Saturday 26^th July 2014

I gave the owner of the picnic ground a small stuffed kangaroo to add to his souvenir collection at the bar and promised that I would bring a real one back next time. We had a slow start and left at 10.30 only to drive a few kilometres down the road to a cable car taking us up to Velika Planina, we paid the 11€ return  to take us up the mountain 900 meters.

Once at the top it was a long steep walk to our first stop which was a music festival, which we came by chance and not planned as it only happens once a year. Puffed out and thirsty after the steep climb we sat at the tables and had a cold beer along and shared a serve of kransky a local sausage and a side dish of potato salad. As we ate and drank we listened to the sounds of traditional Slovenian music taking place with the mountain scenery and the festive atmosphere.

After an hour we continued our walk which brought us to a mountain herdsmen’s village complete with a wooden church and the sound of cowbells. These wooden huts are also used as holiday accommodation and it was hard to tell which were which.

After a look around and some photo taking we walked back to the music festival where we tried the cake with a coffee, traditional Slovenian cake which was warm and delicious. Not that we needed the cake but it wouldn’t be right not to try their local food, anyway that was our excuse.

Back down the hill to the cable car and to our motorhome so we could continue further into the mountains, just in time as it started to rain heavily. The afternoon drive took up through the mountains, valleys and along rivers, the scenery in Slovenia is amazing and is the reason why we have been back several times. We reached our spot for the night, a carpark next to a national park costing 10 euros, very quiet and peaceful with only one neighbor a young couple from the Czech Republic.

 

Rude Awakening  – Sunday 27^th

At 7.30 in the morning I heard a timid knock on our door and opened it to see a pretty Slovenian young lady, the worker from the National Park. Very apologetic she took our 10€ for our parking area and said we could have use of their electric bikes for free. The gorge is called the Logarska Dolini Park and it winds along for 7 kms and culminates at a waterfall called the Rinka.

After breakfast we went to her hut, collected our free bikes and rode through the gorge, glad to have use of the electric bikes as it was all uphill to the waterfall. The last section we had to walk as the road only led to a small track but were rewarded with the view of the falls and a coffee at the café which was perched on the side of the hill overlooking the waterfall.

Going back was all downhill and with a quiet road we got up to a fair speed. We said our farewells to the Park Ranger giving her a Koala and thanking her for helping us, the early morning waking forgotten. The road we then took was led us through a short section of the Austrian Alps and back into Slovenia, we stopped on a rest stop to have lunch that had spectacular views over the valley below. It was a very windy road but the motorhome made it easily, but slowly. Our destination for the night was the Hotel Kanu which has places for motorhomes including showers for 10 euros, this is a place we have been to before and is close to Ljubljana.

 

I’m Cured  –  Monday 28^th

We had to get up early and find a park close to the centre of Ljubljana as today was my doctor’s appointment which was at 9 am. It was raining and it was out with umbrellas for a short walk to the clinic, we were lucky to find a car park close. Miracle I’m Cured. On Friday I still had the problem with my ear and the doctor gave it a good clean and a prescription for some tablets. On Monday my ears had unblocked and when they did the hearing test all was good. For the past 5 weeks I have had the problem and now after 5 doctors’ visits and lots of pills and sprays I can hear clearly, with no buzzing sounds either. The hearing loss had an upside and a downside according to Jenny, upside: not having to hear her snore or the noisy traffic etc, downside; she had to repeat a lot of things, loudly.

 

We headed out of Ljubljana after shopping at the hardware store for some supplies, as a couple of jobs need to be done in the motorhome. Our destination was the town of Celje and after finding an easy park we went to explore the town, visiting the Visitor information centre to get a map and some very helpful friendly advice. We found it to be a compact old part of town that was worth a look at and we stopped at the library café which was next to the river with a view of the castle.

The helpful young lady at the tourist info centre said the castle was easy to get to and was only 2 euros entrance fee. So we drove up the windy road to the castle for a look. An interesting castle with a tower to climb up for great views over the town. That night we parked at the Thermal Carpark in Zreca, there was supposed to be motorhome facilities but we couldn’t find them. We had a peaceful night’s sleep after a very busy day. More of Slovenia to come!!