17 Jun 2013

3. Berlin to Budapest.

This section takes me from Berlin, on to Prague in the Czech Republic, then through Slovakia and finally to Budapest in Hungary: 
The ride out from Berlin back down to the River Elbe at Wittenburg was not so-good as it drizzled all the way from Potsdam and after passing the Berlin outer ring-road the temperature dropped a few degrees to a single digit of 9’C.

  

Wittenburg had a rather nice charm about it, although most the streets were deserted due to the rain.

The campsite was just on the edge of town, two minutes ride from the river.  Upon arriving the first action was a warm shower!  It’s amazing how that revitalises oneself! Next action, where do I sleep?  As the ground was sodden, and the temperature would drop further at night I was not exactly tempted to pitch my tent, so fortunately the campsite’s kitchen proved spacious enough, and quiet enough, for me to kip within.  The worktop around the side proved a good dinner preparation area too.


The following morning the grey clouds had been erased and left a wonderful clear blue sky, a perfect start to the river’s route.  I had brought with me the River Elbe guide book but as I was going against the flow of the river from its source had to work my way through it in reverse order, but each section contained an “In Reverse” list so wasn’t so difficult. The route did seem to zigzag around quite a lot, not exactly following the river bank but more so villages along the way, and even when the route got close to the river it could not be seen as there were dykes in the way, all-the-same the paths were well marked. 








 An old windmill along the way, free to enter and look within, showing the workings along with the bedroom where the workers would have slept.  There was even a guest book to sign.  Next to the windmill was an old car-crossing ferry that had been replaced with a newer one just a bit further down that I’d be taking.



The signs continued to appear at key places to ensure the zigzag route stayed zigzag, along with the blue sky staying blue.  As the end of the day drew to a close I had not seen any campsites so decided to free-camp, finding a suitable grass spot on the edge of a small wood, next to mustard crop - a scenic close to the day.



The following day the sky was over-cast but still warm, passing through the towns of Riesa and Meissen then later the city of Dresden, this proving no hassle as the path had started to follow the river bank, unhindered by the road and railway bridges crossing the river.  On the third day the scenery changed from the flat open fields to hills and more of a valley.
  
 River-fronted houses in one of the many idyllic villages I rode past / through.
Also on the third day I crossed into Czech Republic, the first town being Hrensko.  Now I’m a man of simple needs so was not expecting much to highlight the new country, just a sign to say “You are now leaving Germany, Welcome to Czech Republic” or even each country’s initials simply painted either side of a dividing line on the cycle lane would have sufficed, but instead?... Nothing!  The initial difference I noticed straight away when cycling on roads was the traffic getting closer than what I had got used to in Germany, and also the reappearance of Tesco’s!

The currency is the Czech Koruna; 100 CZK being about 4 Euro’s, although it was not too urgent to find a money changer or ATM as many shops accept Euro’s, simply giving change in the local currency.


 The cycle-lane signs within the new country.

 Okay, so at least they painted something on stating the country I was now in.


 A rather cool bridge crossing the river at Utsi Nad Labem.
 At the campsite in Litomerice.

The previous two days weather had teased me with the possibility of rain but today the promise was fulfilled!  Upon unzipping the tent I felt the moisture within the air and soon after my cycling commenced, so did the rain.  It was warmer than the previous rainy day I had had but with lack of sleep (due to a party within the campsite) and not eating a big dinner the night before, this turned out to be my worst day so far.  This was the day I would reach the capital city of Prague, so I tentatively pushed on, later taking a break from the weather under a big fly-over and charging my depleted energy levels with a lunch-time cook – something I have never done mid-day on a bicycle tour. 
This (as marked on the guide) was an interesting obstacle to cross!  Panniers unclipped, three up-and-downs of the stairs either side of the river then carry on… 


Here I was about 10 km from Prague, the craftsmen had been commissioned by the council to make these carvings for an exhibition in the city centre.  At the side of them (out of picture) were large sections of tree-trunks, the choice of which ones to use they decided.  After about two days' work they were almost done.  This chap was just putting the finishing touches in place, sanding down with an angle grinder.  It was really impressive to see the finished item standing behind all the bark shavings in the foreground, a stark contrast from what was to what is. 
  
In Prague I took a day-off from the pedals to wander around with Mr Lumix, blending in with the other tourists seeing what the city had.  I managed to find a good quality, well priced hostel; Sir Toby's, the rooms having four triple-decker bunk-beds (yes, high ceilings!) but I was fortunate enough to get a bed at floor level. It was 3 p.m. and the curtains were drawn and half the beds occupied by young (mainly American) back-packers snoring away, obviously having been out sampling the beer the night before…oh well, their problem,  “any one mind if a put a light on?”  

