Kranjska Gora

I was headed up to Kranjska Gora which was to be the furthest north that I would go. Its tucked into the northwest part of Slovenia and is an equal distance from both Austria and Italy, which seems you could reach easily in half an hour.
I took my time heading out of Bled and took some more photos of the picturesque town and stopped in at the Vintar gorge on the way out. How they built the boardwalk is a feat in itself as it winds down the gorge for almost a kilometre.

Once I was on the road I could see the peaks of the Julian alps each time I passed through a valley. The perspective of them kept changing so it seemed like it would take forever to get there as I was stopping every 5 minutes to grab a photo.

I finally got into town and went to the TIC (tourist information center) and got sorted for a place to stay for the night. The next day would involve some pretty hefty climbing so I headed out for a meal and headed back to my place for an early night.

The weather in the mountains isn't always so predictable so even though the forecast said 20% chance of rain, halfway through the morning it changed to 80% chance of rain. I started out at 9:00 am but after 30 minutes and the rain getting heavier I turned around and got re-acquainted with my room again. 

The weather cleared up around 3:00 so I went out and wandered around Kranjska Gora. It reminds me of alot of what Whistler was modelled after. It has numerous hotels, patios and stores to buy anything needed for skiing or hiking. And like Whistler in the off season, was a bit of a ghost town. 

After the dress rehearsal from the day before I was mentally prepared at least. The Vrsic pass has 50 switchbacks and tops out at 1611 metres. You climb from 809 metres in Kranjska Gora to 1611 metres over 13 kilometres. So its a little steep. The town that the pass connects to is called Bovec and is 50 km to the southwest.
The road was built in 1915 to connect the north to the west in order to supply the front lines during the war. The men who built it were Russian prisoners of war and it was also unfortunately 400 Russian prisoners of war that died in an avalanche during the roads construction in March of 1916. In 2006 the Slovenian government changed the name of the road to honour the men that died and it is now called the Ruska Cesta (Russian Road). There is also a chapel and memorial dedicated to them as well.

Sign post marking which switchback youre on and elevation

All switchbacks are cobblestone

Monument to Dr. Kugy. Pioneer climber and writer of the Julian alps

Start of the Soca river

Having biked the climb in decent weather and knowing that it would only be a couple of hours of discomfort, I cant even imagine what it must have been like for all the young men who over the course of winters were carving out the highest road in that section of the Julian alps. Riding a bike over a mountain really doesn't seem like that big of a deal. More to follow on riding along the Soca river.

To The Alps It Is

I was debating on which route to take once back in Ljubljana. After talking with a few different people it seemed the north part of Slovenia was an area not to be missed. It would involve longer days and more climbs but I've been building up enough to it that my body wouldn't go into shock. I headed out under dark skies but after an hour of rain it started to look promising.

    

The ride was mellow and there wasn't that much climbing but the mountains ahead were getting a little closer. I stopped at a small town called Kranj and when I got to a deli I did my "Ali Imate sandvich?" routine and got bread, cheese and meat for a sandwich. I circled around afterwards to the Informaciye to get some advice on how to get out of town. The kind and very well spoken information guide pointed out that the route that I would be taking was hilly. People love to tell you a ride is hilly. The map I have also points out hills. Hills take up almost as much thought as what my next meal is going to be. I get it, it's a hilly country!

I stopped at the local church on the way out of town, (I decided to give the castle a miss) to grab a photo and see the town. Even in larger town settings people still look at you as though you were riding a saddled pig through their town.

 

It was great again to be on the back-roads and admiring how forested and remote Slovenia countryside is. One third of Slovenia is covered in forest so it leaves large patches of beautiful country roads. You don't go too long before you pop out onto a major road or a small village. After cresting a climb and starting on the downhill I could see the next town across the valley. Its a town called Radovljica. Its not far from Bled so I knew there was only another hour or so before getting to the hostel for some food and a shower. It's the little things.

                                    

I got into Bled just after 5:00 so I headed to the castle before it got too dark as I was going to head to another lake the next day. 

