August 24, 2025
Day 5: Halle to Calbe
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Oh, I am so sick! It started a couple of days ago with a little cough. But now my list of symptoms is nasty, while Dodie is still sticking with a little cold. My feet, hands, lips, and tongue are numb/tingling, and my balance and walking ability are at around 25%. And I can't quite see "straight" or focus well on what I am looking at. The last (and first) time anything like this happened to me was around 2020, in Merida. Since then I hav e kept many of the symptoms, but in a much milder form. The neurologist has little idea, and no treatment. I think it was COVID in some way.
In Merida, the strongest effects lasted one day, and we attuned to the notion that a day or two will fix most of what ails us. The BnB hotel in Halle was a good place for healing, with a good bed and duvet to hide under. But by morning, I was quite a bit worse. I could not walk down the corridor without staggering side to side. What to do? Book into the BnB for a week and reconfigure the rest of the trip?
Grampies do not generally do that kind of thing, unless they are lying bleeding on the road. And it's true that the last skill to leave a Grampie is the ability to balance a bike. So I decided to give it a try. I used a time honourerd technique - just follow Dodie closely.
This actually worked for 30 km, when we stopped at a bus shelter. I had to bump my bike up the little curb to reach the shelter, and that was too much for me. I collapsed on the floor of the shelter, and didn't move. Dodie was somewhat at a loss about what to do, but when motorists stopped to see if they could help, she just said "Oh, he is a little tired". That is absolutely approved Grampies procedure, however foolish. We almost never ask for or accept help.
After about 1/2 hour, I began to stir, and then remounted my bike. "Let's beat it!", I said. And we carried on for another 15 km. That's when we came to another rest stop, a little pull out. Unfortunately the road was sloped at this pullout, and on once stopped, I went flying down the little slope. I felt sure I would rip my new windbreaker, but it held up! I collected myself from the ground, but we both stared rather dumbly at the collapsed heavy bike on the road. That is when a motorcyclist stopped, and set the bike back on its wheels.
We carried on towards our guest house in Calbe, with visions of their beds and duvets dancing in my head. We arrived outside the guest house, only to find a sign that said call this number. Of course, calling a local number with a Canadian phone is never a treat, but we eventually raised the guest house lady, who duly appeared in her car. She said we had to join her with our bags, already dismounted, at another entrance a half block down and around the back. This mostly finished me off, with the final coup being the steps up to the room. I tried to disguise all the panting and wheezing, but the lady suggested going to a doctor. We told her we would do that, if no substantial improvement by morning.
Meanwhile, it was otherwise a pleasant ride, as we passed through solid, though dull, villages along the Saale radweg. The villages were about 2 km apart, separated by open fields, or fields of corn or sunflower.
Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 106 km (66 miles)
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5 months ago
5 months ago