From Prague to Dresden by Bike

It's been years now, and I am too lazy to look up how many it has been, but we've done a pretty major bike tour every summer for a lot of years. This year it was Prague to Dresden. We'd thought about this tour before, but I was always a bit worried about the language problem for us in the Czech Republic. In the end, we figured the folks who arrange this stuff keep such worries in mind. At least, we'd be able to communicate with the hotel people, and there is a great App for the mobile phone that tells you where you are and where you need to go, so (deep, deep breath) OK. We'll do it.

Trips of all sorts make me a bit anxious. I want to be more than on time - I want to be early! And Werner's good with that, bless him. So we got up earlier, got to the station earlier, and -- the train was late. An omen for the whole day, sadly. We got the train to Hannover from Bremen but then there were two other problems: a freight train had an issue and was stopped on our track and there was a bridge that was bad. What?  We sit, we get detoured, we arrive more than an hour late in Hannover, we miss our train, we need to reschedule, we are two hours late, lose our seats, etc., etc., etc. 

Lunchtime. I didn't want to think and for the first time in a million years, we went to McD's. Menu? Undecipherable. Chili burgers, bbq burgers, jalapenos? Got a BigMac, guy? Can I order with a person and not a screen?  A very friendly server helped us (yes, there is still a BigMac) and we had our snack and got the next train. 

Frankly, complaining about the Deutsche Bahn is a major pastime here. On the other hand, it doesn't matter what happens (almost), you can find a way to get where you want to go even with delays and cancellations. And we did. We were a couple of hours late arriving, had to make a couple of phone calls, but we got there. I am OK. Thank you Deutsche Bahn.

DAY 1 Saturday Prague

Morning. The hotel room had a bathtub. LOVE THAT since we haven't had a tub at home for years. But OMG, it was narrow and slippery and not a good thing for older people, maybe not even for younger people.
We survived.

Then we had a full day in Prague! Our hotel was well away from the old city, but on the path out of the city for our tour. That's fine. We found an ATM nearby to get some local money and there was a great market there with all kinds of handcrafters! What fun!! We even found a small thing or two for gifts. 

Then to the city. ALL public transportation in Prague is free to everyone over 65. Wow. Everything was fast and pretty new. 

I have read a lot recently about over-tourism and the cities that have been slammed by too many folks wanting to see the latest of whatever that is a MUST SEE. Prague is one of those places and it was a real lesson. "Crowd" is too mild a word - it was a mass of humanity everywhere in the old city. It was hard to see, much less appreciate, the wonders that the city offers. 

The one museum we wanted to visit had no tickets available for current exhibition and no permanent collection.

As you can see, lots of construction going on. 

We wandered to a side street to find something to eat and the little place was staffed by dear people who were helpful and informative and loved talking in English. Though we were told prices in the Czech Republic were comparable to Germany, we thought it a good deal. Never did get used to the exchange rate - lunch was about 17€, dinner that night about 30€.

A walk through the town square with everyone else in the city.

The Astronomical Clock on the side of the town hall is still wonderful.

But the Charles Bridge was impassible. Too. Many. People.

At 5PM we were back at the hotel to meet with a rep from the bike tour company. We were not alone!! There were at least 20 folks there (from Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden) to hear the spiel about what to do and how to do it. We'd see some of these folks again along the way, and that was nice.

DAY 2  Sunday Prague to Mělník   58K, 3:30 ride time

Rain. Wake to rain. Leave in rain. Rain the whole day.

1. Get Money.

Sounds awful, but actually it wasn't so bad. It rained, but it wasn't a downpour and it wasn't cold, though it also was not warm LOL.

This trip was I'd guess about 85% along a river, either the Moldau at the beginning, or later the Elbe (in The Czech Republic, the Labe).

Dueling photos. No fashion plates, we.

We stopped for lunch at a convenient time. Warm beef soup was a good choice for me! Werner had a sandwich. When we were almost done, four guys came in looking for a table, but it was full - only the outside was available - in the rain! What?? But they sat down under the tree where it wasn't sooo wet and ordered their food. OMG. They were soaked to the bone and a couple of them weren't even wearing their shoes! We got up quickly and paid our check and said, Take our table!! They were so happy - and we were, too! 

 Pelican art by the river. 

We happened along a classic car meet up at Schloss Troja. What fun!

