Slovenia
Day 54
We wake up and there is a lovely blue sky after last nights storm and a goregous view from our balcony. We don’t have to check out today which is a treat so we get out for a 10am walk. The main word for the first section of the walk is Slippy! Actually ice rink slippy. And it’s basically vertically downhill for a Km! Wilson mocks me and Stu, who are walking like plonkers trying not to fall, by unnecessarily running up and down the skiddy descent like ‘what’s the fuss about!’ It’s like Fern Gully, yes I mean the animated movie from the 90’s! Like a rainforest with a sensational green canopy covering us up, with a stream from one of the many waterfalls running alongside us and I’m pretty certain a fairy utopia. When we get to the bottom it opens out to the River Natisone. It’s fast flowing and stunning. The dog is running from a cluster of branches and back to us via the water. Stu and I use trees to grab and balance ourselves and walk over the rocks to where he is going. On the way I notice some thing that almost looks like rubber. On closer inspection it’s a black snake that looks like it has just eaten as it is perfectly still with a distended belly! A quick google of what it is proves inconclusive. We then follow the stream along till we get to a stunning campsite. The effort of the restaurant alone with an incredible vine covering the whole ceiling is commendable. I ask the waitress if she knows what the snake is and if it's quite common… she says she has never seen it ever and passes my photo round the early drinkers in the bar. No luck! As we walk back to the apartment the dog runs towards something and Stu calls him back and thankfully comes immediately as we see a snake slither off and down a crack in the cliff. Stu thought it looked the same but I’m sure this one was green and the one we saw was nearly black. Once back at the apartment we have lunch and rest a wee while. Then we get in the car and drive to ‘Napoleons bridge’. An incredible view of the sensational Soca valley. The water is aqua blue with white ripples as it diverts around rocks. It’s as impressive as the internet pictures suggested! We then drive up to Slap Boka… the highest waterfall in Slovenia. It’s a short 15 minute climb up to see the impressive fall of 136m so we leave Wilson to sleep as he has done more than enough energetic activity today! Driving back via Kobarid and stop at a restaurant called Hisa Polonker - or he’s a plonker as we call it. Stu tries to park while I get a table. He is gone an awfully long time and by the time he comes back I’m sat with 2 other people at our table! ‘Oh hello’ is his response! It’s kinda mayhem in here. It’s so busy that people are waiting half an hour to pay, whilst getting a table is improbable at the time and putting in an order out of the question! Stu was ages but it also took a long time to order so actually works out perfectly as he arrives as the food does. I ask if everything was ok with parking. He says he was told by a guy to write 7.30 - 9.30 on a piece of paper, put it in the windscreen and take a risk! So that is what he did! Lovely meal in a bustling place and then home to an early night.
Slovenia
Day 55
We need to pack up but are also desperate to get Stu on a rafting expedition but a solo rafter is proving difficult. One guy said maybe we put dog in the garage with some water and your girlfriend can go too… Wilson was a hard NO to that idea! But in the end we need to check out so the owners wife drives us back up the steep hill with our stuff and we are about to drive off and I get an email saying get Stu to them in half hour and he is in! So we are off. Stu is whisked away in a car to Bovec and me and Wilson decide to hike to a different waterfall! We follow signs to Slap kozjak, a waterfall in a cave and about half way I google can you take dogs there! The response is ‘yes but it can be very slippy so be careful!’ Great, more slippy-ness! It’s a lovely adventure. We cross a wobbly wooden rope bridge and the Soca valley really is just stunning. I pay 5 euros entrance fee and as we near the stones that could cause it to be slippy, it starts to rain and then it pours!!! Everyone else clearly checked the weather as there are ponchos a plenty and me in a vest top. Wilson and I are not deterred. They have made tiny stone steps up to wooden bridges with a cable rope as a banister! The final precarious steps lead to a wooden platform entering the cave and then it’s back to something out of the goonies. No one is allowed in the water as it’s protected and with that it is perfectly clear. It’s also a place where locals hid their goats when authorities banned the breeding of goats.?‘Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty’ as those who smuggled the goats to the caves have preserved their existence to this day. We walk back and the sun comes out so we can sit outside a cafe for some treats. I grab a sandwich for Stu as I suspect he’ll be ravenous as some Italians on the tour were late so they left an hour later than planned. We all meet back at the car and he’s starving, worn out but so happy. He said it was amazing. They carried the boat down a steep ravine which was hard enough before they set off. They needed to know 3 words forward, reverse and stop, which the guide quickly learnt in Italian as most of the group were Italian speakers. The instructor barked orders as the new team obeyed. Wasn’t enough to not hit a rock and get beached or for one guy to topple off. They are allowed to climb a big rock and jump in. The guy taking the pictures missed Stu doing it but it was so cold that it was a one time offering! Sounded at parts calm as the water took them, other parts mildly perilous as they avoided rocks (or didn’t) and 100% fun. Stu munches on his sandwich telling rapid stories and I drive us to Ukanc. This is a DRIVE! It felt like it took double the time because the concentration was high! Roads not really big enough for 2, a patchwork quilt of a road regarding asphalt with no straight roads. Just bends and bigger bends! We get to our apartment that has a garden that backs on to the river. Water so cold it steams as the warmer air meets it. We cook a goulash and as it slow cooks for 2 hours we show each other pictures from our solo adventures. The food is fantastic and then it’s time to collapse.
