Day No. 41 - Every day is a good day ...

...to be alive, regardless of whether the sun is shining. - Shmi Skywalker from Star Wars in Episode I

Uwe, Wahl Berliner and not only a valuable friend, but also an advisor in all situations, gave me some feedback on our blog. - Loosely quoted: "Always only beautiful pictures and stories overwhelm people in the lowlands of life"

As Uwe's opinion is very important to me, I naturally thought about how I could counteract the positive images.

I already shared a bit of our weather report yesterday.

This morning I can only tell everyone in Cologne that the city on the Rhine is an excellent choice. Not only when it comes to the weather, but also. Here's a little comparison: Cologne also has a 90 % chance of rain between 2:00 am and 5:00 am. Thank you for your solidarity. But we know that when it rains in Deutz, it doesn't affect Südstadt. It's not called Südstadt for no reason. - Uwe in Berlin certainly has no reason to complain either! - It's neither too hot nor too cold on the Spree. And it's sunny too. Ideal weather for a meeting at the Schleusenkrug.

In Berlin 21° and Cologne even a sunny 23°. - We wish you all the best from the bottom of our hearts!!!

Wenn es wie bei uns, die ganze Zeit regnet, versucht man sich natürlich zu motivieren, beziehungsweise der Herbstdepression vor zu wirken. Da schauen wir doch gleich einmal nach meiner Heimatstadt. Sagt man dem Bergischen Land und vor allem Remscheid nach, eine der regenreichsten Städte Deutschlands zu sein. „Hier kommen die Kinder mit der Regenschirm auf die Welt“ ist eine beliebte Remscheider Redeweise. Doch heute, Sonne und 21°.

So what is it like in Cherrapunji in north-eastern India? - This city is considered to be the rainiest in the world. The weather forecast for today is also attached. Since this comparison seems to be a bit off, let's look at Bergen in Norway. Known to be the rainiest city in Europe. What do we learn from this? - No, the sun doesn't shine everywhere, but that comparison doesn't make you happy. But we take it with a sense of humor. The mood on board is still good.

We throw in some fresh ginger and laugh about the weather instead. As laughter is said to be good for your health, we decided to laugh more and, of course, drink coffee. Whether this is also good for your health in general? - We don't know, but it's certainly good for ours. - Torgit comments, "Even if the coffee is coming to an end, we thank Van Dyck" - The good "Ehrenfeld" coffee accompanies us on this tour. Torgit is visibly nervous, however, as our first package is already coming to an end. She doesn't know that I've stashed another kilo of beans in the safe. Yes, you heard right, we have coffee and books in the safe that every California has. I hope that a potential burglar will appreciate that.

Ein besonderes Schmankerl ist auch unser heutiger Campingplatz, „Parque de Vila Chã“. Als ich heute am frühen Morgen meinen Gang zur Toilette verrichten wollte, ergoß sich nicht nur der Himmel über mir, sondern ich sprang direkt in eine so tiefe Pfütze, dass ich Angst hatte zu ertrinken. Schnell springe ich wieder in den Bulli, um mich erst einmal ab zu trocknen. Was nun? – Um das Niveau zu senken, sprechen wir jetzt einmal über Urinbeutel, im Volksmund Pinkelflasche genannt. Denn ein Bulli hat üblicherweise keine Toilette. Ja, es gibt Ausnahmen, doch diese sind von der Innenaufteilung so schlecht konzipiert, dass kein vernünftiges Bett seinen Platz findet. Zu mindestens keines, was für einen knapp 2 m großen Kerl geeignet ist.

Doch zurück zur Pinkelflasche. Diese gibt es inzwischen sogar in einer „weiblichen“ Form. Torgits erste Frage hierzu, wie soll das funktionieren. Doch wenn der Druck steigt, erledigen sich solche Fragen. Und wie soll ich sagen, es geht, nein es läuft. Doch mein Problem, nein meine Herausforderung, war eine ganz andere. Kann mir mal jemand erklären, wie ein ausgewachsener Mann, mit 750 ml zurecht kommen soll. Beziehungsweise was er tut, wenn „voll ist, wenn voll“, eintritt?

My tip of the day: An Ortlieb 2-liter hydration pack. Hopefully the company won't sue me, or hopefully Torgit will be able to tell the difference between our 10-liter hydration pack. As you can see, our mood is still just too good.

I briefly thought about having our friend Andrea fly in from Tenerife. - After all, she knows all about setting the mood. Her experience as an editor on underground TV, including Frauentausch and the like, should certainly pay off here.

But until then, you'll have to put up with positive pictures and stories from time to time - sorry Uwe.

PS: Here's a little addendum: the rain has just let up a little. We took advantage of the hour, er minute, and wanted to take a shower first. Yesterday evening, in the diffuse light, I didn't realize how nice our showers are. The timer for hot water or the complete rationing at the washbasins are certainly in keeping with the spirit of the times. Greta would certainly be pleased. I doubt whether it would be enough for a smile. I also have my doubts when I see the condom dispenser. Hopefully there won't be a second use here. - What do you think, Uwe? Did I pull it off in the end?

PPS: It seems to be clearing up a bit. - We want to continue to Porto.

Doch vorher wollen wir noch, für unseren Campingplatz, „Parque de Vila Chã“ eine Lanze brechen. – Auch wenn alles verregnet ist, die Duschen antiquiert wirken, es gibt warmes, nein, sogar heißes Wasser. Zumindest für sieben Minuten. Der Platz liegt fußläufig zum Meer. Wer genau hinhört, kann es sogar hören. Gut man hört auch den Landeanflug von Porto. Doch der Preis ist unschlagbar, nur 9,- € hat uns die Übernachtung gekostet. Und die Pointe mit dem Kondomautomaten unbezahlbar.

Addendum: Just as we are about to start in Vila Chã, the sun comes out. So we make a short stop by the sea. Then we want to let TomTom guide us to Porto. But we quickly realize that simply trusting a sat nav in Portugal can turn into an adventure tour. The fact that all the roads near Vila Chã are paved with cobblestones is rustic. But then the potholes get deeper and deeper and the road gets narrower. Around the next corner, the road narrows again. Then we find ourselves in a narrow lane. As we can see the end, I think we'll be fine. The path is only about 100 meters long. But it's a tough one. The mirrors are already hanging over a wall to the left and right. Then there is also a power pole. With the mirrors folded in, I still have a little space. Will it fit in the back with the bikes? I can already see myself climbing through the window to dismantle the bikes. Torgit visibly calms down. But I start to sweat a little. The distance meters have long since switched to continuous sound. - Suddenly another strange noise, when I calm down I realize that it's just a plane and not a stone sticking out from under the ivy. - In the end, it looks quite harmless again in the pictures. But at the narrowest point, there were just 2 cm left and right. That makes you feel queasy.

Insight of the day: it could always be worse. But all's well that ends well. And if it's not good, it's not the end.