This morning began with a sumptuous breakfast at the Best Western Hotel and then we were on the road again, this time our first stop was only 200 metres up the cobblestone alley to Wittenberg City Hall.

Wittenberg is famous as the home of Martin Luther and you can visit the church where Luther nailed his thesis to the door of the church. Apparently it was quite well received by certain quarters, judging by the subsequent religion it spawned.

The Mayor of Wittenberg greeted us not 20 feet from a powerful statue of Martin Luther and he (the Mayor, not Luther) spent a few minutes offering some kind and encouraging words to send us on our way.

Next stop was Kemberg where children in bright red football jerseys escorted us into the City Square.

It seems many of the small German villages have a City Hall surrounded by a square and linked by cobblestone streets. The result is a very serene and inviting centrepiece for the town. After a few photos and introductions we were on our way again.

No sooner had we left Kemberg where excited kids paraded the torch through the streets than we were presented with another wriggling giggling group ready to join in and welcome us to Bad Schmiedeberg.

As we ran into the town square quite a few parents were present as well, having taken time off work to join their children in greeting the torch. After the mayor said a few words the whole group ran with us out of town, with many of the parents running quite a distance.

As the time came for us to part company our young escorts broke into a delightful song about a chameleon and his myriad colours.

In a fit of reckless abandon I volunteered to run and at exactly the same time the heavens volunteered quite a downpour. This was the first rain we’ve had since we began in Rostok 4 days ago and it serendipitously appeared just as I began one of my 5 kilometre legs.

Running the rain is actually very refreshing the main drawback being when you stop and have to come to terms with sitting in the van embraced by a cold, clammy, wet t-shirt. Fortunately my very considerate teammates extracted a dry shirt from my luggage in the back.

The rest of the day was taken up with running into Leipzig, one of the largest East German cities. We spent a lovely evening with close friends and enjoyed a delicious home cooked pasta meal.

Also, most importantly we would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to Ralf our ever enthusiastic East German coordinator who has been with us for the last few days making all the arrangements and helping when ever needed. THANK YOU!!

---

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

< Germany 25 Sept. < Germany 24 Sept.

Germany 27 Sept. >