Slovenia
Day 56
We meet the lovely owner of our apartment as she wasn’t around yesterday, so she has dropped in to say hello. I’ve debated a lot on this trip about places just giving you codes and then you just ‘let yourself in’, versus human contact and person-ability. The woman is so nice and we literally change the plans in our head from her advice. She left some treats for Wilson and when I say he loved them, she says ‘really? I will leave more’. We discuss the trip and she says ‘Don’t stay in bled (lake Bled) now I meet you I see you are not into nice clothes and things like that!’… and then recommended other places. Made us chuckle but we knew what she meant. We set off on a walk around the lake at Ukanc where we are staying. Sometimes you wanna wear what you wanna wear and what you wanna wear is just completely inappropriate! Today I have the romantic idea of a pretty dress by the lake and flip flops. We set out on the walk and Everyone, I mean EVERY SINGLE PERSON is in hiking boots… (the odd renegade is in trainers) but zero flip flops in sight! It’s pretty rocky terrain and muddy and I ponder the question ‘what makes a walk a hike?!’ The shoes, I believe. It says the walk is about an hour and I think it took us about double! And about half way round it pours down. Now we have 6 ponchos 2 waterproof jackets and 3 umbrellas in the car and decided to bring NONE of them with us! Shorts, t-shirt, pretty dress and flip flops! I decide to wear a cotton tote bag on my head as a makeshift umbrella, it looks a bit like a tea cosy. Stu says it’s like being on a walk with Malcolm, (my father) wearing a dress. We get a lot of strange looks. We say things on our walk like ‘we would’ve really earned our lunch for this’ getting hungrier as we contemplate the ending still only being half way to our destination. When we finally reach a restaurant we are pretty hungry and we meet a sign saying ‘CASH ONLY’. We look at each other glum-fully with only our contactless payment phones in our hand. I very hopefully look behind my phone case as I remember I stashed some in there. 10 glorious euros which is the price of a pizza. Hoorah!!!. We eat pizza on the lake and marvel at a lady on a paddle board who has a dog with her. I wonder what Wilson would be like and figure it would end with both of us in the water. We then walk further round the lake and book a boat trip back (online as it’s also cash only!) we then look for somewhere for a drink but most places are… you guessed it, CASH ONLY. We find a place that takes non paper cash and settle down for a beer. Just as we need to leave for the boat the skies open up again. We make a dash and climb aboard the waiting boat. After 3 mins the skies clear and by the time we have reached the other side it’s like a new day. We stop at another restaurant near our apartment and squeeze in a drink and some Štruklji - a local dish here - before they close at 6. They are delicious, like a crepe meets a strudle and simultaneously nothing like that! When we get back to our shared lounge there is a lovely family from Louisiana who ask if we know anywhere open for dinner. We let them know the place we went to closed at 6 and then we’re like yeah I think everywhere does. One cheerily says ‘we are so tired we might just have sleep for dinner’ which is what they end up having. Now, if that were us, Stu and I would not be worth knowing. We would be hangry and personality-less. We slip in our room and smugly heat up our left over goulash! The Louisiana Dad has made a fire in the garden so we chat to him and then go and talk through new plans after advice from our lady! Also when we arrived back there were more packets of dog treats for Wilson on our door handle. Nice.
Slovenia
Day 57
Pack up once more and jump into the car to drive to a waterfall. Alas, google maps tried to take us on, what is definitely a walkway. We decide Wilson needs no more hikes to waterfalls and hop back in the car, admire the lake at Ukanc one more time and travel to Lake Bled. We park, and there is a boat waiting to leave for the Island at the centre of the lake but needs 2 more people, and room for a dog too! A lovely ride over with our guide who has been rowing on the lake for 50 years. He says if you row with technique you can row all day! Only 23 people are permitted to have boats on the lake so it’s often handed down through families. We have 45 mins to look around and get back to the boat. But 1 minute before the boat leaves Wilson does a huge poo! We are all in agreement that Stu should run back up the hill to find a bin and not bring the item aboard! We get back and Wilson has a swim, then Stu, and finally me. The parking was steep at €4’s an hour so we cram it all in on 2 hours! We get provisions and drive to our next destination. Šenturška Gora. The kind of place that has tractors parked in their garages, yes plural. Super quaint with a tiny little church basically on our doorstep. Stunning views for miles not too dissimilar to the Surrey hills! In the evening we go for a little walk but before long find signs for a trail and end up in a glorious forest. Suddenly starving we head back for an evening of fajitas and a game of Uno!
