Biking Czech Republic
17 July 2023, Ondřejov, 38.92km
Camping Ondřejov 568kč [R472]
It rained in the night and continued to drizzle intermittently until around 12h00. We began our 40km day in cool wet weather, therefore, but ended it in hot humid weather. Again it was a hilly ride with some inclines requiring walking.
We are staying in a caravan at a campsite a little off the beaten path but more or less on track for Bratislava.
Our first 6km were on highway 19. On a busy road, single-lane in each direction, without a shoulder, cyclists are most vulnerable when traffic is approaching from the front. This is when those coming up behind you must either play chicken with the oncoming traffic OR squeeze past you too close for safety OR slow to your speed and wait for the traffic to clear. As mentioned before, most drivers slow and wait. What I have not mentioned before is that traffic approaching from the front will often take in the dilemma of those behind us and move to the edge of the road to allow them to overtake us with two wheels over the middle line. Generous!
Thereafter we cycled wonderfully quiet, narrow, rural roads through small villages, few offering even a potraviny. In Černovice, however, we came across a cake-n-coffee place serving delicious apple tart and home-made ice-cream (amongst other delicacies).
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On a couple of occasions our road was marked as closed to traffic. Each time we took a chance, ignored the signs (once having also asked a publican), and found that we could push our bikes past the roadwork obstacles that forced cars to turn around.
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In two dorpies we came across poignant first world war memorials.
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Have you noticed there are few farm fences in my photos? We did encounter an oddity on fences enclosing houses today. Several had cups turned upside down on the wooden slats. No idea why.
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We also stopped to pick and eat some cherries from a tree on the verge. For a couple of days now, large cherry trees have cast their shadow onto the road, their ripening fruit tempting us.
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A good day.