20 – 25 august Vltava and Donau

Another day in beautiful Prague. Tony given orders by nurse Pat to rest and Liz went to look at a gorilla and the birds at the zoo. Next day we set off south on the Vltava River. 30km of lovely flat cycling, then we got stranded on the wrong side of the river with no way but over the railway bridge. Advice from a local was that we had 30 minutes before the next train!

Up some good hills – 8 to 10 % for 4km at a stretch, down to granny gear. Had a copy of the Greenway routemap for Prag to Vien but after a few km decided it deviated too much and made our own way on small roads through rolling countryside avoiding the trucks on highway 105. Then gave up this idea too and stayed on highway 105 and it was OK. Camped just out of Neveklov in a grassy patch next to a paddock. Apples, plums and pears all ripe and falling on the ground. These trees are planted everywhere beside the roads as post WWII food for the starving population.

Up early, weather is overcst, windy, leaves falling, feels like the start of autumn. Hills, lots of them, then wonderful long downhills to Tyn. Tony buys a new front tyre ($22).  We meet a delightful couple- Eva and Torpin – who we swap stories with over a beer or three and pitch the tents in the campground. They have been cycling in Austria and caught the train from Linz and give us the ticket still valid for the return trip. We have just clocked up 1000 km. So, next day, we have short ride up and down through green pastures, picturesque villages, near a power plant, a dark forest path and alongside the river to Cesky Budweiss (where the best beer in the world is brewed).

With bikes loaded onto the train, we sit back and watch the hills roll by. The train crews change at the border but there is no passport control. The well-behaved grass and trees seem to know it is Austria. Track repairs mean the last section to Linz is by bus (the bikes go in the trailer). 10 km of horrible cycle path alongside a busy and deafening highway and we finish the day camped in a park at Ottensheim.

The cycle path is as flat as the Danube and the riding is easy. We take a detour to Effingden for coffee, back to the Donau for dry and salty Stecklefisch (BBQ mackerel) and beer at riverside cafe, another stop for icecream, arriving at Inzel for thin and dry schnitzel and chips.  Tonight is luxury in a bed in a private house but don’t seem to sleep well even though we have just has 10 nights in the tent. Breakfast is simply coffee, bread, meat and jam. Austrian food is pretty disappointing.

We have our raincoats on and off all day for another day beside the Donau. Big river bends between high hillsides, castle ruins, ferry crossings and big passenger boats lined with bikes. Passau has muticoloured jumble of buildings on the confluence of the Ilz, Inn and Donau. Very pretty even on this dreary autumnal day.  It rains all night but luckily is not raining when we pitch the tent or take it down in the morning.

15- 19 august Prague

Short rides of 40 to 50 km for next few days means we get to our destination by lunch or just after. The cycle path is still being being built here, varying from smooth asphalt to gravel, dirt, stones, grass and stairs. Yes stairs! One set of stairs over a canal we avoided by taking the alternative route and going by ferry further upstream. The presence of the next town is heralded, not by a church steeple in the distance,  but by industry and chimneys, high rise apartment blocks and railway yards. Litomerice and Melnik are lovely places and the cobbled roads and open market square, churches etc. Away from the old town centre, the ‘burbs are pretty ordinary and in the rural areas it is difficult to decide whether the buildings are falling down or being built. A lot of concrete and render past its use by date. first night in our tent in a camp ground, next in a barrel!

We were warned not to take the cycle route beside the river but we did anyway. A single track MTB path over rocks and tree roots on the side of a cliff with the constant fear of dropping off the edge into the river 4 metres below. We survived and treated ourselves to caffeine and icecream where most other cyclists stopped for a beer. The Czechs outdo the aussies in drinking 153 litres of beer per year for every man women and child.

The last few km into Prague is like arriving in any big city without an adequate map: keep asking for directions, going in smaller circles until you get to the camp. The autocamp is basically a private house where the owner attempts to squeeze in as many huge RVs as possib le into the backyard.

Czech had a tough time in WWII: first to be invaded and last to see the end of it. Then they had a go at communism. We got the potted version with lots of humour and twisted stories from a free walking tour guide in Prague. The 15th century clock tells the time in hours, mins, days, zodiac months, and sidereal time (need this one for the equinox). Pretty clever ancient instrument. Yeah Prague is beautiful but we perhaps did not appreciate the splendid neo-romanic, rennaiscence, gothic, baroque and rococco bulidings.

 

Crowded with too many tourists here and tired of being tourists ourselves,  the next day was one of bike maintenance, watching a kayak slalom champs, reading, blogging and of course drinking beer.

13 – 14 August Swiss Saxony and into Czech

Just a short ride today along the Elbe with hills both sides, castles on hills fully circled by fortress walls,  We stop at Pirna for info and maps of the Walerweg – a walking route through Swiss Saxony. We lock our bikes in a pretty little village full of cafes and tourists and take the path to Bastei, a very photogenic group of rocky outcrops bisected by a footbridge and exceptional views of the Elbe River.

