Its All Downhill From Here

I don't remember having a downhill portion of a bike ride that lasted 3 hours but I likely wont forget this one. I eventually ended up in Tolmin, about 84 kms away, but most of it downhill. The route from the Ruska Cesta eventually links up with the Soca River and it was never out of sight until I headed out from Tolmin. It starts in the Julian alps and carries onwards into the Adriatic sea some 138 kms later. 

I was tempted to stay in Bovec which was the original plan but it was only 1:00 when I got there so continued on. I thought I may as well keep riding and see where I get to. Where I got to was the small town of Tolmin. Its a little town that is not known for too much but as is the case with alot of smaller towns in the west, it is hilly and picturesque.

I went to the tourist information centre in town and got the address for an apartment that I was able to stay at. It was a 5 minute ride out of town and sounded like a good fit. Once I arrived I started talking with the owner in what Italian I could remember from grade 10, some broken Slovenian and her broken English. We did a shot of Slevovitz, as you do, and also a shot of the whiskey I brought. I went upstairs to see if she had a corkscrew I could borrow a little while later and as we started chatting she showed me her address book:

My family is from Belgium as well so Im sure there is a relation somewhere. I mentioned that my family is in Kanal, in the west part of Slovenia and she mentioned that her friend had been there on vacation from Belgium this summer. What are the odds. Of all the places I chose to stay at. Its a weird world. Also staying at the guest house were a couple from Ivrea, Italy, where my aunt and cousins live. Yah. Life.
The next day I headed out for a guided hike in the Tolmin gorge. It was great to see more of the area. I said goodbye to my host Ellena, and did a shot of slevovitz, as you do, at 11:00am and headed off for the mining town of Idrija.

Idrija was at its height, producing 13% of Europe's mercury in 1800, three centuries after it opened. After mercury was banned as an export in 2011 the mines no longer operate. If it sounds like an ecological disaster it may well be. Alot of the by-product was built on top of and is slowly leeching into the river and eventual Adriatic sea. The town itself is built into steep slopes and further up the valley there is a joke that dogs in the surrounding towns dont bark with their mouths as they need them to anchor to the side of the mountain.

The hostel I stayed at was out of the mind of Stanley Kubrick. Its a converted school that is now used as a hostel. It would have been great if there were other travellers there but I was the lucky one to have the whole place to myself (the hostel worker rides the 5 kms home) It was creepy.

Idrija is also known for its lace and zlickrofi (ravoli filled with cheese, bacon and chives). I knew I would appreciate the zlickrofi but after visiting the museum I had a new appreciation for how the finer things in life are made.

Idrija is a great town with an amazing perspective on life before and after mineral dependency. The host that was at the hostel worked in the mines for 8 years and eventually had to leave when the mine began to shut down. He explained that the work was tough but despite the health implications it was still a job that paid well. Not sure if he preferred the hostel life to the mine. I should have asked which one was more tolerable.

Tolmin Gorge

Bee panels. Known as kranjic hives.

Reminder of how western Slovenia was.

Street names when the Italians were here.

Method of knowing which miners finished the day.

Apex of valley climb on a fault line. Heading to Idrija.