Slovenia
Day 58
Ljubljana is on the agenda today. The Capital of Slovenia. As we drive in, the map says ‘tolls’ but we don’t come across any, so we park on the outskirts and start walking in until we realise we have a 45 minute preamble before seeing any of the Capital itself! We quickly walk back, drive 5 mins extra and park the car in the main train station car park which happens to be right next to our first place to stop! We googled 10 things to see in Ljubljana and on the list is Metelkova Mesto. An ex army garrison that was taken over by squatters in the 90’s. Now it’s a square of creative workspaces, galleries, bars and nightclubs, with graffiti and murals across every building. We walk into a gallery and speak to an artist who makes incredible sculptures. He takes the time to explain his philosophies and approaches and you can tell he is still so motivated and inspired after 20 years. ‘Quirky bridges’ is next on our list so we check out ‘dragon bridge’, it has 4 dragon statues and some history about Jason and the argonauts beating a dragon. The dragon wags its tail when a virgin walks past…? oh legends! Then a love lock bridge with a glass bottom, where folks put padlocks with declarations of love! The castle is the next big hitter so we walk up the big steep hill to a lovely blue sky one side and massive bolts of lightning the other. We decide not to stay up there long so we aren’t caught out. A couple of squares, a pink church, market and more river walking. It really is a gorgeous city. Very chilled and calm. Though we are being warned of the impending weather we can’t help but say things like ‘well let’s quickly see’ or ‘just wanna have a look at’. With that we go down a street that has a very cute looking shop that is a dog bakery! We venture in and Wilson is sniffing around and the lady says that he can try some that are on a plate. So I pick one up and give it to him and embarrassingly he spits it out! I pick it up, try and again and he spits it out again and laughing I say to the woman ‘oh he doesn’t like this one!’ Like he’s not a greedy Labrador that eats anything! We choose a pigs ear instead and depart! Then the rain says ‘listen, I gave you fair warning’ and pelts it down. But the joyous news is we both have a poncho each! Remarkable. We are really growing as humans!!! They really work! It rains hard and the dog is soaked but we are smug! Finally back, dry in the car, the map says we need to drive on a toll road again. I suddenly clock what it may be and google do you need a ‘vignette’ driving in Slovenia? And the answer is yes, yes you do! I quickly pay in the car and hope we don’t get a fine. We’ll see! Once home we cook dinner and chill for the evening.
Slovenia
Day 59
We are up early as the apartment has a blind that seems to intensify the Sun rather than keep it out! We are on our way to Kranjska Gora, with our first stop at Kranj. A charming town. We look for the top things to see and there are views of a gorge, a pretty old town, a watch tower that’s now a bar and a theatre with a pretty cafe. Haven’t seen too many theatres over the last 2 months. The most impressive thing seems to be a tunnel system from WWII apparently running for 1300m below the old town. I say seemed and apparently as it’s closed today! We leave and go from quaint to quainter! Radovljica. Here also have these parking discs that we keep seeing. If it’s three hours free you put the time you arrived or the time you should be leaving on your parking disc! Not having one we again write it on a piece of paper and actually do see a sign saying that is the correct thing to do! Radovljica Has a gingerbread museum, bee museum and a medicine and apothecary museum set up like a Harry Potter set. It’s all exceptionally sweet! We step back in time as we look round the gingerbread museum. Stu says he feels like a witch could jump out at any moment! It’s set underneath a traditional Slovenian restaurant so we head out to their terrace for a drink. Dogs have been blamed for many a thing like, where’s your homework? the dog ate it! And having a dog that was probably true all along. But the waitress comes over and is putting Stus drink down in front of him and he smiles as her eyes go wide and let’s out an ‘oh’ and Stu realises Wilson has put his whole head up her skirt! IT WAS THE DOG! When I venture inside the restaurant it smells exactly like my Gran and Grandads house! Hearty cooking! I take a big whiff and smile at the memory. We walk around the town with the sound of music, I mean literally music playing and realise it’s a school for musicians… I remark how lovely it is but maybe not if you work nearby with a 10 year old tuning a Cello for half n hr? One person tells us where the bee museum is saying ‘it’s where all the noise is coming from’ with an eye roll! Google maps said the bee museum was closed, which was a lie, so we don’t have time to go in as our make shift parking disc is running out. It makes me wonder if the tunnels in Kranj were really closed, probably should have checked! It’s on to our final destination. Kranjska Gora. It’s totally adorable. We are staying in a very old inn with views of green ski slopes and mountains. We walk the town, which is an extremely quick event, and head to a beautiful restaurant with aqua green shutters. We have a mountain of meat and still need a box for the rest of the platter for 2! We come back and it’s doze with the dog time until we actually go to bed for real.
