Týnec nad Sázavou

August 27, 2017

As usual, Kenneth and I rose after Happy and Jerry but caught up with them at breakfast at a cute café off the main square, Kavárna Konstanz, where they had a good all-you-can-eat buffet for next to nothing . . . less than $6.00 US.

Our "penzion," which was more like an Airbnb, was well located in Tábor, so after last night's major downpour we were able to make our way home with little effort. The apartment has two levels, with the first having the kitchen, dining room, and a full bath, and the second, a spacious living room with space for two single beds, two bedrooms, each with a double/queen bed, and another full bath. We were in total luxury, all for the ridiculous price of about $32.00 each per night!

There were at least two other "units" (apartments) in the building. The first floor was reserved for the main entry hall and a large room for "services" such as washing, ironing, desk space, and, of course, our four bikes! So yes, we were content. But for the middle of the night.

I have to say, I slept through this! I had taken one of the singles in the living room area, Kenneth had a separate bedroom (he had done the legwork to find this place), and Happy and Jerry shared the other room. Well, it rained all night. Not heavy (see last night's dinner deluge on the previous page), but heavy enough to accumulate on a flat roof . . . and apparently, accumulate it did. And the roof was not up to the job, and at some point it decided to collapse on Happy's side of the double/queen bed! Well, not the whole roof, but the drywall/plaster came caving down. I don't think it was the end of the world, but it was startling! For them, at least. I vaguely remember some commotion but kept to my business . . . which was sleeping!

It all came to light in the morning with much discussion and agitation (for lack of a better word, although it's more than appropriate). Happy survived and had moved to the living room for the balance of the night. Kenneth called the landlord to explain the situation, which I'm not sure he ever understood. His English was passable but didn't handle complex conversation, and our Czech is non-existent. But we tried.

So after breakfast (remember breakfast?), Happy and Jerry hit the trail, and Kenneth and I went to the Husitské Muzeum (Hussite Museum), which I highly recommend! We hadn't done too many touristy things so far, but this was worth the $5.00 admission fee (but depending on what you want to see, it could be more). I am not very familiar with Eastern European history, and this museum gives you a very nice overview and snapshot of all the basics that you need to know about Bohemia and Moravia.

Kenneth trying on chain mail in the Hussite Museum in Tábor. It seems to fit!

We probably spent an hour in the museum. We could have stayed longer, but we had miles to ride! And hills to climb! So we reluctantly made our way back to our penzion to recover our bikes and head out of town to chase down Happy and Jerry. We still had not heard from the landlord but had vacated the unit and stored our gear with the bikes before going to breakfast.

Today's ride to Týnec nad Sázavou.

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Getting out of town was certainly easier than getting in. That's one advantage of being on a hilltop. Tábor is well located from a defensive point of view. A river on one side and a lake on the other, with the town being situated on a narrow piece of land in between. So our exit started out downhill. No complaints here as we descended and rode a short distance along the lake on a nice bike path/trail. But, as with all bodies of water, when you leave them, you usually have to climb a bit, and this one was not an exception. But it wasn't much, and after a while, we cleared the "suburbs' of Tábor and joined the countryside. I have to say, it was beautiful.

Beautiful as we were on mostly quiet roads and passing through small villages. The Greenway is good in that respect. They really do keep you off the major roads, and you do see the "simple" side of life, although life is never as simple as it appears. But for the touring cyclist, mostly it is.

Of course, we were headed for Prague, so we should expect it to get denser with more activity. And sure enough, in Památník Prčický škrpál, we met the modern world! We weren't supposed to be on this road, as the route had us following an out-of-the-way course that sort of doubled back on itself. I said, "Well, we'll just cut across the top of the 'U.'" OK, that's what I did (and Kenneth followed me as I had gotten ahead of him). But of course, the "shortcut" had complications. Like bridge reconstruction! That's OK, I've dealt with that before! But as I approached, I really didn't see a way through . . . until a worker waved at me and showed me the way through. An elevated walkway for the local pedestrian (and bicycle) traffic. This is (obviously) an important connection! But it was a bit treacherous with a fully loaded touring bike. But I made it. Success always feels good and prepares you for the next challenge!

Up on the pedestrian "overpass" and looking back on the path traveled and down on the work underway.

