21 August – Our plan was to head east to the Bavarian Forest area of Germany, near the Austrian border, however the road we were following was closed for maintenance for large parts causing us some angst. After a few wrong turns we eventually got onto the right road and found our camp in the Bavarian Forest National Park in Zwiesel. We are back in low mountains with ski resorts. It was fairly hot so we used our free pass to the local public swimming pool for a cool off. There was a whirl pool which was fun. Unfortunately most of Zwiesel had the same idea so it was crowded.

22 August – We were on the road early because we had a 300 km drive to our next camp. After a shop in Zwiesel we drove thru the beautiful Bavarian Forest with cute alpine logging villages. We joined the autobahn to Vienna for a 200 kms and then followed along the banks of the Danube River to our camp at Krem. We are right on the river and can watch the huge tourist boats and barges passing by. Across the river is the Abbey of Gotweig. A couple of guys from Ausburg introduced themselves and invited us for a beer. People are friendly but an invite for a drink is rare. They spoke good English and it was very enjoyable.

23 August – We found a radio station with some English content. The forecast for today was that it would get to 37 degrees over most of Austria. We set off on the bikes to the city of Krem along the cycleway next to the river. Part of the city is industrial with a large port. A bit strange as we are 1000 kms from the sea! There was a lovely old centre with a long pedestrian shopping area. Val bought new shorts as she has worn out her old ones. After lunch back at the camp, and with the temperature climbing, we headed upstream along the cycleway to a few of the smaller villages on the Danube. There are a lot of grapes grown on the riverbanks and it was a great ride along the river and thru the vineyards. After about 8kms we stopped for an ice-cream and a swim in the Danube. We have no idea why it is called the Blue Danube as it is a grey colour but the water was cool and we were HOT. Back to camp and another swim close to the camp. Not so much a swim as a drift downstream in the current. As I write this it is 29 degrees at 9:40 pm. We might have to get our fan out tonight!

24 August – We drove the quiet roads to Klosterneuburg and our camp 14 kms from Vienna. The camp is expensive at 32 euro/night but handy to the city. After lunch, and with the temperature up to 37 degrees, we used our free pass to a local beach/pool and swam in the murky backwater of the Danube. Not very healthy but cooling.

25 August – Off to the railway station early to avoid the heat. We caught a local train to the start of the underground which took us into the centre of Vienna. There was a great mixture of beautiful old buildings and modern buildings with pedestrian areas. The city was heavily bombed during the war but the best buildings have either survived or have been rebuilt. Highlights were St Peters Church, St Stephens Cathedral, the Imperial Palace, Parliament, and the museum quarter. We took an elevator for a view from the top of the Cathedral. We joined a tour of the Opera House which was fascinating The front half is original (1860s) but the auditorium and back stage were restored in the 1950s. We had an ice-cream and caught the trains back to camp and rested in the shade.

26 August – It is hot again today but with a hot wind. (a bit like a N/W’er) We biked to the Klosterneuburg Abbey and Church. Unfortunately the Abbey is having its stone work cleaned so was completely covered. The church was stunning with the now usual great interior and frescoes. We changed some euros into koruny for our time in the Czech Republic. At 4:00 pm we caught the trains back into the city to view the Schonbrunn and the Belvedere Palaces. They were both set in huge beautiful gardens. At 6:45pm we met John Le Heron (badminton mate from ChCh) at Karlplatz and he took us to Yvonne and his apartment for drinks, a great meal and a catch up. They both work for the UN and have been in Vienna for 6 years. We caught the last train back to the camp.

27 August – After a shop we headed NE up a great road thru farming country towards the Czech Republic. At the border the country changed to forestry and the road deteriorated (but not, fortunately, to Albanian standards). Suddenly the temperature dropped and it started to rain. We are in a camp close to Cesky Krumlov, an old town which we will cycle to tomorrow, hopefully not in the rain. The temperature is now 13 degrees. What a contrast to the 37 degrees of the last few days. We might sleep a bit better!

28 August – 7 degrees and the heater on for breakfast! The sun hit “Lefty” and the temperature soon rose to the mid 20s. We biked along a great cycleway for 4 kms to the gates of the old town of Cesky Krumlov. The town is set on a curve in the river with great old buildings and a castle overlooking the area. The river has several bridges crossing it giving great views of the town. At several points the river has weirs and “shutes” for rafts and canoes to fly down. These can be hired and it has developed into quite an attraction. The rafts seemed to navigate the “shutes” ok but several of the canoes capsized much to the cheers and laughter of the watching crowd. Back to the camp for a restful afternoon before cycling back to the town for a lovely Czech meal (trout and duck) to celebrate out 40th wedding anniversary in a restaurant overlooking the castle tower. It was dark for our cycle back to camp.

