Caught an Airport Express bus to main train station. Removed bikes from boxes at the station and got them ready to ride to our apartment.

Stopped for snack and cappuccino on the way to Smart City Prague Apartment.

Beautiful blue sky!

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The Powder Gate.

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Charles Bridge.

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Charles Bridge Gate.

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Enjoying street food!

Video: Making Trdelnik.

Delicious! I had mine plain but could have had it filled with ice cream or Nutella.

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This building is called ‘The Dancing House’.

Statue of Harmony.

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Waiting for the current ferry to cross the river. Had to ring a bell to alert the ferry operator. Cost was about .60 Can.

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Overall an excellent first day on the bikes. Happy with how well the bikes were working for us.

Ended the day in Roundnice nad Labem, Czech. 85 Kms.

Leaving Roudnice. Cool enough for long sleeves.

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Stopped in Litomerice for coffee.

Video: Riding thru a rough surface.

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A nice spot for Lunch break.

Cycling along the Elbe River since Roudnice.

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Couldn’t avoid this railway underpass stairway.

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Stopped for a cold drink. Temperature mid to high 20’s C.

Finished the day in Decin. 80 Kms.

Goulash and dumplings at outdoor restaurant.

A little warmer morning.

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Border of Czech and Germany.

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Rich has found coffee and Kuchen!

Started to rain so put on the Gortex.

Last photo of the day. Ended in Dresden. 89 Kms.

Rich’s cousin, Chrissie, and son, Dirk, were our tour guides for the day.

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Chrissie had an interesting story of this sculpture.

Apparently the sculpture was not paid according to the agreement so at the end the sculptor added an appendage to the final work.

Can you spot it?

Mural depicts chronological history of Dresden.

Such a treat to spend the day with Chrissie & Dirk!

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Spent a great evening with Chrissie, husband Darin, Dirk, at their friends, Ika & Uwe’s lovely estate.

Darin shopped for ingredients and with the help of Uwe and Ika prepared a delicious feast!

Caught the bus downtown to see more of the sights.

The Golden Rider statue.

Video: Lots of little water fountains in the park.

Molkerei (milk products) store and cafe.

Beautiful tile decor and pieces for sale.

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Opera House.

Toured the Opera House.

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Happy that the tour was in English because it was really interesting.

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Loved Dresden. It was bombed heavily near the end of WW11 and has been rebuilt over the years.

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Church in Meissen.

Meissen is famous for ceramics and the church has ceramic bells.

Church of Our Lady, Meissen.

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The Cathedral of Meissen.

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Lunch break. Lots of nice little picnic sites.

Ended our day in Muhlberg. 73 Kms.

Video: Waiting for the cows to clear the road.

Cyclists’ church.

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Stopped in Torgau.

Found coffee and kuchen!

Video: Pretty ride along a gravel surface.

Just crossed the river and there was ice cream waiting for us!

Looking back at the ferry.

Enjoyed Flammkuchen in Elster. Yummy! Might have shared a piece or two with Rich.

Elster was our destination for the day. 83 Kms.

After 15 Kms we arrive at Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Spend some time here looking at the sights.

Pretty little town.

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The church.

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Interesting ride.

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It’s hot, around 30C so we have a cold coke with our kuchen.

Nice to be riding in the shade.

Too early to check in at Hotel NH in Dessau so we tour the sights on our bikes. This is one of the Meisterhauser built in the Bauhaus design which originated here in the 1920’s.

Dessau was our destination for the day. 59 Kms.

A little chilly riding thru a forested area. Interesting remains of a castle.

Stopped at this really cool pension and cafe for coffee and kuchen. Wood carvings everywhere—furniture & decor.

Right after we left this lovely place we learned that the ferry we planned to take across the river wasn’t running due to low water. Had to ride further and cross on a bridge.

Arrived in Magdeburg and walked around to see the sights. This is the Green Citadel. ‘Green’ meant to be an oasis for humanity and nature.

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The Cathedral. Cloudy day.

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This is a statue of Otto von Guericke who invented the vacuum pump (vacuum cleaner).

Magdeburg was our destination for the day. 86 Kms.

Video: pleasant ride on a gravel surface along the river.

Just passed the longest canal bridge in Germany.

Waiting for a ferry to cross the Elbe.

Video: the ferry arriving.

Watching carefully for signage thru this forested area.

