Dresden 
Elbflorenz 
Frauenkirche |
Cycletour "The New Europe"
21.10.-31.10.2004
Cycletour Dresden – Prague – Mähren - Sudeten - Riesengebirge – Zittau
"Won't you go for another cycle tour this year?" they ask me. This is caused by the fact, that my wife Heidi and our grandson Jonathan(5) want to go to Mallorca during November. And during this time our dog Otto (Beagle) and I will be lonesome grass widowers for two weeks. So this offer is a compensation for this matter and I only have to follow my brain which had worked out a nice tour some days before already. Since I was at the "Old Europe" during June I could visit two countries which are part of the "New Europe" as the countries are called, which are members of the European Union since the beginning of this year (The Baltic countries, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic). Let's have a look to the last two: one could ride from Dresden to Prague, then go east for a while to the Sudeten Mountains and back to Germany on the Silesian side of the mountains. May be there is an occasion to climb the legendary Schneekoppe? You ever heard of Rübezahl?
|
Dresden
Elbflorenz
Frauenkirche |
Thursday, 21.10. Dresden - Leitmeritz (Litomerice), 128 km
Castles at the Elbe 
Das blaue Wunder |
Now there is one of the most beautiful cycle routes of Germany. I am so happy to absolve this section for the third time (Spree 1998, Saale - Erzgebirge 2000). But I never saw such a coloured world around as today. There are the castles on the opposite slope, the "Blaues Wunder" - one of the oldest steel bridges, Schloss Pillnitz.
Schloss Pillnitz 
Bench with Flowers 
Colours and the Bastei |
I can go pretty
fast and soon leave the mockup of a paddle steamer behind. Soon after
Pirna we have the famous rock walls of the Bastei. At the nicest view
point there is a bench and this is even not occupied today. And I will
not meet any cycle tourers on this tour and this is a pity. May be it
is too late in the year?
Near Pilna 
The Rock Wall of the Bastei 
Bad Schandau |
At Königsstein the cyclist should cross the Elbe by the ferry. I want to save some time and head along on the main road to the bridge near Bad Schandau. Then we continue on the cycle path along the Elbe on the right side seen upstream.
The Bastei Bridge 
Paddle Steamer 
Hrensko |
Hrensko |
This path shall lead to Tetschen, and we
see the busy ado of the many booths from afar at Hrensko. On this
side it is deserted and we soon reach the green border of the Czech
Republic. There are only some pillars and no checkups at all. Now we
have entered the "New Europe".
Hrensko 
The Green Border |
As we come near to the town of Tetschen the cycle path gets uncertain
with a bumpy surface. The way out is a steep uphill as they call it
"killer hill" with a gradient of about 25%. So I push forward and some
guys in the background sit around a barbecue and may wonder, what idiot
gasps along on the other side of their garden fence. Thereafter we can
brake down again and then come to Tetschen with much industry and
traffic. On a hill there is a monastery or castle. Within all this
confusion after some time I find out that I go up a tributary
stream (Ploucnice) towards the mountains which is finally
not my destination.So I have to go back and cross the town on a
big ramp like on an Autobahn and then I use the first drive to get out
of this nightmare. But there are signs to the next sites where I want
to go and I come back to the river Elbe which is named Laba from now
on. This is a road with little traffic and we pass villages with names
that are unpronouncable for us (Křešice, Nebočady,
Tĕchlovice, Hoštice etc.). At about 5 pm we reach the big town Ústí (Aussig).
It is time to look for an accommodation for it will get dark at 6 pm.
I stroll around but don't see any sign of a hotel. But there is one,
its name: EUROTEL. I enter the office but they are very busy and
someone just declares the functions of a mobile telefone to a young
woman. Before I disgrace myself with the question "Can I stay over
night?" I realise: this is a bureau of a telephone company. Near the
door there is a watchman who inspects everything what happens around. I
ask him "Is there any hotel nearby?" but he understands nothing. Around
the next corner there is one, Hotel Palace, and this seems to stem from
the past socialistic era. I go up to the reception and ask a
shortsighted woman for a room. And all my bad dreams come true: there
is a box contest until the next weekend and so all accommodations of
the town are booked. She is so kind and phones up some other pensions
and I have to dictate the numbers for she is so shortsighted. But all
without success and so there is only one solution: to continue to the
next town Litomerice (Leitmeritz), and this is another portion of
additional 20 km.
