Ride 3.2: Berlin to Prague (9/3-9/8/19)

I have been accused by some of being too verbose. I know, it's hard to believe. And after miles and miles of bike riding, I realized there's not actually a lot to differentiate one day from another. Sure, some days we pass more rivers, some days we pass more farmland, but a lot of the day is just enjoying being surrounded by natural beauty, whatever it is. We had one bike-related incident, in which my bike fell over while it was in one of the bike racks, which gave me a flat front tire and bent my rim. The flat tire was easily fixed thanks to our tubeless setup, but a replacement rim will have to be ordered from America. It seems like we're always on the wrong continent for whatever bike component we need. Bike catastrophes aside, I believe that more photos will better convey the spirit of the journey. So here goes.

Tuesday, September 3rd

Mileage: 37.68 mi
Climbing: 807 ft
Travel Time: 3:30:21

It took us absolutely forever to break free of the Berlin suburbs, but once we did, we were rewarded with an enormous tract of forest, river views, and this random castle.

Today was a short day, which gave us enough time to see a Japanese Botanical Bonsai Garden. That last photo is a bonsai David.

Wednesday, September 4th

Mileage: 67.29 mi
Climbing: 1,575 ft
Travel Time: 6:26:38

We've noticed that more than half of the bicycles that we've passed are e-bikes. But if you're riding an e-bike, you can't get away with second pastry breakfast or Kafee und Kuchen, so what's the point?

We are loving the many shelters along the road, the tunnels that keep us away from traffic, and signs telling cars not to run into trees. Not photographed are the four brothers from Holland we met at our campsite who have been getting together to ride bikes every summer for the last seven years, how cool is that?

Thursday, September 5th

Mileage: 60.04 mi
Climbing: 719 ft
Travel Time: 5:24:07

Ferries are probably one of our favorite things, although that was before we knew about water dispensaries.

We also love cool bridges, delicious snacks, and ostrich farms in the middle of nowhere (photo dedicated to Nathan, a fellow ostrich lover). Immediately after spotting the ostrich, we stopped to pick apples and pears off trees that were growing wild on the side of the road.

Friday, September 6th

Mileage: 57.18 mi
Climbing: 820 ft
Travel Time: 5:02:24

Our campsite doubled as an animal shelter, so there were kitties galore. We also loved the bike part vending machines (we had previously only seen ones for cigarettes and condoms). Today we feel like we won the lottery, as the river dumped us into a river gorge lined dramatic cliffs, old houses and green hillsides. In the afternoon our trail ran along a train track for miles. This bridge was across the river, just after a castle.

Construction didn't slow us down at all. Meissen and Dresden were absolutely stunning, albeit overcrowded.

Saturday, September 7th

Mileage: 79.32 mi
Climbing: 1,211 ft
Travel Time: 7:12:53

We crossed into the Czech Republic with little fanfare and inauspicious weather. We had to cross an enormous dam, which I did thanks to a couple of Irish bikers who helped roll my bicycle up and down the stairs.

The Czech Republic has had the most spectacularly signposted roads yet, although not necessarily the most carefully maintained and repaired ones.


Sunday, September 8th

Mileage: 39.33 mi
Climbing: 1,073 ft
Travel Time: 3:45:56

Our day started with the choice between a ferry and a bridge. Now, we love ferries, but this bridge was really cool, so we chose the stairs. After a fairly short day, we arrived in time for delicious beers and food in downtown Prague.

These are extra photos of fields of hops, David on the bridge, a peacock in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and a beautiful decrepit fountain in the suburbs of Prague.

Prague itself is emphatically not a bike-friendly city, although we did meet some other bikers - a Canadian-Polish couple who had been on the road for two years, and a gentleman who was cycling from the UK back home to Hong Kong. During the rest of our time, we did the minimum required touristing (the astronomical clock, the castle, Charles Bridge) and wandered from cafe to cafe, picking up supplies along the way.