch a superb Toon performance see Blackburn put to the sword - the Toon get better & better ... and still unbeaten

Wed, Sep 21, 2011 - 7.49 mi [Cycling] Jarrow Boldon Simonside

Wed, Sep 21, 2011 - 7.49 mi [Cycling]


7.49 mi in 00:44:31 hours at 10.10 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle to ASDA to get some money to pay for flights for next years Golfing holiday in Turkey :-)

Sun, Sep 18, 2011 - 4.96 mi [Cycling] South Shields to Jarrow

Sun, Sep 18, 2011 - 4.96 mi [Cycling]


4.96 mi in 00:22:57 hours at 12.97 mi/h on Bianchi Nironne 7. [Cycling] Cycle home after GNR#31 which I managed in a respectable 1 hr 40 mins - the Great North Run that is not the cycle home !

Sun, Aug 28, 2011 - 7.20 mi [Cycling] Newcastle to Jarrow

Sun, Aug 28, 2011 - 7.20 mi [Cycling]


7.20 mi in 00:27:58 hours at 15.45 mi/h on Pinnacle Hybrid. [Cycling] Very fast ride home from Newcastle - wind less gusty but still a bit tricky conditions.

Sun, Aug 28, 2011 - 8.93 mi Jarrow to Newcastle

Sun, Aug 28, 2011 - 8.93 mi [Cycling]


8.93 mi in 00:44:42 hours at 11.99 mi/h on Pinnacle Hybrid. [Cycling] Cycle up to the Spittal for a pree match drink then on to St James to see another good Toon performance and a well deserved win over Fulham. Very tough going into a strong headwind which I would guess was gusting up to 40 or 50 mph - Tricky Cycling

Day 11 : Wed, Aug 24, 2011 - 74.90 mi [Cycling] Finsterwalde to Berlin

Day 11 : Finsterwalde to Berlin

Day 11 Stats :
Distance = 70.02 Miles
Time = 05:50:29 hrs
Ave Speed = 11.99 mph
Elevation = 1567 ft
Calories = 3508 Calories
Max Speed = 22.3 mph
Max Height = 467 ft
Min Height = 112 ft

Tour Stats
Distance = 1005.85 miles
Time = 84:01:07 hrs
Ave Speed = 11.97 mph
Total Elevation = 33692 ft
Total Calories = 52431


I had 70 miles to complete to reach Berlin and I would also be completing 1000 miles for the tour. I had thoroughly enjoyed my extra day and I was really glad I stopped in Finsterwalde even if it did mean 1 less day in berlin.
The Town is called the Singing Town and it has a reputation for being really friendly and my Hotel was really good - I enjoyed a lovely meal in the garden and a few beers to celebrate - It's hard to put into words but tonight I knew I was going to make Berlin ... and that is the first time I could honestly say that !

I set off North along another Strassen Schaden (Uneven road) which was barriered off - fortunately it did go through and before long I was on the Bundestrasse 96 which was a straight road North to Berlin.The road was beautiful lined with large mature trees and I did have a laugh when I saw a sign showing a car crashing into a tree to presumably tell you not to drive into a tree !

The road lead to the first reasonably sized town which was Luckau and even though it was only 20 miles away I was pretty sore aand tired and started to wonder if I would make it to Berlin today after all - I bought some drinks at a garage and pressed on North.

I was now cycling through beautiful but quite thick forests and I passed through Zutzen, Baruth & Neuhof all of which were about 7 miles apart and separated by dead straight road on which the wagons were starting to build. Just after Neuhof a white van decided to overtake a Wagon heading towards me - Immediately I thought "This is going to be tight" so I braked and hopped my bike off the road onto the forest verge....

The van didn't make it back in in time & would have totalled me had I not seen it coming !!
The Wagon driver went mental and started blaring his horn at the van as the van tried to speed off from him into the distance - I suspect a chase was on :-)

I passed a monument to the war with two russian tanks sitting on plinths alongside the B96 road and stopped to take a picture. Shortly afterwards I was at Zossen which is pretty much the start of Berlin albeit 20 miles away. Another 7 Miles and I was crossing the Autobahn south of Berlin that is the Berliner Ring motorway.

I then picked my way via minor roads and cycle paths into the City centre and my route took me down Wilhelmstrasse and past Checkpoint Charlie from there I went straight through the non traffic section past the British Embassy which lead to Unter den Linden. A left turn and up to the top of the street and I was there 'THE BRANDENBURG GATES'  - my symbolic journey's end.