The hostel proved a good place for a WiFi connection, free unlimited cups of tea and conversation. Talking to people from Australia, U.S.A., Japan, Canada etc. all amazed with the charm of the city and others they had visited within Europe.
The crowds flocked! These photos were taken by the Old Town Hall, one of the most striking buildings in Prague.  What the crowd came to witness was the Astronomical Clock's chiming of the hour.  
The show that draws the crowds of spectators is the procession of the 12 apostles.  First the figure of Death, the skeleton on the right of the clock, gives a pull on the rope that he holds in his right hand.  In his left hand is an hourglass, which he raises and inverts.  Two windows open and the clockwork Apostles move slowly round.  At the end a cock crows and the clock chimes the hour.  The other moving figures are a Turk, a symbol of lust, who shakes his head from side to side, Vanity, who looks at himself in a mirror, and Greed.
 Looking down onto Prague's city centre from a park.

Departing the city proved normal.  Ask a few people for directions, go wrong a few times, end up going down some busy dual carriageways, ask at petrol stations, get shown a local map then back on track.  Once the open fields turned up I would soon feel back on track, departing the busier roads for the quiet twisty country roads, not always the best move as my map did not show these roads but I’d usually end up more or less where I intended to be.  The next big city was Budapest, a 570 km ride, and planned to do this in five days.  The first two nights I free-camped but with rain all day long on the third gave no choice but to find a cheap hotel.  Even wearing waterproof over-shoes - these being okay for an hour or so - I was drenched through to my feet. It was not until later on that I would find out what problems the constant rain would bring to others.
The countryside of the Czech Republic and Slovakia was very green, much like England but one thing that I did not like was the people’s coldness.  In most villages I rode through the locals would stare as I cycled toward them, as normal I’d always greet them but most times just met with total silence, not even a nod of their head, so in the end I played it their way and simply ignored them.  To be honest I was glad to arrive at the river Danube and cross over into Hungary.
I felt a reasonable achievement arriving at the Danube and had initially decided to take the direct road route to Budapest but met a couple of German cyclists riding electric bikes who said the river route was a must…being talked to made a pleasant change so joined them on their direction.  The route was quite busy with other cyclists, from large groups to couples and individuals.  The scenic route was considerably longer than planned and by 5 pm still had 15 km to do, no great distance but I also had to locate my host’s flat and with the tourist information centre no doubt being closed made things not so easy.  My host, Vilmos, had stayed at my house when he cycled from Budapest to Dublin in August 2012 so I was looking forward to meeting him and things being reversed.  But the person I was even more-so looking forward to meeting was my girlfriend, Elena.  She was flying in the next day and would meet me at the Budapest City Center guest house.  We had 2 ½ days together and she had organised a jam-packed itinerary from wandering around Castle Hill and Margaret Island to seeing the grand buildings, bridges and a visit to a thermal bath.

Here we were walking up to the Liberty Statue that stands on top of Gellért Hill, on the ‘Buda’ (west) side of the river, from up there we had an excellent panoramic view, taking lots of photos.(Pest is on the east side of the river).

 Both of us impersonating some of the hill-top statues.
This photo was taken inside the world famous Gellért Baths, located in the same building as the Hotel Gellért, built between 1912 and 1918 in Art Nouveau style. Said to be one of the most beautiful Baths in Budapest.  The entrance was something like a grand London museum, a large archway hall with doors leading off on either sides, within the baths the floors and walls are completely tiled, and rows of marble pillars either side of the main swimming pool and gold decorations, I expected to see Julius Caesar walking through in his robes followed by his entourage, very opulent!  References to healing waters in this location can be found from as early as the 15th century.  The hot springs that feed the thermal baths rise from deep within Gellért Hill, and the Turks used them during the 16th and 17th centuries during their stay in Hungary.


The first pool was 36’C, followed by a quick cold-dip (or at least you’re supposed to!), then onto the 38’C followed by another (apparent) cold-dip, then finally the 40’C pool, that was just too hot  for any longer than a few minutes.  We left there feeling refreshed and recharged after having walked (according to Elena’s pedometer) 12 miles in one day!  The Budapest night-time revealed a wonderfully illuminated city, with the bridges clearly seen and the Palace on the surrounding hill, although a very cold wind blew, making it feel like November in the U.K.! 
Unfortunately Elena was flying back the following day so we only had a short day and decided to spend it visiting the large Central Market Hall.  Typical items within a traditional market could be bought here such as spices, meats, vegetables, ornaments, trinkets, clothes, curtains, lace table-cloths etc.

How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity.  I can't put it down.