Next town boasts a scenic tram ride up a pretty valley to a small waterfall. The tram ride was relaxing and the waterfall was small. not worth the detour. Our guesthouse is just down the road at Schmilke, the last village on the Elbe in Germany. Hikers also stop here after day 4 of the 6 day Malerweg trip. Camping is not allowed in the National Park and most hikers have their pack delivered from one hotel to the next. In the morning, we pick the best out of the walk in 4 hours, climbing up to Schlamenstein and plummeting down Heilige Stiege (Holy Steps).

Tony had his ritual shave that morning for the border crossing, but there was nobody at the abandoned tollgate. The ride into Czech was uneventful except that we missed a ferry crossing and were on the wrong side of the river. We cycled up and down hills, sharing the road with cars and trucks and looked sadly at the riders on the flat path on the other side.  Ten years ago we entered Czech by car from Germany and remember the paperwork. We were warned this time the police would not be interested in our passports but rather that our bikes had lights. Last time the ladies stood a mere hundred metres apart on the roadside, this time the Venus Hotels discreetly advertised that they were open for business. Decin straddled the river, now called the Labe; the pretty cobbled altstatd and marketsquare on one side, the ugly railway station district on the other.

The cashcard coughed up some new money – 2000 Czech krona (abot $100). For two weeks now we thought we should have bought a tent in Hamburg, so Liz checked out the local Tesco store and bought a $40 tent and a $15 mat and $6 food for dinner. A short way out of town, we found a paddock by the river and set up camp. Ten minutes the harvesters and huge tractors and trucks arrived. They smiled and waved as fortunately our tent was about 20 m from their turning circle.

11-12 august Dresden

Today the land has changed again, now steep hills both sides of the river, some vineyards on the south facing bank. Meissen to Dresden less than 30 km. The information bureau in the city cannot assist with accommodation, telling us there is nothing under 90 Euro and no hostels. We find the Youth hostel by ourselves and get a private room for 50 Euro including all you can eat breakfast (and nick some for lunch as well).

Dresden was bombed to smithereens in 1945, neglected for almost 50 years in GDR but has been rebuilt since the reunification of Germany. Everything that was old is new again. The Frauenkirche is symbolic with the blackened sandstone mixed with new yellow sandstone bricks. It is a magnificent city of a half million residents and 10 million tourists per year.

Wunderbra, tea bags and beer coasters were invented here. We visited the “transparent factory” where the VW Phaeton is handbuilt in 32 hours (compared with Jetta in 4 hours) with 100 000 to 160 000 Euro price tag. It is as shiny as a showroom.

We visited 3 of 34 museums in the city, including the Altmeister with the feature of  Raphael’s painting of the Sistine Madonna.The painting is 500 year old this year and has two cute angels everyone would recognise on Christmas cards. Dresden is immensely proud that Augustus III (the Strong) bought the painting from the Vatican in 1700 and something and then managed to get it back again from the Russians after WWII. The exhibition showed Raphael’s early works (he was in direct competition with michaelangelo), history of the madonna painting, other artists’ copies of his madonna painting, copies of the two angels, even Ernie and Bert as the angels! A lot of fuss about one painting.

The ceramics museum was amazing, Chinese vases and plates, old Meissen ceramics and Augustus III’s bizarre collection of lifesize porcelain animals! For palaces, cathedrals, grand buildings, river vistas, culture, cafes, easy to explore by foot, cycle or tram. Dresden was pretty special. But just like Moscow and St Petersberg, some of the most impressive buildings are either centuries old or have been restored (often completely rebuilt) in just the last few years.

6 -10 august East germany elberadweg

Day 6: we pedalled through a variety of scenery – open pasture, avenues of apples, forest trails, river views and city fringes. Temporary fences enclose small flocks of grazing sheep, otherwise the pastures and crops have no fences. Two barges fit snugly in a massive lock on the Elbe – Havel Canal. We continued on and arrived at Pretzien, pretty tired after 88km into a headwind. Many other cyclists on the path – 70 year old couples, families, some heavily loaded, some with just one pannier – but few wear helmets.

Day 7: Tony’s foot still red and sore, so off to doctor, a script for more antibiotics, and a side trip to the next closest town with an “apotheke”. Finding the cycle route is sometimes difficult and we often meet other cyclists pondering over their maps. We miss the town of Zerbst by a couple of km – where Sophie Friederike was born and later became Catherine the Great – a link with our travels in Russia. The crumbling 1772 gates in the Unesco heritage Worlitzer forest park once lead to the Friedenkenberg Schloss (about the same time Captain Cook arrived in Australia).  We have a quick look at an impressive neogothic cathedral and castle in an English garden before another ferry crossing to Coswig. 87km. Sally Pearson wins the gold medal.

Day 8: First stop today is Wittenberg, home of Martin Luther, founder of the Lutheran church. This is where he defied the Pope’s excommunication, preached reform and published his theses against indulgence. Magnificent cathedral, cobblestone streets and marktplatz surrounded by townhall and other splendid buildings. On we go, often losing the Elberadweg signs, having to follow a levee and aim for the next town’s church steeple. Each little town was immaculately clean, not a stray leaf or stone and hardly anyone about. Maize was ripening, wheat harvested and stubble ploughed in. Easy 86 km to Torgau with a tailwind. Catch up with washing clothes and cleaning the bike chains and posting keys back to the last two guest houses (oops!).

