We left our B&B and found the route took us through a park.
On the German side it was run down and for sale!
It was not long before we reached the border.
On the Czech side what was clearly the barracks for the border troops had now become an old peoples home.
Hranice was a town to forget, though the church was of note.
So we just walked on by!
Back in good old Germany we also just kept on walking, stopping to drink and rest every so often.
We found a stop where there was information about the old inner German border.
An old command tower now being used by amateur radio enthusiasts.
After 20 kilometres the feet began to ache and occasional cramps set in! Alan drank his isotonic drink as well as water and took some magnesium. On we went.
This may look like an easy road to walk on, but the holes in the concrete will twist your ankle as smartly as you please. So caution is called for.
The views compensated for the aching muscles after 20 kilometres.
A large flock of sheep and goats being looked after by Michael Ulsamer. A very friendly Shepard who's opening line was, " you must have been upset at the sinking of the Prince of Wales?" Did Alan now look that old? At least his brain was alive enough to realise he meant the WWII Battleship sunk by the Japanese. Alan explained who and what he was and left it at that. Michael starved of company invited us to stay the night, saying he had all the gear in his land rover, but we declined and walked on.
Alan was now wracked with cramp pains more and more as the day went on. At last we reached the main road where we hoped to get a bus to Hof, but we had just missed one and the next was an hour and a half away! Alan rang for a taxi. After 34.7 kilometres he had had enough for the day. When the taxi came he couldn't sit down in it for cramp pains! He had by this stage drunk all his two litres of fluids. The taxi driver gave him another magnesium which didn't really help. The 15 minute drive seemed like forever to him.
Once he had showered he saw that his calve muscles were pulsating as if they were a bag full of worms. They had a life of their own! In the Chemist Alan now asked for electrolyte powder as he realised he had not enough sugars and salts to sustain his muscles. He drank enough of this to stop the cramps and the worms and has not had an attack since. Mind you he says the large beers helped too.
We put it all down to the rail journey! We know that you humans are what eat and on this day our BBF had not eaten the right foods nor drunk enough fluids to sustain a long walk in the sun!
One last thought, at the bus stop where our journey ended was also a Camino sign which pleased us and we took it as a good omen!
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