I look at the blue tones of the spa and the people enjoying their evening. The water feels slightly cold, and I feel slightly strange being surrounded almost entirely by couples. I seem to be the only one doing the spa solo, but who cares. As closing time approaches, more and more people leave, and for the final twenty minutes it is finally my turn to try the jacuzzi, which is much more pleasantly warm.
The massive windows are meant to provide a great mountain view, but now it is just pitch black. Or rather, a mirror reflecting me, one remaining couple, and the spa itself.
When the spa lights turn red, the clock hits 22:00 and it is closing time. I was supposed to go to bed early in preparation for winter topping Sněžka. Instead, I end up reading stories about winter ascents, and it becomes increasingly clear that I am not properly geared. I have no crampons, not even microspikes. I also come across images of two Polish men sliding down a slope to their deaths, a video from a previous winter when everything went wrong.
Little by little, I give up on my winter dream and start considering whether something like the geographical center of Poland could be a doable day trip instead. Timewise, that does not really make sense either.
In the morning, I feel exhausted and somehow disappointed that the plan did not work out, or perhaps that I did not put it to work. Have I finally started to become smarter and not take unnecessary risks? After a ridiculously good breakfast, I form a plan B. While walking toward the car, I almost slip and fall a few times, which oddly makes me feel a bit better. I think I have made the right decision.
I am not really sure where the road will take me. While waiting for the car to heat up, I end up buying a ten day vignette. It is cheaper than two single days and not much more expensive than one. Later, it turns out that I would not have needed it at all, or at least I think so. I always forget to select the no toll roads option on Waze, and all the rerouting tends to push you onto toll roads anyway. Oh well.
In front of me are 150 kilometers, which surprisingly will take almost two and a half hours. I descend from the mountains, passing ski slopes that have already opened for the season. In the foggy weather, I watch skiers slowly moving toward the lifts. It does not take long to understand why the drive is so slow. Endless stretches where the speed limit drops from 90 kilometers per hour to 70, then 50, and even 30. I do not know what the speed traps per capita in Czechia are, but there seem to be many, almost every village has one. Most of the drive cuts through countryside and small settlements, yet the traffic is heavy and sometimes almost busy.
It would not be fair to describe the drive in great detail at this time of year. There are not many colors to work with. Fog appears now and then, sometimes thick enough to feel dangerous. Snow covers the ground, but thankfully the roads are not too slippery.
I get a work call and pull into a roadside rest area. There is a strange thunder like sound approaching. For a moment, I imagine I am part of Top Gun. It is oddly comforting to be reminded that Czechia produces things other than the endless variations of Škoda models. I am sure the Czechs are proud of both.
Eventually, I arrive at a small municipality called Číhošt, home to around 350 inhabitants spread over 16.27 square kilometers. This is where my plan B takes me, the geographical center of Czechia. I spot a sign pointing toward the center by someone’s fence, but first I need to park. That happens to be next to the local fire station.
The walking path to the center runs between two houses. I am startled when I suddenly encounter a horse in someone’s backyard. I did not see that one coming. I had no particular expectations of how it would feel to stand in the center of Czechia. In this weather, it is freezing cold. The fields are snow covered, and even the horse eventually retreats to stand beside another horse I had not noticed at first.
There is a small shelter at the site, covered in stickers. I study them for a while, mostly Czech motor clubs and local groups. Not a single one from the Nordics.
After a while, I head back to the car and set the destination to my hotel, hoping I will not encounter a full road closure like the one earlier that caused a fair bit of stress. Luckily, I do not, although I do have to deal with the car repeatedly cutting the Apple CarPlay connection. A different kind of headache.