We stayed in Roudnice - a beautiful town square with a commanding view over the river valley. We crossed the river and enjoyed carefree riding on quiet roads through picturesque villages. Some of our favourites were Cerneves and Lounky. At times, it felt like we were back in France as the approaches to town were on winding narrow roads bordered with old homes and flower gardens in full bloom. The only drawback was that we encountered road conditions that were filled with pot holes at times and at another point, we had to ride on a rough track between the fields (beyond Kresice). This forced us to walk when the rocks made riding precarious.
A clarification is needed about the river we are now following. I said that we were now on the Elbe - but that is not right, as it is called the Labe while we are in Czech Republic. Once we are in Germany, it is called the Elbe.
It is worth the short ride off of the trail to explore the city of Litomerice. We ate our lunch on a bench in the town square and once again we were impressed by the history and beauty of these smaller Czech cities. Its Slavic roots date back to the 9th century. We were particularly impressed with the terraced areas looking down and across the red roofs of the town to St. Stephen's cathedral set high above the city. Ancient stone steps and sitting areas are built in to these terraced levels - a delight to explore.
Leaving Litomerice, we were pleased at the improvements to the trail system that have been made since our Bikeline map was published 4 years ago. We rode on a new, paved trail right on the river. We see so much construction and improvements being made in Czech Republic, and these cycle routes are a part of that. EU signs are prominently displayed, showing the support that the EU is giving them.
Then we entered the region called, Porta Bohemica. This translates as the Czech Gateway and it is the name given to the valley through which the river carves its way and leaves impressive cliffs and rock formations. The scenery was truly spectacular.
The day was hot and sunny - we were having our best day yet of riding with exceptional scenery and mostly good trails. We pulled off at Nebocady destined for the only campground in this area. Of course it was up a hill, but it was worth it - a low key place with a swimming pool and a killer view back to the hills of this area.
This looks better than it is - we have turned around and are heading back to the main road as this continues for several km. and we're concerned that it will continue to deteriorate with large rocks again.
Newly finished path with good separation from the road. In the past, cyclists had to share this busy road with cars. Throughout the day we noticed that many km. of the route that used to be on the road with cars or on gravel are now on a paved and dedicated cycle path.
It was very hot today - and we enjoyed this very lemony Radler at a rest stop. We had noticed a large group of cyclists throughout the day. We joined the group of cyclists from Switzerland for our break. They are headed for Dresden.
