Crossing the first mountain range in Czech Rep.

Thats how my first campspot in Zittau, Saxony looked like the morning after.

It has been a lot of ups n downs since then. I have to admit that i didn´t really know what was ahead of me. I have done extensive research on the topography of the Georgian mountains but are currently travelling with a 1:300.000 road map.

Anyway, those mountains have now been dealt with and current road conditions are undulating

Heres a short summary of what hapened so far:

see http://www.flickr.com/photos/tillstar/ for more pictures

Day1

Clearing my room and getting packed took quite some time. I got off at 5:30, took the train for about 250kms to Zittau, Saxony, where it was dark, cold and rainy on my arrival. It took me some time to find a gas station where i could buy some pasta and then a camp spot for the night that had already advanced. I ended up camping about 150m outside the official camping ground which I refused not only because it would have cost me the eqivalent of ten nights in one of those worn out sovjet style hotels in Ukraine that I love so much.

Day2

Getting up and going befor the ward would get me. Crossing the border to Poland which only lasted for 1,7km. Next thing was Czech Rep. Lots of cars froom the Netherlands! Lots of other cyclists aswell. About 50 per hour. Theres a fairly sophisticated network of bike trails that I´m riding on. I don´t really know where 4085 is leading to - did I already say that I got insufficient maps for CZ - but mostly it gets me to the next town. The Euro Highways are a no go in CZ. I´m glad the Czech road infrastructure is so fully developed, but as a consequnce i need to stick to the backroads thereby making a lot of detours but also getting a good impression how life is in the villages.

In Liberec I bought a new crank set and took a rest at a storage lake listening to three hours of turbo-folk adaptions of Abba and the bawling of a bunch of young men playing beach volleyball.

The second day ended on a mountain where I was asking a couple of retirees if could put up my tent on the meadow infront of there cottage. Next thing was exquisite sandwichy and tee. Later when asking for the toilet I was offered a hot bath. It was only until then that we really started communicating - in russian. What followed was a bear and a short summary of both our lives. Around four in the mourning a perky wild swine approached my tent but was driven away by Kuba the dog...

Day3

Getting up took quite a wile since it was still raining. Got off a 11:30 riding up a narrow road through the woods. Downhill a high speed my bike felt a bit wiggly both due to the high weight but mostly out-of-center back tire.

That day I left the mountains behind and got to valleys where the roads are lined with appletrees. The weather got better and there was no problem with another roadside camp.

Day4

Today i rode into the town of Hradec Kralove. When finishing this post I will pick up my bike at the mechanic and book a room in the - according to tourist info - least expensive accomodation in town, 5EUR for bed in a dorm.

until i found out how to properly layout this blog go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/tillstar/ for more pictures