Month: September 2016

Friday 16th September

We get into Munich for 6pm and arrive 5 minutes before the heavens open.  We stand outside Munich station waiting for it to subside whilst watching the antics of some drunks variously hassling people for money or fags or about to have a fight amongst themselves.  We pop into the tourist office on the off chance they have some info on the Munich to Venice cycle route.  The man says “yes of course “ and pops into the back office. He comes back with a super booklet containing all the info and detailed maps… in English! How fab!!  Finally we think the torrential rain is subsiding and head out to our campsite.   Unfortunately the rain hasn’t stopped and we get soaked.

At the campsite there’s queues to get in and even security on the gate.  Everyone is issued with a wristband.   We find a spot we hope will be relatively quiet and a good distance from the groups that have been bussed in.  Each of these large groups have admin teams that have set up rows of tents and also cooking and party tents. Party organisation to the max!!  Having put our tent up in the rain, it stops.  We walk over to the festivities near the camp entrance in our wet clothes and squeaky crocs.  The music is loud, the beers huge, the sausages smell yummy and everyone is having a great time.  We order ‘currywurst und pommes mit mayo’, Daz’s favourite German food although he is disappointed there’s no sauerkraut!  Crowd watching as we eat.  We take in the experience. Tomorrow the festival will start for real in central Munich when the Mayor taps the first keg and the Oktoberfest opens, better not be late!!

Saturday 17th September

Today we go into Munich.  The weather is still foul but as we leave the campsite we realise there’s a group with surfboards.  They’re surfing a weir on the river – how cool!!!

We head into town and do a bit of sightseeing and a little shopping but generally we try and find shelter from the rain.  One popular destination for us is McDonald’s.   Not for the food but for guaranteed WiFi and often charging potential.   We sit there for almost 3 hours!

At around 6pm we decide we should check out the Oktoberfest on our way home.  There’s a huge funfair, food and souvenir stalls.  There’s areas that are ticket only but finally we manage to get into Paulaner beer hall.  Everyone is standing on their benches singing and drinking steins of beer.  The atmosphere is fabulous.   Most people are dressed up too!  A great evening.

Sunday 18th September

More rain.  We sleep and read and just laze about.

Monday 12th September

Lindau to Rohrspitz,  Rhine Delta

Distance: 21.66 km

Average Speed: 9.99 kmh

Top Speed: 21.83 kmh

Total Distance: 7622.21 km

Daz wakes up early!  Last night we didn’t get the tent up and into bed until gone 1130pm. And now he proceeds to keep me awake by fidgeting and wandering to the shop and back. But at least we have milk for breakfast now, even though I wasn’t planning on breakfast for at least another 2 hours!!!

So I admit defeat and get up.  We sneak out of the campsite ( very naughty I know) and head to Bregenz which is in Austria, but only 4km away. Along the way we stop for cereal and then coffee in Bregenz.  

Daz has a flat again.  How bizarre it’s stayed inflated from 1030pm last night to 11am this morning.  We need an admin day.  We need to do laundry and publish the blog, and we need power because our phone and notepad are nearly flat.  And we’ve only got mapping on the Notepad for Constance, none on the phone because it hasn’t been downloaded from MapsMe (school boy error).  So we spend the next 20km looking for a suitable campsite.    They are all around 25€ here, so very expensive.  The first only has power if we buy the 3 pin connector for 20€ and is 27€ but looks a dump.  The next is lovely but reception doesn’t open until 4pm and the laundry room is only available Tuesday to Sunday.  The next has no WiFi.  That’s the little group of sites all in close proximity – done.   The next is on the Rhine Delta. Miles away. Fortunately it has everything!   But it’s going to be expensive!  At least we can get everything done.  By 7pm (and I think I started at 2.30pm) the blog is published.   Daz does his Fb bits and uploads the photos.  

Some of you might have noticed that we’ve skipped past Munich and headed to Constance.  Well first reason Daz has always wanted to cycle around Constance.  But secondly in Munich our trikes were supposed to be serviced.  Unfortunately the shop Honza uses is on summer vacation so no appointment could be made.  So Honza will arrange for our trikes to be serviced next Monday.  Unfortunately that means another week without charging ability from the bike but at least Daz has fixed his back light with glue and masking tape.

Lake Constance.  Nicknamed the schwäbische Meer (Swabian Sea), Lake Constance is Central Europe’s third largest lake and it straddles three countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Formed by the Rhine Glacier during the last ice age and fed and drained by that same sprightly river today, this whopper of a lake measures 63km long by 14km wide and up to 250m deep. There is a certain novelty effect in the fact that this is the only place in the world where you can wake up in Germany, cycle across to Switzerland for lunch and make it to Austria in time for afternoon tea, strudel and snapshots of the Alps.
Taking in meadows and vineyards, orchards and wetlands, beaches and Alpine foothills, the lake’s landscapes are like a ‘greatest hits’ of European scenery. Culture? It’s all here, from baroque churches to Benedictine abbeys, Stone Age dwellings to Roman forts, and medieval castles to zeppelins.

Come in spring for blossoms and autumn for new wine, fewer crowds and top visibility when the warm föhn blows. Summers are crowded, but best for swimming and camping. Almost everything shuts from November to February, when fog descends and the first snowflakes dust the Alps.

Tuesday 13th September

Rohrspitz,  Rhine Delta to Constance

Distance: 66.36 km

Average Speed: 11.10 kmh

Top Speed: 30.45 kmh

Total Distance: 7688.57 km

Today we have a really late start. The campsite cost us 31€.  21€ for camping and the other €10 went on hot water for showering, laundry and drier.  We potter around and relax, drinking coffee, and finally leave around 11.30am.

We cycle into Switzerland.  First stop Rorschach. We cycle into the market Square and there’s only one stall there selling dried fruit.  Daz tastes some mango, then some pineapple,  then some ginger, then some beetroot.  He says we’ll take some and the lady bags up apricot,  pineapple and ginger. €25.  We nearly have a heart attack.  That’s a night’s camping.  We ask if she’s confused Swiss francs with euros but no, it’s €25.  Daz apologises and says it’s too expensive and we cycle away.   I feel dreadful after all the samples we tried!

