Prague etc May 2010

[Tricky]

Won't be able to detail day to day RR as all my photos are in a muddle..

Anyway, we needed to be in Prague by late afternoon on Sunday May 16th and landed in Boulogne-Sur-Mer first thing on the Saturday morning. So it was all motorway to the Czech Rep after overnighting near Frankfurt.

We rented an apartment in this block for a week.

We managed to find secure parking for the bike at this Hotel (only the equivalent of 6 euro's per day).

We did all the sights in Prague and would definitely recommend it for a short break. It has a stunning castle as well as interesting bridges and buildings. Not to mention lots of good basement bars selling a variety of nice beers.

A few pics. Astronomical clock in the Old Town Square.

Tyn Church

Wenceslas Square.

Charles Bridge

The Castle

Changing of the guard (nice uniforms!)

Inside one of the Chapels.

View from the Castle across the city.

Fair amount of poverty on show with quite a few beggars about. Maybe no worse than many other Eastern European Cities.

This one was a fake.

I was told that the women where gorgeous but...

Various other pics.

Not sure what this was all about...

Bet that he didn't arrive in this.

During the week I explored a bit of the hinterland including the famous 'LWR' Church of Bones and the concentration camp at Terezin. We then left for Bavaria and the Eagles Nest at Obersalzburg.

Will post up some more later.

 

[Tricky]

OK so the Mrs is looking for shiny things in shops...

Time for me to sneak out into the countryside for a bit of skulduggery.

After a quick exit over the slightly damp tram-rails of Prague. I headed for Kutna Hora and the suburb of Sedlec. There you will find the subterranean 'bone chapel' discovered by 'them'.

Over 600 years this place has accumulated 40,000 skeletons. In 1870, Frantisek Rint, a wood carver by trade, was hired to fashion the bones into a decor for the chapel. The result is huge bells, chandelier, chalices and even the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family.

My following of the LWR route ended here.

 

[Tricky]

After lunch I rode North West to the former concentration camp at Terezin (Theresienstadt to the occupying Germans).

Terezin was the 'showcase' camp of the Nazis. In other words the one concentration camp that they were prepared to show to the outside world.

After nearly 50 years of deliberate neglect by the communist regime, the town presents painful but vital testimony to the Jewish ghetto that became a transit camp for Auschwitz.

I parked up next to a guy looking after the car park and he let me store my riding gear in his little hut. Just as well as the weather was very humid. It was only a short walk up to the camp itself.

Of the 140,000 Jews who passed through Theresienstadt - Czechs, Slovaks, Danes, Austrians and Germans - over 88,000 were deported and 34,000 died in the camp. While this went on, a 'beautification' programme (Verschonerungsaktion) prepared the camp for an inspector from the international Red Cross Committee in 1944. The show he saw convinced him as well. The Soviet Army found 18,000 survivors in May 1945.

It is little more than a ghost town, but each place you pass has a memory of another living reality.

Another place well worth a visit if your ever passing this way.

 

[peejay]

Thanks, anymore?

 

[Tricky]

Thanks, anymore?

I thought you'd never ask!!

After our week in Prague we then headed south to the Austrian border. We took the smaller roads and had a great ride through very green and pleasant countryside. The weather was hot and humid so we stopped for lunch under the shade of a tree.

After crossing the Austrian border we headed for Bad Riechnall in Bavaria as an overnight stop before heading for the Eagles Nest at Obersaltzberg the following day.

We found this nice little place just off the main road into the town.

Nice view from the balcony in the room.

Went for a little wonder around.

After a good nights kip (and a few beers) we saddled up and headed to the Obersaltzberg and Hitlers mountain retreat 'The Kehlsteinhaus'.

 

[Tricky]

We managed to get to The Kehlsteinhaus' in good time and after parking the bike jumped on one of the buses that take you up to the lift we where soon having a good look around.

We left 'The Nest' mid afternoon and manged to find a cheapish Hotel outside Bertesgarten (no photos am afraid )

Next morning we headed west along some nice roads towards Garmisch.

We stopped off at Neuschwanstein Castle but it was packed full of tourists so we didn't stay long.

It was already Wednesday afternoon and we needed to be back for the ferry by Friday so we pushed on to Bad Urach just south of Stuttgart.

Another nice small old German hamlet.

Thursday morning started cloudy with some heavy rain at times so we made for Verdun in France as a jump off point for the dash to Calais on Friday.

A midget 'Hells Angel' must have also been in town.

Made it home by Friday evening. Just in time to go back to work on Saturday morning.

We did over 2,300 miles (including 5 days chilling out in Prague) and had a great time. And errr... the bike used no oil and didn't break down once.

Thanks for looking.

 

[PapaLazarou]

Lovely RR - Spectacular scenary too.

Thanks for the inspiration...

 

[Lord of the Manor]

Excellent

+1, lovely, thankyou! Enjoyed that a lot!

Lovely RR - Spectacular scenary too.

Thanks for the inspiration...

 

[harry]

I wish I'd known about the Church of Bones when I visited Prague last year.

Interesting wee holiday......nice report

 

[Tricky]

I wish I'd known about the Church of Bones when I visited Prague last year.

You must be the only person on this site that hasn't watched LWR about twenty times then. I know I have...

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

 

[Deleted account Cooperman]

Nice report

I know Neuschwanstein - it's a real tourist node (Yanks and Japs).

The best view is from the rope bridge over the ravine at the back