AMERICAN’S IN SLOVENIA: 3 WEEKS OF HIKING, BIKING, EATING & LAUGHING

 

My good friend David (aka Chops) visited for 3 weeks from America.  We rented a car, loaded up the bikes and explored the hidden Gems of Slovenia, while visiting friends.
We started in Tolmin and stayed at Camp Vili,  Little did I know this would turn into the Ping Pong Tour Championship of Slovenia.

Our first day we biked to the Tolmin Falls & hiked the gorgeous gorge.

We drove up and over the Vrsic Pass.  I’ve bike over it and there were cows laying at nearly every switch-back.  This time, the pass was covered with sheep.

I didn’t have permission to take the car out of Slovenia.  So we parked in Kranjska Gora & biked to Italy.  Chops bragged about biking to Italy and drinking Cappuccino in Italy! We hiked the Vintgar Gorge (photos), visited Lake Bled (rode bikes around the Lake).  Since we had the car we took the back road to Lake Bohinjsko.  The Ping Pong Tour continued at the mountain top sports center, both pool & ping pong.  Then visited friends Mateja, Anna & the twins in Jezersko.  They were in the middle of making raspberry syrup, when we arrived.  They also grow & gather wild herbs for making teas.  We cooked dinner for everyone.

 

We drove through Austria, stopping to hike the Logarska Dolina waterfalls.  Camped at Na Skali .  Then off to Ptuj and the land of swimming pools, herbal saunas, hot tubs and water slides!
I met Slobodana at many craft fairs this summer, they make wooden combs.  When she told me where she lived I warned her we would visit and we did.

Slobodana recommend camping at the Kolpa River along the Croatian border.  I thought we were at the Flintstones house.  After much wrangling we got the ping-pong paddles and balls from the owner, let the games commence.  They didn’t stamp Chops passport in Slovenia, so we parked and walked to Croatia and got 4 stamps! in the process.

It’s a long drive from Bizeljsko to Izola, there’s no real highways in this part of Slovenia.  We’re staying with Uros at the Alieta Hostel in Izola.  We had a pot-luck dinner, Leer Fish, salad and roasted potatoes.   We took a bike ride to Piran for the day.

The caves are a must visit while in Slovenia.  Skocjan Caves is just one of them, Chops thought it was a highlight of his life, wow! (photos)  We head to Nova Goriza and the largest stone arch bridge in the world.  Nova Goriza is New Goriza and Goriza is the “old” Italian side.  We biked to Italy-again!

We head back to Tolmin to complete the circle of Slovenia.  It was a fast 2 weeks, but we killed it.  Having our bikes made exploring each of the places we visited more intimate.  Back at Camp Vili, the ping-pong Championship continues.

We finally get back to Ljubljana and Chops is sick and sleeps all day, I know the feeling.  The next day he manages to recover some so we go to Pekel Waterfalls outside of Borovnici,  “Hell Waterfalls” is the translation, I know why.  It’s suppose to be a 5 waterfall hike, but scary as hell for me, I turned back.  This hike would be closed to the public in America.

It was a super trip, I didn’t include “everything” we did.  Bringing the bike was a great way to leave the car behind for awhile.  We wouldn’t have been able to bike tour the amount of places we visited without a car.

GOOD TIMES THANKS FOR COMING CHOPS AND THANKS CASSANDRA FOR THE LOAN!
Be Sure to Ride your Bike,
Jeff
NEXT I BIKE FROM PRAGUE TO CESKY KRUMLOV  

This is the best map I could make with google maps, Novo Mesto stop is missing.

FUNNY LATE NIGHT CONVERSATION THAT LASTED 6 HOURS THAT NIGHT
HERE’S A SNIPPET

 

 

This is art from the museum in Nova Mesto