Incredible Czech Republic

Krakow to Budapest Stage 5 – Hranice to Kroměříž 77 Km (Sun 23 Sep 2018)

Weather: 8⁰C min – 17⁰C max, mostly cloudy, light rain

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“Even bad coffee is better than no coffee at all” ~ David Lynch

Since 1997 Czech Republic has developed a network of Marked Bicycle Trails, totalling 37 023 km as at 1 January 2017. Today I has the delight of riding on two of these trails:

1) For the first 30 Km after leaving Hranice I rode along the Cyklostezka Bečva, which is as good or better than any cycle path I have ever ridden on (including South Korea and Germany).

2) Nearing Kroměříž I rode on the equally good Cykloturisticke Trasy for a short while.

The Cyklostezka Bečva runs alongside the clear, fast-flowing, Bečva river most of the way, with colourful yellow flowers (a bit like miniature sunflowers) right along the bank.

Not far out of Hranice I was fascinated by a number of diminutive, but very attractive, houses. At first I thought they were garden sheds, then realised that the owners with limited budgets must have decided to compromise on size rather than quality.

Riding on the Cyklostezka Bečva path was an absolute joy, so I reached the town of Přerov (at the 30 Km mark) in good time. Just as I was priding myself with how well I was going, I came to an abrupt halt in Přerov … the bridge that my route wanted me to pass over was closed for reconstruction, forcing me to take a wide detour (adding nearly 10 Km to my journey). I thought about switching to my Plan B route, but was deterred by the heavy traffic on the main road, so persisted with finding another way across the river.

When I eventually rejoined by original route I enjoyed good riding on traffic-free country roads, passing through a number of shabby little towns with shabby little houses. No signs of any affluence here.

My detour in Přerov meant that my journey was now 77 Km, the last 20 Km into a headwind (Jack Nicklaus’ theory is proven again). Eventually I arrived at the incredible town of Kroměříž. Wow!

After strolling around the town’s wonderful square admiring the cloister’s and colourful buildings, I wandered down a street where the impressive architecture blew my mind. But these structures paled into insignificance when I came to Podzamecka Zahrada, the Archbishop’s Chateau and gardens. Such opulence! Rabbits and peacocks were roaming free in the gardens, and there was even a zoo with a variety of monkeys and birds.

Czech Republic is a strange contradiction. The big towns here are so opulent while all the smaller towns are so impoverished. I thought Hranice was nice but Kroměříž is at another level.

Capping off the day nicely was the meal I had at the restaurant next door … two generous courses of excellent fare for a total of 190 Koruna – which converts to A$12!