Heading into Czech Republic I didn’t really have any expectations. This was a country that I before this trip barely knew anything about, apart from the name of a few beer brands. As I crossed in from Germany, the weather was still a big focus for me. The cold and rain simply didn’t want to give in and I spent a lot of effort making sure not to get too cold. Or too warm for that matter, as breaking a sweat is a sure recepie for freezing later down the road.
Right after the border I got to do my first actual climbing of the trip. As always when your body gets to take on something it’s not used to, this was hard work. However, I was too busy watching the snow increase with the altitude to really take notice of my legs begging for rest. The first two days I spent far away from any real towns or cities, and I had a couple of really nice days and nights before reaching the capital.
I’ve been wondering a lot on when this would happen, and just as I rolled into Prague it finally did. I found my first other bicycle tourers! My time in Prague couldn’t have started in a better way than to bump into Ellie and Tom who, like me, had been cycling from Dresden a few days earlier. To celebrate our arrival and meeting we rode together into the old town, fetched some maps and then sat down to share a bunch of stories from the road and a few Czech beers. This was really a great experience, and a first taste of what awaits as I’m convinced that these meetings will beome more and more frequent in the near future.
I stayed in Prague for a couple of days, in the company of yet another cyclist – Jirka, who I’d gotten in touch with through the online cycling community Warmshowers. He really made sure to give me a great time and acted as my guide, roomie, chef and overall partner in crime during my stay. And I think it’s worth stating again, there really is nothing better than experiencing a city together with a local who actually knows about all the hidden gems that can’t be found in the guidebooks.
Overall, I had a great time with big contrasts in Czech Republic. After leaving Prague I once again found myself out and about on small backroads with barely no people around. Usually I really appreciate these days but a bit to much snow made me long back to Jirka’s warm apartment as I was pushing forward towards the Austrian border.
How I stay motivated when things aren’t ideal? Well, there are many ways. But one that I found particularly effective on my way through Czech Rep. was cramming a pannier full with chocolate! This also seem to work very well when things actually are ideal…
Ok, that’s all for now.
So, as Jirka would say – Na shledanou!