🗺️Travels

EuroVelo 9: 253th Km Day 4 After conquering the last climb of Jeseníky, downhill again. Fun ride. But the further I descend, the more flood damage I see. Road part paved, part destroyed. Sometimes carrying the bike just to continue. Quick stop in Jeseník city. Empty square, overpriced bookings. Nothing there. I move on. Closer to the border, the roads get sketchier. Original paths washed away. Excavators in the river, piles of dirt on both banks. Not pretty. At one point a truck waves me to pass. Good. Until it’s right on my ass. Now I’m pedaling like crazy to not block traffic. Lesson learned: next time, let the damn truck go first. After 20 km, I reach the border. Not simple. Destroyed roads completely cut the way. Backtracked, scouted through bushes. For a while I thought I’d have to cross the river without a bridge. Considered wild camping. But trucks were still working nearby, moving dirt from one collapsed part to another. Got used to having a shower every day now, so no camping. Only choice — make it to Głuchołazy, first Polish town across the border. Navigation fails me. Bridge destroyed. Map sends me through a factory. Security guard yells at me. I explain in English. He calls a lady. She checks the address, says navigation is wrong. I need to ride 1 km further and use a temporary bridge. Sounds like Głuchołazy is seriously damaged. And yeah, once I get in, the whole town is under construction. Only one road in and out. I end up stuck in a traffic jam, pushing through with the rest of them. An hour after making the booking, I finally reach the property. Private house, cheap room. No AC, no internet. But it’s decent. I’m glad I made it to Poland. First impressions are rough, but that’s exciting. New scenery. New chapter. No way back now, only north, to the sea.

EuroVelo 9: 223rd Km, Day 4 Third night done. Woke up late. Body super sore. Still waiting for that “cycling god mode” to kick in. The one that’s supposed to come after the first struggles. Not yet. I pack up quick. Brompton safe in the locker room. Relieved. Today’s plan: two peaks. Jeseníky natural park. One busy road to the Polish border. Climbing starts right away. Two minutes in and I’m already out of gas. Pushing the bike one step at a time. But soon — reward. Fresh mountain air. Vast pastures. Silence. Straight out of a Milka ad. Only problem — trash. In the mountains you have to carry it all. My little bag getting heavier with bananas. No bins. After a short section with trucks, I enter Jeseníky park. Signs of the flood I read about yesterday in Hanušovice. That village was cut off by a flash flood last year. Now, it looks normal. But here — fallen trees, messy rocks, river still scarred. Then the path turns magical. Old settlements. Wooden houses. Feels like an Eastern European fairy tale. Quiet, timeless. Doesn’t last. I join a busy road again. Final climb of the day. It’s 2 p.m. I feel confident I’ll reach Poland today. But first — I stop at a ski resort. Incredible view. Time to breathe.

EuroVelo 9: 202th Km Day 3 I forgot it’s Sunday. Progressing through Jeseníky county with only two liters of water left. All the grocery stores closed. Drinking fountains non existent here. Road turns hilly and narrow. I push the bike a lot. Finally, in the middle of nowhere, an open Coop. Lifesaver. I grab soda and a kilo of bananas. Enough food and water to climb further. The scenery shifts as the road rises. More turns. Cleaner air. But no more weekend cyclists. Just me, cars, and locals commuting. On one downhill I forget to close the front bag. Bananas fall out on a bump. I roll right over them. Heavy bike cuts through like butter. I stop. Pick up the smashed fruit. Still edible if I eat fast. Heat will rot them anyway. So I sit at a bus stop, busy finishing them. The hills are beautiful. Wild camping would be easy here. But I’m set on reaching Hanušovice before sunset. Last bigger town before the border. Catch: the only decent room I find is under 30 euros, but cash only. And I have none. Map shows only one ATM in the whole village. I gamble. Make the non-refundable reservation. 6 p.m. Hanušovice. The ATM works. Big relief. There’s even an open supermarket, and the Holba craft beer factory, the natioanl brand. Perfect stop for the night. I roll into the motel’s outdoor dining area. Packed with guests. Everyone stares at the bike. No reception. I ask the waitress. She says it’s complicated, different owner, no memo. Tells me to wait. So I sit outside. Still stares. Twenty minutes later she leads me to the bar. I hand over 30 euros. She gives change, but rounded heavily. Service fee? Annoyance fee? Doesn’t matter. Got the keys. She says the bike room is safe. Cameras everywhere. Outside, some gypsies hanging around the houses. Whatever. Feels fine. With daylight left, I take the Brompton to see the Holba factory. It’s open, but only for workers. They even work Sundays. Incredible. Museum and visitor part closed. My time in Czechia is almost up. Tomorrow I’ll cross into Poland. That’s when the real adventure begins.

