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.