September 18, 2019: Slavonice to Vranov nad Dyjí

September 18, 2019

A Tail of Wind

Hotel: Country Saloon, € 39,20

IT is an unwritten Law of Cycle Touring that there will always be a headwind. Mery of mercies, today that Law was shattered and not just for a moment or two but for almost the entire distance we cycled there was a strong tailwind. The few times that we did stop it was almost hard to stand still and it certainly was really cold to be just standing around. I'll take it for the assistance it granted on the road.

No breakfast was provided by the B&B so we had our own cereal, fruit and yogourt, which was plenty of fuel. Then we packed up and left via the beautiful town square for one final time. There were some more beautiful buidings that we saw but had missed yesterday. It looks like the town may once have been an important centre of commerce.

There was some climbing out of town but with the help of the wind and our own strength after having been on the road for a week, the hills didn't stand a chance. Then came the amazing downhills -some of which lasted for several minutes and with speeds of up to 40 km/h. There was some forest cycling and some really picturesque villages, though I did not stop often for photos - a little too cold (about 8 C) - and I could take photos until I had ten thousand of them, which I have done before and am not about to repeat.

Our route brought us very close to the Austrian border and at one point there were a series of concrete bunkers that I have read were built by the Nazis as guard posts but never actually used. They are spaced a few hundred metres apart and basically run parallel to the border. The odd thing is that they are on the Czech side, which leads me to believe that they may actually be former Soviet bunkers from the Cold War. I will try to find out and make adjustments to this blog when I know more. Whatever they were for, we stopped and poked around in one - it was big enough that a few soldiers could have stayed in one though they were pretty gloomy.

The hills rolled by, the gale winds continued to howl and help us along, and the sun shone brightly. Today's route was on quiet roads for the most part, though we did come upon one interesting obstacle. In one town the signs indicated that there was a dead end up ahead and it was no longer the way to Vranov nD. You win some and you lose some. It looked like we could skirt around workers who were rebuilding the margins along the road then presumably repaving one day. Then we got to the show-stopper - the bridge across the river had been torn out and was being rebuilt, but was not yet passable. The ditch was huge so it was impossible. To the left was a lake and along the lake ran a path so we went that way hoping a route might swing around the other side across another bridge downstream.

The bridge was a few boards nailed together, so we got across the stream. But there was no path along the other side of the lake. Rather, there was a steep hill of about 3 m that was just barely climbable while pushing/dragging the bikes to the top. This got us to the edge of a field with some crop of some sort in it. We followed the very edge of the field along the ridge of the hill above the lake hoping it would emerge on the 'good' side of the bridge that had been removed in the first place. Success - yes, it brought us out just above the worksite where we able to resume our cycling though this time on a really quiet road since there was no access from behind us.

I got to wondering - what if there is a series of removed bridges and now we're stuck in between two of them? We just pedaled with hope. The route at this point was not only the Prague-Vienna route but also doubled as Eurovelo 13, the Iron Curtain route. There were no more bridge removals, and the route followed along numerous country and bush roads sometimes through a field and sometimes through pine forests. Beautiful.

We emerged from the back roads to a really long and really fast descent with one more sizeable yet not overly-so climb. Then we were on roads that made it feel like we were floating above the fields. One last descent and there in front of us were the gates to Hrad Vranov nad Dyjí which was beautiful. There was a quick descent into town where we stopped for a couple of drinks, then crossed the bridge into this tiny village with the huge imposing castle up on the hill overlooking the valley.

This hotel is an oddity. For whatever reason, Country Saloon was just a name to me. I never imagined that there would be saddle bar stools, cowboy music constantly blaring on the speakers, stereotypical imagery of 'cowboys and Indians'. I have no idea why this is what it is, but it is here in a village of 500 under a beautiful Czech castle. Nothing to write home about, yet they have a locked room for our bikes and the room is comfy enough and from the room we can see up to the castle.

Since getting to the room we have done nothing but read and doze so with the sun now setting we will head out in moments to at least see a bit of the village, though apparently there is not much else here. We'll be in for a shock tomorrow - I think Znojmo is a much bigger centre.

The very pretty Apartman Špringeroví just as we were packing the bikes and heading out of town. -- Slavonice, Czechia

The beautiful little church, seemingly no longer used, just across from our apartment. -- Slavonice, Czechia

Early morning sun in the main square of town as we were heading out of town. -- Slavonice, Czechia

A lot of our route for this whole trip is along tree-lined quiet roads. At times the trees are poplars or birch, other times they are apples or plums with fruit literally falling onto the road. -- Between Slavonice and Vranov nad Dyjí, Czechia.

Every few hundred metres these concrete bunkers dotted the landscape. Apparently Nazi-era bunkers to protect the border, the doors have been removed so you can actually go into them to see them. Eerie, musty and cramped, I don't envy the soldiers, though apparently they were never used. -- Between Slavonice and Vranov nad Dyjí, Czechia.

On the final descent of the day, we rounded the corner to come face-to-face with the gates to the castle, and imposing structure looming over the village and valley below. -- Vranov nad Dyjí, Czechia.

Possibly our Patron Saint of Bicycles today who guided and helped us along with the strongest tailwind ever. I knew there was a reason I picked this direction for the tour. -- Vranov nad Dyjí, Czechia.

The imposing Hrad Vranov nad Dyjí towering over the village as well as our tackiest-ever hotel which is barely visible in the centre of the photo. Better that way than to show the saddle, noose, lasso, and stereotyped images of 'cowboys and Indians'. -- Vranov nad Dyjí, Czechia.

Today's ride: 47 km (29 miles)
Total: 300 km (186 miles)

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