Via Romea Germanica Day 2: Harsefeld - Heeslingen

 Alles beginnt mit Einem Traum

(It all begins with a dream)

- on the cover of the guest book at St Michael's Catholic Church pilgrim accomodation in Harsefeld 

I was in no hurry to leave the comfort of my room at the Catholic church in Harsefeld in the morning, as it had rained overnight and the foecast said that the weather was supposed to improve around 9 o'clock. I made porridge and coffee and even spent some time stitching some patches that were at risk of coming off my backpack. Then I ventured outside, but only down the road to Eiscafé Dante, Harsefeld's local bar and ice cream parlour, run by Italians. The volunteers at the Catholic church had said they would be tickled to hear that I was walking to Rome. Café owner Paolo, from Treviso, was happy to talk in his native tongue, and even offered me a free glass of freshly squeezed orange juice!

By this time it was 9 and had in fact stopped raining, so I headed out of town along a cycling path to the village of Hollenback. Cycling paths in flat places can be monotonous, but this one had plenty to look at along the way.

Pile of rocks where a tall tree used to be

Honesty shop

The trail left the cycling path to cut across the fields... where I soon found myself wishing for a return to paved surfaces :)

My route did in fact soon return to a paved cycling path running beside a road, with the promising sign "Heeslingen: 15 km". I decided to stick to this straight paved road and straighten out a kink in the Via Romea Germanica, given the strong wind and changeable weather; even when the cycling lane suddenly ended, it was no problem to walk along the edge of the road, as there was very little traffic. 

Oersdorf

This road brought me to the village of Oersdorf, where I sat down to rest in a bus shelter and watch some threateningblack clouds blow over. Then I continued onto the Jacobsweg/Napoleonsweg: a dead straight road used by pilgrims on the Way of St. James and the Via Romea as a safe route between the monasteries of Stade, Harsefeld and Heeslingen. The path, also used by merchants and traders, was widened to a 24-metre road by Napoleon's troops when they moved towards Stade. 

The area is scattered with boulders weighing several tons that were transported to the area from Scandinavia during the last ice age; the local history association in Ottendorf has positioned a number of them along the path, converting some into picnic tables and engraving others as commemorative stones.

This stone marks the spot where an airplane crashed in 1945, and is surrounded by aircraft parts found on the site

By the time I reached the end of the Napoleonsweg I could see the spire of the church in Heeslingen. When I finally reached the church, it was closed, so I went to look for a café where I could stay warm while I waited for the agreed time of arrival at my hostess Brigitte's home. 

The church in Heeslingen is the oldest in the area

As I sipped my peppermint tea and demolished my cinnamon snail, as they call them here, a message arrived from Brigitte saying it was all right if I arrived earlier, and in fact she could come and pick me up in Heeslingen right away. And so I travelled the final three kilometres to her home in a Smart Car instead of on foot! That was great because I was quite exhausted after being out in the wind all day.

Brigitte and her husband Harald are retired radio hosts. They live in a big old farmhouse that belonged to her parents, where they enjoy hosting cultural events and meetings, and receiving guests of all kinds, including pilgrims. Brigitte showed me to a room on the top floor, where her painting studio is, and left me to rest until dinner time. Then the three of us enjoyed a great dinner of salad and quiche, strawberries and cream.

Harsefeld - Heeslingen 23 km

Today's accommodation: Privatquartier Brandt