July 1st: still in Murnesee
Yesterday brightened up (in terms of morale), chiefly as a result of having a heavenly meal of pork in the attached restaurant on a large terrace overlooking the sun setting over the large lake here. Service too was exquisite from an English speaking waitress who gave me an English menu and told me the German for 'ash tray' which I have forgotten now. And today started misty but with a small table mysteriously appearing outside my tent, one of its plastic legs repaired with a wooden spoon taped to it. When I returned from my wash I found an elderly man laying a tablecloth, and when I returned from collecting the crisp bread rolls which I had ordered last night I found a jug of boiled water and a jar of nescafe. I drank some out of politeness before brewing my expresso maker (which I later used as a hammer). Sitting in the sun reading then going for a swim in the beautiful lake took until lunchtime but then with very little warning the heavens opened and I crouched in my tent holding the flysheet away from the gradually dampening inside. Water started to ebb along the ground sheet and I made a desperate barricade of my Ortlieb 100% waterproof holdall. Lunch consisted of some fruit and much water. It has been too hot and humid to even consider climbing into motorbike clobber to visit the nearby town.
I have plotted what looks like a nice wiggly non motorway route up to the next campsite. Its about 145 Miles northwest from here and should take 2 and ¾ hours.
The facilities here are beautifully ample and are constantly being cleaned. I've had a number of showers today. A Danish couple recently arrived towing a huge caravan and appeared to squeeze it between two others. Mr Danish handled the uncoupling while Mrs arrived holding a handbag and smoking a cigarette. Incredibly, after moving the car out of the way, he moved the caravan by remote control, including manoevering it into a tight space using a llittle device like that my son used to use to race his car around the living room. I was very impressed but find it a little despicable at the same time. It is still so humid here I am wondering if we will have a further storm (there was donner und blitzen) in the night. I have been the only person with a tent everywhere I've been – certainly such a small one. It has worked like clockwork though a chair and a kind of pillow will get packed for the next trip. Hard-core Touratech sell suitable chairs and this will give me an excuse to buy into this exclusive brand name.
If this site were smaller, with a cooler atmosphere instead of many fat families from Bavaria, with an alternative and not quite yet discovered feel to it, I would definitely return. I am looking forward to getting on the road tomorrow particularly as it looks like a good route. I am wondering how my evening will go with Astrid (I want to call her Astrid Proll after the Baader Meinhof 1970s terrorist) und Ullie on Friday.