Day Off
Today was a rest day - time to chill, sleep in, take a breather, relax.
So, we didn't - this morning we hired bikes (mine a very European cruiser bike replete with a bell and carriers) and three of us set off for Vintgar Gorge which is a cycle of about 6 ks by the time we got lost and regrouped.
This is a 1.6 gorge cut by the Radovna River. The water tumbles along from water fall to water fall, culminating in the Sum (with a 'sh' sound on the S) which is 13 m high. There is a bridge over the fall, loaded with tourists, bringing to mind Cave Creek - so I stayed on the side until a few hundred kilos moved to the other side - no point in taking chances...
When we arrived there, the crowds were sparse, but by the time we headed back, the trail was like Queen St with slow drivers. It was well worth the cycle and the walk though - quite chilly and damp with the wind created by the falls, together with the spray from the water. I do need to mention the green of the vegetation though - incredibly verdant. Losing the will to live, we climbed the steps to the cafe and paid ridiculous prices for coffee.
One of the guys was having issues with the gears on his 'horse' so he headed back to Bled. I had spotted an article about a village called Radovljica which we could see on the map and off we set. Lots of down hill which we worried about on the return trip - but amazing cycle paths in this part of the world - there is really no need to be on the road playing chicken on with the traffic at all. So this little village was a 14 k return trip and worth every minute.
This part of Slovenia is described as Upper Carniola, Carniola being the historical reference to part of what is now Slovenia. Given that the boundaries have changed over the centuries, not all of the region exists, but Slovenes in the areas which were part of Carniola still often refer to themselves as such. The village sits above the Sava River (remember, we rafted that yesterday) and the old centar is cocooned in a no traffic zone - the town square (Linhartov trg) is boxed in by painted Gothic and Renaissance burgher mansions. We sat in the empty square (no tourists!) and ate a delicious salad, and then wandered, taking in the atmosphere, the antiquity of it.
In case you were wondering, we didn't go into the Apicultural Museum or the Gingerbread Museum, tempting as it was. We tried to go into Cerkev s v Petra (St Peters) but it was locked although it was decked out for a wedding.
And who knew that this area is one of the trails of St James - Camino de Santiago is the name of any of the pilgrimage routes to the shrine of the apostle St James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela - and this area is part of the central pathway taking pilgrims from the Croatian border crossing through Ljubljana towards Trieste - Ljubljana to Radovljica to Bled (with a few villages in between).
I poked my head into the Music School (I imagine Slovenia is like Croatia with a music school in every village instead of a McDonalds) and heard children labouring away on the piano (glavir) and trombone.
Some quick research clarified the symbol above many of the doors - looked vaguely like an anchor - god bless google which informed us that this is an ancient symbol of Christianity - a symbol of hope because the anchor was regarded as a symbol of safety.
It really was a magical hidden gem - well worth the cycle back up the hills, and very exciting with the first sunshine since we arrived in Bled!
So, we didn't - this morning we hired bikes (mine a very European cruiser bike replete with a bell and carriers) and three of us set off for Vintgar Gorge which is a cycle of about 6 ks by the time we got lost and regrouped.
This is a 1.6 gorge cut by the Radovna River. The water tumbles along from water fall to water fall, culminating in the Sum (with a 'sh' sound on the S) which is 13 m high. There is a bridge over the fall, loaded with tourists, bringing to mind Cave Creek - so I stayed on the side until a few hundred kilos moved to the other side - no point in taking chances...
When we arrived there, the crowds were sparse, but by the time we headed back, the trail was like Queen St with slow drivers. It was well worth the cycle and the walk though - quite chilly and damp with the wind created by the falls, together with the spray from the water. I do need to mention the green of the vegetation though - incredibly verdant. Losing the will to live, we climbed the steps to the cafe and paid ridiculous prices for coffee.
One of the guys was having issues with the gears on his 'horse' so he headed back to Bled. I had spotted an article about a village called Radovljica which we could see on the map and off we set. Lots of down hill which we worried about on the return trip - but amazing cycle paths in this part of the world - there is really no need to be on the road playing chicken on with the traffic at all. So this little village was a 14 k return trip and worth every minute.
This part of Slovenia is described as Upper Carniola, Carniola being the historical reference to part of what is now Slovenia. Given that the boundaries have changed over the centuries, not all of the region exists, but Slovenes in the areas which were part of Carniola still often refer to themselves as such. The village sits above the Sava River (remember, we rafted that yesterday) and the old centar is cocooned in a no traffic zone - the town square (Linhartov trg) is boxed in by painted Gothic and Renaissance burgher mansions. We sat in the empty square (no tourists!) and ate a delicious salad, and then wandered, taking in the atmosphere, the antiquity of it.
In case you were wondering, we didn't go into the Apicultural Museum or the Gingerbread Museum, tempting as it was. We tried to go into Cerkev s v Petra (St Peters) but it was locked although it was decked out for a wedding.
I poked my head into the Music School (I imagine Slovenia is like Croatia with a music school in every village instead of a McDonalds) and heard children labouring away on the piano (glavir) and trombone.
Some quick research clarified the symbol above many of the doors - looked vaguely like an anchor - god bless google which informed us that this is an ancient symbol of Christianity - a symbol of hope because the anchor was regarded as a symbol of safety.
It really was a magical hidden gem - well worth the cycle back up the hills, and very exciting with the first sunshine since we arrived in Bled!
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