Dans l'enfer du Märkisches Schweiz

We did it, after 12hours we did it! We went through all normal stages of an impossible bike mission. Small teaser we did follow a kind of a non logical order to do these stages, meaning we first took a lot of breaks and detours and then we started the tour. Also we weren't completely lucky. The tale step by step.

11:37 Lichtenberg train station
The five fantastics are almost all in time for the regional bahn. First detail thousand people with bikes were also in time and the train only have 5 bike places... It's a no go. We change platform and take the S-Bahn until the end to S-Strausberg and decide to do the planned bike tour in reverse mode. The goal once in Strausberg will be to cycle 35km to the Bahn station Obersdorf.

Coffee and bockwurst break in Strausberg
Already 5km (!!!) and first stop in the lovely old Strausberg village tiny burg. Train in Obersdorf is scheduled for 18:39, we have time. We completely deserved this coffee break at Milchbar.

After getting lost in the big city Strausberg while trying to start pursue our soon to be called odyssey we arrive at the lost Pyramide Grazau. Nice little village around and about 15km on the counter. It's also our first detour as leaving the pyramid part of the team decided - unintentional of course - to go toward Ekner which absolutely on the opposite direction of our planned trip.

15:03 picnic at the lac
Back on track we make our first real stop for the picnic. The public beach of Lange See is just for us. Incredible birds are flying around - mostly ducks - and it's a lovely Saturday with friends. Only thing is we started the trip 2hours ago and have done only 20km on the 35km, also some drops are coming.

In the heart of Märkisches Schweiz
The next 15km allows to experience the beautiful region despite the clouds. It's going up and down but completely doable even with shitty bikes. Thanks to our guide tour leader - we call it the PR girl or Anne who is screaming about the beauty of the region while cycling in the middle of the roads with the wind we barely understand what she says but she looks happy so we don't disturb her - we discover more lovely villages.

In Buckow - also called the pearl of the Märkishes Schweiz - the rain shower is a kind of warning: do we continue to Obersdorf under the rain or we go back now to where we start??? We decide to now listen to the sky messages and pursue again our trip.

18:15 Seeing Obersdorf and leaving
The landscape is still lovely and hilly.  Three hamlets further full of white and black sheeps we finally reach - in time we thought - our final destination and train station of Obersdorf.

The story is repeating itself, the train is full of bikes and we can't get in...

After strong negotiation between the five fantastics two main ideas arise on the top of the consensus being we go back to Strausberg where we know there will be S-Bahn every 10min, this instead of waiting one hour for the next train still with the chance to not have places, again.

The Obersdorf agreement
First idea is we follow the same way, we know it and it's all along a bike way which is good when we don't have lights on our bikes. Second idea is we take short-cuts by going on roads we don't know with cars on it and we don't have lights... First option is chosen, the reason win, Cartesian spirit for life, on the road again, only 35km remains.

21:12 Strausberg again
A last rush on the platform to change train with bags on our shoulder, open beers in hand and the door closing... But we made it and we are mainly dead.