29 August – After skyping the girls this morning we drove thru some great Czech country roads to Kutna Hora. The country is a mixture of farming and forestry with cute little villages. Each village has old public address speakers on each lamp post. We think this is a hang over from the communist days when they were used for public announcements. (bath night for surnames A – M??). The Czech Republic was behind the iron curtain until 1998. Kutna Hora was famous for silver mining (long ago) and has a great Cathedral, Jesuit Abbey and Treasury where they minted coins. This was all an easy walk from our camp.

30 August – We drove around the outskirts of Prague to the Karstejn Castle. We parked in a car park and had no idea where the castle was so we took the easy option and hopped onto a horse and cart which took us around the corner and up a valley to this spectacular landmark. As it was lunch time and quite a wait for a tour, we settled for a walk around the grounds. Back along the road to our camp just out of Prague. A 24 hour pass on the underground meant that we could go into the city for a quick look around, and a beer while watching the sites. The Czech Republic is where Budweiser originated from and there has been huge fight going on with the American company since the 19th century. It is a great looking city and we will explore it more thoroughly tomorrow.

31 August – Back on the metro into Prague. This must be the fastest underground train we have ever been on. It really flies! We change once to end up near Prague Castle which overlooks the city. Quite a place with great views and buildings including the basilica. This is the president’s official home so there are guards at each entrance. We waited for them to change at midday but nothing happened. Perhaps they are on overtime! We walked down into the old town over the Charles Bridge with great views of the river and the town. The Astronomical Clock on the old town hall struck 1:00pm and we watched the twelve apostles appear in the windows while a trumpeter played from the tower. Everyone cheered. This is in Winceslas Square where there are about 4 stunning churches. We finished our walk at the Municipal House a very ornate art deco building before catching the metro back to “Lefty”.

1 September – September already! Boy how the time has flown. Out GPS/navigator let us down and tried to take use thru the centre of Prague. We abandoned it when it tried to take us thru a 3m high arch and onto the Charles Bridge (walking only). Eventually we found the motorway and used it until we crossed the Elbe River which we then followed along a picturesque road to Konigstein. We are now back in Germany. We are camped right beside the Elbe River and enjoy watching the many tourist boats going up and down. We cycled into the village and found the tourist info office to plan our day tomorrow.

2 September – We rode down a great cycleway along the Elbe River and thru the gorge to Pirna, passing several cute villages. (26 kms). This cycleway follows the Elbe river from the German/Czech border to the North Sea (869 kms). Many groups were doing this part as it is probably the best bit. After lunch and a look around the village we caught a paddle steamer back to Konigstein. There are 11 paddle steamers plying the river between here and Dresden. They are the largest and oldest fleet in the world. Our boat was launched in 1898 and is far from the oldest. They all still have there original steam engines but the boilers are now fuelled with oil. A great 2 hour trip with a National Park on one side with spectacular cliffs. Unfortunately the main railway line follows the river and passes the camp making it quite noisy especially at night.

3 September - Another sunny day. Boy have we been lucky with the weather! After a shop we followed north west up the autobahn (260 kms) to our camp just out of Potsdam from where we will visit Berlin. The autobahn is boring but you can certainly cover the miles on them. While we do 100 kph in the right hand lane some cars fly past at amazing speeds. This camp has a nice lake and beach. We had a refreshing swim as it is hot again.

4 September – We bought a day pass on the Berlin transport system and caught a bus to Potsdam and the S Bann into the main Berlin railway station and then the Metro to the Brandenburg Gate (a 2 hour trip all up!) The huge square in front of the Gate is very busy with tourists etc. We walked thru the Gate and around the Reichstag (Parliament) and the Holocaust Memorial. (a strange maze made up of various sized concrete columns.) We walked back thru the gate and had lunch watching the sites. The Unter Den Linder (a large boulevard) took us Cathedral. Next we passed the Opera House and two more cathedrals before hopping on the Metro to Check Point Charlie and the Berlin Wall. At the Berlin wall there was a sobering exhibition of the history of Wall and Nazi period. We sat at Check Point Charlie and had a coffee and cake while watching the tourists being photographed in front of the check point with a fake American guard. The trip back to “Lefty” only took 1 ½ hours as the bus took a different route. We cooled off in the lake again. It rained in the night.

5 September – As soon as I mention the weather it packs up! It has rained off and on for most of the day but is still warm. We spent the morning planning our route thru the rest of Germany and the Netherlands and back to England. After lunch we hopped on our bikes and followed the cycleway to Potsdam. This was the Prussian Royal Seat and has many palaces and gardens and a mixture of architecture. An interesting building was Cecilienhof where Starlin, Churchill and Truman divided up Germany after the WW2. We also saw the Glienicker Bridge where spy exchanges were made between USA/Britain and Russia during the Cold War. The sites are spread out and by the time we returned to “Lefty” we reckon we have covered 34 kms. Tomorrow we will head south west on our zigzag tour of Germany.