Day 58
Ljubljana is on the agenda today. The Capital of Slovenia. As we drive in, the map says ‘tolls’ but we don’t come across any, so we park on the outskirts and start walking in until we realise we have a 45 minute preamble before seeing any of the Capital itself! We quickly walk back, drive 5 mins extra and park the car in the main train station car park which happens to be right next to our first place to stop! We googled 10 things to see in Ljubljana and on the list is Metelkova Mesto. An ex army garrison that was taken over by squatters in the 90’s. Now it’s a square of creative workspaces, galleries, bars and nightclubs, with graffiti and murals across every building. We walk into a gallery and speak to an artist who makes incredible sculptures. He takes the time to explain his philosophies and approaches and you can tell he is still so motivated and inspired after 20 years. ‘Quirky bridges’ is next on our list so we check out ‘dragon bridge’, it has 4 dragon statues and some history about Jason and the argonauts beating a dragon. The dragon wags its tail when a virgin walks past…? oh legends! Then a love lock bridge with a glass bottom, where folks put padlocks with declarations of love! The castle is the next big hitter so we walk up the big steep hill to a lovely blue sky one side and massive bolts of lightning the other. We decide not to stay up there long so we aren’t caught out. A couple of squares, a pink church, market and more river walking. It really is a gorgeous city. Very chilled and calm. Though we are being warned of the impending weather we can’t help but say things like ‘well let’s quickly see’ or ‘just wanna have a look at’. With that we go down a street that has a very cute looking shop that is a dog bakery! We venture in and Wilson is sniffing around and the lady says that he can try some that are on a plate. So I pick one up and give it to him and embarrassingly he spits it out! I pick it up, try and again and he spits it out again and laughing I say to the woman ‘oh he doesn’t like this one!’ Like he’s not a greedy Labrador that eats anything! We choose a pigs ear instead and depart! Then the rain says ‘listen, I gave you fair warning’ and pelts it down. But the joyous news is we both have a poncho each! Remarkable. We are really growing as humans!!! They really work! It rains hard and the dog is soaked but we are smug! Finally back, dry in the car, the map says we need to drive on a toll road again. I suddenly clock what it may be and google do you need a ‘vignette’ driving in Slovenia? And the answer is yes, yes you do! I quickly pay in the car and hope we don’t get a fine. We’ll see! Once home we cook dinner and chill for the evening.
Last of the Slovenian’s!
Day 60
We start ‘early’ driving to the town of Krankjska Gora. We park and follow the ‘Pisnica’ river, a stunning light blue colour with cascading mini waterfalls up to Lake Jasna. A small alpine lake with mountains in the background and charming walkways round it. It has beautiful green waters made for tourists with picture opportunities with carved wooden statues but it’s not very busy so it’s lovely. We go further down the river where Wilson runs in to the water, picks up a big rock, comes out and drops it and repeats that numerous times. But here’s the thing, the days change quick! So you can be boiling with suncream on and then, one of you doesn’t bring a jumper, and it chucks it down and is very cold! We do however have our ponchos which Stu says helps with his no jumper coldness. We are glad we have the car not too far away and head back to the apartment. Then for the first time I get an afternoon nap in. Just delicious! I wake up refreshed and renewed and we decide to drive some hairpin bends up to some viewpoints. We first visit a Russian chapel. We learn the Vršič Mountain Pass was built by 10,000 Russian prisoners of war and the road is commonly called the Russian Road. Survivors then built the chapel in their memory. What torture it must have been making this road that climbs 1611m high. We drive on to a point where you can see the summits above the source of the soca valley. Multiple peaks with clouds clinging to their tops and dense trees covering them. Then to a tiny souvenir shop that has a great view. It’s in the middle of nowhere or the top of nowhere perhaps. Seems an unlikely place but perhaps in skiing season it is abuzz! There are also quaint little cottages and the odd restaurant dotted around that must have monopoly in any passing tourists. We try to view a lady’s face that you can see in the Cliffs but it starts to rain again so we retreat. And what goes up must come down and it’s stus turn for the decent in the rain. Once home Stu cooks an incredible chicken chasseur and we quiz for the evening. Tomorrow we move on from Slovenia but my what a delightful place.