Low hanging fruit

It was hard to leave our tranquil river view and it was a shame we didn’t have time to take a boat down the river.

After a short sharp climb out of town, we crossed the Vranov Dam which controlled the water flows of the Dyje river. It had three turbines to provide electricity to the area and has proved invaluable for flood control.  The freshwater Vranov reservoir is the 10th largest water body in Czechia and bars and restaurants were clustered along the foreshore. A large white suspension bridge provided access to a large campsite and more restaurants and recreational facilities. 

Our route took us past lots of little houses and then up a super steep hill with just enough room for vehicles to pass.  We ended up having to push through the steepest part.  Once at the top we picked up some regional bike routes that took us through little villages with a few visual distractions. 

In between the villages were large fields of white poppies, a popular crop in Czechia that produces small white seeds with nutty flavour used in sweet and savoury pastries, salads and soups.

The road was lined with cherry trees with clusters of ripening cherries.  We managed to gather a few which tasted warm and sweet, though many more clusters were tantalisingly out of reach.

Soon we were on the outskirts of Znojmo, which lived up to its reputation as the sunniest place in Czechia.  We stopped at Pulnapul, a local café that supposedly had a range of delicious cakes. After confirming we could pay by card, we ordered a selection as well as coffees and a hot chocolate, and found a shaded table.  The coffees were good, but very small, and the pastries and cakes exceeded expectations.

We continued on through the city and detoured via a supermarket, stocking up early as supermarkets are closed on Sundays in Austria. The road out of town was busy and it was a relief to turn onto a quieter backroad, passing a sunflower field with just one or two plants in flower.  

Fortunately we spotted a shaded picnic table for lunch at the edge of a park. We had seen signs advising that the road was closed through the next town, so decided it would be best to eat lunch before dealing with any potential detours.  The sign at the edge of the impacted town advised that the route was open for residents and people staying in Jaroslavice, so we decided to take a chance.  Fortunately only a small section of the road was closed and it was easy for us to cycle around it.  

Soon after we crossed the border into Austria and, after winding our way through a very smelly industrial processing complex, found ourselves back on the Kamp-Thaya-March route which took us to our destination of Laa an der Thaya. 

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