Instead we find a supermarket and buy a tub of icecream – €3.50.

We continue along our route and meet 2 cyclists from Oxford.  84 and 86, and bless them, they’re on full pedal power, no motors on their bikes because apparently she was too short.  But what an age to be on a cycling holiday – awesome!

The cyclepath is well signposted but there are considerable stretches where the lake is well out of sight and some handrails the railway or the main road but the occasional glimpses of the lake or lakeside riding is so beautiful.   Arbon and Romanshorn are pretty lakeside town with timber fronted houses, a harbour and Arbon has a schloss.  

We stop when something catches our eye.  For Daz it’s anyone in a bikini, for me it’s budgie smugglers!   But actually we stop to watch 3 dogs who are playing in the water, each trying to outdo the others.  I’ve never seen dogs so eager to swim.  

There are people sunbathing, swimming and out in their boats.  It’s a beautiful area and beyond the lake are the hills of Switzerland, Germany and Austria.  

We continue on to Konstanz but have to cross a border, we’re back in Germany.

 In Konstanz we cycle through the narrow streets and see houses with magnificently painted facades, the Minster, and the old gateway.  Then we head to the harbour. There’s a statue at the harbour entrance –

Constance is a town of great historical relevance. For the most part it wasn’t affected by the wars of the last century and was to be of historical significance throughout a certain period of time. From the 6th century until the year 1827, Constance was the bishop’s see of the largest German diocese. Located at the intersection of main routes of commerce between Italy, France and Eastern Europe, the city became an important emporium for the trade with fur, linen and spices from the 10th to the 14th century. In the 15th century, a four-year long council took place in Constance that attracted 72.000 visitors, among them 3000 prostitutes. A walk through town is an encounter with many traces of past centuries of prosperity.

MARINA

Our walkabout starts at the marina equipped with the Lake Constance Magazine and a city map. At the entrance of the harbour, Imperia, a nine-meter high statue created in 1993 stands self-confident and openhearted. The notorious beauty made of stone was built by sculptor Peter Lenk and has become the town’s landmark. A historic character, a prostitute who was also a literary figure in Honoré de Balzac’s short stories, inspired the voluptuous figure. Two small naked male figures are sitting on the palms of her hands, each of them holding the regalia of secular and clerical power.

After a cycle – past some of the main tourist areas we head out of Konstanz along the Rhine.  The area is busy with people swimming, having a beer (wine) and socialising.  We’ve been amazed at the number of people we’ve seen swimming in rivers, lakes and reservoirs.  It’s already gone 7pm and the sun it’ll be dark in another hour and yet people are out in their swimming togs enjoying the riverside ambience.

We weave through the crowds and soon we’re out in the country, we go through another border crossing point back into Switzerland and find a spot to wildcamp.  Just time to set up and cook dinner before it gets dark.

Wednesday 14th September

Constance to Rhine Falls and then to Allensbach

Distance: 64.87 km

Average Speed: 10.99 kmh

Top Speed: 41.94 kmh

Total Distance: 7753.44 km

Last night’s camping spot was a truly dreadful site, picked by me I hasten to add! We were in a ploughed field next to a busy road and cyclepath.   Daz dreamt of foxes in the tent weeing on his head (personally I think it was a weird ‘golden shower’ fantasy), I also had strange dreams.  Maybe we were both anxious about night time visitors… we must spend more time picking our locations and not jumping on the first “likely” spot!!

We are both a little grumpy as we pack, lack of sleep. We pack up trying not to get all our kit muddy from the ploughed field as the tent is dripping wet when we pack it (and I was convinced they would be no condensation from a ploughed field)!! Cyclist go by, cars and occasional tractors.  We hope the farmer doesn’t come along.  Finally we are away, no time for breakfast.  We’ll have it later.  As we cycle towards the first village we are passed by several ‘crocodiles’ of school children.  They are all on bikes and wearing reflective jackets, being escorted to school by an older girl or an adult or two.  Amazing discipline and we wonder if it would work in the UK!  Probably not, too much traffic or mums in their ‘Chelsea tractors’.

We stop in a lovely village square and have coffee and croissants for breakfast.  We also have 3 litres of milk we bought yesterday to get through!! We’re astounded when the bill is an exorbitant  16 Swiss francs.  Beware Switzerland – it’s very expensive!

We continue along the cyclepath and stop to watch a couple of ladies harvesting beetroot and then follow the path to the end of the lake.    We meet a Scottish couple in their 70s cycling from Basel to circumnavigate the lake and they don’t have motors, a rarity out here.  They tell us to pop in if we’re ever in the area (Ayrshire)   At one point we follow a couple of cyclists and end up on a footpath that’s sooo narrow we barely get through.

At the end of the lake we cross to the north bank and Stein Am Rhein, an incredibly beautiful town.

We now follow the Rhine (well it’s there somewhere but we only get the occasional glimpse) and finally we’re in Shaffhaussen.  This is where we’ve been heading to see the Rhine Falls, Europe’s biggest waterfall.  It’s 150m wide, 23m high, the depth of the basin is 13m and the falls are about 15,000 years old.  The flow rate in summer is 600,000 litres per second and only 250,000 in winter.  We’ve got to say Iceland had far more impressive waterfalls – clearly it’s not Europe!  But we’re glad we’ve seen them.

This detour has cost us dearly in time so we decide we don’t need to cycle back to Constance but should get a train.  We’re told the Swiss train would cost us the best part of €80 but the German train only 26€. Unfortunately there’s engineering works on the last section of the journey, and a bus replacement so we can only go as far as Radolfzell.  We have to use the elevators to get onto the correct platform but it’s all fairly straightforward until we need to change at Singen.  We have 7 minutes to get the bikes off the train, from platform 5 to 2, and onto the other train.  

