Shaken, not stirred is a good summary of my day today – the path and road conditions were atrocious for about 50km, very tiring. I had to concentrate so hard to find the best line on very bad cobblestones, stay in a very narrow track (only slightly broader than my tires) and try not to fall into the Elbe/Labe at the same time. All this with a heavily laden bike while worrying about spokes, etc. All of this on an official bike route, one of the most well known in Europe (probably after Rhine). – I was astonished.
Also it meant I hardly saw any kiosks today, too far off the beaten track. Luckily I found a little supermarket to replenish my supplies, though. And by the way, the local lemonade is called Melina and is strawberry flavoured.
But the day was not without positive highlights: the weather was perfect, I saw some beautiful countryside, and to top it all off I checked into the hotel at the same time as two female cyclists from England (Sheffield and Peak District) coming the other way. Christine, Jan and I then had dinner together and swapped experiences, I do not think they will be following the path I took, and I have changed my planned route slightly as well.
I also found two parking towers for bikes in Lysa/Lissa, basically right in a little town right in the middle of nowhere, with repair stations and lockers to charge bike batteries. If it can be done here, why not at home?
So you really are bypassing the golden city 🙂
Yes, seen Prague and really don’t necessarily fancy cycling there…