Day 4: Leipzig - Pra....Brno?

Well, seems my Japanese friend I met yesterday must have gotten to Prague via the autobahn, because despite leaving Leipzig at 9am – after a couple of pro plus and a long hot shower, I didn’t reach the Czech border until 12. Boy was it worth it though. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed and awestruck by the sheer beauty of the countryside I rode through today. From Chemnitz all the way past the Czech border was utterly sublime, and so highly recommended I’m tempted to go back tomorrow.

That might be a little tricky however as rather than be in Prague as intended, I’m actually in Brno... I had a thought this morning that I might be able to ride through to tomorrows destination, as I had a couple of very hard days riding once I reached Brno - first navigating my way into the heart of Austria, and then the huge 300+ mile trip through to Verona. If I was able to make it to Brno today, then I’d be ahead of schedule and be able to take it a little easy...

That thought was soon removed from my mind when I reached hour five of my ride - had Prague been a two hour trip, then no problem, but to double the distance after spending most of the day on the road anyway? Madness, surely...

I stopped off for a quick bite to eat at a restaurant (shack?) located bang on the Czech border before riding through some of the most incredible scenery I’ve ever seen. Small villages and Czech architecture, dotted around dense forests and woodlands, twists and turns keeping me on my toes and at a pretty steady 40-55mph tops. Soon enough though, I hit the motorway heading for Prague. Route 7 was easy enough to get on to, and I relaxed in to the ride, barely hitting 60mph as I trundled along, relaxed and content in my own little world after the previous few hours driving - that was until I was joined by a few others...

About half way to Prague on route 7, I was overtaken by a Yamaha Dragstar with exhausts which sounded like they were spitting out thunder. Then, out of nowhere came a Suzuki GSR 600 and a Kawasaki ZX-7R. Oh, it was on... For the next 100+ miles we rode as a unit, the three other bikes sporting Czech licence plates. I initially thought that they’d be heading to Prague too, in which case they might be able to advise on a decent place to stay for the night, but as we overtook traffic in a 2 x 2 convoy at 70-80mph through the Czech countryside, navigating motorways, dual carriageways and huge tunnels carved into the mountains I began to think differently. The turnoffs for Prague came and went quickly. Queues were no problem either surprisingly – cars we eagerly moving out of our way (upon hearing the exhausts from the Dragstar no doubt) as we filtered through two lanes of stationary traffic at 30-40mph on a congested and very modern Czech highway. Road surfaces were variable though, with the other bikes frequently using the hard shoulder to get some smooth tarmac under their wheels as I bounced along poorly laid sections of road.

As we took the turnoffs heading to Brno, I remembered my initial plan for the day. It was already gone 3pm and I’d been riding since 9 in the morning. We pulled in to a rest stop about 140 miles from Brno, and I got a chance to meet the guys I’d been riding with. Despite not understanding a word of English, I managed to find out that they weren’t actually heading to Brno, but instead were on their way to a big bike festival 30 miles down the road. After a quick re-fuel for Betty and I, along with a Kodak moment, we set off again, but not before a huge Harley with a massive 240 rear tyre pulled up and decided to tag along with us. This was the stuff dreams are made of...

From setting out from Leipzig on another cold morning wearing my thermals and a jumper, it was now 34⁰c on the Czech motorway and I was sweltering. Wasn’t so bad when making progress, but navigating traffic jams and the like was a nightmare, albeit a thoroughly enjoyable one! Soon enough though, the convoy parted ways - with a 75mph wave and a blaring of horns through the sounds of over-revving engines as clutches were dropped and throttles opened up. I still had around 110 miles to cover before I reached Brno, and I’d been on the road for around more than six hours, but I was perfectly happy going back to doing my own thing after such an impromptu and massively fun turn of events.

I’d pulled in to stretch my legs and refuel about 20 miles from Brno, taking a little bit of time to sort myself out after so long riding in hot and humid conditions. Soon after setting off however I came across a huge traffic jam stretching for several miles. A four car pile-up had occurred, and as I passed the tow-trucks taking the damaged vehicles away, I recognised a couple as vehicles I’d overtaken before pulling in to refuel. It had taken me a good 30 minutes of filtering through stationary to reach the front of the queue, overtaking traffic and becoming a little concerned at the heat coming from the VTX engine. Betty had been running for over 8 hours, pretty much solid, after several pretty hard days riding. I needn’t have worried though – we soon made it past the jam and into Brno.

By this time I was ready to find somewhere, anywhere, to park up and get some proper rest. Riding through the centre of Brno felt like southern Spain, with the road surface glistening with the heat, not a cloud in the sky. I made my way to the Best Western Premier Hotel and headed inside to enquire about prices and parking facilities.

If I understood the manager correctly, I think I’m going to be coming back here again for future holidays. Taking the Czech exchange rate into account, my room – which is swankier than the Ramada I stayed in last night, including parking, and including use of the Sauna, Swimming Pool, Gym and with free Internet access, works out to €13. Done and done.

After a quick check of my emails and catching up with a little bit of admin after getting settled and changed, I headed out to explore Brno. I’ve decided it’s a pretty magical place. 15^th and 16^th century architecture breaking up the bars, restaurants and cafes populated by tourists and locals on every street. Friendly and welcoming, my only regret was not arriving earlier and getting to spend more time here.

After a bit of searching I headed into a local bar, grabbed a seat and ordered some dinner and a beer. I got chatting to a local guy, Jonno, whose mother was an English teacher in Brno. He was in his final year of a six year vetinary degree, and despite limited English (and no Czech on my part) we stumbled along over the course of several hours – with the huge glasses of beer flowing freely. We were joined pretty much straight away by his girlfriend Petra who spoke less English than he did, but was more than happy to muddle along and partake in the beers which seemed to keep coming from nowhere.

With the beer drunk and the bills paid (food and 11 beers coming to €30), we said our goodbyes and I headed back to the hotel where I’m writing this now. All in all, despite not getting to visit Prague, I have a day in lieu which I can use if I need to, and I’ve had a fantastic night exploring Brno. Just like Leipzig before it, this is a place where I could spend several days wandering about admiring the city and getting to know a few more of the people who live and work here. Whilst a nice thought however, Austria awaits me tomorrow, and I’m off to bed having covered a not un-significant portion of Germany, and the vast majority of the beautiful Czech Republic, all in one day. Truly one to remember.