August 26, 2019
Monday 26th August Goodbye Germany and Euros, Hello Czech Republic and Koruna.
August 26 Monday 53Kms
Goodbye Germany and Euros, Hello Czech Republic and Koruna.
Late getaway due to the attractions of good wifi, breakfast and coffee with milk. The track is easy beside the river, though, and we roll along past border towns of Schöna and Schmilka. The river forms the border on the German side, a little longer, but across the other side it’s possible to see stalls selling tee shirts and sarongs - a sure sign that tourists are expected to pass by.
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Trains pass noisily. They are not as smart and colourful looking as we’ve seen in Germany, but there seem to be more of them. At Decin we find out what we had suspected- the Czech Republic does not use the Euro. We sort this issue out- big notes since 1 Euro is the equivalent of about 25 Crowns. Put like that, a 100 Crown bottle of wine is quite reasonable.
We eat lunch at a special cycle tourist building set up just above the river. It a massive concrete structure with new tables and chairs set up in the shade. The chap behind the desk is friendly but doesn’t have an awful lot of useful information.
Then it’s off along the river. Not as glossy as Germany but the towns and villages along the river sometimes have a church steeple rising above the horizon. Just as often, though, there are apartment blocks. There are a number of places quarrying Rock from the high cliffs alongside the river- rather like we saw on the Meuse, in Belgium last year. It’s dusty and noisy, but that’s business . Signage for the cycle way continues to be good, with the yellow metal plaque displaying number 2 attached to poles at regular intervals.
Usti is a sprawling town and trains race along on both sides of the river. Although we had considered continuing for a further 10 kilometres to Litomerice, we come across the grounds of a kanoe club which offers camping sites to cyclists and travellers. We set up our tent and while doing so, several other cyclists, including 2 families arrive and do the same. It’s rather cosy because of limited space, but it’s nice meeting s few more travellers.
Up at the cafe, pizzas are the only recognisable food on offer, so we indulge, and add a couple of glasses of Czech beer. As the sun sets, locals are out on the water, kayaking, board riding and even a few are swimming. It’s should be tempting to consider swimming in this river, but I have to admit, the dark brown colour of the water, which obscures anything even close to the surface leaves one wondering about ‘what lies beneath’, so we make do with a paddle. The trains which run on both sides of the river, do not, as one might expect, tail off during the night, and freight trains sounding as close as if we had pitched out tent abutting the tracks, roar through the night.
Today's ride: 53 km (33 miles)
Total: 1,316 km (817 miles)
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