Easter Sunday and more perfect weather. Left early towards Vranov nad Dyji, and the tough climbs of the Podyji national park ahead.

The trip through the park took a roundabout route through the forest. There were some steep climbs on poor track surface, then a sharp relief down to the village of Lukov.

I stopped there for lunch. You know you are close to Austria when the only food on offer is wurst, in this case a scary-looking but delicious blood sausage with mustard, horseradish and typically cardboard-like Austrian bread. Eaten with a fine beer whilst the speakers blared Black Sabbath. Perfect!

Feeling recharged (also by now the laptop & phone) I set off towards the border crossing at Valtice. Ahead is 50km of flat road through the vineyards.

But Podyjí wasn’t finished with me yet. I had to veer back into the park and tackle two arduous ascents on gravel tracks before it let me go. At the top came the money shot.

Then it was a pleasant descent to Satov, passing the first vineyards, where I stopped for another bowl of garlic soup. It’s tasty stuff!

On the way out of town my gears began to act-up. In trying to realign the rear derailleur I managed to slice the fingerprint off my thumb. Ouch. After stemming the blood I headed for the next town of Chvalovice.

I passed a ‘wine street’ where locals rent cellars to store the vast quantities of wine they make. Families were sitting out front, having their Easter dinner.

The centre of town was a completely different story. There’s a huge obvious brothel, and I saw signs for four more. So the Austrians can nip across the border, dirty buggers 😁

I got some water and headed-out towards the next town, finding a hidden camping spot beside a cornfield.

Two deer danced in front of me and ran off when I went for the camera. They bark like dogs when they get spooked.

Epilogue: From my tent I am looking back across the valley to see that the Brothel is now covered in bright purple lights, with lasers coming out the top.

A great day overall after a slow start. I was passing castle Landstejn and thought I would cheekily recharge my phone and laptop while sipping malenovka – raspberry lemonade that everyone drinks in summer.

I had a garlic soup, then another. Good for the lungs apparently, and delicious.

I got talking with an Austrian couple who were curious about my bike. I joined them for a beer before I headed off. By now it was after 1pm. Oh well, I’m on holiday.

I followed route #48 to Slavonice, via a tough climb but back down steeply. According to the roadside radar, I was clocking 51 km/h as I entered town. 😛
I stayed a while to admire the medieval town square, and the boisterous atmosphere, which mostly came from groups of bikers drinking in the sun.

The road to Vratěnín was unremarkable, though something of a slog against the by now gusty conditions. Vratěnín itself was nice but seemed deserted. I spotted a Hostinec and decided to have a drink there. I think that every village male over 60 was inside. Middle of the day!

I got some funny looks as I necked my Fanta, but there was an enthusiastic response to my parting na schledanou (goodbye).

It was perfect weather for trundling through the countryside, warm sun with a slight cooling breeze. Legs still going!

There were a lot of people out on their bikes, and most were happy to exchange an ‘Ahoj!‘ (hello) when passing.

Uherčice was a pretty village, build around a small lake. Nearby is a big enclosed chateux complex. Wanting to explore it, I enquired at the local pension but there were no rooms.

So I just continued onwards along #48 to Stalky. I was starving and could have used a shower. The local Pension wasn’t yet open for the season, and they had no food, but they invited me in for a beer. Sitting in the sun, drinking a cold one and practicing my Czech seemed a good way to conclude the day.

I camped on the side of a vast potato field just outside the village, which made for an epic view as I devoured noodles and biscuits watching the sun go down.

Tomorrow I will cycle through the vineyards of Moravia.

More details, photos and videos to follow…

I was so comfortable that I slept-in. So much for the early start!

On such a beautiful morning, it would have been wrong not to have a lazy breakfast while basking in the sun. So that’s what I did.

After mounting my steed I held a steady pace over rolling countryside to Tucapy.

Surprisingly I was full of beans and quite happy to attack the hills, spurred-on by the inevitable downhill rewards, and promise of noodles while people-watching at the castle of Červená Lhota.

The route became more arduous from there, not helped by the gusty headwind, but I made it to Jindřichův Hradec in good time, and celebrated with a cold beer.

By this stage the roads had become smaller and more isolated as they transformed into into rough cycle track and eventually gravel.

The bike was well tested and held up nicely. I am in good command of it now, I’ve adjusted to the extra weight, and the body is settled-in for long hours in the saddle.

Nevertheless, I was quite happy to stop often and take-in the countryside. I met a cyclist taking the route from the opposite direction. We exchanged knowing grins and a thumbs-up as we whizzed past each other.

It wasn’t long before I reached the Austrian border, but instead of crossing over I swung east towards Moravia. Austria can wait.

A few km outside Nová Bystřice I passed a lake and decided to camp there. I cooked dinner and collapsed into my sleeping bag.

My phone battery was dead now, so no GPS tracking, but I reckon I covered approximately 85 km today, diversions included. Not bad.

More photos and videos to come (need wifi…)

I was woken at 5am by a cacophony of birdsong, which I supplemented with porridge and strong coffee. Then back on the road, still following route #11, and with some trepidation about the coming hill climbs.

But I needn’t have worried, I was in Neveklov no no time, picked up some water and went to see the Jewish memorial in the the busy town square.

All local Jews had been rounded up and deported during WWII. There are similar memorials all over.

After Neveklov the road went up quite steeply and then plateaued, with a short respite before more gradual, but very long, climbs. The only thing to do is to find a comfortable gear and keep the head down. Never look at the top of the hill, it always seems further away.

Having said that, there were a few times when I had to walk the bike. The whole question of weight is being answered. I need to lose some cargo. If the hills here are tough, then what about the mountains of Greece?

By now the sun was really warming-up, but there was still a cold breeze, which became a strong headwind for a few hours, slowing the pace.

Next town was Sedlčany where I had a peak at the town square (eh), but nearby was the red castle Červený, which seems to be a private residence. Lucky people!

There were more steep climbs leading to Sedlec-Prčice and after, including a particularly hard one to a tiny village called Červený Újezd. From there, a smooth ride down to Borotín. By now I was pretty knackered, but the weather was close to perfect and my legs had begun to adjust past the pain barrier. They now seemed happy to pedal away without me consciously wiling them-on.

Tabor is a big, busy town. I planned on looking around at the medieval buildings, however the traffic was too much. But by now I was regaining energy and decided to crack-on, so I did, on the lookout for a camping site. Found one about 10km south, in a field just off the road, but well hidden. I’ll making an early start – it’s nearly 100 km to Slavonice, my target for tomorrow.

My GPS tells me I did 87 km today. I’m pleased with that.