Most Inspirational Moment
There were so many; the iron curtain memorials and the old crossing point beyond Mikulov were the most moving; fields upon fields of sunflowers and wheat on rolling hills were beautiful; the triple tier loggia at Jindrichov Hradec castle was just jaw-dropping; the smell of pine in the woods after a rainy night; the fish restaurant in Trebon, the gruner veltlinger wine; beautiful renaissance town 'squares'; watching Andy Murray lose a set on TV in the fairy tale town of Cesky Krumlov; the Sisi memorial in Vienna; Chris taking a tumble at the bottom the "Tower"; trying out the childrens' playgound in Znojmo; Lorna paddling down the flume in Gyor; Jen giving us cycling stats at the end of the day; Anna finding and feeding us mulberries , Lorna apricots, and David cherries. A really lovely time with a great group of people.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Anna was a fantastic and engaging leader and guide. She has a huge knowledge of the area and its history and was very generous in sharing that knowledge and her experiences. As well as keeping the cycling all on track, she took us to lots of interesting extra places en route - amazing castles, a painted wine cave, iron curtain remains, a national canoe centre, a Hungarian spa pool... She knew some fabulous restaurants and was very sociable and tireless.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take anti-mozzy spray as well as sun cream. Not all the hotels have lifts (or air-conditioning)The cycling is rightly described as 'moderate'. Some hills in the Czech Republic, and a couple of longish (though flat) rides in Slovakia/Hungary, but really nothing too difficult if you've done some cycling and are reasonably fit.If you want to do more than scratch the surface of Prague, Vienna and Budapest, be inspried to come back.