It was going well until we realised the elevators were that much shorter and Daz needed to lift the boom up the backwall.  But we managed it with seconds to spare!  In Radolfzell we stop for a drink and some food and then cycle out of town until we find a place by the lake.  We need to dry the tent before it gets any later and whilst it dries we have a swim.  It’s gone 5pm but the water is lovely and warm.  Once we’re a bit cleaner and the tent is dry we push on for another couple of kms and Daz picks our campsite.  It’s far superior to last night’s selection and as a result Daz doesn’t dream (well not about foxes anyway)!

Thursday 15th September

Allensbach to Friedrichshafen

Distance: 49.77 km

Average Speed: 11.27 kmh

Top Speed: 34.04 kmh

Total Distance: 7803.21 km

After a good night, packing goes smoothly although the tent is wet.  We cycle into Allensbach and buy some milk so we can have our cereal, which we eat on the kerb outside the shop.  Then we head back to a little market and coffee stall and chat to the lady running it.  We mention Swiss prices and she tells us the Germans don’t even stop for coffee in Switzerland because of the cost.  She lets us check the weather forecast – we’ve been told “winter is coming” and it’s due tonight.  

Our plan today is to see the 2 islands of Constance ; Reichenau and Mainau. However as we cycle towards Reichenau and gaze upon it from the lakeside we change our mind. Apart from 3 very nice churches and it being a World UNESCO site there’s not alot to attract us.  So instead we carry on towards Konstanz town so we can cycle around to Mainau.  The skies are clouding over and the wind is picking up so we stop on the Konstanz waterfront and get the tent out to dry.  Daz ties one end to a bench and holds the other end so it fills with air like a ‘chute to dry quickly. I get roped into taking a group photo for some youngsters then Daz calls me over and asks me to hold the tent whilst he goes over to an old man who is carrying his bike.  He has a puncture and nothing to mend it with. So good samaritan / boyscout Daz offers to fix it.  By the time it’s done the tent is dry and we pack up and carry on to Mainau.

Mainau is a kilometer long Island that is basically a huge garden with a schloss thrown in.  It’s a top tourist attraction for the beautiful gardens and we spend 3 hours wandering around.  They also have a butterfly house which was as good, if not better than the one we saw in Spain.  Other highlghts were the ‘secret gardens’, the Italian Rose garden, the Dahlia display and the water garden.  Oh and the giant peacock floral display! After all the walking we are tired out, obviously we’re not used to this activity!!

We head back towards Konstanz and catch the ferry across the lake to Meersburg.  We are now heading south back towards Lindau, our original start point.  

We stop in Friedrichshafen and cook dinner in a little park by the lakeside.  We finish off the day by finding a lovely secluded spot in a nature area to wildcamp.

Friday 16th September

Friedrichshafen to Lindau and then to a Munich campsite

Distance: 33.52 km

Average Speed: 9.98 kmh

Top Speed: 33.61 kmh

Total Distance: 7836.73 km

Bizarrely despite our expectations winter didn’t come and this morning our tent is dry – an unusual occurrence.  We cycle into a Langenargen and stop for coffee and then into Lindau.  

In the Island Town Lindau, Lake Constance, Bavaria you will enjoy walking through the alleys and places, discovering historical splendor. The Pulverturm from 1508 and the Diebsturm from 1370 where parts of the ancient city wall, which protected Lindau and its citizens for many centuries. The Mangturm from the 13th century was the first light house of the island and was erected to protect the harbor of Lindau. The harbor in the shape you see it today was finished in 1856 and is believed to be the most beautiful at Lake Constance. The 6 meters high monument, showing a lion overlooking the lake, the heraldic animal of Bavaria, was created by the sculptor Johann von Halbing. Together with the 33 meters high light house they still flank the harbor entrance. Take the time and visit the museum of Lindau. Originally built as a private residence and still thought to be the most beautiful estate at Lake Constance, it was converted into a museum in 1929. Here, in this majestic baroque building, you will find furniture from Gothic to baroque style, silver, glass, tin, ceramic, historical toys and important paintings and sculptures.  

After admiring the huge lion at the harbour gates and the lighthouse we head to Maximillian Strasse to admire the buildings there and then it’s a train back to Munich.  Unfortunately our behaviour is weather driven.  We expect rain from mid afternoon here and it’s forecast for all weekend whilst Munich has a slightly more favourable outlook.

Wednesday 31st August

Uhersky Brod to Dubnany

Distance: 54.72 km
Average Speed: 11.47 kmh
Top Speed: 46.25 kmh

Total Distance: 6915.62 km

Daz’s Ti-Fly.
Rohloff hub. 22/44 and 16 rear.
Son dynamo, Avid BB7 disc brakes. EWerk USB charger and cache.
Busch and Mueller lights – dynamo charged.
Ergomesh seat and standard pannier rack.
Handlebar bag mount, bottle holder, computer mount and computer.

Hels’ Ti-Fly
Rohloff hub. 22/44 and 16 rear.
90mm Sturmy Archer Drum brakes
Busch and Mueller USB charged.
Ergomesh seat and head rest. Standard pannier rack.
Bottle holder, computer mount and computer.
Short cranks

Today we’re heading off on our new trikes. I do suggest that we really need another rest day but Daz isn’t falling for that. So first things first. How are we going to pack everything? We’ve swapped our recumbent banana bags for back roller pro plus which come with handy back harnesses so we can carry them on our backs when we go hiking.

Honza recommended these. He wanted to know how we had managed to go hiking with our last set of gear. Daz and I looked at each other (and thought ‘isn’t it enough that we’re attempting to cycle the world, now we’re supposed to hike too???’) The simple answer Honza, – we didn’t hike but we most certainly will in the future (Not!) .

We’ve also got a really snazzy handlebar bag which is super handy. Daz can put his phone and camera in it and just flips up the lid. It’s fully waterproof and the lid is secured by magnets. We’ve also got a rackpack that sits on the top of the pro plus, a folding water bucket and 2 water reservoirs.

Once packed and loaded we’re pretty alarmed. It looks like so much gear but since our tandem days we’ve only actually gained our cooking stove, fuel bottle and some cooking ancillaries. But there’s nothing for it, we’re going to have to give it a go.