The allée leading to (and from) the Schloss was impressive.

After a long wet day, a Budwar was waiting for us.

DAY 3 Monday Mělník to Litoměřice  58.5 K, 3:17 ride time 

We begin again with rain. And it's cool; we won't get over 70°F today. We stayed at the Ludmila Hotel and I wanted to visit the Ludmila church since I have a Czech friend whose name is Ludmila (!), but it was hard to locate and when we finally found the church, it was closed. Schade!! But interestingly, we met the couple we shared the shelter of a tree with the day before and what a little pleasure to have a little conversation with them again.

A beautiful view from the terrace.

A quick look at the town square, and off again we go.

90% of the ride today is right next to the river, where I guess on a more summery day, kids would hold onto this stick and swing into the river.

We have to share the road with cars a bit and note that they're not as friendly as in Germany. 

Hops. Hops for the beer! These are cultivated but they grow wild on the side of the road, too.

Dinner tonight at the Ratskeller, so very good:  dill soup with potatoes, Caesar salad with chicken. We ate outside but after dinner took a look at the cellar itself - quite cozy! Just watch your step,

DAY 4 TUESDAY   Litoměřice to Děčín  55.2 K  3:05 ride time

Of course, the bikes are heavy, and usually we don't care. BUT. Today, I had to push the bike times four, and that was not easy! Once, I didn't shift gears soon enough to make it up the hill. The other time, it was up and down and up and down to a path we didn't need to take. I sweated a bit even though it was not hot. 

Maybe that was the Porta Bohemica?

The scenery today was less than impressive. We went through some industrial areas and some small villages that were not appealing.  There has been a ton of reconstruction since the Russians were expelled and some unreconstructed areas are charming, but there's more to do. And the bike paths were all over the board, too, from smooth asphalt to rotten asphalt to old concrete slabs with gaps to rough gravel. Paying attention was important! Here's a new bikeway next to the old one; that would have made jelly of my brains.

But if you are hungry, there are apples! Apple trees abound along the roadside and the colors range from pale yellow to deep, deep purple. Tried a few, of course, and they were so crispy and tart!

It's not unusual to run into folks repeatedly along the bikeway. We rest, they rest, Werner stops to blow his nose, we pass them, they pass us. One group of four was underway with all their gear on their "Bio" bikes (no "e" help!), We were following the lead biker for a bit and followed her down the wrong way! We both had a laugh making the turnaround. Another young couple we talked to were also on regular bikes, making their way from the origin of the Elbe at the Giant Mountains in the Czech Republic back to Dresden. Later at the hotel, we met a man travelling on his own from Hamburg to Budapest - Yow!

And WIND in our faces all day long. Geeze.

Our room that night was actually an apartment - really roomy! It had a fully equipped kitchen so we decided to eat in and relax, walked to a nearby grocery and got a frozen pizza and salad and ate it. Great!

DAY 5 WEDNESDAY Děčín to Pirna, Germany

It got to maybe 18°C today and though there was no rain, we wore our fleece jackets AND the rain jackets all day. 

The nearby church was not open so we went to the town square where it was market day! We bought a part of a rotisserie chicken, some fruit and a roll - picnic lunch fare. It was a modest market and there were several buildings around the square with broken windows and for sale signs. A little sad.

Nice landscapes again, but the view doesn't change much. 

The exception is the sandstone cliffs, part of the "Sachsen Switzerland." Somehow, it seemed our view from the train going to Prague was more impressive than our view biking toward Dresden.  Nevertheless, a special landscape.

And suddenly, we realize we're in Germany! Where was the border? How did we miss it??!! We actually were just a stone's throw past it, but had to go back and document our passage.  The two signs were some distance apart...weird.

There were options for the approach to Dresden, but we opted for the other side and took a ferry across the Elbe and found a bench with a natural wind screen for our little lunch! What a relief. It's strange how tiring it can be to have the wind in your ears all the time. 

We arrive in Pirna and notice how clean and spiffy it is - and then remember we are back in Germany.  We found an Apotheke to get something for the itchy break out on my neck, not knowing exactly what it was. A litte cortisone never hurts. 

Our room tonight was well away from the center of town, but again it was roomy so that was nice. All the hotel food was quite yummy.

