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Lviv to Uhersky Brod – 19th to 30th August

 

Friday 19th August – Lviv, Ukraine

A lie in this morning, we both seem really tired so I think we needed the break.  I need to publish the blog today which is always time consuming.

We’re going on a sightseeing walk, we have the tourist maps and it’s a beautiful day.  

 

Since 1998, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) lists Lviv’s historic center as part of “World Heritage”.  There are some 2,007 other historical landmarks within the Old City’s area, 214 of which are considered national landmarks.

 We didn’t manage all 2,007, but some of our favourites were

 Castle Hill – standing on the highest point of the city at 413 metres.  A lovely walk up wooded lanes and steel walkways to the top to see the city lay out below us.

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Armoury – The City Arsenal is the oldest of three historic arsenal buildings in Lviv, Ukraine. The other two are the Royal Arsenal and Sieniawski Arsenal. It is a rectangular two-storey structure with a miniature octagonal tower on the north side.

 

Cathedral – The Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, usually called simply the Latin Cathedral is a 14th-century Roman Catholic cathedral

 

Tons of churches –

Church of St.Nicholas, the family church of the Halychyna (Ruthenian) kings
Church of St.Paraskeva-Praxedia (Good Friday), contains 1740 inconostasis of the church by Fedor Senkovych
Church of St.Onuphrius and Basilian Monastery, contains artworks of Lazar Paslavsky and Modest Sosenko
Church of St.John the Baptist (today – Museum of Lviv Ancient relics), the church was dedicated to the Hungarian wife of King Leo, Constance, a daughter of King Béla IV

… and many more!

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Rynok square – Rynok Square is the central square of the city. It was planned in the second half of the 14th century, following granting city rights by King Casimir III the Great of Poland, who incorporated Red Ruthenia into the Kingdom of Poland in 1349. The king ordered Lviv to be moved more to the south, where a new city was built to the plan of a traditional European settlement: a central square surrounded by living quarters and fortifications. Old, Ruthenian Lviv had become a suburb of the new Polish city.

The square is rectangular in shape, with measurements of 142 metres by 129 metres and with two streets radiating out of every corner. In the middle there was a row of houses, with its southern wall made by the Town Hall. However, when in 1825 the tower of the Town Hall burned, all adjacent houses were demolished and a new hall, with a 65-metre tower, was built in 1835 by architects J. Markl and F. Trescher.[2]

Around the square, there are 44 tenement houses, which represent several architectural styles, from Renaissance to Modernism. In the four corners, there are fountains—wells from 1793, probably designed by Hartman Witwer. The sculptures represent four Greek mythological figures: Neptune, Diana, Amphitrite and Adonis. In front of the Town Hall, there was a pillory.

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After sightseeing we stop in the square for an early dinner at Baczewski restaurant and try some traditional local food.   We have lard with garlic, Borscht with mushroom dumplings and perogi with mushroom sauce.   Daz was still hungry so ordered a Lemsburger, a juicy burger with a potato and herb rosti bun, delicious, whilst I had cake!

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 Then time for some retail therapy, The Little Princess in Ukrainian for our couchsurfing host in Barcelona,  new crocs for Daz and some flipflops for me.  

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By this time it was 7pm and Rynok Square was alive with various bands busking, people milling about enjoying the sunshine and the music; the bars and restaurants busy with Friday evening trade.  When I was with HQ AMF(L) we had an exercise in the Ukraine and we were based in Lviv.  That was 2002 and then all I remember was a dark and wet oppressed city.  Much has changed in 15 years and I’d certainly recommend Lviv as a fantastic city break.  I’m surprised it hasn’t already become Stag and hen doo central because it’s ridiculously cheap here.  We have been surprised at the paucity of English voices, Brit motorhomes and cars since we’ve been in Eastern Europe.  A shame because they’re missing a gem!

 

Back home it’s back to admin; packing, finishing blog, Facebook and then an episode of GoT.

 

Saturday 20th August

Lviv to Krakow

 It’s an early start this morning and we’re ready to leave by 8am and Michael comes by to pick up the key.  We cycle to the train station.  

