Day 10. Bächlein to Meilschnitz 23.4 kms

We were up early and were one of the first to breakfast in this wellness hotel. After a good breakfast we set off and Alan navigated us some 7 kms back onto our original route. It was another lovely day and we never had to climb up a single hill all day. 

The route went mainly along the river Steinach. Now sometimes we Bears dispare of you humans, or is it just our BBF who has never grown up? He saw footprints on our path and remarked, "oh! Look. A man and his dog walked this way." And then he began to sing the silliest of songs!!

"One man went to mow, went to mow a meadow, one man and his dog went to mow a meadow. Two men went to mow, went to mow a meadow, two men one man and his dog went to mow a meadow. Three men went to mow....." 

And so on all ten verses! We then found we could not get this ridiculous song out of our heads all day, but had to sing it again and again! Agh!!

At one stage a cyclist slowed and chatted to us then rode off again wishing us well.

We came to the memorial to the village of Liebau, only a small one of some 70 souls, that had received the warning that they were all to be evacuated and resettled as the village was now in the forbidden zone. So they all up sticks in the night and fled to Bavaria. The DDR then raised the village to the ground.

The route took us mainly on firm roads and through pretty little villages.

We came to one rastplatz were this sign warned of unexploded mines so stay on the paths!

Garden gnomes were in abundance. Well Germans did invent them.

We came up upon a small commercial area and as most villages have no shops or banks etc, Alan did a walk round and got a few bits.

We all now wanted to stop and have a big strawberry milkshake in this place, but our human said, "No!" We would end up with a tummy ache and we needed to get on! We were so upset we didn't talk to him for a bit!

We stopped here for a longer break and felt better after it. 

This sign again warned of unexploded mines!

But we stuck to the path and enjoyed the view and being alive on such a lovely day.

This was perhaps the steepest bit of the trail today.

Our room in the Gasthof is fine. In the evening Alan went for a meal. He sat in the beer garden. There was a "Stammtisch" of some ten old geezers all talking funny! When someone new came in they walked round and tapped their knuckles on all the tables where people sat befor joining whatever group they belonged to. Odd custom for they never looked Alan in the eye when they did so!

We wonder what new adventures await us tomorrow?