So off we go.

And today is another scorcher, blue skies and no clouds. We are soon sweating as we cycle up hills and coast down the other side. The route is on quiet country lanes with an occasional short section of busier road.

It’s very pleasant and again thanks to the Maps Me app for picking it! We stop in a small village for a proper lunch in a restaurant as it’s still cheap in the Czech Republic. In a couple of days we will be in Austria, we hope it won’t get too expensive then! For the rest of the afternoon it’s more of the same until we get to our designated campsite.

All in all it’s been a very pleasant ride, if a little hot, on the new bikes with no issues.

We are the only ones on the campsite, and as we approached down a side road, having seen not a single sign we were wondering… but thankfully it’s open and there’s a bar and showers and WiFi. All our needs sorted!

The new trikes are definitely go anywhere kind of bikes, even today we were on gravel and sandy farm tracks. We had no problems even fully loaded where as before on the tandem we wouldn’t have touched that particular route! We are sure they will stand us in good stead when we finally leave Europe for some of the wilder roads out there.

Thursday 1st September

Dubnany to Poysdorf

Distance: 61.43 km
Average Speed: 11.34 kmh
Top Speed: 55.58 kmh

Total Distance: 6977.05 km

The campsite that looked so uninspiring, turned out to be a bit of a gem. We had the whole camp ground to ourselves, plenty of hot water, cups of tea from the bar and extremely strong WiFi signal so we could get the blog finished, published, Fb notification done, photo highlights and photos uploaded into the cloud.

That’s the good news, the bad is it took us several hours last night and several more this morning. And the upshot we didn’t start cycling until 1030am.

It’s another hot day but we cycle through beautiful countryside and we’re on a cycle path through the woods for a couple of kms. We stop in Mutenice to marvel at some wooden contraption. We can’t work out what it is. Then we spot one in each subsequent town and we realise we’ve been cycling through vineyards and these are the old village wine presses.

There are two main wine regions in the Czech Republic – Bohemia and Moravia. They are further divided into sub-regions. The biggest development of vineyards is connected with the period before the Thirty Years War. At that time, there was 15 thousand hectares of vineyards in Bohemia and 20 thousand hectares in Moravia. At present, the area of the vineyards equals 19 thousand hectares, most of which is situated in Moravia. The top quality of Moravian white wines is known worldwide, which is reflected by numerous international awards. Moravian wines win over such winery giants as France or Germany. Wine producers in the Czech Republic are very successful in wine cultivation, too – and there is living proof of it in, for example, the newly recognised types of red wine Cabernet Moravia or André, and in white wine e.g. the Muškát moravský.

Making sileage.

We’re heading for Lednice but the road signs tell us there’s a diversion. We’re not keen on doing extra mileage so we ignore the signs and continue. We find the road is being resurfaced and whilst the main traffic flow has been diverted this route is still open but with traffic light controls and only half the road useable. The upshot is we ride for several kilometres on a newly laid lane of tarmac and see about 2 cars. We also meet a guy on his home made trike.

Hand-made Czech bales.  No bailers here!

We come to Lednice and it seems really busy. We ask if there’s some event here but apparently it’s just a castle here. Oh look! Another castle, said Daz the Goldfish.

Lednice castle is a majestic, georgeous mansion, exactly the kind of a place you imagine, while listening to:“…once upon a time there was a magnificent castle…“

Landlords from Lichtenstein didn´t live in poverty. Majestic ground-floor spaces served as representative chambers, where guests and friends were invited. The first floor was furnished to live in. The second floor, where children used to rule, is a picture gallery. The Lednice neighbourhood has always been popular among people. First farmers lived there four thousands years ago. Hand-in-hand with the invention of money and the opportunity to show wealth, the original fortress became a castle. It was 17th century but it seems that owners sympathized with local prehistoric inhabitants, because they built an artificial cave with stalactites.

It’s hardly believable that this marvel is only a summer mansion. Aristocracy used this monstrous fairy-tale ish building just as a cottage. They came here in early spring , but for winter they returned to central site in Valtice. Despite this, they had built in heating, luxury bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and ballrooms.

We stroll around the castle and gardens. They are especially beautiful, full of colour and variety. As we walk through the grounds we see signs for a birds of prey show. We have missed the show but the birds are still sitting on their perches. In fact it seems they never cage the birds as it causes distress and injury to them. There are hawks, kites, merlins, eagles, vultures and even a peregrine falcon (and a Golden Eagle)! Mustn’t forget the owls too. We even see one of them being fed by its handler, using a bait on a long string that he twirls around and around until caught by the bird. Marvellous!

After our sightseeing we have lunch and head out of town and over a road that cuts across lake Vcelinek so we have shimmering water either side of us. It’s another glorious day but as it gets later we find the sun is always in our eyes as we head south west.

We reach Valtice, the last town before the border to Austria. Valtice, part of the Lednice-Valtice Complex is called the capital city of wine – sample the local wines in the cellars of this opulent chateau! The jewel in the crown of Valtice is its massive Baroque chateau, the former residence of the Lichtenstein family. Situated in the centre of a tradition wine region, the chateau was built in stages by thirteen princes and in the 18th century the residence, with its furnishings, collections and rich inventory competed with Imperial court in Vienna itself.

It looks like a beautiful town but we cycle on after hunting for a book store in a last vain hope of picking up a copy of The Little Princess in Czech for one of our previous warmshower hosts who collects them. We climb out of town along more vine strewn hills and at the peak Daz spots a large structure off to the left so we investigate. It’s the huge Kolonada na Reistne.

Colonnade at Reistna near Valtice
Do you know where to get the best view of the landscape around the Lednice-Valtice Complex? We do: from Reistna hill over Valtice!

