Ovčárna rest day: Day 150

I decided on a rest day to give my calf a chance to recover from wearing my knee brace and the redness has declined. There were also some long days coming up. I selected Ovčárna as a place to stay as it was a short walk from my hotel to the top of Mount Praděd, the highest peak in Moravia (the part of Czechia I was in).

On the summit of there is a TV transmission tower, built above a hotel and with a high observation deck. Completed in 1983 it had an air of being a grand Soviet style statement piece. I was looking forward to the view from the tower but was disappointed. The observation level was closed, they appeared to be renovating it. Flakes of paint descended on me when I was on the ground and a white cloud was drifting out from the side of the tower before dissolving into nothingness in the light winds. I assume they were using a jet of water to blast away the old paint ready for repainting. I was even prevented from walking around the wide base of the tower by temporary metal barriers. Beyond them were "No Entry" signs similar to those I had seen yesterday, intended to protect the grass and blueberry bushes. There was a busy restaurant however I settled for a large, two tone, ice cream (i.e. a cone of soft ice cream delivered from a machine such that half was pink (strawberry?) and half was white). Many people had walked up the road to the tower and I suspect a few of them were likewise disappointed.

Back at the hotel I did various jobs such as planning my next few nights and washing my socks. That latter job was urgent as the smell was obnoxious.