Wiesmoor 7th June

We did stay for 5 nights having looked at weather forecasts and assessed the campsite. Anyway, area in general seemed fair.

What is the place like? Wiesmoor looks to b e quite a wealthy town. The road form the campsite into the shops is lined with what seem to be newish houses with neatly laid out gardens. I can only assume it's a very German style of layout although it does remind me in someway of Canadian streets. The locals in general seem to be very tidy conscious as grass is cut and flower beds are trimmed and filled with plants. One of the plants that is very common is the rhododendron which is in full flower. The bright reds and pinks are to be seen everywhere.

Wiesmoor appears to be the centre of a flower industry and has a well laid out Blumencentre. This seems to attract visitors by the busload (usually people of a certain age) and in the delightful weather we have had, one can see them wandering around the town and centre.

Another feature of the place is that the houses are often only one deep. Immediately behind them lie fields. Some are being exploited for their peat, although the machine I saw at a distance was rather ancient so its hard to say how important this is. Given that it is June, the farmers that we did see were all busy harvesting hay, presumably for silage, which suggests that they keep lots of, well I suppose, cows. Those black and white ones that give us milk: Friesians.

The terrain is virtually flat and is criss-crossed by canals and other drainage ditches. For the cyclist there are a great many paths clearly sign posted but not always free of cars. One curious feature of the path construction is that they have many miles of block-laid paths. These blocks, in some cases, have been made from a rough concrete so that riding on them can be uncomfortable. However, it is also clear that German drivers show a great deal of respect for the cyclist and seem to give way, especially in towns, to those on the cycle paths or crossing at road junctions. It is amazing how many people are using bikes. One the odd occasions that we have been on the paths we have been passes at great speed by a wide range of people on their large, upright shopping bikes. At times, it has put us quite to shame as we struggle along, me like an elderly gent whose known better times!

Anyway, the week has been good and has given us an opportunity to relax and eat out side. With clear blue skies and some warmth in the sunshine, we have escaped form the awfulness of the central European floods. But now we must move on so we are headed to the Netherlands.