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11.06.2020 Four days, four states. Germany is made up of 16 federal states, six of which are often called the 'new' ones because they only became part of the Federal Republic when the two German states were united in 1990. As it is technically possible to drive through the entire country in a single day, travellers can visit different federal states within a very short time. By bike, we have managed to go from Baden-Wuerttemberg to Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia in just the past four days, with Thuringia being the first one of the 'new' or formerly communist states which we want to visit in the upcoming weeks. Where Hesse adjoins Thuringia, we came across Point Alpha memorial site, where preserved watchtowers and other historical structures bear witness to the time when there was an inner German border. These days, state borders are merely marked by roadsigns, but you will notice that dialects and gastronomic specialities change when you enter a different state, and ALDI South becomes ALDI North at some point. Due to federalism, we have 16 different school systems, so sometimes people living in the same small country do not know what exactly a student from further north or south is talking about when they say what kind of school they attend. Public holidays also vary. This morning, we started the fourth day of our journey in Fulda in Hesse, and had anticipated that they would be celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi today. Knowing that all shops and supermarkets would be closed, we went for some groceries the night before – only to learn that in Berka/Werra in Thuringia, where we arrived this evening, it is not a holiday at all, and that we can well go to the shops here. Coronavirus regulations are also different in each state, so while we have been fine in most places, we had some trouble finding accommodation in Bavaria, where some campsites and, much to our regret, an interesting scout-run castle which is also a hostel were still closed when we passed through. #scoutbound #cycling #worldbycycling #dpsg #vcp #rieneck #montekali #kalimanjaro #fronleichnam #pointalpha #hausaufdergrenze #fulda #berkawerra

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