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Slovenia 2014 (#3)

Part 3: May 2nd – 5th

By Watracz Is Traveling

Day 5: Strmec Na Predelu, Kobarid, Tolmin Gorge, Kanal

May 2nd, 2014

View day 5 route on Google Maps

The bridge over Soča isn’t far from the parking lot. It looks really old. It’s made of wooden planks tied together with thick ropes. It shakes quite a lot as I pass it, and the planks creak under my feet, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.

Kozjak Waterfall (Slovenian: Slap Kozjak)

After a few minutes’ walk from the parking lot, I make the gorge of the Kozjak river. A sleepy, shallow stream flows through the gorge, bright stones are scattered all over, and the rocky walls on both sides are covered with thick green moss.

I pass a couple of walkways and wooden bridges over the stream. At one point, I hear the echo of the waterfall.

The last turn, a few steps, a wooden walkway, and I reach the grotto with the waterfall at the end. The waterfall is 15 meters high. The grotto is very dark. Light filters in only through a narrow slit above, and shines on the stream of falling water and on little else.

On my way back I see a small lizard who’s not camera shy at all.

I’m back at the parking lot, and it’s only 10 am. I’ve already seen so many great spots, and I still have the rest of the day ahead of me. Time for second breakfast, then I’m off. I’m heading southeast, along the Soča river. I pass Idrsko, and about an hour later I reach the town of Tolmin. My GPS loses its bearing and I circle around for a while before I find the right route.

I reach to the parking lot in front of the gorge, park my bike and buy the ticket. I also get a map with the main attractions marked on it, and instructions on which way to walk. It’s starting to rain, but I hope it’ll pass and won’t get in the way of my plans.

I walk to a spot where two streams – Tolminka and Zadlaščica – get together. I pass a bridge and turn left to walk along Tolminka, the smaller of the two.

The stream flows lazily, and you can see the stones on its bottom through the clear water. Walls more than 50 meters tall surround me on all sides. High above the gorge hangs the Devil’s Bridge (Slovenian: Hudičev Most).

I pass through the tunnel that stretches all the way to the end of the gorge, then I come back the same way, to the bridge at the fork in the route, and this time I go along the second of the two streams – Zadlaščica.

A moment later I reach a rock triangle pinned between the walls of the gorge; it’s called the Bear’s Head (Slovenian: Medvedova glava). From there, stairs take me up to Dante’s cave, where the Italian poet Dante Alighieri supposedly was inspired to write his Divine Comedy.

Dante’s cave

There’s a warning sign and a “no entry” plaque in front of the cave, but since it’s open, I go in anyway. It’s dark, damp, and gloomy. I take out my headlamp and walk inside. The route is getting harder with each step; I climb metal ladders, then the corridor gets smaller and I have to duck-walk. I come to an almost vertical shaft in the cave, and from there it’s impossible to go on without climbing ropes and harnesses. It’s too steep, there are just climbing pegs attached to the walls for use with rope; so I turn back and head for the exit.

Ajba

A short stop by the dam on the Soča river.

Kanal

I ride along the banks of Soča to the town of Šempeter Pri Gorici. I enter the H4 highway towards Ljubljana, and just short of two hours later I reach the parking lot by the house where I’m staying.

There’s no washing machine in the apartment, but Barbara, the girlfriend of my host Gal, comes to pick up the dirty clothes and wash them at her place – which is very nice of her. I also get a list of the best Slovenian boozes I should try. The list is pretty long; it includes local wines and beers. In the afternoon, I do my shopping for the rest of the trip, not forgetting the alcohol. There are so many bottles I can barely fit them in the topcase. I begin to wonder how I’m going to pack it all for my way home…

Day 6: Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Snežnik Castle

May 3rd, 2014

View day 6 route on Google Maps

After two days of intense sightseeing through Alpine passes, waterfalls and gorges I finally have the chance to get a good night’s sleep and recharge, so I sleep in. I leave the camping equipment in the apartment this time. I plan to be back here in the evening. I set out the tent and the sleeping bag on the floor in the bedroom to let everything dry off properly.

