Distance: 132 km
Elevation: 1040 m
I woke up with a bit of a soar throat. That explained why I felt a little weak and breathless yesterday. I took my time for breakfast in front of my little tent on a very nice camping site.
Cycling alongside the Elbe is special. It is mostly flat and you can get to a good speed. Within an hour, I reached Dresden.
For the next 60 kilometers I cycled through “Saxonian Switzerland”, the marketing title of the “Elbsandstein” mountain region. There are a lot of very particular sandstone cliffs and rocks which create a unique look. The entire area is touristic and there is a good infrastructure. Villages and houses look well-maintained. Quite different from yesterday.
After about 90 kilometers, I took a ferry, crossed the Elbe and ventured into the Czech Republic on my way to Zittau.
I cycled up a canyon. For the next 30 kilometers there was some heavy climbing through a sandstone national park with absolutely stunning rock formations and a lot of pretty dead pine trees. You may look out for this in the video.
After an hour into the park, I was totally alone. It was a bit creepy because there were hardly any birds singing. It was totally silent.
Then it started to rain which was refreshing at first but soon became unpleasant. After an hour, I was soak and wet.
Then I reached Zittau, which marks the first turning point of my trip. From here on, I will go North towards the Baltic Sea. Zittau border crossings into Poland and the Czech Republic.
With a bit of a bad feeling, I decided to go for a cheap hotel this time. Setting up your tent in the poring rain is no fun, especially since I can’t store all my gear inside.
It felt good to be inside, wash and dry your clothes and have a yummy dinner.