Blonde Bird On A Bike

I crossed into the Czech Republic 2 mornings ago – first time since crossing the Scotland / England border that I’ve had a marker to indicate that I’ve crossed into a new country.

I’m still following the same river but The Elbe is known as The Labe in the Czech Republic. Takes me a wee while to get used to the yellow marker signs instead of the green ones I’ve been following but if anything the route is even easier and better marked than in Germany.

I’ve loved following the route through Germany but again it’s got nicer over the border – the river is a bit more twisty, the route is a bit more undulating (but still very easy) – closer to the hills and trees, making it prettier – a wee bit industrial at times but if anything this just adds to the interest – passing lots of houses, lots of wee holiday homes and little caravans, nothing big or fancy often old railway carriages – it’s got kind of a riviera feel to it without the grandeur or expense – and there are lots of wee places to buy drinks and snacks!! Cycling along the Elbe in Germany unless you came to a town or made a detour there wasn’t a lot of places to stop and get a juice or a snack – they were everywhere now and it was a holiday Monday so they were all open – one wee problem though – I’ve forgotten to get any Czech Koruna – a wee detour to get some money and not long later I stop in the sunshine – corn on the cob and a tin of cider – yes cider – sitting in the sunshine – can’t beat it!

Also spotted a beaver – initially not sure what it was – thought it was a wee brown dog, then thought it was just a log floating with the current until it swam back the way and then it came out onto the bank – didn’t seem too phased by the people about but soon got back into the water when a dog got a bit curious – I thought beavers tended to be seen at dawn and dusk but this one seemed to be enjoying the afternoon sun. No photo I’m afraid.

I kept seeing signs for a campsite that seemed to be geared up for cyclists and it is right on the cycle route – seen lots of cyclists but very few other cycle tourers – the ones I’ve seen have mostly gone in the opposite direction so nothing more than a quick friendly hello on the way past – the only ones I’ve actually spoken to were a nice retired Dutch couple who I met in my early days in Germany. It would have been nice to have met up with some other tourers but no – I arrive at the campsite – it’s part of a sport’s complex and has a hostel too – again I’ve got the campsite to myself and the keys to the hostel kitchen, dining room and showers and storage for Bertie bike – fab place – just no other cyclists or anyone else come to that!

Despite the local clocks chiming through the night I had a pretty good sleep and was cosy in my tent!

Wee hiccup when I got Bertie out of his overnight storage though – no idea how but one end of one of the bungee cords (that i use to secure the tent – and at times – towel, jacket, jumper, spare knickers, food supplies, anything that needs drying, or I’ve run out of space for) is still attached to the pannier rack and the other end is caught round the rear cassette thingy – and in process of moving bike I’ve made it worse – it’s so tight I can’t budge it either end and end up cuttung the bungee cord so that I’m able to free it – so I’m now down to just one bungee cord but everything still seems to be secure.

Yesterday I made my way to Prague – no holiday today and the cycle path was really quite and the wee snack stalls all closed – did have a wee biscuit though.

And one ferry over The Labe – and I’m nearly in Prague – later on came across a shop that sells just rubber ducks in Prague.

Abandoned Bertie close to the castle and have a good wander round. Never realised how big Prague is and it’s busy – hate to think what it would be like at peak season but it’s beautiful though.

Had to have the local icecream and cone – cone is hidden in its wrapper so you can’t see it – but the cone is made fresh and is exactly the same ingredients / texture as a doughnut – my cone was filled with fresh strawberries before they added the ice cream – delicious!

I’m booked into a hostel  – chain called A & O – never heard of them before – 2 nights in a 4 bed dorm for £21 – it’s about 4.5 miles from the old town – it’s big – seems to be geared up for hostlers through to hotel double rooms – friendly and clean and only downside is there are not enough lifts relative to the number of folks staying and I’m on the 9th floor.

Today Bertie was abandoned at the hostel while I went sightseeing – and took too many pictures again. Tomorrow it’s back on the bike and heading East and / or South East.

Yesterday was a funny day. Forecast was for rain so plan was for short bike ride, stock up on some food- Claudia had kindly message to tell me that Monday coming is a holiday and the shops wouldn’t be open – and then catch up on blog and plan for next stage of my journey.

Managed to pack away tent in a dry spell. Route to Lidl involved going over a bridge with a wee bit of a there and back to follow the cycle route – but I spied another ferry and I jumped on this – all ferries across The Elbe so far have gone directly across – but not this one – it went across but upstream (or was it down) and passed by Lidl on the way – I did have a wee panic wondering how far ferry was going before it stopped – it wasn’t hugely further on – but about 15 minute bike ride back in the now pouring rain.

