Czech

Date: September 2019
Duration: 2 days
Distance: 550km

It’s nearing the end of the tour and I’m on my final country before returning to Germany. I have two days in Czech which allows me to confine myself to the quiet country roads.

Czech has still yet to adopt the Euro. When crossing borders with border infrastructure, there are usually opportunities to exchange money as soon as you arrive into a new country. Inside the Schengen area the only border infrastructure is often just a road sign, so I stop in the first large town I come to to change some cash.

Eventually someone who understands English directs me to the old town square and I have money, Czech Koruna.

I have highlighed the city of Brno on my map, so I make my way there at a gentle pace. For the first time on this trip, my first choice of hotel is fully booked. They recommend the hotel across the road, which does have a free room and secure parking.

Brno is famous for its historic centre which includes a castle and several churches. It is the second largest city after Prague, so finding somewhere to eat and drink is certainly not an issue.

As a beer drinker and in particular a fan of pilsner, I cannot resist a visit to Plzeň, the birthplace of pils.

From my current location in Brno there are no direct fast roads to Plzeň. The motorways all go to Prague, which is a significant detour from my route. I ride direct to Plzeň.

By mid-afternoon I am parked up and checked-in to a hotel just across the river from the old town. It’s too late to tour the brewery but there are plenty of opportunities to sample its produce.

Home is pretty much directly west but as it’s not too far out of the way, I want to finally visit Dresden. I head there direct, restricting myself to the country roads.

After a few hours I am back in Germany and very almost at the end of my tour. By the time I return home to Karlsruhe, I will have covered nearly 5200km alone across 11 countries in three weeks.