An impressive view over the Lednice-Valtice Complex and the town of Valtice, with its imposing Baroque chateau, will greet you from the top of Reistna hill. At this location, Prince Joseph I of Liechtenstein had a monumental Classicist colonnade, decorated with figures from ancient mythology, built. The inscriptions Son to father, brother to brothers in the centre of the north side of the colonnade and The only living son to unforgettable forebears in the centre of the south side, remembering the fact that, for the prince, the colonnade was a painful reminder, and memorial to, his deceased forebears. From Valtice a wine trail then leads from the hilltop, with the subsequent flat stretch serving as a viewing area.

Then finally around the corner after another short climb we reach the border and cross into Austria. Goodbye Czech Republic with your beautiful flower bedecked houses, towns and monuments. We forgot to mention, but a lot of the villages and small towns we have ridden through have had public address systems strung up on posts. Some will have music playing softly, some have announcements broadcast at random times, we wonder if they are a remnant from the days of the USSR and Warsaw pact countries.

So hello Austria, as we start to head down the first hill I hear a screech of tyres and await the sound of a car hitting Daz and his trike. He’s behind me, but fortunately the car stops his crazy overtaking speed just in time and manages to avoid the other car coming up the hill. A warm welcome to Austria, Daz takes a few moments to calm his racing nerves and heartbeat!!

More hills, more vines and finally a descent into our stop for the day, a campsite in Poysdorf. A quick shop for provisions and then we can rest at the campsite. Resting involves the following: setting up tent, blowing up beds, getting sleeping bags out, cooking, showering and finally lieing in bed writing the blog… I bet you’re knackered just reading it! Time for some zzzz’s, but first Daz needs to massage my back. Goodnight all, sleep well in your comfy beds xxx.

Friday 2nd September

Poysdorf to Vienna

Distance: 65.71 km
Average Speed: 11.60 kmh
Top Speed: 59.1 kmh

Total Distance: 7042.76 km

Today’s breakfast cereal is accompanied by red and green grapes stolen from the Moravian vineyards we passed through yesterday.

A non-event today except as we approached Vienna (well we still had 20km to go but we could see our destination on the horizon), the grey clouds started amassing overhead. We thought we could stay ahead of them and the race was on!

Unfortunately a few gentle rain drops started to fall and next minute we were cycling through a torrential rain shower. Daz shouted ‘ take cover!’ but I thought he was having flash backs to his Army days. We spotted a bakery and piled in, dripping wet. A perfect time for a coffee break! Once the rain had stopped and Daz had finished chatting to the biker girl on the next table(!!) we got back on the road and we were soon on the outskirts of Vienna.

Daz then got pulled by the police for cycling whilst using his mobile phone (map reading), but it was just a telling off. We hit the Alte Donau, a semicircle of river coming off the mighty Danube and turned left, following the river to our campsite for the night. There are lots of rowers, some swimmers, and what look like rafts with settees and tables on sailing up and down the river. These rafts have people eating and drinking on them, how fab, one even had a big potted plant on it!!

The campsite is by a main road but it’s the only one close to Vienna. We have noticed that both camping and shopping has leapt up in price since getting back into ‘western’ Europe. Where we were paying about £6 in Eastern Europe we are now paying £20 for camping. And food is nearly twice as expensive. If you want to live cheaply move to Poland or the Czech Republic people!! We’re also missing the beautiful gardens and flower displays of Eastern Europe ; so far the Austrian villages have been quite disappointing.

There are also lots of tents here and fellow cyclists on the campsite . We look around at the selection of tents pointing out tunnel tents vs dome tents and the virtues of fiberglass poles over alloy.

Exciting times we have hey?!?! Actually we are on the look out for a good sized replacement for ours; 5 poles have snapped, 2 of the roof arches have snapped and we have patched 8 holes!!

After much deliberation we decide we should go into Vienna this evening and see how it looks against the night sky. We use the metro and 10 minutes later we’re in the town centre.

First we head to Vienna’s Ringstrasse which is 5.3 kilometers long. Long enough to provide space for numerous monumental buildings, which were built during the period of Historicism in the 1860s to 1890s. Today, the buildings that stand there – from the Vienna State Opera to the Museum of Fine Arts – are among the most important sights in the city of Vienna.

“It is my will…” – with these words, Emperor Franz Joseph ordered the building of the Ringstrasse in 1857. Nobles and rich citizens hurried to build pompous palaces along this magnificent boulevard. Many of these former private homes can still be admired today (mostly, however, only from the outside). The style in which the buildings were built went down in history as the Ringstrasse style (a type of Historicism). It is marked by a pluralism of styles: numerous architectural forms of previous epochs were imitated.

The most noteworthy buildings are not the palaces, but rather the large buildings such as the State Opera (built in the style of the Neo-Renaissance), the Parliament, City Hall (Flemish Gothic), the Burgtheater (New Baroque), the university (Neo-Renaissance), the Museum for Applied Art, the Vienna Stock Exchange, and the Votive Church (New Gothic), which were all constructed in the second half of the 19th century. Especially worth seeing are also the Museum of Fine Arts and the Natural History Museum, both of which were built in the Neo-Renaissance style. They not only hold awesome art and natural treasures, but are also architectural masterpieces.

Then we wander past St Stephen’s Cathedral where a street musician is playing his cello.

The imposing Stephansdom, located right in the heart of Vienna, is the best place to start a tour. Whichever way you choose to walk through the Innere Stadt most inevitably gravitate towards the cathedral at some point. For more than eight centuries it has watched over Vienna, enduring city fires, Turkish cannonballs and German and Russian shells. Part of the Stephansdom’s charm derives from the asymmetry of its steeple, set to one side. Affectionately known as Steffl, it is 137m (449ft) high. Count 343 steps to the observation platform at the top, where the view extends northeast to the Czech Republic and southwest to the Semmering Alps.

Karlsplatz and its imposing baroque church
The square is dominated by the huge Karlskirche, the most important of the city’s baroque churches. It was built by Fischer von Erlach for Karl VI, fulfilling an oath made by the emperor during the plague of 1713. Sunset offers a spectacular view of the big dome across Karlsplatz. The cool, sober interior has a subdued marble decor and spacious oval ground plan similar to that of the Peterskirche. The oval dome’s ceiling frescoes are by Johann Michael Rottmayr, the trompe-l’oeil by Gaetano Fanti. In front of the church, Henry Moore’s sculpture Hill Arches provides a striking contrast.