EuroVelo 9: 185th Km Day 3 9 a.m. I pack, leave the hostel. Throw the keys in the box. Still thinking about that burger, but the joint opens at 11. Too late for me to stick around. No breakfast at the hostel, so plan B, the local grocery store. Coop. Classic backcountry chain. Lock the bike, step inside. Turns out it’s owned by Vietnamese. I say hi. Exchange a few words. But people start rolling in. Sunday, short hours, small shop. Can’t block the entrance. Grab donuts, cookies, banana. At the counter, I watch locals line up. Each holding three, four bottles of alcohol. Moravia. Heavy drinkers. Everyone looks a decade older than they are. I get a discount. Didn’t expect it. Say thanks, leave. Eat the donut on the square. Then back on the bike. 7 km just to get back to the EuroVelo path. That’s the tax for the detour and a bed. Garmin tells me my sleep plan isn’t working. Tried to max out recovery. Two nights in hotels, still only a 65 score. Body wrecked no matter how comfy the bed. Tent sleep would probably be 35 or worse. Let’s see how fast my muscles adapt to the kilometers stacking up. The route drags me through small villages. Lots of construction. Maybe next year it’ll be smooth bike path. Today it’s me pushing through sand, carrying a loaded bike over ditches. And all of this is just the warm-up. Jeseník district ahead. Borders Poland north and west. Mostly hills. South, mountains. North, plains. Only one road to cross it. Which means busy climbs. But for now I’m enjoying the flat, peaceful scenery. Like cement mine like this.

EuroVelo 9: 173th Km Day 2 4 p.m. The storm had passed. Time to make up for the wait. Next section was slow. Paved road but broken asphalt, full of holes. My tiny wheels feel every scar. I stop often. Chugging down this giant homemade pastry. So big it takes 20% of my front bag. But it fuels me. Morning breakfast energy long gone. It’s weekend. Cyclists everywhere. They look at me, standing on the roadside, chewing. Finally, I get through the worst of it. Surprised it’s still only 5 p.m. Could make it to Mohelnice. But when I check Booking, my favorite option is gone. Only overpriced stays left. So I zoom out. Bigger picture. Spot a hostel 7 km east. Tiny village, Lostice. Has a kettle. 25 euros. Worth it? 14 km detour round trip, just for shower and sleep. Hell yes. Turn left, go fast. Roll into the town square. Everyone stares. I stop at the hostel. Doors open, reception closed. I call the number on Booking. Woman answers. She’s working at a restaurant somewhere else. Tells me I can either pick up keys at her bar, or use the secret key box. Gives me the code. It works. Room’s fine. No AC. But electricity, shower, fridge. Good enough. Still hungry. Not dark yet. I scout food on Google Maps. Restaurants all low rated. Except one burger joint. Nearly 5/5 stars. Closes in 30 minutes. Quick shower. Rush out. When I arrive, they’re already packing. I ask if I can still order. Lady hesitates. Almost turned everything off. Says she can do it, but without bacon and fries. I ask for a discount. She smiles, agrees, 15% off. Hell yes. She’s tired, wants to go home, but still fires up the oven. Outside, I ask a kid chewing his burger what’s best on the menu. He says, “Everything.” Not helpful. I push deeper. He says, “The cheese one.” Turns out this whole area, around Olomouc, is famous for its stinky cheese: Olomoucké tvarůžky. Even burgers get it. So I order that. Twenty minutes later, I’m carrying it back to the hostel. First bite, best burger I’ve had in years. Melted fried cheese, jalapeños, everything. Tasted even better with the discount. That’s how Day 2 ended. Unplanned. Dry, lucky, full. Detour well worth it.

EuroVelo 9 — 121th Km, Day 2 10 a.m. Leaving Prostějov. Still regret not exploring the city last night. But that motel left a bad taste. So I just pedal harder. Focus on leaving. Next up: Olomouc. Biggest Czech city on this route. 100k people. Student kinda type. Perfect for a rest day. But too early in the tour. And I didn’t make it yesterday anyway. So today it’s just a quick pass-through. Maybe one day I come back for a day trip. Forecast said rain. Raining around 2 p.m., 30% chance. That’s what the iPhone said. So I stick to the route. Leaving Olomouc behind. About 23 km further… I start feeling it. Wind picks up. Clouds dark. Then thunder. Not even forecasted. Couldn’t see the lightning, so no idea how far away. I was on a cycling path through open fields. No shelter. Until I saw a bike stop, one of those gazebos with a roof. Parked my Brompton under it. Waited. Then every few minutes, a thunder. Must be big, I told myself. But weirdly, it only showered for a bit. Then stopped. Just thunder going on somewhere. Cyclists kept passing like nothing. Mountain bikers, calm faces. Maybe their rides were short. I still had 50 km ahead to reach a bigger town. I hate waiting. Doing nothing. But I also didn’t want to be caught mid-road in the rain. So I sat there. For an hour. Then I got bored. No big rain. Thunder faded. Time to move. The first 20 minutes — it drips here and there. I stopped four times. Once under a tree. Once under a chapel. Then finally — clear skies. I am saved, but have to make up for the time lost. Will I get to Mohelnice today in time?