Budweis to Linz

It took longer than I'd like to leave the Czech Republic. The bike routes aren't always paved, and sometimes the grades on the hills point upward suddenly. It's the first time I've had to bike and hike. Also, I now know it's okay to pause on a hill and then to continue. I never get off my bicycle in Cleveland. I've had to accept that some days I won't get as far.

I've had to use a combination of bike maps, my gps, and signs to get where I'm going. From Budweis, I discovered that bike route 1018 would nearly bring me to the Czech-Austrian border.

My days when I leave a city cause my mileage to be low. It's hard to leave. Couple this with hills and probably not eating enough, it's even lower. I think I bonked this day: I felt like I was in a tunnel by the time I reached Kaplice and like I could 't go any farther. I was in a stupor. This day I also stopped for some beers with a lady who was embarking on her own cycle tour to Budapest. It was a nice day, but I didn't get very far. 

I was able to get a room for 500 KC in Kaplice above a tavern on their square. It was a good place to stop. I ordered some food and tried to get on track again.

I was invited to sit at a table with a Czech  man and a German man at the tavern. The Czech man was smoking and drinking beers in his hiphop vest and showing us music videos of rappers on his phone. I found out that his girlfriend had just had a baby that night, i.e. his son. It was a little ridiculous, and different from how men are involved in birth in the U.S. usually. I've met other family-focused men in the CZ though.

I left Kaplice in the morning and again had some difficult terrain. My only real goal was to get out of the Czech Republic. At one point, I ended up along a river on a path that looked like this:

Then this:

Then this:

The last one I had to take my bike bags off of my bike and carried each over slippery, mossy rocks and through brambles. I thwacked through overgrowth and made a path for carrying my bicycle. I think I made a wrong turn here and ended up on a hike trail.

This little gnome was here to smile at me after I carried my stuff to a clearing. I sweat my clothes wet, maybe it was physical, maybe I was hoping I wasn't going to break an ankle out here alone.

Everything ended up all right. I decided to trust my instinct and go with the road instead of the cycle path when it seemed like a better way. I made it to Dolní Dvořiště when I saw this sign:

I rarely saw Eurovelo Route signs at all during my trip, and then I see this proper Eurovelo 13 sign after cutting a path over rocks in the Czech Republic. I stopped into a cafe in Dolní Dvořiště where I ordered a cappuchino and tried to talk to the woman there who clearly loved children. Her cafe had a kids' table, and there was candy and little toys for children there. I tried to show her my map and a picture of the sign on my phone, but we had too much of a language barrier and her son was just outside the cafe. He helped me to get a map and showed me around too. I was starting to trust my instincts a little more with people and just to relax. We talked about Pearl Jam and used little bits of English and German to communicate, but also used a translator app on his phone where you could speak into it, and it would translate your words into their language for you. We ended up going to Kaplice and Český Krumlov. We were driving backwards, and I tried not to think of it that way.

He helped me get a map and got me pointed in the right direction and that night I crossed to Austria ending at Freistadt, which was a day's ride from Linz as far as I knew.



Even though I only had maybe 40 kilometers to ride to get to Linz, I had a lot of upward hikes with my bicycle that zigzagged up hillsides. A highlight was walking by an organic milk (biomilch) farm and having a sweet little heifer walk along with me as I pushed my bike up a particular tough hill (mountain). The horizon seemed tilted every which way. I never felt like I was heading straight.



I eventually was 8 km away when I stopped for some sausages at a cafe. I was able to ask how many kilometers it was to Linz, and I was able to ask for a fork in German too. I was enjoying being able to communicate a little better than I was able to in the Czech Republic. I realized that I only had a downhill ride into Linz. On the descent, I let another bicyclist passed and he yelled "Merci." I also was able to make use of my German to read this faucet in a rock. I was a little thirsty...at first I thought it said "little drinking water" instead of "not drinking water."



