Today's trip began in Cesty Krumlov on the Vlata River in Czech Republic, and ended on the Danube River in Passau Germany. 73 km, by bicycle. In so doing , we rode over the continental divide of Europe (the Vlata flows north to the North Sea, the Danube south to the Black Sea), the border between the old and the new European Union (Czech Republic still has its own currency- Germany and Austria are part of Euro-land) and what was once the front line in the Cold War (20 years ago, only military personnel were permitted into the area in which we rode). Pretty cool.We were up early, because we were leaving Cesty Krumlov by train and didn't want to be late. It was a little chilly in town, and the mist on the river was kind of cool to watch. The van and bicycles were to meet us in Nova Pec, at the the entrance of the "Narodni park Sumova", a well-preserved part of the old forest that once serve as the natural border between Czech and Germany. The "Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald" lies on the far side of the border. According to Jan, the area is relatively well preserved because it was depopulated after WWII (the Czechs sent all German-speakers back to Germany) and then fortified the area to prevent invasion during the Cold War. Unlike the rest of the Czech Republic, some trees are still standing, and we would be bicycling through a pine forest, perfectly flat, on a recently paved path.
We were cautioned to have our passports ready at the border. All this was just a 1 hour train ride away.They promised us an authentic Czech train ride, and apparently we had one. The train broke down just outside of Cesty Krumlov, and was about 1.5 hours late into the station. Fortunately, our guides are good at filling the time with briefings of history and natural history. And wandering around the station, I found a bicycle map of the area that I bought as a souvenier. We were very glad when the train arrived.
One remarkable thing that we noticed immediately was the bicycle car. Jan said that it was very common for people in the cities to take a train to the country with their bicycle, bicycle around and catch another train home. What an excellent way to promote bicycle tourism.The train got us to Nova Pec, and we rode down a beautiful new bicycle path, through fields and by rivers to the Czech border. There were some hills to the West, but we were assured that the gentle rising slope would take us to a "gap" through which we would enter Bavaria. It was a lovely ride- no cars, a few houses, people cycling or walking, blue skies.
Julie was taken with some of the fields, as the grasses had a wild, Von Goghish quality to them. I was mostly enjoying the sensation of car free biking on an "Indian Summer" day (do they call it that here?) Eventually we got the border- a gate, a house, no guards and no one to check my passport. No way to know that, 20 years ago, this was one of the most heavily defended borders in the world. No evidence of the armed forces on either side that went into defending it. The fact of the border was almost an afterthought. 
Welcome to the European Union. What Napolean and Hitler tried to create by force, Adenauer, Monnet and company were able to bring about by diplomacy, and Eastern Europe is clearly chomping at the bit to be part of it. Anyway, crossing the old Iron Curtain is now just that easy. Kind of gives you hope.Bavaria is, if anything, prettier that Czech Republic, in a picture postcard sort of way. The farms are just perfect.
The clusters of towns in the countryside are placed like an artist was trying to make them fit on a postcard. The crops are health and wholesome. The weather is warmer. And of course the signs are in German. The bike path was an old rail line, and gravel, but wonderfully downhill. We rode another ten kilometers, and stopped at a roadside pub for a wonderful buffet lunch (these organized tours are worth the effort, sometimes). 
After lunch, we rode 18 kilometers downhill to a well manicured park where the van offered us a ride to Passau, but most of us elected to ride the additional 25 kilometers into Passau, over some fantastic hills, and great views. We had an unbelievable ride down the steep streets of Passau to a tunnel and when we emerged from the tunnel, there it was - the Danube! We arrived at the hotel, on the other bank of the Danube, at about 6pm, in time to shower and join the rest of the group for a wonderful dinner (grilled trout with no bones!) at the hotel restaurant. (Unfortunately, my camera seems to have broken after lunch- none of the images are showing up).Today, we will find out more about this town. For now, to sleep.
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