I cycled under the gate and decided a photo is required. The place was crowded and I saw an Italian family on a tandem who had cycled to Berlin - they were being swamped and had almost a press corp surrounding them taking pictures. I wandered looking for someone who could speak English but the place was surprisingly devoid of anyone I could ask. The Italian celebrations continued ... I felt well pretty deflated having 2 minutes ago been on such a high - the tiredness and cold was starting to cut in - I continued to look - I asked some Koreans but they didn't seem to understand - eventually I found two Japanese lads who did take my picture - I muttered Paris, Prague, Berlin, Bicycle and pointed to my bike but I think the significance of my achievement didn't register - I was to celebrate my achievement in solitude.

I cycled back down Unter den Linden, down Wilhelmstrasse to Checkpoint Charlie where I turned left onto Zimmerstrasse where my Hotel for the next 2 nights was - As it turned out Zimmerstrasse is actually the route of the former Berlin wall and my Hotel was actually on a corner of the wall - the building itself forming the boundary with East Berlin

Route :
<
Photograph :

10 Miles : Near Pahlsdorf these goats got really friendly and
came across to me to let me take their photograph.

12 Miles : Don't you just love German Road Signs

12 Miles : A close up - this sign had me in stitches :-)

12 Miles : Oh No Disaster I should have heeded the
warnings - I've gone & crashed my bike into a Tree
Shame they didn't have a sign to warn me !!!

38 Miles : Just near Muckendorf still on the Bundestrasse 96
 came across this monument with 2 soviet tanks on plinths
by the roadside.

46 Miles : Just before Zossen on the outskirts of Berlin I stopped
in the forest to take a closer look and as you can see it's pretty
dense in there.

46 Miles : In the forest still - Looking Up & thise trees are high
perfect to wrap in ribbon & hang hoops from !

18 miles : This is the first sign for Berlin that I had seen
that wasn't via a Motorway so I had to stop & take a
picture - I was 3 miles south of Luckau & about 45 miles
south of Berlin - It almost brought a smile to my face :-)

52 Miles : I reached the A10 which is the Berlinerring -
The Berlin Ring Road - well it does bypass Berlin but it was
still 18 miles south of the City Centre.

55 Miles : Double Take
Och Aye I see it now - not quite in Scotland ! 

70 Miles : Journey's End - 1007 Miles from the Eifel Tower to
the Brandenburg Gates (via Prague !) 

Berlin : this is just behind the Reichstag on the River Spree

Berlin : The Reichstag

Berlin :  I found Martin Luther just near the Tower at the
Alexanderplatz

Berlin : A close up of the dome on the Reichstag

Berlin : The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
also known as the Holocaust Memorialis a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust,
designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold.
It consists of a 19,000 square metres (4.7 acres) site
 covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae",
arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field.
The stelae are 2.38 m (7 ft 10 in) long, 0.95 m (3 ft 1 in) wide
and vary in height from 0.2 to 4.8 m (8 in to 15 ft 9 in).
 According to Eisenman's project text, the stelae are designed to produce
an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to
represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

Berlin : A clock in Alexanderplatz which shows the time
in every Time Zone in the world 

Berlin : A piece of the Berlin Wall outside the
Checkpoint Charlie museum 

Berlin : Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin : The Brandenburg Gates

Berlin : A colourful wall on a building near the Alexanderplatz.

Berlin : Berlin TV studios and 3 very famous world leaders :-
George Bush, Helmut Cole & Mikael Gorbachev who were in
power when the wall came down in 1989

Berlin : The Alexanderplatz looking towards the TV tower

Berlin : The Ferneshturm from pretty much underneath it.
It was built between 1965 - 1969 and at 368 metres is the tallest
building in Germany.

Berlin : An unorthodox view of the Fernsehturm
taken from Karl Liebknecht-Strasse looking at
St mary's church with the tower directly behind.

Day 10 : Tue, Aug 23, 2011 - 57.22 mi [Cycling] Dresden to Finsterwalde

Day 10 : Dresden to Finsterwalde

Day 10 Stats
Distance = 57.22
Time = 05:32:29 hrs
Ave Speed = 10.32 mph
Elevation = 1421 ft
Calories = 2450
Max Speed = 20.0 mph
Max Elevation = 707 ft
Min Elevation = 306 ft

Tour Stats
Distance = 935.83 Miles
Total Time = 78:10:38 hrs
Ave Speed = 11.07 mph
Total Elevation = 32125 fett
Total Calories = 48923

Day 10 :

Quite a slow start as I had not got the Internet key before I went out last night and the desk was closed when i returned so i had to book my Hotel in Finsterwalde and check my route in the Garmin before setting off.
Yesterday was my longest ride and my body was feeling the effects today - I had realised that I was incapable of doing the remaining 140 miles in 1 day so I had decided Finsterwalde was a good half way point.

