Right then chaps - here's check-in numero uno, typed on a phone, quite frustratingly, in a bonzer wee café by recommendation of Toby Jones esq., der heißt Dobrá Cajovna. Twee and very into tea: showy pouring, the whole shabang.

So my first exciting sighting was a camel or three. Dromedary--one hump because a D is one hump. Bactrian--two, for the same reason. These aren't actually wild, unfortunately. It's not that hot in East Germany, although it does get very toasty. But I'll get to that.

When i saw these travelling circus camels, right at that moment, that was when I knew what this trip was really about---WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY. Thus:

There are more banal-ish photos of animals but it takes about seven weeks to upload one photo so I'll keep them to a minimum--whilst savouring all the flavour of this topsy-turvy trip. That pine forest is actually where I slept my first night, right outside Baruth/Mark, just about 50km from Berlin. Not a long day - left later than expected and it's a ruddy labyrinth to escape (/i was just being navigationally silly).

Somewhere between Berlin and Dresden, near the village of Lauchhammer, I stumbled serendipitously upon another like-minded bicycle traveller. Andrea is Italian and speaks no English; I am English and speak no Italian. BUT, (I know you're thinking by god bruno how on earth did you communicate ???) fortunately we both learned German at some point in the past. Aus diesem Grund, we have spoken only in Deutsch these past 3 days. I have never had so much practice. When we started meeting English speakers in the Czech Republic, I automatically reverted to German; I'm still in this vaguely Deutsch half English headspace. In a way i prefer people thinking I'm German, not another lazy Brit, so I've kept it up this morning.

Here is Dresden. We had spaghetti under the bridge. It was marvellous.

In the Czech Republic they use different coins to us. Here, don't they look cool.

So we cycled along the Elbe river for a long time. It was absolutely gorgeous and luscious and picturesque and all of that, and gave us a lovely welcome to CR, but meandered like a sod, and meant viele extra km. So, about 70km from Prague, in a town called Litomerice (with accents that I can't remember), we had a wee looky for a camping spot.

Little did we know there was a SKATING COMPETITION & GARAGE PUNK FESTIVAL HAPPENING THERE. So we were allowed to camp on a lovely lawn with some other festival-goers, for that night and that night only. We met a Russian girl who is at the uni I want to go to in Prague, and two Czech women from Brno who said they would show me around when I arrive. Our timings might not work out but the thought's nice.

In the Czech Republic, as with the majority of the continental Europe I've cycled through, there are literally billions of sunflowers. They are magnificent, and tilt their weary heads towards the sun whatever time of day. This day was particularly sweltering, but we soldiered on nonetheless. Actually, shortly after taking this photo, we stopped for a burger and 3 pints each (wboops), but we did move on thereafter.

So we finally got into Prague and immediately met an Israeli couple who told me Brno is not worth going to, especially if it means cycling through 250km of desert. Oh well.

I sent about a hundred thousand couch surfing requests, to no avail, and we drank more beer. Then, because we both stank to high heaven, we went to Lazne Zlute (again, sans accents) because I'd read online that people go swimming in the river there, that there is a nudist section opening and that there were showers. There weren't really any of these, but I did go in the water.

And there was also a whole festival devoted to watching the GAME. Live music with banjos etc., and then this. I watched while Andrea brewed coffee.

This morning Andrea and I said our fond farewells. He is travelling south along the river towards Salzburg, and I am going East into the 'desert'. Herumph.

Here we are, looking spectacular, and spectacularly blue.

Missing you all, brethren. Thanks for checking in mit mir, it's nice to reflect in this way on what has been, thus far, a fantastic journey. Tschüs!

P&L