But what comes before the fun? That's right, work. And that's only half of what you do in the office – after all, you have to earn that cold drink by riding hard.
Best Weather – Best Mood
In a good mood and highly motivated, we set off at 1:30 p.m. With 30 degrees in the shade, it was almost too good to be true. But looking at the weather forecast for the next few weeks, we can pat ourselves on the back and say with certainty: "We said goodbye to summer!"
Our destination was the Domholzschänke, a restaurant with outdoor seating in Schkeuditz. Unlike last year, this time we didn't go south, but to the north of Saxony. Our route was tough: 15 kilometers there and 15 kilometers back. We stayed together as a large group and made sure that no one was left behind.
Animal Sightseeing
Of course we also took breaks to share our day with you with lots of pictures. Our first stop was the zoo. From the Rosental, one of Leipzig's most popular historical parks, you can see some of the animals from the Leipzig Zoo if you're lucky.
For our colleagues who don't live directly in Leipzig, it was a small highlight to see the giraffe family peeking out from under the shady branches. There were also ostriches, zebras, and herons. The 118 hectare Rosental is part of Leipzig's floodplain forest.
We continued north on the Elster cycle path, parallel to the Neue Luppe, a tributary of the Weiße Elster. Around the Auensee, a popular groundwater lake with a park railway, there were many other cyclists, joggers, and families. Everyone celebrated the end of the weekend in high spirits.
It's so green…
But it wasn't until we reached the Lützschena palace park that we stopped again. If you want to forget the stress of everyday life and get away from it all, this is the place for you. The green, tranquil grounds are laid out in the style of an English landscape park – perfect when you consider that Lützschena was once a manor. Beautiful details include the small temples built by the water. The Diana Temple is a popular wedding location and behold: there was a photo shoot going on while we were there. Was that the reason why we were photographed in front of the green pond gravel instead? Or did our branch office manager just misdirect us?
Our stomachs were starting to growl. So we turned off into the riparian forest and headed straight for the restaurant. Now we had plenty of time for good conversation at a shady table outside. Our Leipzig team has a lot of new faces, so we were able to get to know each other even better while eating and drinking. The menu consisted mainly of German and Greek dishes, but other culinary specialties were also represented.
And now off home…
Late in the afternoon, well rested, we made our way home. Some of the team said goodbye halfway, the rest rode back to the city center together. The bike ride was a successful day for all of us that brought us together as a team and will remain in our memories – until next year. We can hardly wait!