As luck would have it the 26th Wiener Film Festival on Rathausplatz is on during our visit. It’s a top- class, open air cultural event with free admission and is accompanied by a wide range of fine dining options. We sit and enjoy ‘Idomeneo’, a Mozart classic revolutionised by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Saturday 3rd September

Vienna to Klosterneuburg

Distance: 33.07 km
Average Speed: 9.32 kmh
Top Speed: 27.29 kmh

Total Distance: 7075.83 km

We are up a little earlier this morning, but not by much! The plan is to pack up and cycle the 8km into Vienna and see the sights in daylight then later head up the Danube Cycle Path to our next camp.

As we are leaving camp we stop at reception to book out. When Daz comes out I am surrounded by an extended family of Poles who have walked over to see our trikes. They are very animated and we let them have a ride, Dad, Mom kids ‘n all!

They love them and ask us loads of questions. It takes about 20 minutes to extract ourselves, but it was fab chatting with them. Then it happens again, about half way to the city we hear an Englishman calling out and we stop. He has lived in Vienna for 20 odd years and wanted to say hello and look at the trikes. As we are talking a group of four English also wander along and start chatting with us!! Another 20 minutes goes by!!

We finally cross the Danube and start cycling around the inner ring. We marvel at the beautiful buildings. What’s really fab is that the place is crawling with bicycle lanes and is very easy to navigate.

We visit the Naschmarkt: The Naschmarkt is Vienna’s most popular market and a real hot spot. Whether you want to go out for lunch or after work-cocktails … one of the many bars/restaurants will suit you for sure. You can also buy yummy fresh fruits and vegetables from around the world, exotic herbs, cheese, baked goods, meat and seafood.

As part of the final day of the film festival there is also a street parade with open top buses and lorries carrying dancers and music.

Finally we decide to head off and we follow the Danube canal and then the Danube to Klosterneuburg. We see some fabulous street art along the way, the colourful waste incinerator beautified by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and a barrage designed by Otto Wagner.

The cyclepath is well signposted but extremely busy with weekenders. It’s not long before we arrive in Klosterneuburg and find our campsite.

Sunday 4th September

Klosterneuburg to Traismauer

Distance: 56.87 km
Average Speed: 11.30 kmh
Top Speed: 35.62 kmh

Total Distance: 7132.70 km

We did our laundry last night but failed to buy a drying token so drying our washing delays proceedings this morning as does a flat rear tyre on my bike. We do take the opportunity to check out the Klosterneuburg monastery whilst we wait though.

Then we’re off along the Danube. Unfortunately the prevailing wind along the Danube is generally West to East so I guess it’ll be a headwind all the way to Passau. On the Danube there’s all sorts of pleasure boats and people swimming or just enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

In Tulln we head off to visit the Tulln gardens but an entry fee of 12.50€ each is a huge deterrent, we’d have to spend ages here to get our money’s worth. So it’s back to the Danube. We stop for our picnic lunch and then for a couple of cokes before finishing in Traismauer for the day. Oh yeah and my back tyre has gone flat again.

An American couple join us on the campsite, they’re from Maryland. They’ve ridden from Passau. I have a little chuckle as I admire the division of chores. Roman has the trailer with all the kit. He puts up the tent and unpacks, whilst she showers. Then he cooks her dinner. She does sweet FA. I suggest that the same labour division might work well for us. Well perhaps delete ‘us’ and insert ‘me, myself and I’ (lol).

Monday 5th September

Traismauer to Melk

Distance: 53.84 km
Average Speed: 11.92 kmh
Top Speed: 38.49 kmh

Total Distance: 7186.54 km

There were some light rain showers yesterday evening but then it’s rained most of the night. At 8am it stops so we can get up. We head off once again staying on the south bank. We admire the Abbey in Durnstein which is on the north bank and the castle at Ritzling and another at Hinterhaus.

We keep umming and ahhhing as to whether to swap to the north bank and there are bridges and ferries fairly often but we’ve got great views from here.

We cycle through extensive orchards and vineyards and Daz does a little scrumping. There are ominous grey clouds ahead.

A couple of times our shower jackets go on but then the light showers abate. At one point we do have to take shelter in some sort of rock sculpture to avoid a heavy shower but for the next big rain front we’re less successful and get drenched.

We finally take shelter in a hotel restaurant in Aggsbachdorf but we feel about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit. We order coffees and Daz has the beef soup. We think it’s been heated in the microwave at ultra plus larva temperature as a punishment for daring to enter such an establishment, dripping wet, and with no intention of ordering a proper meal at their exorbitant prices. Thank God the rain quickly passes so I can escape the rarefied atmosphere.

We decide we just need to get to Melk and a campsite so we can shelter from these rain showers. We get to the campsite and just start setting up when there’s another downpour. We abandon our kit and run into the cafe.

The rain passes and we go out for another go. This time we’re hit by thunder and lightning and a torrential downpour. Bugger and the tent is still wet from last night. Hopefully the rain will pass and we can dry the tent out before tonight.

We wander into town, which is very nice with a huge abbey overlooking the town from a large hill. We didn’t climb the large hill but instead had pizza for dinner then walked 2 km to some shops and then back so we could have food for tomorrow. When we got back the tent had dried enough and we settled down to some quality reading!

Tuesday 6th September

Melk to Ybbs

Distance: 26.48 km
Average Speed: 12.99 kmh
Top Speed: 29.44 kmh

Total Distance: 7213.02 km

Rain, rain, rain. Rained in the night. Rained after we had packed up. Rained all morning. Stopped raining, started cycling, it rained again, so we stopped cycling!! And that’s why we only managed 26km today. On the bright side the weather forecast for tomorrow is great.

We were woken early by the sound of about 5 humongous river cruise boats tying up and disgorging a multitude of tourists to awaiting buses for their day trips in the area.

