I awake exhausted at 6am, ready for an early start as we have a few kms to cover today. However, my body seems not to respond to efforts to become alert and I stumble downstairs after the girls towards to breakfast room. The constant exercise seems to have finally caught up with me and todazy is going to be a struggle...or perhaps my poor sleep for the past few nights could be contributed to excessive caffeine intake....in my current state, it doesn't seem wise to start the detox today! Alas, it seems in Czech they don't actually expect you to arrive for breakfast at 6am, so we sip our coffee and wait for the nice little boy to set things up. Much like Germany, we fill our pockets with condiments, somehow fill the thermos from the urn and head off.
We are warned off drinking the water by a little man in the garage, as we attempt to fill our bottles in the toilet downstairs. Not sure why, as we drank it in the hotel upstairs, we heed his warning and set off to find stocks for the day. Our attempt to find a bakery is slowed by vacant spaces complete with signage which have yet to be filled with ovens or any sort of baked goods, yet somehow I manage to lead Ali to a supermarket in the back streets where we stock up for the day. Amazed at how cheap everything is in Billa, there is an awkward moment where we forget to put a sticker on the apples...Ali nicks back, whilst I have an uncomfortable staring contest with the checkout lady. Back to the bikes, we find ourselves walking out of town, once again caught in a maze of roadworks.
On to the river path once more, we are following signs for the national route R2, which allows Alice to once again demonstrate her sandwich lady skills, with a few flights of stairs... We later find out that this does't conincide with the Elberadweg map we are following, much to the frustration of Hazel as Ali (aka Sensible Susan) sticks firmly to the mapped route. The Germans clearly need to improve their maps/do better research/signpost the route if they want to take detours from the signposted Czech route!!
Mr Thermos is getting a good outing today, no indoor stops to be had today (with plenty of woodlands for toilet stops!). The sun is shining intermittently, and when it does, its hot! the girls are down to singlets (vest tops for the poms), whilst a trail along behind them in my long sleeve merino in a sleep-deprived haze. To deviate slightly from the day and not resort to extensive footnotes, the properties of merino cannot be more highly vouched for then by our little cyling team. Suitable in hot or cold weather, wicking sweat away and maintaining core temperature - plus it takes weeks of wear to make them smell! (ok, so they often have a bit of "wet sheep" about them but nothing to write home about). Anway, thanks PBR for telling me to buy one, its been very well worn, and Bridge, you should invest! ;)
We attempt to follow the path through a field, but after travelling at 5kmph for a few kms we relent and return to the road. We have learnt a new word in Czech, and with the current obstacles being presented "Pozor!" is being shouted at every turn and pothole. With current stops for map consultations, I'm hanging out for the next break. We get lost trzing to find a river crossing, but Ali soon locates our position, only to take us up what we later realise is probably the steepest hill in town in order to join up with the path again. I'm struggling big time at this point, and the hilarity of reaching the panoramic view point is lost on me. However, its now only 50km to Praha, and temporarily revived by choclate, we plod on, albeit with some strange roadside views.
I'm flaking quickly though, and another rest is called for some 25km later. Buoyed once more with coffee, chocolate, coke and the staple bread roll, we head on past a beautiful old church/castle (never really sure which), following the river, up and down hills towards the big city. On road, off road... sudden stop called when Hazel's front pannier rack snaps. Luckily no wheel involved and redistribute luggage, and continue on our way, Hazel hoping there'll be no more up-hill climbs as the lack of weight on the front makes the bike somewhat unstable!! We are now totally aware as to why all the lycra clad cyclists are on mountain bikes, as we face yet another stretch of the dreaded cobblestones and ease our way forward. Hitting the tarmac once more, we are surprised to find ourselves dodging lycra clad rollerbladers, outnumbering cyclists 2 to 1, darting about like speed skaters...
Removed from my usual inner city leading, Ali navigates into the city centre, through lovely parks and a few busy intersections. We find ourselves finally in Stare Mestre, its close to 7pm and we're not sure where to put ourselves! Walking through the city with bikes, we find ourselves in the old town square where, after a couple of unsuccessful attempts we find a room at the lovely Hotel Cerna Liska. We have a little apartment to ourselves, in the eaves on the fourth floor. I'm ecstatic to realise that we have a kettle in the room!!! We take our bikes across to the sister hotel in the next square after the sweet little receptionist expresses concern at our leaving them locked in the square, and after quick showers, a beer from the minibar (much to the girls' delight!) we head to a little Staropramen pub down the road, where they are happy to serve us dinner at 10pm accompanied bzy 80p pints...2 beers later and I'm more than ready for bed...sweet dreams tonight in beautiful Prague!
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