Next stop was to a campsite via one more ferry crossing – my navigation was fine if I’d entered the correct place name into Google maps – but I found myself on the wrong side of the river, about 7k up a hill and the rain had come on again. Although I’ve moaned a lot about being cold I’ve actually been pretty lucky in terms of rain apart from the day I arrived in the Netherlands. I now had to return to the ferry – explain why I was coming back – and then cycle 7k up a not too bad a hill, but to make sure I kept out of the way of the tourist trams coming up and down. Finally getting to campsite about one o’clock on what was meant to be a pretty short bike ride.

Apart from the toilets no real shelter at campsite, no Internet due to proximity of hills and the WiFi didn’t work so I was feeling a wee bit out of sorts and no blogging or planning was done. Luckily rain mostly stopped and I got a wee walk done.

Today made up for it though. Should have got better information about the walking routes before I left – a map would have been a good idea as well – but had a great walk and the rock formations were fantastic. Lots of steps to go up and down. Some very steep drops but only one section that unnerved me and I backed off from it – wee narrow bit with rungs placed in the rock acting as a rail – nothing technical but it was a big drop if something went wrong – I needed some of my OMC buddies with me to do that bit but otherwise had a great walk and would love to come back here again.

Some cool coloured fungi and a nice shiny beetle.

Also spotted a black woodpecker – sorry no photo . Heard him pecking and looked up in the trees but couldn’t spot him. Followed the sound and spotted him pecking at would on the ground and then having a good rummage in the leaf litter. Initially unsure what he / she was until it flew to a tree and then climbed circling up it like a woodpecker. According to this site they are easy to hear but not so easy to spot so feeling quite lucky that I got to see one – https://www.10000birds.com/how-to-see-a-black-woodpecker-in-germany.htm

So my German part of the trip is about to come to an end and I’m aiming for the Czech Republic tomorrow. I’ve seen some amazing places in Germany and need to thank Karen, Elke, Peter and Alice, Kai, Rainer and his family, Jeannine, Sebastian, Levi and Anna and finally Claudia for helping and looking out for me and making cycling across Germany a fantastic journey.

Three mornings ago I said farewell to Jeannine, Sebastian, Levi and Anna and left Leipzig – the lovely presents the kids gave me safely in a tin in one of my panniers.

It was a beautiful morning but cold – it looked as if it would warm up but the forecast said otherwise and the forecast was right – it got overcast and there was a chilly wind and I was pretty cold for most of the day. I was cycling towards Colditz and all I could think about was cold t**s and fingers!

I stopped and a quick wander round Trebsen – famous for its bold red bricks.

Next stop was Grimma – a lovely town – with lots of lovely shops (which were mostly closed which was probably just as well). Amongst other places Grimma had been badly affected by the flooding in August 2002

Last stop was the castle at Colditz – most well known as a POW camp – wish I could have spent more time exploring this but combination of cold and still had a bit to go to get to nearest campsite I didn’t stay long.

As per most of my route through Germany I’ve been mostly on cycle paths or  very quiet roads – occasionally these have turned out to be farm tracks or walking paths but mostly they have been fine. This day though I had a short section where the route almost disappeared – road turned to track which turned to path which then narrowed to almost nothing – there was the remains of an old stone bridge – one parapet – nothing else – if you were sure footed you could have walked across it – I’m not and there was no way you could have pushed a laden bike across it. So I followed the wee detour – only a few meters but involved a very steep dip down and back up again – off came the panniers and tent and carried Bertie Bike across – laden up again it didn’t long till we were on our way and arrived at the Mary Celeste of campsites – no other tents which I’m used to – lost of hobbit huts with nobody home and lots of small holiday home / huts, again with nobody home and a very closed up reception – toilets were open though – I pitched up and had a free night – a cold free night. Lake where I was camped looked beautiful and I imagine lake and campsite will be very busy a little later in the year.

Beautiful but cold start today. Went down a 25° hill and passed this castle – was a little bit worried that I might have a 25° hill to go back up but largely on the flat all day.

Found a nice cafe to get warm and had a late breakfast.

Quick wander round another nice town that I can’t remember the name of.

I was on my way to Dresden. Kai had helped again and put me in touch with Claudia and I had the offer of a bed for the night.

