Wroclaw - pretty, pretty, pretty

Poland is for the most part non-mountainous and bicycles are not prohibited on even major roads. This makes cycling through Poland quicker than Austria or Czech, but has its associated risks. The large trucks roaring down these national roads sometimes create a draft that pushes the bike sideways as they pass by. As a strategy to lessen this death-by-HGV, I find that taking the secondary roads helps somewhat, although it does add distance to every day's journey.

Meet up with Estera in the evening to stay over at her place. She brings me out for the best pizza and ice cream in town and shows me the main sights. 

Wegry - near Opole

It's time to visit some old friends here in Poland. First on the list, live near Opole. I visited them twice before and am looking forward to spending a few nights there, with home grown and home cooked food. 

But first, there are the major roads with which to contend. Usually there are quite new and in good condition, but cyclists are a rarity on these roads and the drivers can get a bit impatient at times. 

Kasia and Asia welcome me to their home and I feel instantly one of the family once again. 

We visit the city, bake a "mould" cake and visit a local lake for a dip on a sunny day. The stars are brighter here, not just during the night. 

Paczkow - Polish border

A mountain pass of approx 900m greets me on my way into Poland, but also rain gives way to sunshine. 

On arriving in Paczkow, after a long day climbing mountains, Kasia informs me that there is a group of women performing an equinox Indian cleansing ceremony by a lake. Yet again, pretty random, but sounds like an adventure.  

Next morning we walk about town and eat in a "Bar Mylesko" - a former soviet styled restaurant - which serves basic, but delicious home cooked meals. 

Hradec Kralove - Iron man country

Biking through central Czech is much less of a challenge as at its borders, as the terrain is mostly quite flat. 

Near Hradec Kralove, Stepan and his family await my arrival. He is a four time iron man (5km swim, 180km bike, 42km run) competitor and tells me modestly about his training routine. We barbecue and eat outside his old wooden house, which he and his wife have renovated into a comfortable, modern, carpenter's opus. 

Current bike setup

Checker pig frame

Deore LX 9 speed derailleur 

Brooks saddle

Tubus back rack

Ortlieb front rack 

28" schwalbe Mondial evo tyres 32

Pentagon wheel skewers 

Ortlieb rear mirror

3 bottle cages 

B&M front LED light

B&M back LED light

Shimano XT brakes 

SKS mudguards 

28" continental tour tubes 

Shimano XT back wheel hub

Shimano dynamo front wheel

Prague - the Paris of the east

Weather conditions show signs of improvement - now just raining every hour or so - as I make my way east toward Prague. Again, sometimes forced to take somewhat busy roads, makes today's ride not very pleasant, but, thankfully, uneventful. 

Some spectacular, but sadly rundown, buildings grace the side of the road. 

My host for my stay in Prague is Filip, who is informs me about his views on TTIP, food waste and safe cycling in the city. We go to the cinema and watch "Captain Fantastic", which provides the group with lots of talking points over beers in a local bar. 

I carch up with Klára and her brother the next afternoon and visit the contemporary art museum "Rudolfonium". 

In the evening, I meet up with another CSer and I am invited to go play kayak polo at his club. CS certainly provides variety on one's travels. 

Dubi, Dubi, Dubi, Dubi, la, la, la, la, la, laaaa

Decide that I can't get enough of the Elbeweg, so in spite of it adding another 40km to today's ride, I stay with the river until I cross the Czech border. 

As can be seen in the photo, weather conditions have altered dramatically. It rains quite heavily all day, which is not only annoying, it also ruins the stunning views. 

There is a mountain range (Sechsisser Schweiss) that limits excludes all but the most hardy of cyclists crossing into Czech. If that weren't enough, the Czechs decided to put little thought into their cycling infrastructure - this means that I bike as close to the edge of a reasonably traffic-heavy road until I reach Dubi, near Teplice. 

Here I meet up with Tomas and Pavlina who have offered to host me for the evening. Suddenly it's the start if a Saturday night pub crawl about Teplice and Dubi. I especially liked the "beer platter" that they served in the Monopol bar/ micro brewery. 

Dresden

The Elbeweg gets better after Riesa, with a lot more people biking it and soaking up the rays on this 30C Indian summer day. If you are ever overheating, just plunge, dip or immerse the offending appendage in the cool waters of the Elbe.

After a very leisurely ride into Dresden, I meet up with Torsten, my CS host for the next two nights. He sacrifices his bed for me and we head off to his gig for the evening - a battle royale of the best and brightest of the musicians that Dresden can put forth on stage. After his sterling performance, a new-found groupie asks Torsten to play in a public square nearby. We draw quite the crowd.

The next evening we hang out at a local art gallery and chat about the inherent goodness if man. 

10km shy of Riesa (Elbeweg)

The reason I had decided to travel a little west before heading east was to experience more of the "Elbeweg". This is a famous bicycle-friendly route that diagonally cuts Germany in two and extends into the Czech Republic.