Meanwhile we have 6 pm and it gets more and more dark. At first I can
use my storage battery for the light but since I used it this morning
to ride to the railway station it is nearly exhausted. The backlight
batteries are no problem, they work over one long winter. But the front
light soon drops out and my only friend is the half moon which hangs at
the sky like a lamp. In the villages along this road there is no hotel
at all.
Salva Guarda at Leitmeritz |
All the time I am anxious that some police will pick me up
while riding without light. May be they will throw me out of the
country? So I better stop at every traffic coming up. Finally I need 2
hours for the 20 km and breathe a sigh of relief when I reach
Leitmeritz. Near the centrum I ask some people for a hotel. They speak
German and lead me to the market place. Yes, there it is, the hotel in
the most famous house of the town. This is named Salva Guarda (Black
Eagle) and is painted with Sgrafitti (Renaissance
Painting).
The house SALVA GUARDA is an
outstanding national cultural monument and was built in the 14th
century for the family Dionysios Houska. It was rebuilt in 1564 by the
Italian architect Ambrogio Balli in Renessaincestyle. The facade is
decorated by rich Renaissance sgrafitti showing scenes from the
bible.
Kaiser Ferdinand III. was here in the year
1650 and gave the right of a knight's estate to the house and the title
"SALVA GUARDA" as a sign for an enduring protection and manorial
privileges as well.
It all looks very exclusive and I
wonder how much I will have to pay for a room. And this is no problem:
30 € after I have asked for the exchange rate for the Czech crowns. Now
I am exhausted and somewhat frozen and enjoy the hot shower very much.
For I have no Czech crowns yet I prefer to consume the rests of my food
from at home. And I am releived for tomorrow because I have booked an
accomodation at Prague in the internet for the next two days.
Scenes at the Elbe... 
...in the Morning Haze 
Fruits and Vegetables |
Friday 22.10., Litomerice - Prague, 75
km
My destination for today is the Pension
Wurm at Prague near the Bila
Hora (White Mountain). The room costs 20 € for the night. But
now we start into a misty morning. There are difficulties to produce a
photo of the Salva Guarda but after breakfast I succeed. Moreover I get
the Czech crowns from a bankomat. At the shores of the Elbe the morning
mist makes romantic scenes now and then. Behind the haze we sometimes
see a castle or church. At Roudnice (Raudnitz) we cross the Elbe and
the sun shines meanwhile. We now use the road number 240 which leads
straight on to Prague. The landscape is not so interesting, mainly flat.
Raudnitz an der Elbe 
Raudnitz |
At the town Velvary (Welwarn) we have a rest at one of those typical great market places with a sculptured column in the middle. Later in the fields we see some hunters who bang into the air. I have only seen some crows before. But there are some rabbits on the meadow, may be they run for their life.
Welwarn 
Someone thinking it over... |
Finally I see the first spires of Prague and those are the spires of
the Hradschin, which we soon will learn. The other sign that we
approach Prague are the lower gliding aeroplanes which prepare for the
landing at the airport on the west side. Now I must find the Pension
Wurm. The Bila Hora area is well known and the people can explain how
to ride. As I reach the street named Belohorska
I know that I soon will reach my destination. Meanwhile I have
realised, that there are several hills here and the Bila Hora seems to
be the highest. (It is said, that Prague is settled on 7 hills like
Rome).
Somewhere 
Prague ahead |
At Bila Hora (White Mountain)
near Prague was the first deciding battle of the Thirty Years War at
the 8.11.1620. The Bohemian army was smashed by the troops of Kaiser
Ferdinand II and the Catholic League (1500 were killed at the imperial
part, 3000 at the Bohemian part). At the place of the battle in 1704-14
was built a baroque Marienkapelle (Church of Our Lady).
When I have reached the pension at first I cannot find the button of
the bell. But then I get my room, unfortunately the owner of the
pension does not speak German or English. But then he stammers a German
statement: "Frau Direktor ist krank" (Mrs. Director is ill). Now I
wonder what this means, may be his wife is absent?