DAY 6  THURSDAY Pirna to Dresden  32.7K  1:55 ride time

It's a short ride today, projected to be 25K, but it's been some more than what they've said in the brochure every day. And it is the nicest day so far! A bit warmer and a lot more sunshine.  

In Pirna we find a little gift of locally roasted coffee for our neighbor who watered our plants, and look around just a bit.

It's a pretty town with a dark past. These colorful crosses on the road lead you to the Sonnenstein Memorial where early in the Nazi time, 15,000 people, most with either physical or mental disabilities, were methodically killed. Germans do not hide from their history.

One church has been decorated to celebrate the harvest, but we were amused to see packages of crackers there along with the fresh veggies and fruit!

The Marienkirche is the major church there and is quite decorated on the inside. Outside, it was only scaffolding! 

There's no real countryside between the two towns - lots of large country houses line the way, grand buildings across the river, large green spaces where folks walk and ride and relax. 

We pass a Kurort, a spa, where there's a thermal spring folks come to visit for their health. Depending, your insurance might even pay for it. Lots of visitors with canes and rollators. 

And, finally, Dresden.

Just coming into Dresden, it's lunch time, so the Schiller Garten, where Schiller, the German author and poet was supposed to have had a beer or two, was a handy stop. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch looking at the BlaueWunder (the Blue Miracle, the first metal bridge to span the Elbe), watching the paddle boats go by and trying to figure out how to get to our hotel -- again, well off the beaten path!

It takes some doing getting to the hotel - the recommended ferry is out for repairs, so we pedal to the next bridge and find the Best Western (yes) where we're staying, right next to the Marriott (yes). 

THE END OF BIKING! 255K, 14:46 time in the saddle.

Put all the stuff in the bike bags, log out, and put the bikes in the garage. Done. 

Lots of small restaurants in the area and we find a suitable one for a nice, small dinner. And that's that.

DAY 7  FRIDAY Dresden 

We kinda sleep in since we don't have to have our bags downstairs before 9AM, but we do want to take advantage of our full day in Dresden. Three stops are on our agenda: the Frauenkirche to look around and stay for the noon organ mini-concert and peace talk, a visit to the Zwinger, the art museum, and a meet up with new friends. 

The first time I visited Dresden was with Lee in (I think) 1994. At that time, the exterior wall of the church was hardly taller than Lee (except for two parts of two entrances) and I thought the folks were crazy to think they could reconstruct this church. Rescued stones of the church were on wooden planks, each labeled, out in the open. But donations poured in and it was all privately done. 

Last time we visited Dresden, the Frauenkirche was fully reconstructed and hadn't long been open and there were very long lines to get in. I guess in the meantime folks have got used to it and there was no waiting this time. We admired the church and marveled at the reconstruction, took a walk around the old city wall at the river and then returned for the midday event. The three organ pieces (wonderful!) were interspersed with talks from the pastor, and one in particular pricked my ears. It didn't take long to realize he was making pointed remarks about the politics of our time and in particular the positions that the current administration in the US has taken. Spot on, all of the commentary.

It just takes your breath away.

After a light snack, off to the Zwinger. Man oh man, poor planning!! What we had was two hours, but we needed two DAYS!! At least! I had forgotten how incredibly large this place is! The very nice man at the desk gave us some advice on how we could maximize our minimal time and we filled it full.

A rather short walk through the Porcelain Gallery we thought we would not be interested in but in fact were fascinated by.

And then to the Old Masters. This is not Werner's favorite, but we so enjoyed it, the both of us. The collection is breathtaking: Breugel, Vermeer (2!!) Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Tintoretto, Corregio, Parmigiano and Raphael's Sistine Madonna, the Crown Jewel of their collection.

We talked to several of the guards about the works and all were so knowledgeable and helpful. Such a fine visit, and the first I can remember when I didn't have a tired back and wobbly knees after 2 hours. 

Ah, but then we had to rush back to where we came in to retrieve our bag and meet Barbara and Peter, the sister and brother in law of a friend here in Bremen. We'd met Barbara at the Summer Party and she invited us to meet them for a drink and maybe dinner. It turned out be to a comfortable and really pleasant evening, a stroll along the river with some little history lessons thrown in (Peter would be a great tour guide!) and a pizza and salad on the small square along the way to the hotel.

What a lovely ending to our trip.