Biking Czech Republic

23 July 2023, Lednice, 26.09km
Hippoclub 880kč [R749]

A short ride to Lednice where we have treated ourselves to a cabin at the Hippocamp. Tonight is our last in the Czech Republic; tomorrow we will be somewhere in Slovakia.
We began the day on a pretty rough cycle path. Often stoney, sometimes sandy, sometimes with muddy pools forcing us to follow the tracks of earlier cyclists who have created brief detours through adjoining fields.
There are two not kaput bridges across the Věstonická reservoir. From the first, the cycle path was smooth tar on top of the levee from which we could enjoy the bird life and watch the fishermen who had set up camp for the day on the water's edge with multiple lines awaiting dinner.
At the second bridge, we left the cycle path to enter the small town of Dolní Věstonice, known for its wine cellars and its Venus.
We celebrated the former by sharing a glass of white wine in a brick-domed cellar dating from the 17th century.
The original Venus, only 11cm in height, is in a museum in Brno, but a gigantic replica stands on the main road. Beside it, a mobile zmrzlina stall does a brisk trade in traditional ice-cream and fruit sorbets (we opted for mango).
ChatGPT: "The Venus of Dolní Věstonice is a 29,000-year-old prehistoric clay figurine. It is one of the oldest known examples of prehistoric art. In addition to the figurine, archaeologists found evidence of the use of mammoth bones to build dwellings and create tools."
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On a hot Sunday, the cycle paths and roads were filled with cyclists and pedestrians and fishermen - many with small children, the hostelries with beer and wine drinkers.
We were amazed (again) at the variety of two-wheel options. Motorbikes (some with three wheels). Ordinary and electric bikes. One bike with a two-stroke help-my-trap engine similar to that used by Charl's dad in the 1950s. Push scooters with traditional small wheels but also something unknown to us - scooters on which you stand but with bicycle-size wheels and electric motors.
Our recent epiphany: Czech drivers are careful around cyclists, because they themselves cycle.
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If you can't climb the stairs to the Lednice post office, ring the bell and someone will come out to serve you.