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It’s a beautiful day and so different from cycling in on Wednesday evening.  At the train station 2 tickets to Mostyka station number 2 cost 28Ukr – about 80p. We cycle onto the platform, so far so good.  

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We cycle to the furthest carriage and had planned to leave the bikes in the doorway area but there’s room in the carriage for them and we can sit and keep an eye on them.  

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There’s 40 minutes until departure but as departure time approaches and the train fills up we’re relieved we got here so early.  The tourist office told us the afternoon train would be the busy one!  The train journey is uneventful except for the powerful and rather nauseating smell of urine.  The train stops at Mostyka 2 but this isn’t the last stop.  We can go on to Shehyni, even closer to the border.  This is totally unexpected since the trains departure/arrival board said Mostyka as did the destination on the train.  Anyway an unexpected Billy bonus.

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 In Shehyni we saddle up and head for the border.  

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We must change our Ukrainian currency before we leave the Ukraine, it can’t be done in Poland.  We pass through Ukrainian customs with no bother.  But on the Polish side it’s a different story.  Even with EU fast track it takes an hour and 20 minutes.  

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It seems there is only one lady checking bags and it looks as if all bags are being checked.  She’s looking for cigarettes and alcohol.  But our queue was less stringently checked than the Ukrainian side.  Fortunately the big queues that were here on Wednesday due to the end of the holiday aren’t in evidence today.  

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Once through we cycle to Przemyśl and catch a train to Krakow(£20 Total for 2 adults and 2 bikes).   We have a timing meltdown on the train platform and then realise we haven’t changed our watches back to Polish time. When the train does arrive we have plenty of time to get everything on board.  These intercity trains only have single doorways and several steep steps so we can’t roll the bikes on and the trike has to be turned on its side, but so long as all the baggage is taken on board first and one of us is on the train and the other on the platform to pass each bike up it’s not too difficult.  

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We arrive in Krakow around 7pm.  Disembarking does prove to be slightly problematic because once I’ve got the bags and the Mini on the platform the new passengers from Krakow start swarming on board making it difficult for Daz to get the trike to the train doorway.  It’s only after it’s all done that we realise the train’s in this station for about ten minutes so there was no need to panic!  It’s another of those stations with an underpass to the exit.  I was going to try the lift but Daz spots a way out at the end of the platforms so fortunately we can just cycle out.  We had no idea how successful we’d be today with our train plans so we haven’t arranged any where to stay in Krakow.  First thing we need is internet. Of course it’s a Saturday night and there’s not much available accommodation.   Finally we pick something even though it’s pricey and head off to find it.   It’s an apartment block……might be difficult to secure the bikes.   Daz gets buzzed in whilst I guard the bikes.  Whilst I’m standing there, an Aussie couple are talking to each other about our bikes so I say hello and start chatting to them.  They shipped their camper van over from Australia to Dublin (because Rob has family in Dublin) and they’ve been travelling around Europe since March and won’t return home until next March.  Daz comes out and says the apartment was already booked.  So we have no apartment.  We need another Internet search.  Rob and his wife tell us there’s WiFi in the next door bar and that their camper van is parked in the 24hr guarded car park just a little further on and jokingly suggest we camp there!  So we go into the bar and there’s even less choice and whilst we prevaricate we lose a couple more we were considering.   I suggest we go to the campsite that’s about 6km out of town and we’ve pretty much decided on that when I remind Daz of our Loire biking adventure when we camped in a car park.  I suggest if we’re going to camp we might as well ask in the car park.  So off we go to the car park.  The young guy, car park attendant, acts as if our request to camp in his carpark is perfectly normal but says we won’t get our tent pegs into the hard gravel.  But we say if he can give us a bit of fence line or similar we can anchor the other end with the trike.  And the deal is done.  Ten minutes later the tent is up, beds pumped, sleeping bags laid out.  Perfect.

