2011 - Prague to Dresden

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Trip start
September 13, 2011
2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Goodbye Vienna
September 13, 2011 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
Today ten of our original group transferred from Vienna to Prague, to begin our ride along the Elbe to Dresden.
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Prague - Free Day
September 14, 2011 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌙 18 °C
Since we only had two days in Prague, I started off by doing what I always do in an unfamiliar town. I walk, and walk, and then walk some more. During my walking I like to stop and spend time just watching the people go about their everyday lives.

Prague is actually a large city, but the part that always gets the most attention is the so called "old city". This region is actually quite small, but since it is where all visitors to the city want to go, it is almost invariably crowded with throngs of tourists.

Not only was the old city extremely crowded, when I looked down to the cobblestoned streets, I could not help but see the thousands of discarded cigarette buts that carpeted every metre. It really did detract from the beautiful medieval buildings that the busloads of tourists were busily taking selfies in front of. I began to wonder if I was the only person looking down.

The most crowded section of all was the city square, where the famous astronomical clock does its performance every hour. As the hour approaches, thousands of people cram the square to get a video of the famous spectacle. Although it was interesting, I found myself already looking forward to getting back on the bikes and enjoying the quiet lanes and bike paths again.Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Prague - Day 2
September 15, 2011 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
On our second day in Prague, I somehow allowed myself to be talked into joining a guided tour of the city. I normally avoid these like the plague, but, since the rest of the group seemed keen, I thought it would be unsociable not to join them.

Our guide was a young Czech woman who had the amazing ability to talk non stop for hours on end. If talking was an Olympic event, she would certainly score the gold medal for her country.

With her flag in one hand, she led us along the narrow streets I had explored the previous day, except this time I was entertained by her non stop commentary. It reminded me just why I never usually take such tours. Although some of the things she shared were interesting, I could have researched them for myself.

At one point I found myself standing near here, and I mentioned that it was sad there were so many cigarette buts on the ground. Her response was a harsh glare, giving me the distinct feeling that many of the discarded buts were probably contributed by her.

Tomorrow we get our bikes and start our ride towards Dresden. I am really ready to get riding again.Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Cycle to Melnik
September 16, 2011 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
Today it was time to say goodbye to Prague, get back on our bikes and start riding again. Ahead of us was a 55 km ride to Melnik. Although most of our later cycling would be along the Elbe River, today we followed the Vitava River all the way to Melnik. That is where we saw our first glimpse of the Elbe, which we would be following all the way to Dresden.

After leaving Prague, we soon discovered that the bike route was much quieter and less developed than the Danube Bike Path we had been following for the previous two weeks. Many of the small towns looked almost deserted, making it quite hard to find a place to buy lunch or coffee. Talk about the "Road Less Travelled".Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Cycle to Litomerice
September 17, 2011 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Day 2 of our ride was around 45 km to Litomerice. The route loosely followed the Elbe River, but did meander away from the river on some occasions. Once again, most of the ride was through quiet rural paths and back roads.

We were a little surprised to find that Litomerice was a substantial town, with a fascinating collection of rather weird and wonderful buildings. Our hotel was right in the middle of the town square.Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Cycle to Decin
September 18, 2011 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
Today was our last full day of cycling in the Czech Republic. Tomorrow we would be crossing the border back into Germany for the final two days of riding.

It was around 50 km of varied riding. Some of the places we rode through almost looked as if they had not changed much in the last 50 years. You could sense what it must have been like when it was still suffering under Soviet rule.Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Cycle to Bad Schandau
September 19, 2011 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
Today was a shorter (and easier) ride of under 30 km. It took us to the German town of Bad Schandau. This is a health resort spa town, where the main industry is soaking in spa baths and curing just about every ailment known to mankind.Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Cycling into Dresden
September 20, 2011 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
Today was another short ride, which was just as well as there was so much to see along the way. The main highlight was the towering Fort Konigstein, perched high on a peak, overlooking the river. This fort has had many uses throughout its history, but it is easy to see why it was never conquered in battle.

This afternoon we rode into the large city of Dresden. This city was almost obliterated in the carpet bombing of WW2. Tens of thousands of people burnt to death, and virtually every building was destroyed.

It has taken 7 decades to rebuild the city into the thriving metropolis it is today. At first glance, you might even think that the buildings date back hundreds of years. It is only on closer inspection that you can see that most are reconstructions.

I will have a couple of free days in Dresden, before I fly off to Rome. Today, however, did mark the end of my cycling for this trip.Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
Dresden - Free Day
September 21, 2011 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
With our cycling now finished, we were free to revert to just being regular tourists for a change. We utilised our time by walking the city and seeing some of the major sights. We also entertained ourselves by hiring a 10 seater circular bicycle (actually in order to be a bicycle, it should only have two wheels). We spent as much time laughing as pedalling, and since I was in the worst position and facing backwards the whole time, I found it all slightly terrifying.

Tomorrow the group will finally all break up and go their separate ways. I will be flying to Rome, a city I have never visited before.Read more
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2011 - Prague to Dresden The World on Two Wheels
End of Trip in Dresden
September 22, 2011 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
This morning I packed my bags, farewelled my fellow travelers, and caught a taxi to the airport for my flight to Rome. I would be spending the next week in Rome and Paris.
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Trip end
September 22, 2011