Day 32: Sat 19 Jul - Prague to Roudnice nad Labem, 86km

10-26 deg C, a fine sunny day, a few clouds building in the distance, to sunny at RnL

Ride: 86km: total: 825km, moving time: 4h55; total time 6h30

Walk G: 3km; total: 261km

Walk W: 2km; total: 243km

Cruised away from the hotel at 8am this morning and after a few hundred metres we were greeted by a smooth, wide, off-road cycleway next to the Elbe River.  Apart from a couple of short sections of dirt tracks, we pretty well had great paths all the way. Weather fantastic, paths brilliant, what more could a couple of cyclists ask for? We had plenty of company today, being a Saturday there were 100s of people out and about on foot and every other contraption known to man, also enjoying the lovely weather. 

A lovely 80 odd km, with a whole variety of scenery and landscapes, farms, forests and villages, some right on the river but a lot away from it. A few chateaus popped up along the way and there was another big old beauty castle/fort/chateau that greeted us at our destination.  

We arrived pretty much on schedule at 2:30pm, fashionably late for check-in for a change. Although it wasn’t a tough day’s ride by any means, we were still glad to make it to the room.  

While Wendy had a little rest, Greg went out to explore the town. The real reason was that he had spotted a few flash motorbikes in the town square while riding in and wanted to check them out. Shame, by the time he got to the square they had gone. Apart from some interesting old architecture there wasn’t much else to grab his attention around town. However there was an enormous 11th century, well worn castle/chateau perched on top of the highest point in town strategically overlooking the river. On his return to the hotel, he had a few Zs as well.

Dinner was taken at the in-house restaurant and both meals were delicious. A bit of a wander around town, including a recon of the route out tomorrow, was about all we could manage after dinner. 

Pre-mornos drink stop

Reflections

A pumping station for a lock 

Mornos stop

Veltrusy Chateau

A baroque mansion built in 1716 on a river island with historic greenhouses and gardens

A very nice cycling/walking bridge 

Chateau Melnik

 A hilltop castle with grand rooms, a collection of 17-century maps, a winery and scenic restaurant

Apartment #3 at Apartmány Ztracená in RnL

The bathroom is down these killer stairs!

We have our own sauna 

Ride Route and other stats

Hotel restaurant

Cheers!

Pork tenderloin for W

Lamb for G

The alley our accommodation is in

Our accommodation and restaurant 

View from one end of the alley

Some of the many different paths we rode on today

An old bridge converted into a cycle way. 

Lunch stop, the sun decided to come out in force not long after we stopped, so we didn’t linger for very long

Ice cream stop

Mornos stop

A healthy looking crop of Hops

Learning to kayak 

Roudnice Castle, a massive stone castle built in the 12 century, strategically positioned looking over the Elbe River and nearby trade routes

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