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And because it’s guarded we can return to the next door bar which serves local ales from the Krakow area which Daz finds rather enjoyable.  There’s also a food stall there doing Georgian fayre so we can have our dinner there too. It’s like a spiced kofta and very tasty.  We chat to the couple running the food stall. She’s Polish but her husband is from Georgia.   We tell her about our hopes to cross Georgia to the Caspian Sea.  She says the weather is OK in January but that the drivers are mad!!!

 

Sunday 21st August

Krakow to Oswiecim

Distance 71.24km

Total Distance 6532.53km

 

Remarkably we’ve both had a good night’s sleep in our carpark.  It’s a sunny day but rather humid and by the time we’re packed we’re already feeling clammy and sticky.  We head off to enjoy the sights of Krakow.  

 First we cycle up to the main square.  It’s a beautiful area and full of market stalls and tourists.  Kraków Old Town is the historic central district of Kraków, Poland. It is one of the most famous old districts in Poland today and was the center of Poland’s political life from 1038 until King Sigismund III Vasa relocated his court to Warsaw in 1596.


The entire medieval old town is among the first sites chosen for the UNESCO’s original World Heritage List, inscribed as Cracow’s Historic Centre. The old town is also one of Poland’s official national Historic Monuments (Pomnik historii) chosen in the first round, as designated September 16, 1994, and tracked by the National Heritage Board of Poland.

The Old Town is known in Polish as Stare Miasto. It is part of the city’s first administrative district which is also named “Stare Miasto,” although it covers a wider area than the Old Town itself.

 

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Medieval Kraków was surrounded by a 1.9 mile defensive wall complete with 46 towers and seven main entrances leading through them. The fortifications around the Old Town were erected over the course of two centuries. The current architectural plan of Stare Miasto – the 13th-century merchants’ town – was drawn up in 1257 after the destruction of the city during the Tatar invasions of 1241 followed by raids of 1259 and repelled in 1287. The district features the centrally located Rynek Główny, or Main Square, the largest medieval town square of any European city. There is a number of historic landmarks in its vicinity, such as St. Mary’s Basilica (Kościół Mariacki), Church of St. Wojciech (St. Adalbert’s), Church of St. Barbara, as well as other national treasures. At the center of the plaza, surrounded by kamienice (row houses) and noble residences, stands the Renaissance cloth hall Sukiennice (currently housing gift shops, restaurants and merchant stalls) with the National Gallery of Art upstairs. It is flanked by the Town Hall Tower (Wieża ratuszowa).

 

Whilst we’re cycling round town, I see a couple staring at our bikes and say ‘Hi’.  It turns out they’re Catrike riders from Idaho, Harold and Judy Mckinney, and are really interested in our bikes.  We have a long chat and exchange details and hopefully one day we’ll ride their local Alligator trail.  

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It’s time to head out and we cycle out of the old town, passed the castle and down to the river Vistula.  We follow a cycle path along the Vistula for about 10km to visit Tyniec Benedictine Monastery recommended by the tourist office.  

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Whilst we’re admiring the Monastery we notice a few raindrops.  But it’s just a few drops and we’re so warm and clammy that we think nothing of it.  Big mistake!  The few drops gradually increase to a light shower that later becomes torrential rain.  It’s miserable.   It’s impossible to enjoy the scenery in this weather and spend most of our time praying drivers will see us in this poor visibility.   At one point as I’m just cresting a hill a car accelerates passed me and another follows.  Then I start accelerating down the hill, spray like needles in my eyes, when I realise the first car wants to turn right so has braked sharply and taken up the right side of our lane, car number 2 realises late and considers squeezing passed but ends up in the left side of our lane.  I see all this and feel fear.  There was nowhere for me to go and I didn’t think I’d stop in time!!!

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Several hours of miserable, wet conditions and we arrive in Oswiecim.  We’re soaking and we’ve had enough.  Time to find a hostel for the night.  Tomorrow we’ll visit Auschwitz and hopefully the weather will be better.