Cycling into a headwind with minimal protection from trees and other features, proves tiresome, more in the annoying than the exhaustive sense of the word. On this stretch of the Elbeweg I encounter few cyclists, but it is pretty well signposted, which makes navigation easy. That, and the fact that you just stay as close to the river as possible. 

Late in the evening, having found no host for the night, I pitch my tent in a forest near by the river. I expect a nice late evening swim would be refreshing, but the mosquitos guard their territory fiercely and I decide to not try their patience. 

From an open-covered tent, the otherwise starry sky is all but obliterated by the overbearing moonlight. As I sleep fitfully this night, I get to track the moon arch across the sky from my meshed dome. A dog barks aways off and all is silent once again. 

Jessen - Saxon-Anhalt

All prepped and ready for the off:

- itinerary and accommodation organised? Check

- bike at least glanced over for faults? Check

- essential gear packed? Check

I am all set for my door-to-door bike ride through Czech Republic and Poland, averaging about 100km each day which could prove challenging in the mountains in Czech. Hopefully by that stage my legs will be hardened by the road through Germany. 

The weather is looking amazing for mid September - 30C and not a cloud on the horizon. My first stop will be in Jessen in Saxon-Anhalt. As expected, the roads are a pretty boring affair, but it does give me not an inconsiderable thrill every time I can just blast through road works, while the rest if the traffic is forced to detour. Ca it schadenfreude if you will, I just enjoy the streets devoid of cars and imagine a future world, where the bikes are top of the road hierarchy. 

Moni and Klaus have invited me to stay with them in Jessen, a small town just north of the Elbe river. Although most of their children have grown up and left home, they are still exerting an influence on their parents. They have decided to host travellers inspired by the travelling adventures of their daughter.

At first the Saxon accent troubles my Berlin-learnt German, but as we chat late into the night over Brotzeit (evening meal assorted breads) and Landskron beer (same surname, no relation), my ear gradually attunes. I am accommodated in my very own room with adjoining balcony, surrounded by an assortment if board games.

After an enjoyable and extensive breakfast, I ready to hit the road this side of midday. I am assured a place at their table any time I decide to visit Jessen again. It certainly was interesting getting a glimpse into the mindset of a more rural german family, albeit briefly. 

Organising accommodation

Although I have the requisite camping gear and love to go "wild camping" (not in officially designated camping grounds), I spemd most of my nights on the road indoors. This involves a bit of organisation approximately starting 10-7 days before heading off on my adventure. 

Using hospitality platforms such as CouchSurfing, BeWelcome and WarmShowers, it is surprisingly easy to find hosts who invite you into their homes      On these platforms I find the hosts you like the look of and send them a message with a brief description of myself, my trip and some interests we share. Once they invite you to stay, I follow up by asking for an exact address and contact telephone number. On the day I am planning to arrive, I send another text informing them of a more act arrival time. It is best to keep a record of all your hosts details in electronic and paper form. 

"Wild camping" is safe in Northern Europe, as we have killed off any natural animal predators and once outside an urban environment and hidden in a forest, nobody is likely to even notice your presence. 

Bike trip inventory (Autumn mode)

After a few years doing this, prepping for a cycling trip is getting easier and I've leaned exactly what is essential and what just weighs you down and breaks your spokes. 

For this biking adventure lasting three weeks through Germany, Czech Republic and Poland, I will be bringing the following:

Camping gear:

2 person tent (2.4kg)

3 season sleeping bag

Thermarest mattress 

Headlamp

Bags/ storage:

2 x back roller ortlieb panniers

Handlebar ortlieb bag

4 x stainless steel water containers (750ml)

Tupperware container

2 x large zip lock bags

Wallet

Bike accessories:

Spare tube

Puncture repair kit & tyre levers

Compact pump

Multitool (topeak hummer 2)

Adjustable wrench

2 x cable ties

Pliers

Leatherman multitool - micra 

Mechanic gloves

Pentagon allen key

Entertainment/ Tech;

USB werk (charges phone while riding)

Ebook reader 

Iphone 4 (maps.me - downloaded relevant maps; windguru; blogger)

Paper notebook and pen - waterproof

Watch 

USB iPhone charger with mains plug 

Bike computer

Clothes:

2 x biking shorts

2 x biking tops

Helmet

Sunglasses

Sunglasses

Towel

Waterproof trousers

Waterproof jacket

Waterproof socks

Waterproof cycling shoe protectors

Cycling shoes (clip in)

Light runners

3 x socks

3 x boxers

Long t-shirt

Fleece jumper

Light long trousers 

Glasses

Casual t shirt

Light hat

Toiletries:

Sun cream

Toothbrush 

Toothpaste

Miscellaneous:

Abus lock

Gifts for couchsurfers

Food clip to seal open packaging

Food:

Peanuts

Apples

Dried fruits

Rice based meal

Magnesium effervescent tablets

Things I wish I brought:

Hi viz vest

Magnet to connect USB port to frame

I keep my pack to a minimum these days so that I have to carry less, easier to organise things and less likely to loose things. I ride with only two back panniers, which allows easier removal of my stuff and doesn't weigh down my steering. 

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)