I leave Ljubljana around noon. The city is rather jammed. I head south west, taking the highway most of the way. After I pass the town of Gmina Postojna, I exit the highway and moments later I’m at the parking lot in front of the Postojna Cave (Slovenian: Postojnska Jama).

Postojna Cave

It’s almost 60 kilometers to the cave from Ljubljana. It’s one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. More than 30 million people visit every year. It’s also kind of expensive to get in. The entry ticket is about €30. A tour of the cave takes 1.5 hours, but first you need to wait for your group’s turn to go in. You can leave your bike at the parking lot – free for the first hour, but each subsequent hour is €5. When you leave the parking lot on a bike, it’s possible to ride around the gate beam without paying the fee.

The tourist route inside the cave is 5 kilometers long, but we cover most of it in the cars of the electric cave rail. The walking part is about 1,700 m. There are throngs of people in the cave. Over a dozen groups walk the route at any one time. We need to stick close to our guide, but because of the crowd people get lost quickly and the groups get mixed up. We get audio-guides, and in front of each point of interest we can push the right number and find out more about that spot.

It’s chilly in the cave and it’s around 8°C inside all year long. You can’t take photos with flash, or use a tripod (the cave staff tells me that tripods have a negative impact on the cave), so I’m shooting everything hand-held. I set the ISO to 1600, and the exposure to -2 EV. With those settings, the exposure time is about 1/8 or 1/10 of a second, so I have to hold the camera really stable. The photos are dark, but fortunately, you can still see some of the cave.

After going through the entire route, we get back in the railcars and go towards the exit. On my way out of the parking lot I pass several hitchhiking girls who smile at me and wave for me to stop. I wave back politely and keep going.

I enter the town of Predjama and look for a parking lot as close to the Predjama Castle (Slovenian: Predjamski Grad) as possible. I manage to find a good spot, so I leave my bike there and go take a look at the castle. A moment later I realize I forgot to lock the wheel, so I get back to the bike to do it. As I walk to the castle this time, I take a look at the ticket booths and remember that I forgot my wallet… I walk back to the bike again. Turns out I left the wallet in plain sight, and I was lucky no one took it. I guess I’m overtired and that’s the reason for all these mistakes. A lost wallet would mean the end of the trip and some serious trouble. Angry at myself, I triple-check everything before I walk away from the bike this time.

Predjama Castle

The castle makes a real impression. It’s sitting on a huge piece of vertical rock, 123 meters high, and connected to the cave system inside the rock. The castle itself is four stories high. The top story has a grotto and an entrance to one of the underground corridors, but it’s only partially open to the public.

I leave Predjama and head to the next interesting piece of architecture, Snežnik Castle (Slovenian: Grad Snežnik), located 50 km further, near the town of Kozarišče.

Snežnik Castle

I like the place a lot, but there are almost no tourists here. The castle’s history goes back to the 13th c., and it changed hands on a regular basis throughout. Before the war it was owned by a Saxon family from around Dresden.

I walk the castle’s perimeter, but I don’t go inside. It’s 5:50 pm, and the castle is only open till 6. Besides, I’m not a huge fan of strolling through castle chambers. Most of them look alike and they’re usually not worth the time.

From there, I head back to Ljubljana. I plan to hit the sack earlier, because my plan for the next day is to go to the seaside, to the Gulf of Trieste. It starts to rain on the way back, but I’ve already gotten used to how moody the weather is this time of year.

Day 7: Štanjel, Trieste, Koper, Piran

May 4th, 2014

View day 7 route on Google Maps

Less than 100 km from the capital of Slovenia sits the Štanjel Castle (Slovenian: Grad Štanjel). I get there early, around 7 am, on the way passing vineyards and farms built in a very Italian-like style. It’s not even 25 km to the sea from here, and you can really feel the Mediterranean climate. It’s much warmer than in Ljubljana or the Triglav National Park.