 

Monday 22nd August

 Oswiecim to Pszczyna

 Distance 39.9 km

 Total Distance 6572.43 km

 Today we visit the concentration camp Auschwitz Birkenau.  What a horrid place it is.  A sad reminder of man’s ability to commit atrocities against his fellow man.  We had intended to visit the museum but unguided we couldn’t have entered until 3 pm and the queues for the guided tours were huge so we decided to cycle on.  

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Today we’re following a route chosen by MapsMe.  In a recent programme update it’s added cycling as a travel option.  Before it was only car or walking.  

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So the entire route to Uhersky Brod is without human intervention.   It takes us on quiet country roads and even on bridleways through the woods.  It’s great to test how we manage on these tracks and it’s eminently doable on these bikes although progress is slower than on road.  It’s great to have this versatility.  We stop in a town called Pszczyna.   It’s very pretty with a Castle.

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The castle which used to be fortified was later converted into a presentable three-wing mansion. The first castle in Pszczyna, according to Heinrich Schaeffer, a 19th-century Prince’s archivist and chronicler of Pszczyna, was probably erected in 11th or 12th century by the Piast princes. It was a single-wing building, surrounded with earth walls and a moat filled with water. It was used as a hunting palace also throughout the following centuries, until 20th century, as the neighbouring woods abundant in wild game were famous for hunting events. A masonry castle was constructed in Pszczyna only in 15th century. This was initiated by Helena Korybutówna, a niece of Vladislav Jagiello. This medieval castle was reconstructed and expanded several times in time. The last reconstruction, in the neobaroque, was carried out in 1871-1876 by an outstanding French architect Hipollyte Alexandre Destailleur (1822-1893).

It was here that the decision on a total submarine war in the Atlantic Ocean was taken. This is discussed in detailed by American writer Barbara Tuchman in her documentary book entitled Zimmerman Telegramme (published in Poland in 1997). Also, Bogusław Wołoszański took interest in the war and referred to events taking place in Pszczyna. He discussed that in the book entitled Ten okrutny wiek (published in Warsaw in 1995) and he shot a documentary (in June 2000), being a part of the cycle called Sensacje XX wieku.

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There’s a campsite only 4 km away so we decide to enjoy the ambience and sights of this picturesque town. Then we buy some provisions for dinner tonight before cycling through Park Zamkowy, along more bridleways and out to our campsite.  

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The site is on the banks of a lake.  Very pretty.

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Tuesday 23rd August

 Pszczyna to Lake Stonavka

 Distance 52.51 km

 Total Distance 6624.94 km

 Having camped on lush grass last night next to a lake we weren’t surprised by the huge amount of condensation in and on the tent this morning.  Luckily the skies are clear and the sun is shining so we hang the tent on the goal posts of that lush ‘field’.  

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Yes we were camping on a football pitch and in fact the kids were playing on it last night until Daz went out in his underpants and told them to play elsewhere.  I’ve always marvelled at Daz’s children skills.  We sit and relax by the lakeside having breakfast. Cheerios, yummy.

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We head out and are soon on tracks leading through the fields, rough, but doable on these bikes.  

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Soon we are back on normal roads and heading south west along the side of a huge lake.  We get overtaken by a tractor as we are pootling along enjoying the scenery and I decide to see if I can draft him.  I kick it up a gear and start spinning, and soon catch up and tuck in behind. Daz has also caught on and caught us up.  For the next 4 or 5 km we sit behind the tractor, taking it easy in his draft… amazing. But soon he turns off and it’s back to pedalling for a living!  

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As I mentioned yesterday we are following a route that Maps.me created for us and on the whole it’s taking us on quiet country lanes… except for one section of track that soon turns in to a single track and then just to a grassy bund through the fields.  

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My bags are dragging in the tall grass making pedalling hard, with the sunshine I am soon ‘glowing’ as us ladies are wont to do!  Today we are crossing back into the Czech Republic so just before the border we stop to spend all our loose Polish change… icecreams all around.  Poland has been very pretty and quite cheap, the houses huge and the gardens well tended and particularly lovely flower gardens and trailing flowers in boxes on windows and terraces.