And the path forward. Kenneth had an "accident" here, but not too serious. His bike is much heavier than mine, so this was a challenge with a steep descent. Happy and Jerry stuck to the course and bypassed all of this (although personally I found it enthralling!).

So having navigated that challenge, on we pressed. Kenneth and I did not pass through this crossing at the same time. But we weren't that far apart either. But in that regard, I have to say I'm a bad touring cyclist in the sense that I ride at my pace and have a hard time adjusting to the pace of others. I'm also used to riding solo, so solo I go sometimes.

This is relevant as, unbeknownst to me, Kenneth was having mechanical problems after crossing the bridge under reconstruction. This was related to the panniers and the attachment system it uses. He has a different system (made by Thule), which has a unique attaching device . . . that failed unexpectedly. So he was texting me looking for help, but I was just pedaling along, oblivious to it all. Fortunately, he was able to resolve it, and I stopped in Kosova Hora for a street fair/festival and to get water. That's when I saw the string of text messages. I was not so far ahead of him that I couldn't wait and enjoy the town a bit and some sparkling water. So I did. He arrived in short order and in fine shape. He had figured it out and maybe learned a lesson. Keep It Simple (Sam). KISS. Touring requires simple fixes sometimes!

So after a brief respite, on we pressed. Another short climb and then down again. Lots of rolling hills here, but not true rollers. We had to work each climb. But that was the least of it. We hit another construction project, this one with a clearly (or not so clearly) marked detour. Kenneth and I could not discern this one. To be honest, it looked like a lengthy detour, but our Czech is not so good. Looking at my mapping, I figured we were better off heading down the closed road. Detours are for cars, after all. And I thought/discerned that 1) there was a better and shorter road for us cyclists, 2) if the road closure was for a bridge reconstruction, it was a small bridge, as the waterways ahead were, well, small, and 3) if it wasn't a bridge closure, no problem! And I was right on count 2 (and I only had to be right on one of them)!

The small bridge "closure" outside of Hodětice. We crossed this one easily.

Happy and Jerry took the detour, of course! No sense of adventure lol. OK, they were playing it safe, I guess. It was a bit of a descent followed by a climb, but I'm sure they had a similar experience, albeit WITH cars. Our route was car-free! Tally Ho!

And Tally Ho we did into more beautiful countryside.

After the climb, the view of the countryside outside of Řehovice.

We finally arrived in the very cute town of Neveklov. We actually were looking for lunch, or snacks, or something like that. We hadn't eaten all day, and we were about 36 miles into our ride. Not much further to go, but a little rest and refreshment was in order . . .

Ice cream in Neveklov's town square. We were not the only ones; the place appeared popular, but being a Sunday, maybe the only choice!

Afterward, more cycling through beguiling countryside.

And then we arrived in Týnec nad Sázavou, a charming town that required a short climb up to our penzion after a long descent into town. And while the climbs can be short, they can be very challenging at the end of the day, especially if unexpected!

One of the more notable structures on the climb to our lodging for the night. This side of the river was the "old town," and I imagine this is one of the edifices. The "true" old town, however, was downhill and closer to the river, which is where we had dinner . . . more on that later.

We were lucky to get the lodging, thanks to Kenneth's good work and persistence. Lodging is not always easy to get, and the penzion he got us for the night was spot on. Afterwards, we wandered across the river for a drink and spied a Lidl across the street from the bar we were aiming for. A bar with a view, by the way. But the Lidl took our interest as we knew they were preparing to make a push into the U.S., and we had to (just had to) check it out. So we did.

Not my first Lidl (see my tour through the Alps!) and not my last . . . they are coming to us (the U.S.).

And after the Lidl tour, the bar with a view. Unbeknownst to us, we are looking at the "old town" on the far side of the river.

The Hrad Týnec nad Sázavou. Apparently, THE local tourist attraction . . . we did not go inside, but we had dinner nearby.

Dinner was a delight, local and friendly, and in the old town. It was recommended by the proprietor of our penzion and was a good recommendation. Not crowded at all and mostly full of locals (all two or three of them). But very friendly, and the owner went out of her way to make sure we understood the menu and enjoyed our food. And the locals helped as well. Everybody helps in a small town. Delightful!

Jerry, Happy, and I with the proprietor of Vinárna Pod Věží, a hard place to find but worth the effort.

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 1,556 miles (2,504 km)

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