Our stay in Wrocław was a bit of a wild story. During this stay we took a two day trip back to Germany for a family party. Meanwhile our bicycles were parked at the house of Alex’s coworker (Thanks to Szymon and his family). In addition, Alex had problems with his bicycle after changing the chain. It took three bicycle repair shops till the shifting would work fine again. But also, we had some time to explore the wonderful city of Wrocław. On one day we took a walk around the city and visited the most famous spots of the center. After a delicious vegan lunch at Falla we walked along the Odra, saw many churches, the university and other beautiful buildings. We visited the Hala Targowa and had some dinner and beers at a restaurant at the Rynek.

On another day we visited the Wrocław Sky Tower and enjoyed a breathtaking view. Afterwards, we had some delicious lunch at the famous Wlodkowica and Świętego Antoniego area. We had recommendation for a lot of other places but the bicycle issue took a lot of time. And after it was fixed we thought it was time to continue our tour.

Leaving Wrocław – Back on the streets

So finally the day came when we started our next stage. A last breakfast in our comfortable apartment and we got our bikes ready. Leaving Wrocław was easy because we could follow bicycle roads. After some kilometers we had to turn on minor roads. From time to time we could use bicycles roads. But there was also a segment on an unpaved road which was not easy to cycle. The night before it rained heavy and this segment was muddy and sandy at the same time. So it took some time till we came to asphalted streets again. On this day it was very cloudy but the temperature was quite good for cycling and there was no rain any more. We followed the R9 further southwise and the path led through many small villages and towns. Most of the time we had a nice view to the next big mountain Ślęża at the Ślężański Park Krajobrazowy.

Flat tire bad luck

When we came to a little rest place for the R9 cycle path we took the chance for a snack. But we stayed there not long because we wanted to make a big lunch at a restaurant in one of the next towns. Our path led us further on minor streets. There was not much traffic but from time to time big trucks passed us. And suddenly the back tire of Alex bicycle lost air and after a short time it was flat. So we pushed the bike to the next best place where we could change the tires. Alex bought some new tubes in Wrocław, but they did not fit on the wheel. So Alina repaired the broken tube while Alex prepared the tire. Another problem was when we pumped up the tire, there was an imbalance and we could not fix it. So we pumped up the tube as good as we could and cycled to the next bicycle repair shop.

To our surprise the owner and one of the customer could speak German. So Alex bought some new tubes and the owner fixed the tire. Hopefully this fourth visit within a week at a bicycle repair shop would last for a long time. Fixing the tire took so much time and it got really hot during the day, so we decided to cycle to the next camping ground. It was at a lake in a small village with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. We built up the tent and took a shower. Afterwards we cycled a few kilometers back to a restaurant and had some nice vegetarian dinner there (a polish dish as veggie version). When we came back we had a neighbor who built up his tent that close that he almost blocked one of our entrances. Also the hippie commune was singing and dancing around a fire. So it looked like we would not catch much sleep that night.

Route

The total distance can be viewed on the “Sabbatical 2021 – Europe” page.

Download file: Sabbatical2021_029_Wroclaw_to_Sobotka.gpx