Let’s sum up the trip with the last leg leading me through Germany and Czech Republic.
12.09.2023 – Day 57 – Gedser to Rostock
I stayed a night in town. Originally, from Rostock I was supposed to go home by train. You’re right, another change of plans. I’ve never been to Dresden and this will be my next stop.
13.09.2023 – Day 58 – Rostock to Gahlen (42 km)
(Nearly) every time I am in a hotel/apartment with a normal bed I don’t sleep. And I don’t blame the bed for it. It’s my habit of watching videos half the night and then not being able to fall asleep 😉
I bought a 49 EUR ticket (so called Deutschlandticket/Germany ticket), which allows you, for a month, to use any local trains throughout Germany. I thought I will go all the way to Dresden but on a whim decided, also due to better weather, to get out in an area called Spreewald. Here, the river Spree was enlarged by digging channels. Quite an interesting area and it must be packed in the summer.
14.09.2023 – Day 59 – Gahlen to Struppen (60 km)
Under a grey sky I cycled towards Dresden. However, in a town called Senftenberg I decided to take the train and be in Dresden in an hour. The sandstone, which was used for many historical buildings, gives the city a dark atmosphere when the sun is not shining. But it is a beautiful city.
I feel like I was gone a few years and something happened. Otherwise, I cannot explain why a coffee should cost 4.50 EUR.
In the afternoon I cycled another 30 km along the Elbe river. You gotta watch out on the cycling path. Tons of people and everybody is in a hurry.
15.09.2023 – Day 60 – Struppen to Nebocady (59 km)
It’s perceptibly colder during the nights now and very misty early in the morning. I took a ferry in order to get on the other side of the river and into the national park Sächsische Schweiz. This was a bloody marvelous part. Such a mystic setting when the sun shines through the trees and rock formations. You wouldn’t be surprised if a troll jumps out behind one of them.
My goal was the Bastei, a medieval fortress built on top of some rock formations. Bloody hell! Who came up with that idea? Surely, this was only possible because labor didn’t cost anything.
I’m going to be an grumpy old man. I am already grumpy. Just need to get old 😉 I don’t know why, but I am usually pissed off if a lot of people are around. They have the same right to be here as I.
Back down to the river and in direction south. This is probably the best part of the whole Elbe river cycling path. I mean, the area is just stunning.
And then I was in Czech Republic. And I was done. Probably the climbing up the hills was to much for my state of health. No good wild campsite was in sight and I was prepared to wait until night comes setting up a tent somewhere close to a factory. And then my guardian angel showed up and pointed me towards a campsite I didn’t notices when I searched the map earlier. That hot shower felt soooo good 🙂
16.09.2023 – Day 61 – Nebocady to somewhere along the Elbe river (73.9 km)
After a cheap breakfast I went on my way. Especially the first miles went by with a smile. I come across many places and cities, which look nice. But I cannot stop at all of them. Otherwise I get nowhere.
Today I sleep in company. Left and right of me are fisher casting their rods. They don’t mind me here and this was a great place to spend the last night before heading home.
17.09.2023 – Day 62 – Somewhere along the Elbe river to Unhost (87.6 km)
The best times to cycle for me are early in the morning or late in the afternoon. One thing is the light, but also because there are hardly any people. I enjoyed this morning especially and it must have been out of this sentiment that I decided to ditch the train back home in favor of cycling the whole damn thing 🤷
It amazes me how much the Czech can drink. I mean, I saw riders in the morning already having one or two beers either even before the ride or sometime before lunch 😀
18.09.2023 – Day 63 – Unhost to Horsovsky Tyn (54.8 km)
Since I didn’t find anything better I slept in the approach zone of the Prague airport. Thankfully they have also a ban on night flights.
Today, I am not motivated that much anymore. In Beroun I took the train to Pilsen. The route would have led along a busy road for 50 km and that makes no sense to me.
Pilsen is yet another beautiful city. After a bit of sightseeing and lunch I went on my way (without getting my hair cut or back massaged…disappointed!). Great, this road is even busier than the other one. No fun at all! 🤦
As I arrived in Strankov it started raining and the decision was done. I will do the rest via train and sleep in a hotel. I had an hour and half to kill and still managed to nearly miss my train. I mean, I saw the thing coming in. But nobody got off and nobody on. The announcement in Czech I didn’t understand either. Then a train came in and it wasn’t mine. I asked the conductor and he pointed me to that tiny thing. I dragged my bike and bags inside and the thing left. Fuck, thank you universe!
19.09.2023 – Day 64 – Horsovsky Tyn to “home” (Lintach) (112 km)
150 km! That’s what’s missing towards 4,000 km. And the track to home is only about 100 or 120. My plan was to go as far as I can go today (maybe 70 or 80 km) and sleep for one last night in the tent before doing the same distance the next day. However, while cycling I thought this is a bit childish. What’s the point? Sleep about 30 km from my flat and then having to make a 50 km detour just to make that goal? Nope, not today. So, I pushed on and did over 110 km today. I arrived just as the sun went down. Nobody was here to greet me, nobody surprised to see me, nobody to share the story. Strange. But my bathtub was really happy to see me. Or was it the other way around?
Final count:
9 weeks (64 days) 🗓️
9 countries (6 new ones) 🇩🇪🇨🇿(🇵🇱🇱🇹🇱🇻🇪🇪🇫🇮🇸🇪)🇩🇰
3,966 km (“only” 62.5 per day) 🚲
17,977 meters elevation gain 🏔️
2 colds 🤒🤦
and most importantly 0 accidents 👍
This was an amazing trip. Don’t ask me what country I liked the best. I can’t say. But what I did enjoy the most was the nature and being outside the whole day. Maybe also having something to do and a purpose. In hindsight I had fantastic weather. Yes, I wish I could have been healthier and if I would have planned this whole thing differently I would have spent more days at some places. Just give myself a bit more time. A part of me would like to just go on…
Or to express the trip in one picture:
Love,
Matthias