We managed to get packed up, but this was our first mistake. Because it was dry and the skies looked relatively clear (well light grey clouds rather than the ominous dark clouds) we thought the weather forecast of rain for all of today was wrong and we got up. Daz had said if it’s raining tomorrow morning I’m not going anywhere. Unfortunately this was probably the only dry spell of the day. An hour later when we’ve dried the tent in the breeze, eaten breakfast and packed and are ready to leave the rain starts to fall.

We decide to get a coffee in the Gaushaus by the campsite in the hope it blows over. A while later it’s still pouring and we get chatting to two German cyclists who have taken shelter as well. One is a student on summer break and he’s heading to Budapest, but has done lots of other rides around Europe.

The other is riding a recumbent bike and they met last night after sharing accommodation at the same place. By 12 it’s only spitting and so we set out. And for a while the going is good, it’s gray and dark but dryish.

But then after about 20km the rain falls in earnest and after another 6km as we enter Ybbs we decide enough is enough and book into a hotel. Budget blown!! Oh well we’ll just have to wild camp in the Alps more!!

Wednesday 7th September

Ybbs to Ottersheim

Distance: 95.72 km
Average Speed: 14.68 kmh
Top Speed: 32.89 kmh

Total Distance: 7308.74 km

Last night we had a wander around the historical town of Ybbs. Ybbs an der Donau is a city in Austria. It was established in 1317. Throughout the town, from the intersection of the important trade routes and along the Danube the town has preserved a site that already had great economic importance during the Middle Ages.

This morning we’re up for breakfast by 7.45am. An early start for us.

After breakfast we head off and joy of joys we’ve got a tail wind. On the north bank we see the round tower at Sarmingstein, the Werfenstein castle at the perilous Struden, the 16th and 17th century houses of Grein and the Greinburg palace.

In Wallsee we head to the centre which is unfortunately up a big hill. But Wallsee has one of the most beautiful market squares along the Danube with its 17th century facades and monuments. There is also Wallsee castle built by Heinrich VI between 1368 and 1388 on the site of a Roman settlement. Today it’s the permanent residence of the family Salvator-Habsburg-Lothringen.

From Wallsee we pass the hydroelectric power station and then cross over the barrage to the north bank.

On the north bank we’re overtaken by 5 men but we tuck in behind them and draft for the next 15km. It’s great! We try it a few more times and we make great progress.

We pass through Mauthausen. The quiet landscape of the Mühlviertel section of the Danube once housed Mauthausen concentration camp. It is estimated that between 1938 and 1945 about 123,000 people were murdered here. We’re soon in Linz but we stay on the north bank and don’t bother investigating. Another 10km from Linz and we find a campsite. It’s like a Municipal camping / park area and we can camp for free. There’s toilets and showers and a supermarket only 400m away. An excellent find Darren.

Linz, the capital of Upper Austria and the country’s third largest city after Vienna and Graz, lies in an attractive location on both banks of the River Danube, which widens here after emerging from its narrow passage through the outliers of the Bohemian Forest into the Linz basin. Famous for its fine churches, museums, and cultural activities, the city was home to many of Austria’s most famous creative types, including novelist Adalbert Stifter, composers Wolfgang Mozart and Anton Bruckner, and the famous scientist Johannes Kepler. One of the most picturesque Austrian cities, its position on the Danube makes it an ideal spot for a river excursion or exploration of the surrounding countryside and attractions.

Overlooking the Danube, the imposing Linz Castle (Linz Schloss) has dominated the city for centuries. Records indicate the site has been home to a fortress since the early 9th century, the remains of which can still be seen around the old walls and the Friedrich Gate, while the present structure dates predominantly from the 16th century and was rebuilt after a fire in 1800. Now home to the excellent Schlossmuseum, the castle houses important art and historical collections along with displays featuring artifacts from the prehistoric, Roman, and medieval periods, including paintings, sculptures, arms, and armor. The more modern South Wing contains permanent exhibits regarding nature and technology as well temporary exhibits.

Just below Linz Castle, in Römerstrasse, stands quaint little St. Martin’s Church (Martinskirche), the oldest church in Austria to be preserved in its original form. Built on the remains of Roman walls that can still be seen in the building’s exterior, this remarkable 8th-century church is characteristic of the earliest Carolingian architecture. Highlights of a visit include an interior rich with 15th-century frescoes, along with the outlines of old doorways and windows in the sidewalls dating from the Gothic period. A Roman oven is visible, and many stones inside the church bear Roman inscriptions, while recent excavations have revealed the royal hall of the former imperial palace.

Thursday 8th September

Ottersheim to Passau

Distance: 86.06 km
Average Speed: 12.90 kmh
Top Speed: 41.65 kmh

Total Distance: 7394.80 km

We pack up and head for the supermarket to get provisions for lunch and we cycle into the town square and meet a guy on an Ice Adventurer but he has electric motor support as does his wife who’s on a normal bike.

This is the first trike we’ve seen although we have seen a couple of normal tandems, one recumbent tandem and a couple of recumbents but mostly we’ve seen normal bikes with motor assistance. Beginning to wish I’d added that to the list of my requirements. We stay on the north bank and this time admire the scenery on the south. At Untermühl we realise we’re about to run out of cycletrack and have to call the ferryman. He does a dropoff further up the north bank and one on the southbank at Kaiserau. We decide on the south bank because there’s another section on the north bank where the cycle path stops. But on the south bank we get a lovely view of the Neuhaus castle.

Schlögen loop.

Between Passau and Aschach the Danube takes a meandering course through the Bohemian Highlands. In doing so, the river did not follow the geological border between the Bohemian plateau and the Alpine foothills, but instead forged its own path through the softer soils of the tertiary basin. The result was a scenic and winding valley downstream from Passau. At Schlögen , however, the river encountered a granite ridge that turned th river back, forming the Schlögen loop. Geologists still speculate about how this was possible.

We have decided on a campsite in Pyrawang but just our luck it no longer exists. So we push on to Passau. Just before Passau we cross the border into Germany.

