Not along the Vltava at all

My idea was to switch from the boring Danube to the lively Vltava and follow it in the valley. But up close, that doesn't work at all. There is no path along the river for many turns and kilometers, and I have to go over the mountains. That can quickly add up to 1000 meters of elevation gain. But the route is still great and highly recommended.

I ride through the green, well-kept landscape of Upper Austria towards the European watershed. That makes me sweat and the battery runs out faster. In the shade of the church in Reichenau, I take a lunch break while the battery hangs on the eagerly awaited charging station. Then I reach the last charming place in Austria, Bad Leonfelden, and with it the last "Hofer" (a popular discount supermarket).

I dash down to the Vltava through the deserted border station and to my surprise, I realize that I need crowns (currency). In Rozmberk, I find a quiet campsite right on the Vltava. I jump into the cool water for the first time. Here I am surrounded by canoeists and rafters. And we share the valley until the picturesque Krumlov, but then the bike path leads me into the mountains. Only for short sections I can go along the river, over the bridge and up again on the other side. It takes 3 stages to get to Prague. Passing by Budweis, I pass the fairytale castle Hluboka, stay overnight in the plain Tyn, climb the via ferrata on the rocks above the waterline, which I unfortunately cannot do because I lack the equipment, to the castle that once towered high above the rivers and now almost looks like an island from the reservoir. Here, the Vltava is suddenly poisoned green with algae and not inviting at all. I won't swim again until the Orlik dam. Here, I marvel at how the small boats overcome the enormous difference in altitude with the inclined lift. I ride the section from Colin to Stechovice in the morning fog again far from the Vltava, over the hills and sleepy villages. From here, there is a bike path directly along the Vltava again until my third capital, Prague.