The Bremen Town Musicians.

Wilhelmshafen to Bremen 60 miles.

The day started with a great breakfast. It was a bit confusing because I knew the price was 15 euros but I had to pre-order and I didn’t know how much I was entitled to choose? I had a selection sheet where I could choose how many bread rolls or slices of meat or what kinds of cheese or select jams and honey. Anyway this is what I ordered….

I programmed into my route another look around the coastal bits of Wilhelmshafen but it still didn’t help sell the place. It was (and perhaps is) a naval dockyard.

I then headed south..ish towards Bremen and had time to think of the Brothers Grimm story of The Bremen Town Musicians. I read it last night as it’s not one I’m familiar with. To cut it short it is about an old donkey who decides to travel to Bremen and be a musician. On the way he picks up an old dog, an old cat and an old rooster and persuades them to be musicians too. On the way they stop at a robbers house and by climbing on each others backs they frighten the robbers out of the house….and they live in the house happily ever after! They don’t actually play any music and nor do they get to Bremen so the title is a bit tenuous. Strange story but maybe the moral is that you can do something new if you are getting older! Maybe there are other meanings?

Back to my route. I had a few little stops. The first at Dangast. A little place on the coast that seemed particularly busy.

I wiggled through the countryside to get onto the side of the river Weser.

I stopped for an ice cream at a dairy farm and later a big fish finger sandwich with a radler beer. For those that don’t know a ‘radler’ in Germany is a cyclist and also the word for shandy.

Every direction I looked in was amazing.

My cousin-in-law, Matthew, is a Professor of Music at the University here. Although he is actually the visiting home in England at the moment, he has given me a list of places to see.

The Schnoor area of the city was super cute. Lots of old houses in narrow streets.

I looked for some food that Matthew had told me was a local delicacy.

I had a plate of Bremen Knipp and Labskaus! I bet that’s getting your mouth watering.

The egg is the easy bit. The Labskaus is under the egg and it is a corned beef hash, the darker meat is the Knipp and it seemed a bit like a black pudding but was described as a boiled sausage. One bowl had stewed apples and the other had pickled pears and beetroot with….wait for it….a roll mop herring! Plus a pickled gherkin on the side. What a combo! I recommend it.

I’ve definitely been on a ‘seafood diet’ today. I must have needed the calories.

I returned to the hotel, which was nice and large but with a little faded grandeur. It was £46 with breakfast included. You can’t beat that.

I am still trying to slow down the cycling and not go so far. I’m getting back to the coast tomorrow.

Having heard the story maybe I should be inspired to learn a musical instrument in my older years or perhaps I will remain a stupid old ass!