Day 9: Early morning exploration of Torgau’s bone shuddering cobbles (just as well we have our sturdy heavy bikes) and our first hill to the pretty marktplatz. The tailwind sees us quickly checking off the little villages every 3 or 4 km, and a snack of bratwurst and mustard followed by pastries. The landscape is changing to gentle rolling hills and high river banks. We arrive at Meissen at 1pm, sit for a while with icecreams, then go exploring. Like every other city with marktplatz, cobble streets, rathaus, a couple of cathedrals and the odd castle but here it is on a grand scale. We enjoy kafe and kuche. 71km today and ninth guesthouse in nine days.

Day 10: Tony put his foot on ice for the day (literally) and Liz visited the Albrechtsburg museum, part of a massive conglomeration of colourful palaces cascading down the hillside, once the centre of Holy Roman empire, then medieval Saxony and the first European porcelain factory. Nice to stay a second night in the same town.

    

1 – 5 August Cycling the Elberadweg

After just two nights in Hamburg, we packed our panniers, threw away more clothes and our rolly suitcases. Tony thought he better see the doctor about his sore, swollen foot. He was told that it was not lymphedema but badly infected and needed course of antibiotics and no riding. So off we went anyway!

Day 1 (Aug 1): Eventually found our way out of Hamburg on redbrick paved cycle paths, from the wharf and 1850 industrial buildings to the dyke beside the Elbe, riding through market gardens along concrete paths. We crossed with the ferry to Hoopte and decided 36km was enough for the day. Dinner of Herring and Kartoffel, Schweinschnitzel and beer in our hotel.

Day 2: On the west side of Elbe all day, farmland, very impressive farmhouses newly thatched, storks standing on nests atop towers, rooftops and in the fields. Also herons, geese and black faced sheep grazing the meadowlike verge of the bike path. 60 km to Bleckede. We cannot decide whether to keep trangia as we have used it twice in 4 months.

Day 3: Wheat ripening to golden brown, maize over 2m high, pretty little villages, a car ferry and a smaller ferry just for people to Hitzaker. Mucked around in town looking for internet at the youth hostel which turned out to be up a hill with 10% climb. That tested our bikes and our legs but short and ok. No WiFi, so back to town to tourist office. Liz tried to get a wedding party’s left over canapés. We continued on to Domitz. 60km today.

Day 4: Another lovely sunny day riding on the dyke wall with open pastures dotted with great storks. Here the Elbe was the border for east and West Germany (don’t mention the Krieg!). Climbed a watch tower with historic pictures and talked to local man about the 3m high fence which was all along the dyke wall. We stopped for an inexpensive supermarket lunch in Wittenberge. A young girl, who was averaging 120km a day from the mouth of the Elbe, rode with us along a beautiful section with the Havel on one side and the Elbe on the other. Havelberg with its white-walled, red-roofed old town and massive Dom was 88km for the day.

Day5: A short 42 km today due to rain to Tangemunde. Finding cheap accommodation is annoyingly difficult, even when we go to the tourist office and get them to do all the phone calls. Internet WiFi is impossible to find and it is hard not to compare Germany unfavourably with China and Russia where everything was so much easier! Everyone in Scandinavia spoke English fluently. Here nobody understands the word “accommodation”. Saw Andy Murray get the gold medal and Usain Bolt set new 100m record. Tangemunde has an amazing 14th century wall and gateway.

30 – 31 july Hamburg Germany

The train from Kopenhagen was split in two for the ferry crossing to Germany. Our arrival in Germany was fairly ordinary. The train immediately had an unscheduled stop for more than half an hour. We had to produce our passports for the first time since St Petersburg in Russia. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof,  graffiti, drunks, weirdos and beggars was a sudden culture shock. Metro to our hotel/hostel in St Pauli/ Altona was interesting. The tourist brochures extol the arts, cinema and restaurants of the area when in truth it is the red light district with “homokinema” , brothels, Irish pubs and casinos. Met some Norwegians in the hotel out for a good time, wearing Viking horns and heavy metal T shirts. Loud and friendly and found out that 70 000 fanatics were heading up to a little town pop 200 for the biggest Heavy Metal festival in the world. Explains why Hamburg centrum was so crazy.

Our mission was to buy bikes and gear and hopefully be on our way up the Elbe River within a week. We checked out five bike shops within walking distance with varied results: now a restaurant, closed for the day, only sold single speed bikes, closed, and too expensive. We had arranged to meet Ludger (through warmshowers) at BOC24, a bike shop with everything. His mate Michael knew a place with used/ restored bikes. Tony chose a blue one and Liz a silver one complete with racks, lights, bell and mudguards for $200 each. Back to BOC 24 for panniers, helmets, tools, gloves, pump, tubes and trip computer, all for $400. Mission accomplished!