A beautiful ride.

Arriving at Tangermunde. Neustadter Gate, one of the most beautiful medieval gate towers in northern Germany.

What a magnificent little town!

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Town Hall (Rathaus).

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Busy tourist town with lovely shops and restaurants.

Nice views of the Elbe.

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Church organ.

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View from our hotel room.

Decor in the restaurant where we had dinner!

Dinner was fabulous!

Tangermunde was our destination for the day (and one of our favourite places on this trip). 77 Kms.

Stopped on our way out of town to pick up provisions for the day.

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Another ferry ride across the river.

Checked in to our pension in Havelberg. Had to watch your head with all the slanted ceilings. Bathroom was down very steep stairs.

Walked around to see the sights. A pretty short day allowing lots of time to enjoy Havelberg.

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Happy hour! Many of the pensions have a well stocked fridge for guests. Just record what you take. Convenient way to get a cold beer!

Havelberg was our destination for the day. 58 Kms.

Lots of cobblestones to start the day!

Lovely ride along the river.

Most mornings were cool enough to start out in long sleeves and light jacket. This part of the ride was along the border of the old East/West Germany.

An old lookout tower.

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Wooden bridge.

Video: cycling across the wooden bridge.

Arrived in Schnackenburg. The Borderland Museum, detailing the DDR border control was closed. This is an old East German border control boat.

Checked into Alte Schule, an old schoolhouse converted to a pension. Yup, that’s a TV above the cabinet!

Schnackenburg was our destination for the day. 66 Kms.

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Ready for the day’s ride. Leaving the Alte Schule.

Another beautiful day!

Video: Pleasant ride on concrete surface along the river.

And now a gravel path.

Today we didn’t pack a lunch so bought sandwiches (and kuchen) for lunch.

Arrived in Hitzacker. Loved the decor in Schiller Gastehaus, our accommodation for the night. Here we are enjoying a beer in the communal sitting room.

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Hitzacker was our destination for the day. 61 Kms.

The regular ferry wasn’t operating due to low water so we took a private ferry (boat) across. €1.50 each.

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Another old East German guard tower.

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Stopped at this beautiful restaurant in Lauenburg for cappuccino and kuchen.

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Pretty little place.

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Checked in to a rather seedy hotel in Geesthacht. No restaurants nearby for dinner so rode into town and picked up donairs and beer for dinner.

Geesthacht was our destination for the day. 75 Kms.

Riding into the outskirts of Hamburg.

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The port area of Hamburg, one of the largest ports in Europe.

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Stop for lunch, coffee for Rich and local cola for Dolly.

Watching for signage. We are headed for Jork.

Took the ferry across the river, dramatically bigger here, and then rode to Jork. Checked in to Fewo Obsthof Mathies apartment located on an apple orchard and farm market.

Rode to the grocery store and had a lovely dinner in our apartment.

Jork was our destination for the day. 73 Kms.

Riding past Airbus factory. Saw the giant beluga transport plane landing.

Took an alternate route thru trails and off the main road on our way back to catch the ferry.

Video: Enjoying the ride.

Back in Finkenwerder where we will catch the ferry to Hamburg. Enjoying cappuccino and kuchen.

After the ferry across the river to Hamburg.

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Cycling to Hotel Commodore in Hamburg.

Side of our hotel.

In the lobby waiting for check in time. Just a half day of riding today.

Typical German dinner for Rich—Wurst and Spaetzle.

View of Hotel Commodore at night.

Hotel Commodore, Hamburg, was our last destination for this cycle trip along the Elbe. Half-Day ride 32 Kms.13 1/2 \240Tried to give our bikes to a front desk clerk who didn’t own a bike, but he insisted on paying. He offered €30 for Rich’s bike which was all the cash he had. We only accepted €20 and left him both bikes.

An overcast day with some rain.

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Church organ is stunning!

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City Hall (Rathaus)

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Enjoying our walking tour of Hamburg. Rich is the tour guide!

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Krameramtsstuben Alley. (Kramer widows apartments).

Now interesting shops.

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Wonderful Italian dinner here!

Amazing, noisy atmosphere. Complimentary shot to end the evening!

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View of the modern opera house.

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Lots of cyclists had this style of carrier for kids or other items to transport.

A beautiful day to end this wonderful trip.

Tomorrow we fly to London!