This is part of the seventeenth section of our around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview & Map

Coming from Germany or read our previous visit to the Czech Republic  

10/6/11 There is no vignette, toll pass, to ride on the motorways in the Czech Republic, at least not for motorcycles, at least that is what the signs indicated as we crossed the borderless border, but we aren't certain? A different currency, Czech Crowns, an ATM or Bankomat withdrawal, but Euro's are accepted almost universally, especially in tourist areas and at our hotel. Our GPS navigator doesn't have Eastern Europe maps so it was back to the paper version combined with a little bit of internet research for the closer directions. Pilsen, (Plzen) for the night, a hotel on the edge of town. As usual after a days ride we like to go for an evening stroll of the area surrounding our hotel. Some may say marking our territory.

11/6/11 Pilsen was where the beer by the same name was first invented. A filtered golden beer with a frothy top, first brewed in the 1840's and now imitated around the world. The brand, Pilsner Urquell, is the nationally favoured brew. It was a festival weekend in Pilsen. The towns church square was filled with stalls with the medieval theme, local festive delicacies to taste, street theatre to watch, people traditionally dressed for the occasion. Of course while in Pilsen we had to imbibe and celebrate the local drink, just 2 dollars a 500ml glass on the terrace of a local pub overlooking a town of a long history.

12/6/11 Rain in the morning cleared so it was an off freeway ride towards Prague, towards Most in the north, then Slany before our entry to Prague the Czech capital. Traffic was light, perhaps the high price of fuel, over 2 dollars a litre, perhaps a Sunday, but it made the countryside ride along smaller roads exceptionally enjoyable, passing many hop growing areas. Pavel, a Harley rider, had email contacted us to meet up in Prague and was at our hotel early evening. He spoke English quite well and has been taking lessons, as are many Czech residents as they are switching contact from the East to the West, and we were joined by his English tutor for the evening of traditional beer and eating. First a dark ale at the "U Fleku" a brewery pub over 500 year old, built about the time Columbus's discovered the Americas, followed by a meal at another more modern hotel with Urquell beer.

13/6/11 A slower than usual start to the morning with Pavel collecting us from our hotel for a sightseeing tour of his magnificent city. A few traditional tourist attractions. Coffee in The Old Town Square, joining other tourists for the noon operation of the Old Town Hall Clock Tower, where figurines mechanically move and a live trumpeter finishes the ritual. One of Pavel's businesses is shop refitting and many of the upmarket, high street shops, in the more fashionable areas of Prague, have been refitted by his company, and we took a look at some of his work. A must tour of Prague is the Charles Bridge across the Vltava river followed by an uphill walk to Prague Castle. Strolled through some narrow streets, particularly Golden Lane, where exceptionally small shops back onto the castle wall, and where the sharp shooters of the castle guard were housed and where we had a few shots with a cross bow within the city wall museum, but one of the most interesting places was a small non touristy pub, still in the decor of the Soviet era, serving Urquell pilsner and local eats, and where we had lunch. Prague has changed since our last visit. More buildings have been restored and renovated. It is still as popular as ever with tourists and whilst it keeps prices to lower levels than in Western Europe in non tourist areas, tourists have brought with them their western prices. Walking the streets for many hours we were happy to return to our hotel early for a quiet evening after a couple of busy days, particularly as Kay had not been feeling well for the last two days.

14/6/11 We had planned a Harley ride with Pavel this morning. A shortish ride around town to the local H-D dealership, where we were given a Czech H-D T-Shirt, courtesy of Pavel. Lunch was just out of town, perhaps 30km's of small roads to the south to Castle Karlstein. Local eats and a Kofola, the Czech version of coca-cola which is making a return and outselling the US brand, and is, for our tastes, much better. The evening though was the highlight of our visit to Prague. Pavel took us to one of Prague's top restaurants, La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise, where a seven course meal is served interspersed with amuse-bouche, with individual Czech wines matched to each course. The foods, wines and service was excellent, a great evening. The night was completed with a cocktail of white rum, lime and mint at a cocktail bar. Prague will always be remembered by us for this evening.

15/6/11 Another slow start and we only just made the 10am check out time from our hotel. More great sunny weather, mid 20's, riding out of Prague towards Hradec Kralove, then towards Olomouc where we had booked a small pension just out of town in the village of Velka Bystrice. Flatter countryside along the way with summer crops running up to seed, some forests, and good roads although heavily trucked. The road passed through a variety of cities and towns and we could more and more see the Soviet construction influence of simplistic concrete. There were still some dilapidated empty factories, rural areas not as popular now as previously for manufacturing, and few new building constructions as the population has tended to migrate towards cities. We strolled the streets of our town in the evening, where it seemed everyone was out buying ice cream.

16/6/11 We were the only ones at the five roomed pension and had a restful quiet night, followed by a quiet day in the small town. Most people in the Czech Republic, including in the smaller towns, are prepared to try out their best English on us, are happy to use what little English they have. 

17/6/11 Telc, a couple of hundred km's today, past white poppy crops, yellow rapeseed, browning barley and green wheat crops, making the scenery particularly enjoyable. A menu workman's lunch at a busy local pub along the way. Just 3 dollars for a soup, fish fingers and potato salad, basic but sustaining. Telc itself was a little disappointing at first. Whilst lovely buildings surround an almost empty paved area there seemed to be none of the bustle of other historical places we have been visiting, even in the middle of the arts and film festival, currently underway. The towns first impression was not helped by our booked pension, Pension Podolska, having overbooked, and on our arrival didn't have a room. Whilst they tried to provide us with an alternative, it didn't have the same facilities we had booked, but after a bit of searching we found ourselves, perhaps a better option, in a cheap room in a nice hotel right on the Telc square, where live festival performances continued into the night, as we watched over a local Moravian wine and dinner.

18/6/11 A short ride to Slavonice, on the Austrian border. A renaissance town that has been left behind, developmentally speaking. Left behind when the road to Vienna bypassed it in the 18th century and left behind in Soviet development due to its proximity to the Austrian border. The smaller, busier, town centre more real than Telc, more appealing for us to wander and wonder at the house etchings, old composite murals covering entire buildings. With a fairly set plan worked out we are now back into travel mode. After being away from it for eight months, with work on the motorcycle and visiting people it has taken quite a while to settle back to the way we like to travel, reasonably slowly, enjoying what a country had to offer, offer by way of history, foods, people and culture, and the Czech Republic still has all of the above as it moves rapidly from Soviet to Western.

19/6/11 Ceske Krumlov, on medieval festival day, with dozens of traditionally dressed people, has to be one of Europe's most magnificent sites. The Renaissance and baroque buildings overseeing the winding Vltava river are truly a period movie setting. Kept in its time warp, and supported entirely by tourism, every building is lovingly restored and houses small shops or pensions. People float past on the Vltava in an array of canoes and rafts, braving the tamed rapids. Today, during festival, the streets were buzzing, not crowded, but alive to show a reality about the place. The traditionally dressed mingled and then formed a drummers parade through to the town square, and out, finishing the celebrations. Stalls selling locally made, grown and cooked products added some authenticity to the event. We wandered about town, through the castle's gardens, a beer watching the live performance in the main square, listened to buskers, a great afternoon.

20/6/11 We have been passing many small and large lakes the last couple of days, in and out of towns, often in beautiful gardens. Left the Czech Republic for Austria.                         

Move with us to Hungary
 

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