Unlike our first two days, today started off with a cloudless sky and remained sunny and bright. We also had a fresh breeze which meant we didn't get too hot.
One of the highlights of today was hearing cuckoo calling, so beautiful. Everyday we are accompanied by small birds chirping in the trees, but this was the first cuckoo call we've heard. We also think we heard a woodpecker.
Leaving Heeslingen the route took us through a gorgeous stand of trees for several kilometres until we reached Zeven.
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| As always, we have to check how to rejoin the VRG from our accommodation. |
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| The markers confirm we're on track. |
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| The start of several kilometres through a wooded area. |
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| Only 2009 km to Santiago if we were walking the camino. |
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| We came across a kindergarten among the trees. |
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| Walddrachen - Forest Dragons. |
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Then, suddenly, we were in Zeven.
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We spent at least an hour in Zeven, which is a reasonably big town, as we needed to shop for food for today and tomorrow. Everything is shut on Sundays in Germany. Sigrid, in Stade, told us that a vote was taken on whether to allow shops to trade on Sundays but she said that the church wouldn't allow it.
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| St Viti Kirche in Zeven |
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| Random houses in Zeven. |
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| A 1914-1918 war memorial. |
Walking away from Zeven was on or alongside roads for several kilometres, but the roads were quiet. Then we had a section through trees again, before going back on road into Gyhum.
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| A house on the outskirts of Zeven |
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| We had several kilometres of roadside walking. |
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| Then through trees where we stopped for our lunch. |
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| It was here, half way between Zeven and Gyhum, that our VRG parted ways with the Via Baltica route of the Jakobsweg. |
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| We have to rely on the VRG markers now. |
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| The last 2 kilometres of every day feel like 10 kilometres long! |
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| Nearly there. |
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| St Margarethen Kirche in Gyhum. |
We're staying in the St Margaret Lutheran church community centre tonight - €20 each. We have free fun of the whole place - even to their drink supplies! Needless to say we won't be taking advantage of that.
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| Our home for tonight - the church community centre. |
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| Anke & her husband showing us around the community centre. |
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| We've got camp beds in the lounge. |
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| Dinner preparation going on. |
Gyhum is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Gyhum belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian Crown.
Population 2461.
Source: Wikipedia
