Days 01 to 03: We're alive and busy...

Well, it is a week and one day since we left, and it is as though a month has gone by already! We have been busy everyday, and have seen a multitude of interesting and diverse places.

Days 1 & 2: Stollberg, Germany

Arriving to Stollberg,  I suppose that we weren't really too sure what to expect. Stollberg isn't really a tourist destination, and there was not a lot of information online. On arrival however, it was clear that it was a very pleasant place, the silence at 7pm on the evening of arrival was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Ulaanbaatar. Serenity was all around. 

The owner of the guesthouse we were staying in was welcoming, and after a short stroll around town to clear the head after the flight we had a great meal of cold cuts, cheese and salad. Similar fare was had for breakfast the next day before heading to AMZ Gruppe to meet with Eric and collect the car.

After a whole day travelling, as beautiful as always.

The streets of Stollberg on arrival.

Goofing around on arrival, a little delirious at 0400 Ulaanbaatar time...

Thankfully, the car did exist, and was not simply a photo on the internet posted from Nigeria!

Checking out the handiwork on the dual battery installation.

Back near our hotel, happy after a more thorough inspection.

Tent goes up for the first time.

Peeking out of the bear cave.

Gerle's copy of a Maggiolina tent advertisement (another brand of roof top tent).

Eric was a great guy, and proved to be really helpful and committed to assisting us with both the purchase and export of the vehicle. After going through all the paperwork with us in the dealership, he then drove with us to the government department in Chemnitz that would arrange for us to export the vehicle and reclaim the VAT paid.

Back to Stollberg, we had lunch in the town square before heading back to the dealership to collect the car for the final time, after the AMZGRUPPE.DE sticker had been applied. We need to try and get some good off road pictures of the vehicle featuring the logo for Eric, who is wanting to use them in some promotional material to develop a 4x4 speciality for the business.

By the end of Day 2, we were getting a little tired, and after a quiet dinner and a few beers with Eric we retired early, with plans to meet the next day for lunch in Karlovy Vary. 

Days 2 & 3: Stollbery - Karlovy Vary - Pilzen

Upon Eric's suggestion, Gerle and I visited his hometown of Netzschkau on the morning that we left Stollberg. Along the way we did a little food shopping, and arrived somewhat unprepared for what Netzschkau had to offer. 

Eric had told us about the the bridge, but we were not expecting such a huge construction. This is actually still the largest brick bridge in the world, and was also the tallest bridge in the world when opened in 1851. In total, some 26,000,021 bricks were used in constructing this bridge, and it is still used today by Deutsche Bahn trains.

After a quick walk around the park below, we took the nearby balloon ride to have a look at it from above. It was a little windy,  but it was worth it with great views over the bridge and surrounding towns and countryside. 

Göltzsch Viaduct / Göltzschtalbrücke near Netzschkau, Germany 

A very pleasant place.

The mighty Göltzsch River over which the bridge traverses

Looking through one of the arches.

Yes, it is big!

The balloon (?) ride above the car.

The bridge from the balloon.

Local town from the balloon.

Me, making Gerle look better, in the balloon.

After leaving Netzschkau we drove through rainy day to Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic where we were to meet Eric and his girlfriend for lunch. We arrived a little early and walked around town for a bit, before joining with Eric for a further look around town before sitting down to a late lunch. 

Downtown Karlovy Vary

Still pretty pleased with myself...

Near the old town, Karlovy Vary

Two men in front of a flower garden... Eric and I in Karlovy Vary.

Gerle in a park in Karlovy Vary

Old buildings along the river in Karlovy Vary

The final handover. Cheers Eric!

Saying 'goodbye' to Eric, we continued to Pilzen in the Czech Republic where were were hoping to find somewhere to stay the night.  We hadn't done any research here, but from previous travels I had assumed that it would be about the same sized town as Karlovy Vary but a little further in the direction that we needed to travel. It was considerably larger.

We had some amazing luck in the place that we found to stay. Walking in to the first hotel, it looked a little fancy and expensive.... but upon enquiry it was clear that this part of the Czech Republic was pretty cheap. The room was amazing, as was the restaurant, where we enjoyed an excellent dinner as we were tired from the days travels. Breakfast the following morning was also amazing; we may have peaked early in our travel in terms of the best value food and accommodation! (For those interested, the name of the hotel is 'Hotel Gondola')

A bottle of local vino, a beer and an aperitif...

Half a fried duck, Czech style...

Plus some stuffed chicken... came to a total of about 25 dollars. Czech Republic; so much more than Prague.