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Back in the Republic we decide to call it a day and head for Lake Stonavka where we can see a symbol for a camp site.  It’s only about 14km and we stop for dinner provisions in a nearby town. Since we have been cooking whilst camping we haven’t had the same dish twice.  But it’s getting more difficult and soon we will be back to pasta pasta pasta!!  Last night Daz fried some bacon then did some perogi in the bacon fat.  

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We reach the ‘campsite’ after a slight map error and it’s right on the lake edge.  But we soon realise it’s more a fisherman’s campsite, with little wooden huts and old caravans along the shoreline and people out fishing.  Fortunately there is a bar and the old lady takes pity on us and for the princely sum of £6 lets us camp the night.  I’m in fear of the shower but I’m sure I’ll soon summon sufficient bravery to use it!!!

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Wednesday 24th August

 Lake Stonavka to Hustopeče nad Bečvou

 Distance 69.44 km

 Total Distance 6694.38 km

 We are awake early with the sound of fishermen lobbing their tackle in, they’re up early these fishy types!  After a bit of a snooze the constant bite alarms going off drags us up and out of our tent.  We watch the fishermen as we eat breakfast and dry the tent.  

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On the road it’s another hot sunny day and apart from a coffee and WiFi stop after 2 hours we push on.  At Pribor we stop to admire the Parish church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary.  
Dating by its walls the church comes  probably from the 14th century. We are talking here about an orientated, late-Gothic structured aisled building with an indented polygonal closed presbytery, which was built around 1400 (same as the front of its south aisle), with a square tower in front of the western facade and side chapels coming from the 17th century built on a plan of a trefoil.

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The main construction of the church is split into parts and supplemented by other smaller building extensions – sacristy, St. Urban’s chapel, Gethsemane’s garden and others. The church tower is covered with a dome with an open lantern; gabled roof of the presbytery supports the sanctums turret. Side chapels are covered with helmets and lightened with polygonal lanterns. The rounded clock faces from the 18th century are located on the 4th floor on the southern, western and northern side of the tower.

Then we push on until 1ish when we stop for a supermarket sweep lunch.  Chocolate milk, homemade cheese and meat paste rolls and a donut.  Except Daz opts for a more local dessert pastry, we can’t work out what the filling is, but he is disgusted by it… har har!  We were hoping to find another campsite today at about the 70 km mark, but when we check we realise it’s much further than we thought and we’re not keen to do 90km.  We’d looked at the 70km mark and saw a town, Hustopeče, and river, a possible wild camping site we think.  

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So as we enter the town of Hustopeče,  we stop at a grocery store for dinner provisions but get talking to another cyclist, and although he speaks no English we ask him if there’s anywhere to camp nearby.  He nods and then explains in Czech and mimes the directions to a spot near the lake. Brilliant.  We set off with bags filled with food and soon find where we think he means.  There is a lake and a bar.  

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Daz asks the barman if there is camping, yes, anywhere out front.  Are there showers, yes, 20 Czk each (60p). And that’s it. We cycle down to the lake’s edge and set up camp.  I finish my last set of press ups for the 22 challenge by the lakeside.  I’m not sure if I will miss doing them, but it’s been fun showing off the sites of our travels in the daily video.  

 

Thursday 25th August

 Hustopeče nad Bečvou to Autocamping Luhačovice

 Distance 58.94 km

 Total Distance 6753.32 km

 

Wow… today has been hot and hilly.

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 But first things first, we woke after a great night’s sleep by the lake. It’s a little later than yesterday’s fishermen’s wake up call, so by the time we have packed and eaten breakfast it’s 10am!  

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The first few km are up very steep country roads, but then we gently climb up a river valley.  There’s beautiful wooded areas on our right and the river somewhere on our left and then occasionally the land opens up for a small hamlet with several pretty houses.  

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It’s very picturesque and so peaceful.   We notice lots of signs on both sides forbidding people from walking on the land either side of the road(or at least that’s the message the Czech signs convey to us). We spend ages theorizing about why this would be so and then Daz spots another sign, it looks like we are cycling along the route that the Czech Rally will follow on Sunday!

