Prague was my first trip out of Germany. This trip came during the first weekend of November and the weather was amazing. The leaves were changing and the brisk autumn air in the morning gave way to pleasant weather for the start of my trip. I packed a few bottles of water in my panniers, donned my old red Frank Thomas riding coat and Olympia trousers, helmet and gloves and fired up my motorbike.
I didn't really have the right map; this would later become a bit of an issue. My map was for Germany. Although it showed the Czech Republic, all the way to Prague, the roads were a little bit, shall I say, missing. As for navigating in Prague, I was out of luck!
I cruised on the autobahn through Weiden and made my way to the border following signs that read "Praha CZ." The ride was amazing! The weather was sunny and clear as I made my way to the border. I felt lucky to experience Europe on my motorbike in the fall. Seeing the bright red and orange leaves on the trees that surrounded farms in the countryside as I rode by will always be one of my favorite memories.
As I crossed the border I looked for the signs that would direct me to a place to buy a "vignette." A vignette is a cool little sticker that you buy to drive on the autobahn in some countries. In the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland drivers are required to purchase a vignette to pay the toll for driving on the autobahn. I found the vignette spot, conveniently located at a gas station on the first exit from the autobahn, on the Czech side of the border. I patiently waited in line behind a few people who were speaking the local language and then put my foot straight into my mouth. In my first ever attempt to speak Czech I asked the clerk for a vignette sticker for my motorbike. He looked at me, smiled and said in clear English: "We don't sell motorcycles here, not even ones with stickers." Even better, he pointed to the sign behind him, which happens to be in plain view, and in English, that read "Motorcycles don't need vignettes." Score one for the locals...
Back on my bike I explored a few roads through the country and then made the trip through Plzen and then on to Prague. I tried to follow the signs leading tourists like me to the center of town but that didn't work out so well. Having missed several turns, and hoping that I would find more signs after my missed turns, I managed to make what would normally be about a 15 minute ride to the center of the city into a two hour ride as the temperature steadily dropped.
Needless to say I was able to see some amazing things as I wandered around Prague on my bike looking for something that looked like one of the many photos I had seen of this beautiful city.
By the time I made it to the Prague Castle the temperature was about 50 degrees fahrenheit. I was in my coat and riding pants, but I was lacking the important feature: the insulated liners. I felt a bit silly as I looked at my panniers, knowing that they were empty. I thought to myself "I could have fit my liners, two jackets, and a burrito in there and all I packed was two bottles of water." Needless to say, I was getting a bit chilly! As it was getting colder, and the sun was starting to find its way west, I realized that I didn't have much time to figure out how to get out of town.
I parked my bike, probably illegally, near the Prague Castle, and took a 200 meter walk to the castle, took a picture and started to shiver thinking about my ride home in the dark. Did I mention that it was getting chilly? No wait, not chilly, cold!
I climbed back onto my bike and headed towards the sunset. I didn't ride off into the sunset because I'm from Arizona and, you know, that's what we do. No, I rode off into the sunset because my map didn't actually show any roads for where I was. I reasoned with my self that if Germany is to the West, then I should "Go west young man." I know, I'm not actually young, don't judge...
Riding west worked out, for a little while. I managed to find my way onto a country road that headed west. I was following the directions from signs that read "Plzen." As I meandered west, the sun went down and I discovered that the signs here aren't reflective like the signs in America. I managed to stay on the right path after making several U turns to read signs.
As I got closer to Plzen my trusty fuel light came on. I love how dependable that little light is! I'm just not a big fan of its timing. I looked as far as I could down the road and saw no signs of a gas station. I began to worry. As the miles rolled by a dense fog settled in along my route making travel a bit precarious. Even worse, the first car that I saw after dark was approaching me very quickly, from behind. I was wondering if the driver would see me before I would become the new hood ornament on his car. I was relieved as I saw the yellow-orange flash of a turn signal light up the fog behind me. The driver, clearly a local who knew exactly where they were going, slowed his car down, politely passed me, and then sped off into the fog and darkness.
As I rode a few more miles down the road I saw the glow of a gas station sign. As I got closer I saw the sign clearly and nothing more. I stopped, looked around, and to my right, through the fog, about 200 meters off of the road I saw the faint silhouette of gas pumps. There were no lights on at the station so I started mentally preparing myself for a long cold night sleeping in the parking lot of a gas station just west of nowhere in the Czech Republic.
To humor myself I rode down the driveway, toward the station, to see what I could see. As I made my way past the pumps the lights came on! The clerk in the station, to save on operating costs, turns the lights off when there are no customers. I guess that could be considered a good business practice but the savings are definitely not passed onto the customers! I paid in Czech Koruna what would convert to about $8.50 per gallon for gas.
Still cold, but with a tank full of gas, I continued my journey through the darkness and fog to the west. The visibility became so poor that I couldn't see more than about 15 feet in front of my bike. My pace slowed to a leisurely 30 miles per hour as I smelled coal fires burning, warming the farm houses that dotted the landscape in the Czech Countryside.
After an hour, and a near miss with a tractor following a wrong turn on a farm road, I made it into Plzen. I still don't know why there was a tractor driving around after dark in the fog but surely there's some Czech farmer blogging about his adventures wondering why somebody on a motorcycle was riding around in the middle of nowhere. I pondered stopping for the night but the fog seemed to be clearing. I managed to find my way back to the autobahn and made my way back to Weiden and then back home.
What a ride! I managed to add another country to my list of places I've been, see some amazing things, get very cold, and learn a few things.
Things I learned: Bring a map. Wait, let me add to that. Bring a map that covers your entire trip. This includes where you're starting, the route you'll be taking and where you're going. Bring a compass. When you realize that you brought the wrong map, and it gets dark, a compass can help you find your way west.
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