Kralupy

We took a  mega bike ride today, the wife and I.  The plan was to bike  up along  the Vltava, past the zoo, and on up to Kralupy, which we had heard was 15 kilometers, but that was a lie, have lunch, and then bike back.

Me and the very camera shy Helena, on the sunny bank of the Vltava

I half expected Helena to fade and want to turn back early but, I must confess, today I was the weak link.  There were a couple of minor problems with my borrow-a-bike (cool Prague  program, you pay a bit to sign  up but  then you can pick up a bike  at any of several points around town, and  drop it  off  at another), but that wasn’t it.  H  thinks it’s because I got stoned before we set out, which may have been a factor, but I always do that.  For whatever reason, I was lagging behind.

After we’d gone about  10 kilometers, we saw the first sign and it said Kralupy 17.

Then, when the cable to my hand  brake just snapped and stopped working, we decided to turn back, but then I realized I had the old  fashioned kind, kick back on the pedals, so we continued.

We finally got  to Kralupy about 4 and had lunch at the Sport Hotel.  They assured us they were open  as they walked us  through the large, elegantly laid out and totally empty banquet hall and  out  onto the terrace where two old men were drinking, one beer, one coffee, and I think coffee worked there.

Anyway, the food was fine, the view was fine, and I learned that Kralupy was either an ancient Czech word meaning bark stripping, or something to do with  stealing chickens.  I thought  that  rather humorous.  Bark stripping by  day, chicken stealing by night.  An industrious sort of place.

We felt  well refreshed by  the meal, but  decided  to take  the  train back.
I still feel sore.