The descent was unbelievable, and I had to pull to the side of the rode occasionally to let the sensory overload subside. I saw a couple ride down with their bicycle for two, so I figured that it was legal for me to be on this crazy downhill path with cars. I didn't pedal for the whole 7 kilometers.

Prague to Ceske Budojovice (Budweis)

This part of the trip by bicycle has been a little eerie and weird, honestly. It's also been the gloomiest and most physically demanding part too. It's made me realize how culturally different some of these places are from each other, even though in reality they're geographically close. I don't want to pick on Kentucky, but the Czech Republic feels like the same cultural and terrain tilt that happens from northern Ohio to central Kentucky.

I left Prague feeling good.

I finally found some proof of bike friendliness in town along the river as I was leaving. I had my bike map with me and things seemed flat and sunny. I ended up in the countryside quickly, riding along the side of the road. I was by the river all this day, and did some backtracking when I missed my turn to cross over the river. Bridges are scarce things.

My ascent started this day fairly quickly. It was more than when I went to Pittsburgh. My map told me to cross the river again at Zivohošt where I could take a ferry. I decended from this hilltop about 200 meters to get to the small village.

It was raining and a little deserted. There was a campground with people at an outside bar that I passed when looking for the ferry. I biked over to the small marina and stopped at a hotel restaurant for a coffee. At the place, I unwittingly ordered this 'salad' that just revolted against the craving for greens I had. The menu was in Czech, and I pointed to the first salad hoping it was plain, green lettuce.

It was cheese, canned corn, pineapple, ham, hard boiled eggs with orange yolks, and this heavy mayo like dressing in gobs. I tried, but it was like something a great great great aunt would bring over for potluck.

The hotel, I found out, was only open on Fridays and Saturdays. I biked around Zivohošt some more. No ferry was in sight. 

I biked over to the campground to talk or wildly gesticulate with the people there. They looked like bikers and had taxidermied decorations.

David told me the ferry only ran on Fridays and Saturdays. Fudge. He said I could camp there and looked at my map. It would be a 22 km hill monster detour to get to what was in sight across the river. It was too late to leave, and I was exhausted.

I was in a summer town where everyone had accepted that summer was dead. He offered me a beer and I studied my map and charged my phone under the shelter of the outside bar. It was still raining. 

I hung out with them as they drank and cracked jokes in Czech. I would never get into a drinking contest with someone from Bohemia. I would die. They were kind to include me. 

My favorite moment was when they asked me how to toast in English, and I said "cheers." The guy from the Ukraine raised his mug and said 'choose' and everyone laughed. Choose or tschüs is goodbye in German. It was like he was raising his beer and getting out of there. It was amazing how everyone knew all these little bits of languages even in this far off village. And I was starting to learn more bits too. Dominicka, Kuba, and I exchanged a little French too.

They were generous and offered me shelter in an empty caravan. It was raining pretty hard. I got inside and noticed it was leaking straight onto the bed. There was a dry spot and slept in all my clothes and sleeping bag (schlafen sack) close to the wall.

All of them worked early in the morning, getting rides into larger cities. I got the sense that it was sort of a hard lot. There's dreams of being able to travel, but the Euro is really strong and things are expensive for them. They asked me about my former income and American ways. I think it held some kind of promise for them. It was the first place in Europe where I think the U.S. is doing better, maybe minus having access to healthcare.

I'm glad everything worked out here for the best. I was able to leave early and did the crazy detour where I had to climb out of Zivohošt to a road on the ridge that would lead me to the bridge that was closer to be on level with the village. After crossing the bridge, I had another long climb to a ridge where the main road was. In general, it was up and down.

This is me halfway through the detour almost delirious on earth that is in no way straight.

I felt like I didn't make it that far, but I accomplished a lot that day. I made it all the way to Krasna Hora, but they recommended I turn around and go back to Kamyn, 200 meters down a hill for a place to stay. I would have to redo a stretch where I had to hike my bike up. Kamyn was actually a nice place with a few bars and a penzion house. I'm just learning that these are sometimes cheaper places to stay. This one was $27.