 Barum Czech Rally Zlín belongs to the most important motorsport events in the Czech Republic, in 2016 the rally will go for its 46th edition. The tradition of this event is closely connected to very high popularity of rallysport in this country and it has been year by year proved by the number of spectators. The importance of this rally was also readable from the media interest – in 2016, 294 journalist teams from 20 countries came to Zlín.

 After hours of slow climbing there’s some fabulous views from the top before some thrilling downhills.  We’ve lost track of time and haven’t stopped for food and we realise we need food NOW but we can’t find any shops or cafes.  Finally we find somewhere open in Hrobice and share a pizza.  It’s already gone 3 pm but we’ve only got about 22km to go if the campsite we’re aiming for exists.  

Unfortunately between us and it is a 12% climb.  Daz scoffs at it thinking it’s just a short stretch he can see ahead of us but no it goes on and on and on.  But finally we’re at the top.  We whizz down to the campsite committing another school boy error.  We haven’t any food for dinner or milk for breakfast!!! Uh oh!

 

Friday 26th August

 Luhačovice 8km sightseeing and shopping

 We ate in the campsites restaurant last night as we had no provisions. Yummy goulash and bread dumplings for Daz and chicken fajitas for me.  Today we manage to contact Azub about our bikes and they tell us to come in on Monday,  so we have 3 days to get there and it’s only 17km to Uhersky Brod.   This campsite is very nice, and cheap but there’s another campsite only 5km south of Uhersky Brod so we had planned to head there.  We did our laundry last night so we decide to have a rest day here whilst our washing dries.  

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In the afternoon, we cycle down past the lake to the village to go shopping for food.  Wow, we are stunned, the village, Luhačovice,  is beautiful…it’s a spa town.  And there’s a great supermarket that’s open every day until 9pm.

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The pleasant surroundings and original architecture of Luhačovice are visited by thousands of people every year, with these visitors enjoying the peace and quiet, some pleasant relaxation and trips into the beautiful surrounding areas.

 

Spa Luhačovice

The largest Moravian spa lies in the southeastern part of the Czech Republic, approximately 20 kilometres from the town of Zlín. Surrounded by the densely wooded slopes of the White Carpathian Mountains, it is situated in the valley of the small and quiet Šťávnice river. As to the first historical reference to its mineral springs, it was made by the physicist and physician Jan Ferdinand Hertod of Todtenfeld who published a written report evaluating the chemical composition of the Luhačovice water as well as the drinking cure and its successful results in 1669.  Due to the Luhačovice Spa curative springs combined with the latest treatment and rehabilitation methods it is possible to treat successfully the disorders of locomotive organs, diseases of respiratory tract, diabetes, diseases of digestive tract as well as blood circulation diseases.
The healing mineral springs of the Luhačovice Spa rank among the Europe’s most effective ones. Medical treatments follow an individually compiled treatment schedule, consisting of a drinking cure, balneotherapy and physiotherapy, the movement therapy and an individual dietary programme.

 

Testament to the fact that unique Luhačovice environment is truly inspiring is the fact that it led the architect Dušan Jurkovič to create a completely unique collection of buildings in the style of Folk Art Nouveau. When walking through the city, you will thus pass by multicoloured houses with natural ornaments and beautiful dormer windows and gables. Make sure to view the most important local building, the Jurkovič House, which nowadays serves as a pleasant hotel set in the middle of the spa park. Be sure to also have a look at Villa Jestřabí or the Music Pavilion, which looks as if it is standing on chicken feet. All you need do is have a seat here for a while and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere which people travel to Luhačovice to enjoy from all over the Czech Republic and abroad.

There are three wells of Vincentka in Luhačovice. The original one is available to the public in Hall of Vincentka, it is however too low-yield (10 – 12 liters per minute) to be used for bottling. The second well, Nová Vincentka, was made in 1988. It is 35 meters deep, has a yield of 30 litres per minute and has been used for bottling since 1991. The third well, Vincentka 2, with a yield of 40 liters per minute, is a reserve well for spa medicinal use.

