Raining heavily when left Krakow and set tomtom for Nowa Huta the Russian built new town that is supposed to show "socialist realism" architecture. It took me 18 km in the right direction but when it said we had arrived we were in the middle of the coutryside with not a trace of a town anywhere. It must have been close by because I had passed the terminus for the number 15 and 21 trams which we had been told to take to get to Nowa Huta. It was raining and heavy clouds but I would still have expected to have been able to find the bloody place. Anyway gradually getting wetter and more pissed off I decided to set tomtom for Prague and get on my way. It took me exactly back along the route I had just travelled from Krakow and into a megga traffic jam on the way out of Krakow going towards Katowice.
Another learning point for me is tram lines in the road when it is wet. They are lethal on a motorbike especially if you are travelling parallel to them. The bike does not want to climb over them and it´s like being in a deep rut! After 5 days not on the bike it was a shakey start in the wet in Krakow.
Tomtom took me on the toll road towards Auschwitz and then Katowice and then into the Czech Republic (CR). Roads are very good in the CR, it was like motorway all the time and I could keep up a good 120km/hr so the journey only took me about 5 hrs including the time in the traffic jam getting out of Krakow.
Throughout the ride I got soaking wet 5 times and then dried out again. When I say soaking wet it is just the outside of the jacket and trousers, I remain dry inside, well almost, you know when the water has found a track inside because your testicles suddenly get cold !!
I met an Italian riding a BMW 1200 adventure at a service station and we got talking. He had been on a holiday with his Finnish girlfriend who had stayed in Finland with her parents and he was now on his way back to Italy. He had done what I originally was going to do and cross Sweden and get a ferry to Finland
I told him that he should have gone to Norkapp (with the rest of the real bikers!!!). We rode together for about 20 miles and then he headed off south and I kept on west towards Prague.
The earphones I am using are not good at high speed they do not keep out the wind noise, so I decided to invest in a good pair of inner ear phones. So saw a Tesco superstore and thought they should have earphones at economic prices so invested 600 kc (about 20 pounds) and now I hear less wind noise and I can hear my tunes beautifully even at full speed !! They are purple which is definitely a girly colour but what the hell they work great!!
At about 150km from Prague stopped and read the accommodation guides in my Europe book and chose a hostel in the centre of Prague. No problem it took me right to the door (after I made a couple of mistakes turning too early), and they let me park my bike in the hostel courtyard so all is secure.
The hostels are ok, not ultra clean but good enough for me. I am in a 3 bed dorm but with nobody else booked in . It costs 523 kc a night.
Out at night and had a drink and a quick meal. First impression is that Prague is very beautiful architecturally. Apparently it was hardly damaged at all in World War II. Food is quite cheap and so is the beer which is very nice.
More later
TOR
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