A whole new world
Here we are in the Czeh Republic. Germany didn’t really want to let us go, we climbed hill after hill after hill, passed through some lovely little towns of wood-framed houses, some with natural slate rock roofs, and I had to pedal furiously on the downhills to keep pace with Szoki – or stay tight behind him in his wind shadow. Zittau is built right on the border to Poland, then comes about 1 km of road lined with petrol stations and cigarette shops, and then comes another border. The world feels different. It smells of coal smoke, hearty meals and mountain air. We climbed a winding road, listening to the rush of a mountain stream, passed a couple of villages and the bunker where we originally planned to sleep, and now we are riding downhill to Liberec. We hope to continue until about 22:00, and then find a place to camp.