Once sorted I cycled into town for a quick look around Dresden and to take a few photographs before setting off for the day. I was heading pretty much due North and as I left Dresden my poor sore body was not enjoying the first 5 miles which were pretty much all cobbles and between 4 to 8 miles I climbed another 400feet - Once I went under the E40 autobahn the I turned off main road I had been following and I picked up samller roads which were perfect for cycling.

I made steady progress if not fast and I reached the town of Barnsdorf which .. surprise surprise was cobbled.In the small village of Weissig am Rassutz I stopped as I passed a house with a garden that had been decorated with wood carvings - I think it was snow white and the seven dwarves that had been carved and were forming the garden fence.

At Tetten there was sign post saying Strassen Schaden and I wasn't sure if the road was open or not as half had been barriered off.- I cycled on and the road remained open & Ok but the landscape changed dramatically - the fields were suddenly barren and flat and white, there were no trees and the road was sitting on the landscape with a unnatural ditch between.

Then after a couple of mile I saw a high structure come into view on the horizon - It was industrial, It was massive. It was .... obviously chewing up the landscape and turning the earth into what looked like the moon.
When I reached the machine it was a very large metal framework with conveyors - it must have been 100fett high and 500 feet long.

Once past it the landscape quickly greened up and I was in no time at Licherfeld and a short ride down the road into Finsterwalde.

Route :


Photographs :

1 Mile : I stopped on the bridge across the Elbe to photograph
this wave and my bike !

2 Miles : This is a small part of a wall which remained in the Old Town
of Dresden after the bombing raids in 1945. 

2 Miles : Another view of the section of wall that
wasn't bombed in 1945.

2 Miles : Dresden Old Town

1 Miles : A fountain in Dresden near the Bridge over the Elbe

1 Mile : This is a gold statue which faces the bridge over the Elbe

2 miles : A large stone gothic figure carved into the wall
guards two large doorways in the Old Town. 

2 Miles ; I looked up and saw this view - a dome topped with
a gold winged messenger watched over by two black carved
figures.

2 Miles : A statue in the square of Martin Luther.

2 Miles : On top of an old building in Dresden - the inscription
The Fatherland - To fuss and Honour.

2 Miles : A horse and Carriage in Dresden Old Town

2 miles : The massive Porcelain Wall in Dresden Old Town which
was made by the famous Meissen Potters which is only about 10
miles west of Dresden.

27 Miles : A garden in Weissig am Raschutz with wooden
carved figures

27 Miles : A closer inspection of the figures show that the they
are in fact Snow White and the seven dwarves. 

45 Miles : Just leaving Lauchhammer this sign
warned the road may not be too level - shortly
afterwards there was a barrier across half the road
and I wondered if i was venturing down a dead End.

47 miles : The landscape began to change - the vegetation seemed
to be dying and looking ahead I could see what looked like the Moon 

49 Miles : I approached the enormous Orwellian looking
machine that had obviously changed the countryside over
which I had been cycling for the last 4 miles.

57 Miles : A pretty rooftop in the Town Square in Finsterwalde

57 Miles : Finsterwalde is called Die Sangsterstadt
The Singers Town and this statue is in the town square
The statue depicts the 3 singers from Town who
won a national singing contest in the 1930s

57 Miles : The own Square in Finsterwalde

57 Miles : I wandered around town ans found this very
large and very very odd, derelict looking clock tower.
It almost looked sinister.

57 Miles : A better view of the clock tower ...
but there wasn't a clock on this side of the tower

57 Miles : This is the Town Hall - the Rathaus in Finsterwalde

57 Miles : This painting was on the side of  a building wall close
by to the clock tower - It was massive - about 20 to 30 feet high.
The incomplete part seems to me to look like a hammer & sickle
and I suspect the image is intended to suggest that communism
is being painted away. I also suspect the clock tower was something
to do with the former communist state.

57 Miles : Again just near to the clock tower there
was a soviet cemetery with red stars on the gravestones.

57 miles : When I got back to my Hotel I had a meal
I ordered a nice starter of tomato soup with a brown
roll - or  so I thought - Boy was this a BIG starter and
boy was the bread heavy - I managed to eat the lid and
half of the bun in which the soup was served