Largely following the River Elbe – love these river routes – as a rule you don’t need to think about navigation, not many hills – just pedal and enjoy the ride. Had looked at the map to see if there was anywhere interesting I should stop and nothing had caught my eye – so had a big wow moment when I came round a corner and saw this – Meissen – incredible old town with a lot of history – once upon a time Meissen was the  capital of Saxony – and in 1988 the agreement on mutual recognition between the German Evangelical Church (East & West) and the Church of England was signed in the town – for me though I was just enjoying exploring round and up the narrow cobbled streets and enjoying the views.

Bertie was quickly abandoned and I had a good wander around the old town. Not a lot of photos to show as battery on phone was getting flat. My phone is working fine, my spare power pack and cable is fine but especially when I’m on cobbles they don’t make a happy combination and I’m trying to only charge my phone up when I’m not on the move.

Now for the final push to Dresden. When I left Meissen I initially followed the north bank of the river. Just over the  bridge the cycle signs took you to a steep set of stairs to join the cycle path – there was a ramp on the stairs so that bikes  could be pushed up or down – after watching 2 ladies struggle to push their bikes up I decided it was accident waiting to happen if I tried to get a laden Bertie down the ramp and opted to join the cycle path a little further along the river and easy cycling after that. Close to Bresden I crossed to the south side of the river and carried on about another 15k east of the city to Claudia’s House and met her and her 2 gorgeous cats – saw lots of interesting  buildings on the way past and looking forward to a wee bit of sightseeing tomorrow.

Had a delicious pasta and tomato sauce that Claudia made – next time I make this I must remember to add grated  carrot – it was fab.

Next morning, armed with tips from Claudia and a one day walking guide to Dresden, I saw much of the city as I could. Whenever I visit a city I always like to go up the highest dome or tower, etc that you can for the views.  Domes that I particularly remember are St Paul’s in London and the painting of Dante’s Inferno in the cathedral in Florence but think I have a new favourite – the dome on the Fraunkirche (Church of our Lady) in Dresden – there is something very peaceful and beautiful about it – I loved it – think my photos of inside the dome make it look like a wee doll’s house though.

Dresden was largely destroyed in World War 2 – after the Berlin Wall was brought down it has gradually been restored again. Fragments of painted segments of the dome were found in the rubble and it has been repainted as closely to the original as they can. There are loads of stunning buildings and one day in Dresden is too short to take it all in.

The new town on the other side of The Elbe is worth a look as well and I climbed the tower of Dreikönigskirche so that I could look back over the river to the old town.

Next day it was on towards The Swiss Saxony – Karen had suggested stopping here and my first thought was they were in the the wrong direction but quick Google showed that they were nowhere near Switzerland but on the German / Czech – they had been recommended by folks I’d met on my travels as well and the pictures of them looked amazing. First stop though was a quick bike ride and a ferry crossing from Claudia’s house to see the gardens at Pillnitz Castle and they were definitely worth a visit – the sort of place you could keep going to a different times of the year, if you lived to locally, to see the different flowers.

Claudia had suggested coming back on the ferry and following the south bank of The Elbe. Lady cyclist on the ferry said both sides were good but to cross back to the south bank at Wehlen to get good views of the start of the start of the Swiss Saxony area and this is what I did.8

A wee while later and crossing my 3rd ferry – this time leaving Bertie behind – I went across to Rathen and walked up to Basteibruke – another place that had been recommended, although Claudia advised that it was too touristy and busy – Claudia was right but it was still worth seeing and I loved it and I suspect it was much quieter than normal being out of season and a somewhat grey drizzly day.

Back on the ferry again and a short bike ride to the campsite for the night – nice wee campsite outside a hostel. Big barn to shelter in, which wasn’t terribly warm but lots of fleecy rugs and later on the lads that ran the hostel got the big log burner going.

Pumpkin roll for breakfast that I’d ordered the night before – delicious – they make fantastic bread and rolls in Germany and I wish I’d ordered 2 and this was the best bit about yesterday.

Six days since I last posted and hardly know what day of week it is – is this what it feels like to be retired??  Not posted for a wee while,  partly due to blog was too full of pictures – big thank you to Karen for getting me all sorted with new blog.

The day I had in Erfurt it was my turn to get scrubbed up – so had a much needed visit to the laundrette to wash my smelly cycling clothes – the washing machine seemed to survive! Then it was more sightseeing but this time in the sunshine – proper sit outside sunshine!

