Czech Republic!

I finally made it!

I’ve been wanting to come here for years. All my Czech friends are always banging on about how beautiful it is, and they weren’t exaggerating.

I get a ride out of Linz pretty quickly. Well, after I spend two hours walking and scooting my way across the northern suburbs of the city.

Thomas, the guy who picks me up in Linz is headed to a little village by a lake called Zadni Vyton. He is on vacation, and plans to spend the next few days riding his pushbike around the lake and hills around the village.

As soon as we cross the Austrian/Czech border you can tell you are in a different place. The Czech houses are colourful and whimsically designed. The roads are narrow and winding. Five minutes from the border there is a castle beside the road, but not the towering, sinister looking sort of thing you see in western Europe, this Castle is small, and decoratively painted, and there are horses trotting around in the field below the walls. It looks like something from a children’s picture book.

Zadni Vyton is not far from the border.
Thomas shakes my hand, climbs on his bike and peddles off up the hill.
I’m much too foot-sore for hill climbing. I make a bee line for the lakeside instead.

Oh bliss. After days of standing around on roadsides and camping beside the highway, this is exactly the sort of r+r I need.

I find a little mossy clearing on the bank of the lake to pitch my tent.
It’s idyllic. Green leafy shrubbery, cool water, but not too cold. Shady trees and warm sun.

There’s a little stone chapel on the lakes edge, a couple of very relaxed looking families lounging on the grass, and a restaurant with a beat up old tractor parked in the driveway.

I take a swim, and rinse off the road grime. Oh man that feels good.
I find a nice spot in the sun, and get out my phone to write up the last few days events. I fall asleep in about three minutes.

It’s dark now.
The moon is shimmering on the lakes surface.
I’m sitting in the woods, next to my tent. I can hear the rigging of sailing boats rattling occasionally out on the water.

I feel like a different person to the one who trudged up the hill out of Linz this morning.
It’s amazing what a swim will do for your psychology.

This lake is so beautiful, I feel like I could happily spend a week here, but tomorrow I’m going to push on to Prague.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing that city for ages.
Also, there is no Wi-fi in this little village, and I need to get this blog post out.

Man, I will sleep well tonight.