We were relieved when we awoke this morning to see blue skies and no hint of thunderstorms. After enjoying a "made to order" breakfast at the hotel, we headed out. We stopped at a bookstore which had a rack full of all of the Czech cycling maps for each region of the country - impressive. While in the bookstore, we were approached by a local woman who was really excited to see us as she had travelled to Canada last year. She had spent time in Quebec and Seattle and was anxious to talk to us. It turns out that her friend runs Hotel Corso and she was pleased that we had found her hotel. As well, she grabbed a map off the rackand pointed out all of the highlights we should check out on today's ride. We had a great and varied day of riding. Out of Rokycany we followed a lovely paved trail along the river. Crossing one of the many bridges, we met a Dutch couple riding a tandem to Prague - and as we were talking, we saw 2 young men ride by, one wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey! They must be Canadians. Sure enough, they were from Vancouver. We had a good chat with them and found out that they were also making their way to Prague. The first stop was Dobriv which featured old log homes, stained dark brown and beautifully maintained. We crossed the river and rode through mountain bike terrain. It was a hilly, gravel path through wooded wilderness. We watched a woman guiding her horse to skid a fallen tree out of the woods. We felt like we were completely off the grid. Thank goodness for our GPS and the yellow Dutch signs - they reassured us that we were on the route. We marvelled at the contrast of a few km. back. After the village of Strasice we climbed and climbed through farm land. Our route was so quiet and remote, it felt like we were riding on farm lanes and then we would be riding on cobbles through farm fields. The charming villages of Tene and Zajecov were followed by a downhill ride to the town of Horovice. Since there are no campgrounds for another 40 km, we decided to stay at Hotel Zeleny Strom. The price is right - 1050 kroners - for a large room with wifi and breakfast. It is currently under renovation, one can feel in this town and hotel the remnants of a crumbling Soviet past. We are comfortable here and like the hotel.
It's nice to meet another couple on a tandem. This Dutch couple shared info about the other Dutch routes in Europe. Amsterdam to Italy or Barcelona...perhaps another year's trip?
Justin and Devon, fellow Canadians, also on their way to Prague. Devon will continue on to Berlin and Copenhagen. We enjoyed Denmark last year - he has a great time ahead.
It has been very difficult to find fuel for our Trangia alcohol stove. Barry finally found this ethanol in Rokycany and it burns really fast. We were relieved to find it as we were out of fuel. Trangia stoves are not known here.
Rugged country to ride and navigate through today - sections were very muddy from the rain which made hill climbing tough. This portion of the ride through the forest is criss crossed with mountain biking trails.
We're not sure why the grass has been cut in block patterns - but an interesting yard. We think they must love skiing from the number of skis by the shed.
More rough gravel and rocks to ride over. It is hard to make time on surfaces like we have ridden on today: mud, gravel, rocks and construction. The paved surfaces are welcome when they come.
We're not sure what is happening, but this is the town hall in Komarov and the grads come out with an envelope and then pose. We saw the same thing in Plzen.
In Czech Republic we see much work being done to improve the roads and buildings are being restored. We see much evidence of the crumbling remnants of the Communist era.
Whatever you want in this tiny cafe: kava (coffee), pivo (beer), coca cola, red bull, cigarettes. Beer here is a dollar, coffee 70 cents. Czech Republic is an affordable place to travel.
We have had a welcome shower and are heading out to walk and explore this town. It was a very steep climb to this hotel up a narrow road with many trucks. We were glad to stop.
