LOW CARBON TRAVEL WITH BICYCLE
I had a bad case of cabin fever and needed to get out. I read about The Carnival Festival in Idrija. I put together a route to Piran with hotels. Traveling during the off season has many advantages. It’s easy to get discounted reservations and at the last minute. I was the only guest at every hotel I stayed at.
Continue reading “FIRST TOUR OF 2025, 5 days LJUBLJANA to IDRIJA, AJDOVSCINA, PIRAN”I’m an expat from Portland, Oregon, USA, and living in Slovenia since 2014. After my first five years here, I considered moving back to the USA. So I packed up my belongings and put them in storage and went back to America. I bicycled down the Oregon & California coasts giving me an up-close view of America. After that, I couldn’t envision living back in America, especially after living in Slovenia. I decided to move back to Slovenia and make a life for myself.
Why is Finland the happiest country? Why America is 23 on the happiest list & falling. Slovenia comes in at number 9.
I’ve been to the Netherlands 5 times over the past 30 years, mostly in Amsterdam. I’ve never done any bike touring/camping. It’s September, so I figured with Climate Change I might catch some nice late fall weather. Being the biking capital of the world, I was looking forward to seeing it for myself.
The Netherlands did the right thing by investing in bike infrastructure. Without an alternative to cars, the whole country would be one giant gridlock of cars.
I’ve been living & biking in Slovenia full time for 11 years. I know the country better than most Slovenians. I get several friends a year who want to come visit. I’ve met Michael Dean 25-30 years ago while riding the Cycle Oregon bike tour. He contacted me and wanted to do a bike tour around Slovenia. I was excited to share the wonders of cycling around Slovenia. I just had a guest here and have some minimal expectations. After answering his numerous questions about Slovenia that included “should I bring water purification pills for Ljubljana’s water?” We had a Facetime conversation where he mentioned using his card card for $2 purchases. For whatever reason that totally embarrasses me paying something that small with a credit card. For me, paying with cash facilitates tipping the very people who are making your trip enjoyable and possible. I told him to bring cash and please to not use his credit card so frivolously. He explained the if he spends $2,000 he saves $40 and “that buys alot of beer.” His constant references to drinking got me thinking & a little worried.. So asked if he had a drinking problem? “I’m a happy drunk” was his response. I was attempting to resolve any problems before the trip. Five days before his arrival, he canceled, I responded with “Thank You”. It was becoming to stressful not just for me, but for him too.
I had put a super tour together and still wanted to go, so I went. You will all agree, it is and was a rocking tour.
As politicians continue ignore the Climate Crisis, we the people can still live sustainably. I’ve gone 11 years without owning a car, yet have traveled to many European countries, combing buses & trains with my bicycle.
Maister Brewery of Kamnik was hosting a music and beer festival. I had a dry 3.5 months this winter, time for a little partying. I’ve probably ridden the route 12 times ( or more?). I had a friend here last week, we rented a car and I had to use google maps to drive to Kamnik, I didn’t know the driving way.
The UK was one of the few European countries I haven’t biked yet. As a HUGE fan of the TV show THE PRISONER, this is my chance to “LIVE MY DREAM” & visit Portmeirion, where the show was filmed.
BEVOG BREWERY TOUR
I was reading in the Slovenian Times about Bevog Brewery‘s new series of extinction & threatened wildlife beer cans. I called to see if I could buy some, they mentioned they were having an event the coming weekend. Yep, first trip of year.
I want to share some of Europes best and safest cycling routes found here in Slovenia. I’ve bicycled approximately 7000km over the past 10 years living here in Slovenia. The climate crisis asks us, if we travel that we do it responsibly. Combing the train, bus and cycling can allow us to enjoy travel without destroying the planet in the process. I will be adding new routes all the time, so check back.
RIDE ON,
JEFF
HERE
I’ve been to Albania 4 times. I’ve biked it, rented a car and via public transportation. I followed an environmental group on Facebook who are from Shkoder. They clean up areas of garbage, that is found everywhere. They posted photos showcasing the amazing natural areas: waterfalls, trails, mountains and rivers. I tagged the areas they visited. I made an attempt to visit when I had the car. The gravel road was so unbearable, I turned around. They finally finished a paved road all the way to Theth in the past year. Time for a bike tour.
Continue reading “ALBANIA: DISGUSTING & BEAUTIFUL, at the same time”
I read about Tubingen, Germany on BBC travel. College town, fiercely Vegan, average age 40 and to my delight a HUGE biking town. Camping Tubingen Neckarcamping, just 3 km from town is a great place to set up for exploring. The camp was full of individuals and families mostly bike touring! There’s so many paved off road biking opportunities in Germany, I see why it’s so popular here.
Continue reading “GERMANY AND AUSTRIA”