 

After seeing how nice the town is we decide to stay until Monday morning then cycle to Azub.  So we stock up with enough food for a few days and head back to camp.  We stop by the lake and watch people. There are fishermen, people out on pedalos with slides and using them to plunge into the lake, sunbathers, rollerskaters, cyclists, strollers and families out picnicking.  It’s beautiful.

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Saturday 27th August

 Another restful day except trying to sort out my Hotmail account.   Sometime on Wednesday I was locked out for security reasons.   Since then I’ve failed to prove to Microsoft’s satisfaction that I am me.   Their final update is that I’ve failed my final attempt and should open a new account.  This is a nightmare; in that account I have files of correspondence and in the associated cloud all our photos of our travels.  A nightmare.   We find Microsoft’s contact details and have a ‘chat’ with a technical assistant.   She says if I use the registered phone number when i’m reunited with my phone on Monday everything can be sorted.  What a relief!

 Once thats done we just lay about reading and playing games.  Then we walk down to the lake and people watch and sunbathe.  Then it’s another cycle into town to shop.  There’s a Jazz band from the UK playing on the bandstand in the town centre and we sit and enjoy.  Apparently they’re on a European summer tour.

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Then we head off to the supermarket but actually what we need is Wi-Fi. There is Wi-Fi at the campsite but it’s really weak so it’s tough to research anything.  We need to download maps on Maps Me for our next phase.  It’s going to be Uhersky Brod to Munich and then Munich to Venice.  That done we buy more milk and cereal and head back.  In the centre of town the band has finished but we can hear music.  There’s a piano on one of the terraces with a ‘Play Me’ sign and a young lady is doing just that.  She’s brilliant.  This is the second time we’ve seen a ‘Play Me’ piano and been treated to a free recital.  Fantastic – would it work in the UK?

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Then it’s home for tea!  

 

Sunday 28th August

 

Another lazy day of sunbathing and swimming in the lake.  Then a spot of crazy golf before cycling down into town again.  

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This time the band stand is occupied by an authentic Czech folk band and singers in traditional dress.  

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Monday 29th August

 Autocamping Luhačovice to Uhersky Brod

 Distance 18.84 km

 Total Distance 6798.16 km

 Time to leave this wonderful campsite and head to Azub to see if our bikes are ready.  We were also planning more camping south of Uhersky Brod,  but the tent needs some repair work and the forecast is thunderstorms later in the day.  

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So as we cycle into town we stop at a hotel we spotted online, she only wants 600czk and after seeing the immaculate rooms we book in.  Soon the room is covered in kit and bags and is no longer immaculate,  heyhoo, normal service resumes!  

 We pop over to Azub and apart from a few small items that need to be finished we can pick up the bikes this evening.  So we spend the rest of the day sorting our admin out!! Tent pole fixing, sewing clothes, shopping for Daz whilst I plow through our online admin!!

 In the evening we return and pick up our new trikes.  I’m so used to the one I’ve been riding that this one feels really odd.  Once all the adjustments are made we have some photos taken and then we say ‘farewell’ to Honza and head off!  Tomorrow we test ride!!!

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Tuesday 30th August

 Uhersky Brod to Uhersky Hradiste test ride

 Distance 62.74 km

 Total Distance 6860.90 km

 We both took a while getting used to being in a proper bed last night after our prolonged camping session, but finally dropped off.  Today we’re off on a test ride, Daz has promised me big hills to ensure I am confident in my gears.  As we stop at the market before setting off to buy provisions, I have a little whine about hills today and is there any real need.  So Daz comes up with a new plan and we head for Uhersky Hradiste along quiet back roads and cycle trails, and no great hills… yippeee!!

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It’s still a 60km + ride but the sun is shining and once we have sorted out the seat positions we have a good ride.  After a picnic and book hunt in Uhersky Hradiste we set off back, both feeling tired.  We also have some chores tonight, namely publishing the blog (groan!),  sorting kit to see what we don’t need and packing everything left in the new bags!!

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