Arrival on the Elbe

What I once called home

I stayed in Gera over the weekend and set off again on Monday.

It was nice to spend a few days in the city I grew up in: walking through my old neighborhood, refreshing a few memories, visiting family. But nearly three days was also plenty, and I was looking forward to the last stretch.

The obstacle

There was no point in reaching Dresden before 6 pm. My roommate for the month wouldn’t be home any earlier to let me in. The forecast was also promising heavy rain.

So I sat in a coworking space in Gera until early afternoon, then set off. Not on the direct route, either — on back roads, because I had time. 154 kilometers to go.

I was right and wrong at the same time.

Right, because the back roads of eastern Thuringia are full of surprises, historical ones included.

Wrong, because I rode straight into a chain of small disasters:

• I didn’t fill up in Gera. There was enough in the tank for another 50 kilometers or so, and I’d find a gas station on the way. Obviously.
• My route towards Altenburg turned out to be one construction site after another. A lot of them. A lot.
• Every construction site came with a detour. Around everything. Including, it seemed, every gas station.

When the fuel gauge dropped to its last bar, I started to worry and headed for the nearest station I could still reach.

It was closed. Spontaneously. I know this because I wasn’t the only one standing there with a long face.

No choice but to keep going. About ten minutes later the reserve light started blinking, and now I was properly worried. The next station was somewhere between 20 and 40 kilometers away. If that one was closed too, I’d be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

So I parked in the small town I happened to be in, called a breakdown service, and hoped they’d bring fuel within the next two hours.

Luckily, a few minutes later I’d annoyed a nice couple so thoroughly that they drove me to the next gas station, let me fill up, and sent me on my way. I thanked them by paying for their fuel, and off I went towards Dresden.

Lesson of the day

Even in a country as thoroughly organized as Germany, you can run out of fuel. Carry an emergency reserve. Or find a nice couple.