Bart's been biking Belgium2Bishkek: 8. 10/07/2017: History lesson at Cesky Krumlov and 1000km in Zumberk

Garmin Activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2247877931

102km, 5h11, 1265m

Week two began today. With more than 7 days this was now officially my longest cycling trip ever

From the border town of Strazny, we marched further east. Today's goal was to visit the UNESCO heritage site of Cesky Krumlov and then to spend the night in a small cute township called Zumberk.

I had already visited Cesky Krumlov a few times, first time in January 2016, so this was nothing new for me. But Roger had to see this...

We passed through a whole series of tiny roads I had never visited before

Before we went downhill to Cesky Kurmlov, there was a long climb to nearly a 1000m. This is the Sumava Forest Area

South Bohemia, a region in which I spent many days and hours, cycling from one hill to the other. So many memories lie in here. From the moment I left Taiwan until this monster global ride

For me Czech Republic was a very special country to cycle across, having lived there for two years. It was like revisiting my backyard

We entered a forest that was part of the Sumava Forest Area. It was very tranquil on this Monday morning

My Specialized Sequoia travel bike...

A full week on the road and 16 more weeks left. That amount of time on the bike seemed unreal to me

Cops were everywhere, good thing we weren't speeding lol

I was waiting for Roger at this spot when a pedestrian started chatting with me. He says his brother lived in Belgium as well.

Biking like the best

Strangely enough my GPS sent us through this military domain. We did not get arrested

All of the sudden I had this HEY! moment where you recognize a place you have visited before, but you reached it from a different angle. Chvalsiny was that kind of place. I remember that in early March 2016, I booked a room here but when I arrived, I was chased out by the owner without a reason. That night I ended up cycling to Cesky Krumlov where I found a room.

It also meant we were very close to Cesky Krumlov already. This was a crossroads where old memories mixed with new experiences. Funny how life goes... I never thought a small town in the south of Czech Republic would fill me with such emotions

Chalvsiny Church...

We continued to Cesky Krumlov, where the historic note of this ride began

It took us a long and hilly ride into Bavaria forest at nearly 1000 meters to get here, but here we are, Cesky Krumlov in Czechia!

This cute little town attracts millions of visitors each year. With good reason...

We entered the city and explored a little. Roger liked this one a lot

My Specialized Sequoia now standing in Cesky Krumlov after 1000 km of pedaling.

This trip has gone quite well so far

We had a lunch in the central square of \Cesky Krumlov and we chatted a lot about history, both European and Asian. Roger clearly placed his Taiwanese flag were all Chinese tourists could see it, hoping for the ultimate confrontation in which the Chinese would never win the argument. The Chinese looked and glared at that flag, but a confrontation never materialized. As if they knew they wouldn't solve the Taiwan Problem in this European medieval town.

In the afternoon, we exited Cesky Krumlov and we headed east. We needed to add 35km more to a small town called Zumberk. I booked a nice room for two.