Biking

Time to settle the pedals

Friday, October 28, 2016

Prague's wet, chilly Autumn weather has caused us to hang our bikes up for the season. And by that I mean lean them against the wall in our abnormally large kitchen.

Every year we admonish ourselves for not riding more, though we did clock a fair amount of kilometers this Summer. Truth be told, we should be on our bikes a lot because 1) we enjoy cycling and 2) Prague has improved lightyears in infrastructure for bikes compared with a decade ago.

Bike trails and road paths have appeared around town, as well as signage to mark them.


The cycling webpage for the city of Prague has a lot of information, including maps. I also like to use the Prague Green map for city bike routes, though it's solely in Czech. Finally, I've been reading Grant's Prague Bike Blog for years. He's not posting as much as he used to, but there's still a wealth of information on places to cycle and see around greater Prague.

We like a leisurely spin around the city, with stops for refreshments now and then. This one is just north of the center of Prague, on the right side of the River Vltava.

 

Our pup rides in a bike bag with us, which can at times elicit surprised looks from motorists and pedestrians.

 

Once in a while, we'll catch a train out of town and cycle back, or vice versa. Tickets are very reasonable and never more than the equivalent of a couple of bucks.


We always see something interesting, like the Okoř Castle ruins on a recent jaunt. The area was full of road construction that day, so it was unusually quiet, but we were able to get there on our bikes.


So, ciao for now, bikes. It's on to snow boots and mittens! 






Spring on wheels

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

While this season means the stress of school reports (almost done), high-stakes exams (starting soon) and a theatrical production (just finished), it all seems to melt away under warm Spring sunbeams. Nothing seems so bad when they're dancing on your pasty skin after a grey winter.

The pleasant temps also allow for equally de-stressing outdoor pursuits. We've been taking in Prague's parks by foot and relishing all the fresh blooms.

In Letna Park
And then there's biking; for our first ride of the season, we did a 50km ride from Prague to Karlstejn Castle. It was for a fundraiser for an orphanage in Tanzania that my school supports.

We gathered early on a Saturday,
Near school
smiling even though longer dreams would have been ideal.
Grinning through gritted teeth
The route took us along some small cliffs...
The sun went away and a chill set in
...over a bridge...
No trolls, though
...past the most bucolic scenery...

Painting-worthy
...and to the village of Karlstejn, crowned with a castle!
Victory!
BW and I each inhaled thick bowls of kulajda soup and plates of fried cheese, chicken schnitzel and potatoes. After all, my heart rate said I burned something like 1,400 calories! 
It hurts to sit
And then it was back home on the train for us. Others in the group BIKED back to Prague, but our derrieres had received enough abuse for the day :)
The Karlstejn train station


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