                                               

Slovenes like to add Lake Bohinj to the conversation when you mention Lake Bled so I thought I would check them both out. Lake Bohinj is about 35 kms to the west. If you stay off the main and busy road you can take the mountain pass. Its a little longer and much more of a climb. I think its about 700 metres of climbing. I wisely, or unwisely chose not to calculate the climb before hand; sometimes not knowing

is good. It was pretty challenging and I could hear the voice of the woman at the hostel desk saying 'Its hilly!'

I got to the lake about three hours later, had some sandviches and decided to carry on to see the Savica waterfall. It was great but also gave a nicer perspective of the valley and lake. It's a beautiful lake and nowhere as busy as Bled. But does it have a castle as an island? Its like comparing apples to apples.

I was initially planning on biking back but by the time I got back to the main part of town I decided to enquire about the train. There were three trains left for the rest of the day the woman said. It would be €1.85 for me and €3.50 for my bike. I asked if my bike could sit next to me as a passenger. My humour was lost.

It was a great 20 minute ride back to Bled and after some food and a chat with some of the other travellers at the hostel I called it a day. Its a much different area than the east and the people that are here use it as a springboard to do hikes, mountain biking, canyoning or climbing. It was nice to have seen more than just Bled and my legs feel as though they are in some shape for the rest of the travels in the Alps.

Tabor to Murska Sobota

Ah the glorious sun. After the rains from yesterday it was great to be biking in the sunshine with no clouds in sight. I could have been biking anywhere and would have been content. Fortunately I was heading east to one of Slovenias oldest towns, Ptuj (Ptooey). The small town of Celje (Sell-ya), below, was on route as well but would only be a place to grab a coffee. 

After a brief stop in Celje I carried on along the secondary road and still found that to be a bit busy so tucked off down a third road. There is no topography on my map so it's always a guess as to what the road will be like. The second half of the road was a bit much and I ended up pushing my bike up the road for 5 - 10 minutes but it wasn't that bad. This is the view down the valley from the climb. The price you pay for not being along side cars is worth a little bit of climbing I think.

It was a long day of navigating the map and the roads with a bit of unnecessary climbing as well. I didn't get into Ptuj until around 6:30 due to some wrong turns so it was a solid day of riding. The hostel I was planning on staying at was full so happened upon a B & B for €18 which was cheaper than the hostel and included a great breakfast. It seems that things are already in place and I just need to show up for my end of the agreement. Its been strange.

Ptuj is a beautiful medieval town that also coincidentally has castle located at the top of the city. Their castle is in great shape and was an amalgamation of styles from the 13th century til the 18th century. The Drava river used to be the main way that goods were moved and traded but after the railway went in trade stopped and the town decreased in size.

The one exhibit that they have that was a little different was their collection of 300 musical instruments from between the 17th and 19th century. It was an impressive exhibit and I could have spent more time there.

They also had an authentic grape press from back in the day. The area around Ptuj is well known as one of the three major wine growing regions of Slovenia.

After spending one full rest day in Ptuj I was headed out to Murska Sobota the next morning. They'd just had a ten year flood so I wasn't sure what shape the roads would be in. It was a nice ride out as it is a plateau, so extremely flat. I was in Murska Sobota in a few hours which allowed me time to relax and see the city; 20 minutes would have been enough. I had another farm stay lined up so as it was only 15 km from town I decided to take my time. It tuned out that the pin on the internet map was wrong and it was probably another 20 to 30 kms away from where it was supposed to be. After looking at the map, the farm was likely only 10 to 15 km from Hungary. I was tempted but had had enough riding for the day. The farm stay was good and I got to share the same space with a Shaman work-group who were there for the weekend on a retreat. You never know what happens in these small towns. I decided to just stay the one night and jumped on the train the next day to head back to Ljubljana. It would be one day in the city and then off to the north the next day.

One wing in Ptuj's castle

View of Ptuj and the Drava river

Prekmurska Gibanica. Goodness.

Swollen Mura River

Farm stay

Vinyard Murska Sobota

The benefit of low season hostels

War monument Murska Sobota

What. . . . . .I ride a bike.