It's been a hard day, because I tried to cover some distance, which wasn't so easy in this hilly area! It only went upwards, all the time, which wasn't so strange since I was trying to reach the spring of the river Spree – an important stage goal. I found it deep in the forest – had to walk the last meters – framed by a memorial over the soldiers who died in the first world war.

Outside Bautzen I biked the wrong way due to insufficient road signs. I had to climb over real alp villages (at least it felt like that) with goats and houses with these characteristically steep roofs. Despite the enormous amount of energy that this detour sucked from my body, I was happy to see these cute little mountain villages. A local I asked about the way told me that sorbs inhabit these areas. So I asked him if he was a sorb, but he disappointed me by saying he was German.

The border crossing in Neugersdorf was closed for cars, but as a bicyclist I was allowed to pass. While the German police thoroughly checked my passport and wished me a nice trip, her Czech colleagues just nodded their heads and let me in.

It was 12:35 as I passed the border to the Czech republic, my second home. (I have studied Czech and lived in Prague and that way got myself this asylum without any real connection to the country.) The roads were totally empty, since no car would come from or go to the closed border crossing. As a bonus I biked downslopes for the first time today.

I feel so at home in the Czech republic. At the first sign that signaled a smaller village, I turned off the main road. It happened to be a village called Rybniste with one single restaurant. They all look the same, these countryside restaurants in the Czech republic (and so does the waiter: hockey haircut and jogging pants), so it's easy to feel at home.

Speaking the language adds of course to the experience. Not knowing what the big, red, rusty signs that screams POZOR means can make you feel uncertain. It means Attention or Warning, but Pozor sounds much more vulgar.

After the lunch break I continued over Krásná Lípa (The beautiful lime) to Kamenicky Senov where I had a banana break on the cool cliff Panská Skála. Then I continued to Ceská Lípa (The Czech lime), where the downslopes became steeper and steeper – I reached 60 kph (37 mph) as maximum speed.

According to my Michelin map from 1996, there would be a camping in Dubá. And there was! I have now taken a bath in the little lake outside my tent and eaten some fish fingers with chips. Left infront of me now is only a plastic mug with dark, draught Breznák. A beer has never tasted so good.