Friday 9th September

Passau to Kröhstorf

Distance: 52.03 km
Average Speed: 10.37 kmh
Top Speed: 51.27 kmh

Total Distance: 7446.83km

Our campsite was right next to the Danube and the ground was wet so I guess it’s no surprise that our tent is dripping this morning and that’s on the inside!!! So we lay it out to dry and get chatting to some New Zealanders who have been over for 9 weeks and tell us their favourite place was Slovenia. Eventually our tent is dry and we head into Passau. Our first stop is a bike shop to see if they can fix Daz’s Son dynamo which is no longer charging our electrical kit. No joy though but we do buy another Ortlieb bag; it’s a much neater way of carrying the tent and sleeping mats.

Then we cycle into town.
Passau in the southeast of Germany is located at the Austrian border. Situated at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz, Passau is worldwide known as “The Three Rivers City”. The earliest evidence of human settlement dates back to the Neolithic. Passau was part of the Roman Empire for more than 400 years. It became an Episcopal seat in the year 739 AD. Passau was an independent prince bishopric for over 600 years. Finally in 1803 Passau was annexed into Bavaria. The setting of the Old Town, created by Italian baroque masters in the 17th century, shows soaring towers, picturesque places, enchanting promenades and romantic lanes.

In the heart of Passau on the Old Town’s highest point rises St. Stephen’s Cathedral, in which the world’s largest cathedral organ sounds. Sitting high above the rivers, the majestic fortress Veste Oberhaus on the Danube’s side and the Pilgrimage Church “Mariahilf” on the Inn’s side frame the city outstandingly beauty. Passau with its unique charm and its atmosphere is one of the most beautiful and spectacular German cities on the Danube.

Then it’s time to head off. We follow the Danube to Vilshofen. We cross a barrage just outside Passau, the Kraftwerk Kashlet, and watch a huge barge in the lock. In Vilshofen we leave the Danube.

The search for pearls in the Danube may have been relatively small industries compared to main activities like fishing, shipping and energy production, but they make interesting contributions to the river’s cultural history. The “pearl fishers” specially favoured the Danube’s small tributaries from the north. The best pearl creeks are streams with relatively low levels of lime. The clear as water to reddish green pearls grow in the approximately 10cm long river mussel when the mussel starts depositing mother of pearl on a sand particle. The process takes 10 to 15 years, and only one in 500 to 2000 mussels produce a single pearl. The Passau Diocese organised the systematic harvest of pearls in the region and for many years “Passau Pearls” enjoyed great popularity. The pearls were treasured not just in the immediate area – the Linz Bishop’s mitre is decorated with river pearls from the Danube.

I had expected to follow the river Vils but instead we end up on a busy road and we climb a hill, sweep down the other side and then another hill and we can see the hills continuing in the distance . Blimey I was expecting a really gentle incline to Munich. We decide we need to investigate the roads and tracks by the river and find some lovely quiet cycle tracks and lanes which take us through beautiful villages. We realise the next campsite is too far so we stop by the Vilskanal for the night. Another dip in the river beckons for our sweaty, grimy bodies!!

Saturday 10th September

Kröhstorf to Laim am See

Distance: 79.14 km
Average Speed: 12.8 kmh
Top Speed: 33.18 kmh

Total Distance: 7525.97 km

Daz for once gets up early and we are out of the starting blocks shortly after 8am. We had to pack the tent wet as it was soaking and there was nowhere decent to lay it out and we’ve realised that even in the sunshine, early in the day it takes an age to dry. The morning’s ride is beautiful with small villages with lovely buildings and floral displays. We’re either on cyclepaths or quiet lanes and it’s really enjoyable and we’re cycling through various crops; maize, cabbages, spinach and other we can’t identify. We see a tent in a field and it looks as if there are workers inside putting something onto a conveyor belt. We walk over to investigate and realise it’s a tractor with 2 suspended arms. On each arm are about 10 people lying down on mattresses picking cucumbers from the plants beneath.

The tractor is gradually moving up the field. It must be a horrendous job. As the day progresses the heat starts to take its toll. Daz’s watch says it’s 35 degrees. We do a supermarket shop for lunch and when we stop to eat we unpack the tent and sleeping mats to dry.

Then we continue along the river valley until it’s time to head for our campsite. Unfortunately the campsite requires a diversion from our river valley and there’s some nasty hills in store.

Sunday 11th September

Laim am See to Lindau

Distance: 74.58 km
Average Speed: 10.29 kmh
Top Speed: 48.40 kmh

Total Distance: 7600.55 km

We leave the campsite having dried our tent and enjoyed a couple of coffees. Having left the relative safety of the Vils river valley we now have more hills to deal with and again the temperature is in the mid 30s.

It’s more rolling hills and farmland with the occasional town often with a blue and white pole adorned with various shields. Eventually we reach Munich and cross the River Isar and the klein Isar.

It’s very beautiful and we pass some lovely buildings as we head to the train station.

We buy our tickets for the Lindau train but the conductor doesn’t want to let us on. The train has bike compartments but she says they’re only for bikes with 2 wheels. Daz has already put some of our bags aboard and she doesn’t want to let him on to retrieve them. She phones her colleague who speaks some English and we say we can get the bikes on board by turning them sideways. With 2 minutes to go she decides to let us on. Then we need to change twice and at one change we have 3 minutes to get the bags and bikes off and onto the other train. Then at the next change we need to use a lift to change platforms and lift the bikes through the narrow train doorway.

Hellish. Finally at 1030pm we arrive in Lindau. We discover Daz has a flat tyre! After emergency pumping we head outside. it’s time to find a camp for the night but Daz’s back light doesn’t work.  Finally at about 11.30pm we sneak on to a campsite!

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.

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!

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.

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!

 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.  

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.  

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.  

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.  

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.

 In Shehyni we saddle up and head for the border.  

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.  

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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.  

 

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!!!

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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

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’.  

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.

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

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!  

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.  

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.

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.  

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!!!

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.  

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.

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.  

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.  

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.

 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!  

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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 that‘s 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.

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?

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.  

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

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.  

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!!!

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!!

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!!