Riding through the Bohemian countryside from Prague to Pilsen was a joy. I was on my way to Pilsen to visit the first brewery in the world to brew Pilsner before entering Germany. Staying off the main highways I found myself stopping often in towns and villages that seemed to ooze an honest cultural warmth that I hoped to find on this journey. So few people spoke English here which made it all the more immersing.
The Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Pilsen (the first pilsner beer in the world) was fascinating. The brewery is located right at the centre of the town and is a collection of incredibly well-preserved ancient buildings housing an ancient craft. I had a traditional Bohemian lunch, a kind of stew and a beer, before taking off for the German border
Leaving the Czech Republic I entered Bavaria and headed straight for Nuremberg to see the Nazi rally grounds. It was getting late and I arrived at the grounds a little after 4pm. I had an hour to tour the “Documentation Center”, a fascinating museum that charts the entire history of the rise and fall of the rally grounds. The Documentation Center is part of the Congress Hall giving part of this gigantic building a useful purpose, something that has been the topic of debate since the end of the war.
Once the museum closed and took a long walk around and in the congress Hall. It is a vast space, built to last but it is difficult to appreciate the construction knowing that the majority of people who built it were forced to do so by their Nazis captors. Back on my motorcycle I toured the other buildings, parade grounds and roads that made up the rally grounds.
It was getting dark and I needed to get to Stuttgart. I had a few hundred kilometers to ride so I took the quickest route and joined the autobahn where the absence of speed limits let me make up a lot of time quickly.
I didn’t see much of Stuttgart that night, it was late when I arrived and I was too tired to consider leaving the hotel bar.
Tomorrow was the last leg of my long way to Luxembourg where I’d spend 4 nights in a plush hotel. I hadn’t thought of the marathon at all during the trip, now that I was getting close I did begin to wonder if it was such a good idea to run a marathon after a few thousand kilometers on a motorcycle. I guess there’s only one way to find out.