Poděbrady - or how public transport led us to a wonderful place

Eldonita: 23.07.2023

We were advised to take a detour to the rock city of Adršpach (Adršpašské skály) (thanks Julia). From the Bohemian Switzerland, it takes 6:45h to 7:45h with four to six transfers to get there. As big fans of Eastern European public transport (more on that later), we wanted to split this pleasure into two stages and randomly decided to use the transfer in Poděbrady for a break and overnight stay.

We were greeted directly in front of the train station of the old spa town with mineral springs, which we quickly found out extended through the entire old town. With fountains, countless flower beds, and the obligatory drinking hall (without hop products), it led us straight to the castle on the banks of the Elbe, lined and designed by cafés, boutiques, hotels, and restaurants.

On the third attempt, we finally found a very noble hotel for our condition (after four nights at the campsite and a little rain) with a hot shower and heavenly beds. Of course, this did not prevent us from covering the room within a short time, down to the last square centimeter, with the contents of our backpacks, converting the sink into a hand washing salon, and hanging laundry to dry on every hook and door handle. Skills that we will certainly demonstrate more often.

The decision was quickly made to take a day off here. For one, that means using the bed as extensively as possible (until shortly before the risk of pressure sores), and for the other, walking along the Elbe Cycle Path to the next town of Nymburk. After such a demanding day, we naturally enjoyed the craft beer festival with live music and liquid local specialties in the evening.

Even before it took us to this beautiful place, we had already fallen in love with the Czech public transport. No, we are not crazy, not even intoxicated, but while in Germany there is a lot to complain about when it comes to local and long-distance transport, things just work differently here:

- Almost everywhere there are buses and trains, often enough that you can plan a hike on a larger scale and, if necessary, return by motorized transport without having to plan it like a military operation. And they are punctual!

- Bus drivers navigate calmly through the narrowest streets and even wait briefly at the bus stop if a child needs to pee.

- The train conductors, ticket sellers, and bus drivers are always friendly and helpful, especially when the platform on which the train arrives is only announced two minutes before.

- There is an app that provides reliable connections across all possible providers, whether bus or train, including real-time display, map to the nearest stop, and cross-border routes.