I went to a bar with a one-armed bartender who was pouring all the drinks and making all the food. With the hotdog came this horseradish condiment called bren, I think. Best thing I've ever had. I also had some of the best spaghetti ever at the place next door. It all helped for the next day.

From Kamyn, I had to recllimb the hill to Krasna Hora. I felt really good this day and made it to Cesky Budajovice by sunset. This entry is so long, so I just want to list a few things from this day.

I had to make the decision to the leave the bike route. It was not clear and was rough. Once I did this, I sailed south nicely. 

The map did help me once I reached Tyn nad Vltavou, and the main road was too busy for bicycles. It gave me a nice suggestion for getting to Ceske Budejovice along the river.

 Bike routes are for transportation and sport. If I knew more Czech, I might be more discerning about my chosen path. Outside of Hluboka nad Vltavou, I took bike route 1079. I only saw men in spandex with light bikes here and these hills: some of them were walking too. I'm glad I made it.

This day, I also had the strange experience of having an ill man on the side of the road expose himself to me. I could tell on the approach something was off when he was turned around. That gave me a nice bump of acceleration.

It was so nice to reach Ceske Budajovice. There were cyclists everywhere. It's as if they were waiting for me. Come here, stay, rest. Take a dip in the wifi, it's warm and ready. The Penzion Centrum even had a bike storage room, and I found it by chance. I stayed for 2 nights to rest after these hills.

Prague: The Everyday

I've been in a Prague for a few days now. It's so different than I expected. I thought it would have a more intellectual vibe, but maybe it's just this experience. To contradict myself, they do have lots of opportunities to listen to classical music. A few nights ago, I saw an ensemble at the Jewish Synagogue. It looked like a faberge egg from the inside.

I have really been craving good, live music, and this helped sooth it. It made me miss the Cleveland Orchestra some.

This evening, I watched a blues band at a local bar by the hostel with Beth. Beth has been so much fun to explore the city with. I think we very much have the same sense of adventure and thirst for new experiences. We were on the Charles Bridge as the sun was rising over the sleepy streets of Prague.

This is Beth in the archway, watching the new day start from the heights if the castle on the hill.

It's really an international city, and there are so many tourists moving in crowds around the attractions.

I have been getting some mundane tasks done before I leave here like getting cycle maps to Austria and doing laundry. There were no laundromats around the hostel. I went to two places that couldn't help me, before being directed to a cool internet laudromat in Prague 2.

It felt like a hostel with dryers and washers instead of beds. I'm so glad I got this done. The previous evening, my clothes just absorbed every bad smell around me like cigarette smoke and sweat.

Today, I needed to get my bike checked out. Also, my headlight was stolen here too, and I wanted a new one. My bike was filthy, but okay, though I like to get things checked out just in case. I was so lucky to find a shop where there was a bike mechanic willing to take a quick look. They wanted me to make an appointment and said they couldn't help me. I asked them to just take a quick look, and if something looked awry, I would enjoy Prague for a day or two more. Somehow, I got him to smile and give in. I should have taken his picture. I thanked him about a million times infinity times, and bought a 6-pack of after work appreciation for him. I've never had a mechanic clean my bicycle so thoroughly. It's pedals so smoothly now. Unloaded, it feels like I'm flying.

While I waited for my bicycle, I went to the original Pilsner Urquell Restaurant. Prague is a pilsner town. (Someday I'll get to have an IPA again.) Budweiser originated from the Czech Republic, but they hold the American version in disdain because the sugar and wheat that's used in it.

They had pickled cheese too.

Beer here costs as much as soft drinks. Here's an example:

You'll see the Pilsner Urquell is 45 CZK whereas Coke is 40 CZK. This taco place rules. I should be able to keep on going without vegetarian tacos for another few weeks.

I have a feel for the old town area and some other neighborhoods. I wish I could fall in love with this town, but something prevents me. I leave for Vienna tomorrow.