Dobar Dan from Slovenia !

Voir en plein écran
29/04 - 8/05 (10 days)

              

            

Day 1 - 30/04 - Trieste - Lipica - Razdrto (Kraj. Park Planinsko polje)

I have to thank a lot the bike association Muli in Bici of Trieste (that helped me getting started on the trip).

Equus caballus - Lipica race

Slovenia - region of Kras Plateau (karts)

Well, Slovenia at first sight was Padis Park at a national level (karstic landscape all around), plenty.
Day 2 - Razdrto - Predjamski Grad - Postojna - Iski Vintgar 

Predjama Castel - largest cave castel ever, linked to Postojna, they say.

Postojna Jama (24k cave system) (and get to know Proteus anguinus:)

still fresh but not for a long time :D

Day 3 - Iski Vintgar - Ljubljana

the road to Iški Vintgar (gorges and first partisan hospital (that i did not see)). First time bike meets gravel, luckily for me the bike holds the shock:) 

                                                                 Iški Vintgar gorges

Ljubljana (source: web)

While in Lubljana I have discovered Druga Violin restaurant which I recommend heartly. Great cuisine, many events going on, and most of all an exemple of kindness and enthousiasme into supporting the employement of people with special needs. Truly impressesed!

I was washed away by the prekmurje cake (nuts, popy seeds, raisins,apple), served warm.

Day - Ljubljana - Škofja Loka ­­- Kranj - Bled 

The weather was supposed to be bad, and to tell you the truth I was afraid that if I were to make the planned day trip (through the North through Logarska Dolina), I would not get in time to Trieste at the end. I think it was a wise decision.

Kamnik, old medieval city

yes, I do like to eat and it is an important part of a day:). lots of special things that remind me of home, like this heart of Slovenia (so much like my grandma's pastry)

Škofja Loka - best preserved town from the Middle Ages in Slovenia

and Kranj.
all in all a good day but I felt les good, beacause I've spent most of the times on big roads, I was used to no cars around:)

Bled Lake

I can say this is what I came here for:). Just joking. Presentig the Bled Cake, does it remind you someone?

Day 5 - Bled - (Vršič Pass 1611 m) - Bovec 

mountains:D, yeah. Approaching Triglav National Park

the super food that will get me passed the pass

painting

I was under the impression my heart wanted to pop out. I was swearing and cursing while climbing up the hill, up from 11% killed me, continued mubling to myself...until I have reached this point. more than 380 people died while bulding the road, so my suffering had no place. It had en effect on me. Up from there I cooled, kept silent.

Vršič Pass - The Russian road - Built by the russian POWs in 1st WW (strategic purpose near the Isonzo front).

(source:wiki) 

finally :D. Only at 1611m, but grueling, all its 24 bends

 

Soča. A mesmerising colorful river. I was glad to have it as a companion along the descent. Every now and then I would stop and have another look at it: has it changed, did it keep its colour? :p

While in a moment of meditation, while plunging my thougts into its whirling color I've had an acrobatic spectacle before my eyes: i got to meet the dipper (cinclus cinclus). What an superb bird, at first I feard when it got in the water and stayed there for a while. The most elegant diver. No wonder, Soca invites anyone into playing;

Day 6 - Bovec - (Bohinjsko sedlo 1277 m) -  Bohinjska Bistrica

due to its geographical situation also, Slovenia had a difficult history in the world wars

Boka waterfall (very special indeed: gets out of a karst spring and a soon as she's seen the day, drops for 106m)

look at that beauty go. Little did I know it was the last time I has a glimpse at her.

entering the BačaValley (like a hidden spot on the earth). A railway trip here must be amazing!

my village?

almost 19h and I have to get going for another pass (Bohinjsko sedlo)..getting scarry in the night:p

Day 7 - Bohinjska Bistrica - Bohinjsko jezero - Refuge Koča pri Triglavskih Jezerih (Triglavski narodni park)

Bohinjsko Jezero (the largest of Solvenian glaciar lakes)

I hid the bike and all in the bushes for the night (as the village camping had been flooded a few days ago) and went hiking towards the Valley of the seven lakes

Črno jezero (1300m)

Refuge Koča pri Triglavskih Jezerih and Dvojno jezero. My home for the night. I've never seen such a clean winter refuge. When I entered I was under the impression someone had just finished changing the bed linen)

Veliko jezero (1838 m) and its profound silence, you could hear only snow melting).

Day 8 - Refuge Koča pri Triglavskih Jezerih - Gorenji Novaki

Dom na Komni, enormous hut. the place and telpher line was also used during the ww2.

when you thought you were finished with climbing, here we go again!

Day 9 - Gorenji Novaki (Partizanska bolnisnica franja) - Idrija - Predmeja

I have to say a cycling trip is no easy. I had not trained and I felt it. I was tired every day even before I opened my eyes. My tights were stiff, I prayed the muscles fibres would rebuild during the night :p

it seemes like a holywood scene?

but its not. this place really made a mark on me. The Franja Bolna Partisan Hospital, hidden in the unexpected Pasica gorges.


The town of Idrija - in the Unesco world heritage (mercury mining and industrial heritage). Here is one of the biggest mercury ores.

fly fishing destination

entering the Krajinski Park Zgornja Idrica. 
Divje jezero (where karts and tectonics meet)

so today in a way I was happy it was my last day pedalling. I had some km to go to Trieste. But I was rather cool and confident. Every thing will be ok and I took my time. Bad ideea!

because sometimes there is the unexpected. And sometimes many unexpected things come all together: closed roads, gravel path (all the way to the end of the day, although I was sure it will be asphalt, while doing a lot loads of climbing, alone on a path nobody else pas passing, no signs or posts (find your way in the maze of forest expolitation roads) and most of all summer storm with thunder and lightning above my head (as I was very high up on the mountain), and there was 3 times this storm that came and went and I thought it was there that I would leave my bones. And who knows when someone will find me. Yeap it was the hardest day ever, althogh i was wistheling this morning with my big smile. In our country we say 'don't say hop until you haven't cross the fence'. It goes well.

and continued pushing my bike for many km to go in the storm, until the night fall and in the dark forest in the mist alone on the top of the mountain, being cold, wet to my socks and so chilly. Yes, I feel Slovenia!

Day 10 - 08/05 - Predmeja  -Trieste

so...I had a pile of wet clothes, yesterday was a fight for life :) but no problem, this is the last day!
It must have been cold during the night the tent was a popsicle.

and the longest descent and best beer in the world in Trieste with Andrea:)
You might ask. Why Slovenia? Easy. While I looked at a map..Slovenia seemed so green, this must be the place for me. So I have choosen the roads that made me pass trough the Natural Parks and most of all to get me closer to Triglav too. And it really was a great surprise. Apart this, I felt like home. The landscape, the karst, the wilderness, the culture, the food (saussages, soups, polentas, cakes), achitecture influences by austrians, and life in the villages and the people there reminded me of home, of Transilvania.