Yesterday was my third day of my little summer getaway. I was out and about for a good seven hours, which is surprisingly tiring at the end of the day.

The weather was a little colder than the previous days and it wasn’t quite as sunny. I didn’t mind that at all as riding in the hot summer weather can be exhausting as well. But the wind was taking a toll on me and made touring difficult at times.

I first went to Kiel, taking the scenic route, which also meant going slow. And yes, this time I made sure to take more pictures along the road as well.

Kiel is pleasant enough, but I am glad I chose Hamburg when I did. Kiel feels a lot smaller, though it is lovely by the water side, and you don’t have to go far to get out of the city and to the sea. Or the beach.

From there I visited a local lighthouse, where I took a bit more of a break. I didn’t know where else I was headed, so I figured getting a pancake with fruit and a coffee wasn’t a bad idea. The break was also a good opportunity to figure out where else I wanted to go.

I ended up visiting another lighthouse further up the coast, which gave me a proper view of the Baltic Sea.

From there I went to Eckernförde, which is another small town right by the sea. It’s known for its beach as well as its harbour for private boats and yachts of all sizes. Everywhere along the waterside there were boats, which left me a little envious as I would love to have a boat as well. It was a great opportunity to go for a walk and simply enjoy the scenery, though it was also a bit crowded.

Turns out, they had some sort of Viking festival that weekend, which is a popular event every July.

Eventually I returned to Kiel. There was no other suitable route to take back to my hotel and since I also needed a quick Covid-19 test, I killed two birds with one stone. Three actually. I also got dinner in Kiel, which I took back to the hotel.

Overall, the ride yesterday was a bit of a mixed bag. The scenic parts along smaller roads were a lot of fun. Whenever I had to battle the wind, things were a lot less fun. But I also got to take the highway for a while, which was surprisingly fun again.

I usually don’t take highways as I find them rather boring. I don’t just want to get somewhere fast. I much prefer to take the leisurely approach. But that also means I don’t ride the bike at speed very often and sometimes that can be a lot of fun.

I also noticed just how fearless I was when riding at 100kph. I was completely calm.

When I first learned riding the motorbike two years ago, I was a nervous wreck just thinking of going 50kph in the city. Though it wasn’t so much the speed as it was the traffic that concerned me.

Nowadays I’m comfortable at any speed (as long as the wind isn’t buffeting me around), but it still tends to be the traffic that makes me a bit nervous.

On the highway I didn’t feel nervous at all, which was really quite amazing. I’m a very attentive and careful driver, mind you. So, 100kph is about as fast as I will go. My bike doesn’t have that much horsepower to go superfast anyway.

Anyway, this was my ride, there and back again: