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A site not to miss along the Danube Bend is the Visegrad Castle. Meaning “High Fortress,” Visegrad Castle is an imposing ruin best seen from the opposite bank, the left bank of the Danube, the side of the river the bicycle path follows on its way from Vac to Estergom.

Visegrad offers the finest panorama of the Danube Bend as it snakes through the Börzsöny and Visegrad hills. Its beginnings date back to the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries. The original structure was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century thereafter which it was reconstructed by the subsequent kings of Hungary, coming to prominence under the reign of King Mathias.

While Visegrad can be visited as part of your day cycling Vac to Estergom, it may be you’ll end up wasting some time on account of needing to wait for the ferry and will then have to hurry to get to Estergom before it gets dark. Although the ferry boats should run every hour they often wait until there are enough cars and trucks to ferry over to make the crossing worth their time and you may end up wasting more time than you wanted to.

On account of the possible delays with the ferry and to have ample time to enjoy the area, a trip to Visegrad is best done as a day trip from Vac. Nice trial of some 25 km follows the river with Danube on your left. The bike path leads through some dense vegetation at times, occasionally passing by nice villas near the waterfront. There are nice views of surrounding hills all the way until the castle comes up above the right bank. The ferry crossing is at Nagymaros.

Once on the other side of the river, you’ll first cycle through the peaceful Visegrad village with a number of cozy restaurants and cafes, then begin a steep winding climb toward the castle. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to ascend to the castle where you can dismount, enter the citadel and walk around the ramparts of the stronghold. The hills around the castle offer some nice cycling and more fine views of Visegrad and the Danube Bend.

Eventually you can cycle back downhill, stop for a snack at a cafe before taking a ferry the other side and follow the bike path to Vac for overnight.

We arranged through the hotel , The Charleston, for a half day city tour and when the guide came to pick us up early in the morning, we complained that the day was beginning damp and cold, not realizing at the time how precious a little cold could be. Our immediate destination was La Candelaria, the historic district centering around Bolivar Square. Simon Bolivar is the George Washington of Columbia. Born in Venezuela in 1783, he was the general who defeated the Spanish in 1819 and brought independence to Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. These countries were then joined together creating the independent country of New Granada with Bogota the capital. His dream of a united South America would not be realized as these countries soon pulled away to form their own individual entities and he died in 1830 reviled by many. Later he was rehabilitated and in Columbia it is common for a city to name a plaza after him.

Our guide followed Carrera 7, the Avenue of the Republic, which took us straight through the downtown area, passing the high-rise buildings of the financial district, the infamous Tequendama hotel, connected in the past to Pablo Escobar where drug deals often took place and the Colpatria Towers, the second tallest building in Latin America. The pervasive use of red brick gives the city a sense of architectural unity and it was popularized as a building material by Rogelio Salmona, Bogota’s leading 20th century architect. Applying it in an inventive manner, he associated brick, made from mud and water, as the building material that unites the structure with the earth on which it stands while providing a link to Bogota’s past as the indigenous Indian tribes as well as the Spanish traditionally built with brick. Another inventive use of brick is the Plaza de Toros Santa Maria, the bullring, built in 1931 seating 25,000 people. Here brick is used in the service of Moorish influence (Mudejar) taken from examples seen in Andalucía, Spain, the home to many 16th century conquistadors. In the earlier part of the 20th century, there was a trend to build houses in the English manner, red brick Victorian and stone Tudor. During the times of violence, people moved out of these houses seeking safety in a high-rise apartment building and these historic houses are now occupied by various kinds of businesses.

One of the most distinguishing aspects of Spanish colonial towns is the plaza. Not only is it a public space used for the evening paseo, the walk abouts, but it provides both the church and state the opportunity to express authority. La Plaza de Bolivar, one of Bogota’s major tourist attractions located in the center of the historic town, was originally laid out in 1553. As expected, there is a statue of Bolivar, this one created by an Italian artist and placed in the middle of the square in 1846. The Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop, occupies the east side of the square. This church, built in the Jesuit style, was constructed between 1807 – 1823, replacing an earlier one destroyed by an earthquake. There you can find the body of Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada who founded Bogota in 1538. Two years earlier, he and his 900 men left from the Caribbean Coast, sailed down the Magdalena River, crossed over the Western Cordillera and hacked their way through jungle to arrive with only 166 men left. He claimed the land in the name of the King of Spain. The term Bogota is derived from “Bacata”, the name used by the Muisa Indians, famed for their skill as goldsmiths, who Jimenez de Quesada defeated in battle. Bogota is documented as beginning with twelve huts and a “hay church” and today Bogota’s cathedral is the largest in Columbia and one of the largest in South America.

The National Capitol, where the Columbian Congress meets, is on the south side and the Lievano Building, the City Hall and offices of the mayor, is on the west side. Even though the plaza was laid out in1553, these buildings were built during the 19th in the neo-classical style prevalent in Europe. The Palace of Justice is the only modern building on the square and the history of its construction is part of Bogota’s recent past. When Jorge Gaitan, the left wing politician, was assassinated in Bogota in 1948, the ensuing riots resulted in 3,000 to 5,000 deaths and the destruction of most of downtown Bogota, including the Palace of Justice. It was rebuilt only to be destroyed once again in 1985 during the “Palace of Justice Seize”. At this time, the army assaulted the building responding to the actions of the left wing guerilla group M-19 who had previously stormed the building, captured the Supreme Court members and demanded a trial of the current president. The building that stands today is hard edged, a severe modern style utilizing columns in a Post Modern manner.

Following our guide, we walked as boulevardiers, along narrow cobblestone streets admiring colonial buildings with red tile roofs and over hanging balconies. He pointed out several of the important colonial buildings whose flamboyant window decorations and ornate doorways were in the Plateresque style, imported from Spain, utilizing twisted columns, heraldic escutcheons and sinuous scrolls. The stucco buildings were colorful, ochre, blue, pink as well as the traditional green. The power of history surges through the historic district, within each building, a story to be told. We passed the Palace of San Carlos (Presidential Palace) and our guide pointed to the window Bolivar jumped through, making his escape after being warned by his “lover” that he was soon to be assassinated. If the story is correct, she interrupted his bath. However, the passage of time was not kind to the historic center. The area that once witnessed glittering celebrations and lavish displays of presidential visits and aristocratic gentility was forced to reconcile itself to neglect, cheap hotels, drugs and violence. However, like Bogota itself, the area has experienced restoration and revitalization and if the work being done on the Teatro Colon is an example, it will be restored to its original splendor.

We enjoyed walking with our guide but the most interesting aspect of Sunday in the area around Bolivar Plaza is the large number of people who were walking in the Plaza and the surrounding streets with no other thought than to enjoy the day. The area is surrounded by churches as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, Jesuits, Capuchins, etc., etc. each built their own church and when mass was over, the church goers joined the throngs of people. Street vendors had set up stands, selling jugos, fruit drinks, and offering a variety of arepas, the national dish made from corn meal. Artists were behind easels painting portraits. The sky had finally turned blue, it felt like an early Spring day and the jugglers, acrobats and balloon sellers contributed to the carnival like atmosphere. Walking along Calle 10, there were no cars but only bicyclers and pedestrians and we realized we were witnessing the Ciclovia Program set up by the quirky Mayor, Antanas Mockus. On Sunday, seventy-five miles of roads in Bogota are closed to cars and turned over to the people, enabling Bicycling Magazine to rank Bogota third after Amsterdam and Copenhagen as the cities most friendly to bicycles. It is not unusual for two million people to turn out on Sunday just to enjoy their city and as the other quirky mayor, Penalosa, once said “we need to walk…..to be happy”.

When our tour was over, our guide drove back to our hotel along what could be called the “corniche” , the north-south road that threads it way along the contours of the mountain side. With the engine of his small van giving out complaints, we did not go to Monserrate, the top of the mountain at over 9,000 feet, but after cresting a hill, he pulled off the road and parked in a designated over look. Standing with our backs to the mountain, we stepped to the edge and down below we were treated to the grand view of the city stretching across the landscape of a flat plain. In the distance, the leaden sky, low lying silver and grey clouds, blocked out the sun welding together the sky and land. But where there were slits in the clouds, the sun shone through delineating the hard edge lines of the city and the high rise buildings scattered throughout. Tinges of red hung in the moisture laden air accentuating the red clusters of brick building, Bogota’s signature building blocks. Too far away to hear the vibrant sounds but from our vantage point, we saw the city as a three dimensional puzzle with all of its pieces fitting together forming a unity out of its multicultural parts.

Down the mountainside, we crossed over mountain streams and drove past more city parks where more families were strolling and picnicking. Small chapels had been erected along the side of the road, marking the spot where someone had died in a traffic accident. Often these memorials were decorated with tinsel and plastic flowers along with a portrait of the deceased. The brakes on the little van had their opportunity to whine and continued to make their point until we hit flat land where the clouds that held out the promise of rain finally delivered. Now it felt like Fall. We believed the city tour had been a success and our guide, apparently enjoying our company, had allowed the half day tour to extend beyond its usual time. When we arrived back at our hotel, the street in front had been cordoned off by police cars and police officers were posted along the street. I huddled under my umbrella as Donald and I negotiated our way through security, wondering why there were more guards than earlier and more of those tall young men talking into their sleeves. Had there been a kidnapping, had FARC attacked? Then one of them grabbed my arm and turned me around just in time to see Donald being led away by two very large security officers.

WHAT WAS GOING ON?
My protestations that we were hotel guests did not keep us from being thoroughly searched and when they finally determined we were not a security risk, we were allowed back into the hotel. The front desk manager explained the precautions were required because our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was staying in the hotel. Then I understood why we were not given a higher floor with a better view, she and her entourage had taken all the good rooms. She was in Bogota to speak with President Uribe about setting up an additional American air base and what we hoped would translate into a show of support for Columbia in its ongoing disputes with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. One of Chavez’s main goals is to destabilize Columbia, which he attempts to do by supporting FARC and providing them with sanctuaries in his country. This July Columbia formally accused Chavez of doing this. Chavez replied by breaking diplomatic relations with Columbia, although for only a short time, as relations were restored by early August.

Southern Bohemia offers scores of wonderful cycling trips. Cesky Krumlov, one of highlights on the Vienna to Prague Greenway route, is also a great spots where to base yourself and spend a few days riding in different directions. In order to include short rides into northern Austria it’s however best to make your base further south from Cesky Krumlov. Ideal and very scenic base is Rozmberk nad Vltavou (Rozmberk above Vlatava River). Rozmberk is located on the Salzburg to Prague Greenway route.

A fine day ride of about 100 kilometers (about 70 miles) leads through sleepy small village of Horni Dvoriste to yet sleepier village of Cesky Herslak where a footpath-wide border crossing marked by an insignificant sign leads into an Austrian border village of Deutch Horschlag.

From Deutch Horschlag continue in direction of Kerschbaum, large village right on E55, major highway connecting Linz with Ceske Budejovice and Prague. While one can ride a shoulder of the E55 highway, there are far too many 18-wheelers zipping by making the journey very unpleasant if not downright dangerous.

It is best to stay west of the major highway and find smaller unpaved roads, some old field and forest roads, that once connected the local villages. Most of these roads are without traffic and nowadays hardly used and easy to get lost on as many once lead through dense forests where some seem to these days vanish. If at all possible try to keep E55 at least in sight while navigating north taking any road or path you can find. Seeing a local here to ask directions is a slim chance.

After about 10 km riding amidst fields and pastures you will pass a few houses of a small hamlet of Edlbruck. You could take a small road to the highway here but best avoid having to paddle on E55. Continue north couple kilometers more then turn east to head back to the main road. If necessary you may have to walk the bike along some fields, even a patch of a forest, but it should not be more than two kilometers and you will start hearing the traffic on E55.

Once you locate the turn off for Leopoldschlag you do don’t have to worry about traffic any more. The two lane road leading to Leopoldschlag is in perfect condition, scenic and devoid of cars. The ride will take you first through Leopoldschlag Dorf and a kilometer later into Leopoldschlag, a large village with immaculately kept village park with a late baroque water fountain and a church, all houses seemingly freshly whitewashed, blooming flowers in the windows, a sheer joy to ride through, feeling as if riding in a fairytale.

Past Leopoldschlag the road follows River Malse, which constitutes the border with Czech Republic. Some 8 km later there is a small bridge, pedestrians and bicycles only, leading back into Czech Republic. The border crossing once again is unmanned.

Immediately beyond the frontier one enters a former small village of Cetviny. Cetviny apparently was noted in historical annals as far back as 13th century but the only thing that remains of it today is a gothic church of Birth of the Virgin Mary. While in the middle ages the village thrived on border trade, after communists took power in 1948 they depopulated the area, constructed “Iron Curtain”, the legendary barbed wire zone, and either destroyed or converted all local village houses into border guard barracks and storage facilities.

Novohradske mountains of Southern Bohemia, as this border region is known, are very pleasant to cycle through. The handful of small hamlets that you’ll pass do not exude the same upkeep perfection as the villages on the Austrian side – in fact quite the contrary, the local residents are still struggling to rejuvenate life in this area after forty years of being left to rot, destroyed and off-limits under the communists.

A great place to stop for refreshment on your way back to Rozmberk nad Vltavou is a hilltop hamlet of Svaty Kamen, meaning Holly Stone, dominated by the pilgrimage Church of Our Lady of the Snows, a 17th-century baroque church built over a large stone (actually two giant boulders), the site of the revelation of the Virgin Mary dating to 16th century when pilgrim first started to arrive visiting a small chapel that was initially built over the Holy Stone. Significantly destroyed by communist border guards during era of post-WWII communist Czechoslovakia and only reconstructed after 1989, Svaty Kamen has an idyllic setting with soothing views of pristine countryside of pastures and forests 360-degrees around.

If you love bicycling and Italy, taking a cycling vacation in Tuscany or Sardinia is a must. Prefer high mountains, how about Switzerland and riding the Alps? If you love France, bicycle around Provence and climb Mount Ventoux, the Giant of Provence!

Whatever your decision you will find that any one of these trips will be a perfect combination of fine riding in company of like-minded people as yourself, all bicycle enthusiasts, that love riding together and enjoy good food and lodging in charming inns. The trips are designed to appeal to riders who prefer an active cycling vacation but perhaps not overly challenging rides, wanting just as much to enjoy the pleasures of Europe as to ride, as well as those who like to challenge themselves and do not shy away from the most demanding routes.

Cycling trips are in groups of 8 – 16 cyclists and range from 4 to 9 days, from Spring to Fall. There is a tour focusing on rides around the Maggiore Lake in Northern Italy with daily rides of about 70 km each. Lodging base is in Stresa, at the 4* Regina Palace Hotel.

In Tuscany tours start from Gaiole in Chianti and go to the Orcia valley, stop in Rocca d’Orcia (4* Castello di Spaltenna hotel), then take a different route back to Gaiole.

Around Sardinia, an easy tour, “Costa Smeralda Charme”, is six days of cycling, a great tour that includes five rides promising you’ll discover the true beauty of Sardinia (4* Delphina Cala di Lepre hotel).

Raid of Swiss Alps tour, a six days raid through Switzerland departing from Stresa, a thrilling route in the Alps and among the Swiss glaciers. Possible routes include the Susten Pass, the Furk Pass and the well-known passes of San Gottardo and Sempione.

And then there is France, and splendid in mid summer of July it is on a marvelous six days tour of rides with a base in one of the most beautiful locations of Provence, Gordes. The rides will take you along romantic back roads teeming in colors of Provence, the ambiance of the lavender in blossom, and include the rewarding climb of Mont Ventoux.

The trips and locations are selected not only for their unique landscape and natural beauty but above all for the memorable character of the cycling routes, each truly one of a kind that can be found only in these parts of Europe.

For tour details visit www.bikeitaliarando.com

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