Things I like about Germany – There is next to no litter or dog poo.   They like to decorate the electric boxes and make them look pretty and / or interesting.  The cycle network is just amazing. There is lots of pretty craft and art work I’d like to buy – downside of that (or good for my budget) is that I can’t carry a lot. And they have “goat dogs” – well at least 2! I’ve been surprised that I’ve not seen a lot of farm animals – although what I’ve seen is much nicer – lots of small holdings – maybe just 1/2 doz sheep or cows or chickens or goats – and not seen so many cows – there are lots of horses and ponies too. Yesterday I approached a wee fenced area of grass – with approx 1/2 doz goats and 2 something else’s – as I got closer they turned out to be 2 dozing (or appeared to br dosing) golden retrievers (I think) – but not dosing for long – soon as they heard me they were up on their feet and one was woofing away – they were definitely guarding their goats – I had hoped to take a picture but with all the woofing I decided I’d move on before someone came to see who was disturbing the goats and dogs.

Cycled no more than about 6k late afternoon to a lovely wee campsite on edge of Erfurt. And it continued to be warm overnight and I didn’t require 3 layers of clothing before I got into my sleeping bag!

A lot of the towns and villages have cobbles – sometimes the whole way through – some times to mark the start and end of a town – sometimes the smaller back roads ate cobbled too. Some are easier to cycle on than others – depending on age and style etc. On one section I was passed by this family – about 1/2 doz kids in matching cycle tops on road bikes and parents on electric bikes – they all zipped up this long cobbled section much quicker than me.

I’m on my way towards Leipzig, stopping first at a campsite in Bad Kosen. When I get to Leipzig I am staying with Jeannine and her family – my friend Kai has kindly put me in touch with them and Jeannine has advised me to visit the town of Weimar on route. Amongst other notables Weimar is famous for Bach having spent sometime there and Goethe, “Germany’s greatest and most influential writer”. Another beautiful town and I loved the huge green park (where grapes were once grown).

Another wee stop later in the day – love it when you come across these random sculptors and got chatting to a nice German couple who had also stopped to take photos.

Bad Kosen has an incredible working wheel and pumping system – I believe it works in a similar way to The Laxey Wheel on the Isle of Man – the pumping system was used to extract salt minerals – I was just in awe of the size and mechanics of – apparently the salty spray is good for your health as well.

Now it was on to Leipzig – a wee bit behind time with my wanderings but nice easy cycling, largely following a river which makes it nice and easy for navigation.

I was behind 2 younger cyclists – one was on his phone and going a wee bit slower than I would like – they did go single file so I could pass but it was a busy wee stretch with other cyclists and walkers coming from the opposite direction and I also reckoned that when he came off the phone the 2 of them would speed up so I just followed on and as I thought they did get quicker. However I caught up with them later on – now I don’t race – even without panniers I’m not designed for speed – I’m better at stamina and distance – but I do like to do the best I can and in my head I had decided that I was going to show them what I could do with my well laden bike – I waited for a nice straight bit, I sped up, I was about to go for it ……… and then I felt something move inside my cycle top and slowed a wee – decided it was my imagination and was about to speed up again but no a biggish insect has somehow got into my cycling top – I panicked (I’m alergic to wasps) – hammered on the breaks – luckily no-one was directly behind me – whatever it was now inside the v of my bra – at which point I clutched my chest to stop it moving further and it stung me (it was probably not happy either) – I’m now in the middle of a busyish cycle path, pulling down the zip of my cycle top and trying to remove what turned out to be some kind of bee from inside my bra – I’m not sure if it was stunned or dead (I suspect the latter) when I removed but I’m afraid I didn’t check. Sting not too uncomfortable and no adverse reactions I carried to meet Jeannine and her family in Leipzig.

I stayed with Jeannine, Sebastian and their 2 children Levi and Anna, and had an amazing time. They looked after me, made some fantastic food and gave me pointers on what to visit in Leipzig (when they were at work and school) and helped with my onward journey. I’ve loved everywhere I’ve visited so far in Germany and Leipzig was no exception – another beautiful old town with lots of green areas. I’ve taken so many photos of church towers and their clocks I think I can tell where I was at anytime in a town or city. Leipzig is also famous for Bach as he spent a large part of his life here and he is buried at the Thomas Thomaskirche (St Thomas Church). My favourite monument in Leipzig was the Völkerschlachtdenkmal – monument to the battle of the nations – it commemorates Napoleon’s defeat – compared with all the lovely churches and buildings I have seen this is not a pretty monument – it is gigantic and imposing and when you walk inside and realise the thickness of the walls it is just amazing – it also has incredible views over the city.

Big thank you to Jeannine, Sebastian, Levi and Anna for looking after me.

Back on bike again. To be continued later.