Štanjel Castle

The medieval castle is on a hill with a view over the Vipava Valley (Slovenian: Vipavska Dolina). As I walk the town’s streets, I see a couple of parked cars, but no people. The town looks deserted – or maybe everyone’s still asleep.

The castle is surrounded by the famous Ferrari Garden, designed by Max Fabiani, who’s also the architect of many well-known buildings in Vienna and Ljubljana, and even a townhouse in Bielsko-Biala.

From the castle hill you can even see the Alps, many kilometers away. There are practically no clouds in the sky and I’m a bit sorry that I didn’t get to have weather like this a couple of days earlier, when I was over there.

Rihemberk Castle (Slovenian: Grad Rihemberk)

The next castle on my list is less than 10 km away. Unfortunately, it’s closed, so I take photos of the main entrance and move on.

Bilje

It’s coming up on 10 am as I approach the Italian border. I pass it in Miren and head south. Near the town of Monfalcone I get on a pretty packed highway that takes me all the way to Trieste.

Trieste

I finally make it to the sea. Trieste is a very nice city, but riding through it is agony. The sheer number of cars, traffic lights, detours, scooters, and people running across the road at the least expected moment makes me want to leave as soon as possible. Besides, it looks like some big sports event is taking place. Many of the roads are blocked, there are banners hanging all around, and my GPS keeps getting lost. Eventually, I manage to get out to a road that goes along the coast. I ride through the settlements of Muggia, Lazzaretto, and Ankaran.

Koper

I make it here around noon. I stop by the port. The ice-cream is priced at €6 – so, no, thank you. There are a couple bikes parked by the sea, including an Aprilia Futura – a model just like mine, only in silver.

Piran

A Venice-styled city in the south-west, by the shore of the Adriatic. It’s the Slovenian Mecca for bikers. Even the hairpin roads in the mountains didn’t have as many motorcycles as there are here.

I park the bike next to a restaurant, about 200 m from the market named after the famous violinist and composer, Giuseppe Tartini (it’s “Tartinjev trg” in Slovenian). In front of the entrance to the restaurant, there’s a sign saying “Bikers Always Welcome.” A red Ducati Multistrada 1200 stops not too far from me. I take my backpack, my camera, and head out.

I walk down a cobbled road along the sea, and I reach a small church on the cape that’s the westernmost part of the town. All the restaurants have tables and chairs set out outside, all of them with a view of the sea.

I walk back to the port and through the Tartini square, then walk up to St. George Cathedral. The cathedral is built at the edge of the shore and towers over the entire city. You can even walk up the bell tower, but I pass on that.

Then I stroll by St. Francis Orthodox Church and head to the medieval Piran city walls (Slovenian: Piransko obzidje), which have a much better view of the Cathedral. After that, I get back to the port, get on the bike, and leave Piran.

Hrastovlje

I take the A1 highway from Piran back to Ljubljana, and about 30 km later I turn right. I reach Hrastovlje, which has a historical Church of the Holy Trinity (Slovenian: Cerkev Svete Trojice) on a hill in the southern part of the town. The church was built in the 16th c. for protection from Turkish raids. It’s unbelievably small, only 12 m long and 6 m wide.

Around 4 pm I start back towards Ljubljana. I enter the highway, but after a couple dozen kilometers I get to a huge traffic jam. All the lanes going to the capital are stuck, so I squeeze through between the cars. The jam is over a dozen kilometers long. It turns an accident caused the congestion. I reach Ljubljana in the evening and begin to get ready for my ride back to Poland.

Day 8: Maribor, Vienna, Mikulov, Krakow

May 5th, 2014

View day 8 route on Google Maps

In the morning, I go to return the keys to my apartment, and set my GPS to Krakow through Vienna. I take the A1 highway, and I’m in Austria less than two hours later. I meet some Poles at a gas station; they’re spending their second day trying to hitchhike to Vienna. I’m running out of chain spray, so I’m saving it, lubricating the chain less frequently than I should. 850 kilometers later, late at night, so tired but so very satisfied, I enter Krakow.