I woke up early with the hope to leave my 'short trip' cycling territory on the first day. It was grey and cold, but I left anyway (at about 6.00). After about 3km it started to rain, so I returned home to bed, and slept a few more hours. I finally left at 8.00. The weather hadn't improved much, and it remained grey, cold, and drizzly. I cycled through the Hoge Venn in Belgium, however, missing the only north-south crossing of it, and ended up in Kaltenherberg. To join up with my planned route, I cycled through a milatary training area through to Büllingen. I then made my way to the Kyll river at Kronenburg, and followed it along to Gerolstein. The weather had remained grey, and I didn't feel like camping, so I stayed in a pension.