Biking from Mahndorf to Fischerhude and Back

The fitness studio we belonged to has closed, and frankly we'd not been there as regularly as in the past because of ... stuff.  But, it was still something that nagged at us to do some regular exercise.  So, the gym is gone and we have weights at home and there's all kinds of things you can do for weight training without a gym, but, you know.....

So we bike,  pretty often, trying to stay in some sort of reasonable shape. And it is oh-so-nice to be outside, in the sunshine, in the fresh air, looking at the peaceful landscape as we pedal along.  We did that last Sunday.

This time it was the train to Mahndorf, a suburb of Bremen, then bike to Fischerhude and back.  Fischerhude is such a sweet and lovely place, full of  shops where local artisans sell their wares, lots of cobblestone streets, charming farmhouses. It's a popular stop for day trips from Bremen, by car or bike.

I am still surprised at how long Bremen is!  We were on the train for about 40 minutes and still in Bremen!  We can bike for 10 minutes from home and be out of Bremen.

Mahndorf is also the end station of the tram from the city center.  It was kinda funny getting off the train and seeing the tram.  And it is still amazing to me - we can go from here all the way to there on a single ticket!  I   L O V E   public transportation (partly because I love driving less and less).

So, off we go.  I'd downloaded an APP that gave us a map to Fischerhude, and we used it a bit, but really, the bikeways are so well marked, you hardly need another guide. The purple line shows the train ride, the green one, the bike ride.

It was a perfect day, and we've had so many this summer.  Warm (or hot!), low humidity, gentle winds.  That was today, too.

It's flat here, often the landscape is not dramatic, but at the same time it is lovely to me.  It's calming.  The sky is expansive, the green is wide.  I just love it.

When we were approaching Fischerhude, there were little offerings from local folks that they placed in front of their homes on the side of the road, as always. But it is the season of pumpkins and sunflowers and zinnias and peppers.  We bought a few decorative squashes.

There are little waterways along the way. This one shows a "cool house" there on the right that keeps whatever cool: sausages, eggs, but not people!

We got home after about 3 hours, put dinner together and put our decorative pumpkins on the table.  We feeling fallish!!