Thursday 17 June 2010 Pivka (Slovenia) to Kostrena (Croatia)

Thursday 17 June 2010 Pivka (Slovenia) to Kostrena (Croatia) 70km
The day dawned sunny, welcome but not expected given the forecast we had received.  We ate our breakfast and as a bit of a shock the landlord offered us ham and eggs which we accepted with some delight.  Pivka sits at 570m elevation and today we expect to reach the Croatian coast so theoretically we'd drop 570m elevation so we didn't expect too much climbing and we were not disappointed.  We were however disappointed about leaving Slovenia so soon after arriving, the people were friendly, the villages had character and the landscape was beautiful lush forests.  It just had a welcoming atmosphere and we could have really spent more time there.  Nevermind!


The ride out of Pivka was through some of the lushest, greenest forest and all downhill.  Apart from the traffic which was a bit 'scary-pants' at times it was an amazing first 20km where we averaged 28kph.  At the Croatian border finally got a stamp in our passports, the first since the UK (they stamped us in but not out).  Border crossing have been non-existant until today ie a real crossing with guys with guns and a neutral zone in between.  Slovenia stamped us out (they didnt stamp us in) but Croatia, seeing our Aussie passport just waved us through.  Very cool all this EU stuff.


We got back on the road and we just couldn't believe how the countryside changed, we had left Alpine forest and were in drier, almost Mediterranean hills.

The houses were different and we immediately felt great.  We were still at about 400m so we still had some downhill to go and as we approached the coast the fun sort of left the ride as the traffic increased and the drivers did not have some much of the courtesy we had grown accustomed to.  No shoulder and countless trucks and buses as we wound our way into Rijeka which is a major city in the north of Croatia.  It was very rustic (read beat up) and very charming but the traffic did a lot to prevent us really admiring it.

On the map there were three campsites marked and we were headed for the first one except when we got to where we thought it should be it was not.  No problem the next one is only just down the road.  More buses, more trucks and again a missing campsite.  After asking a couple of locals who didnt speak much English we saw a nice Restaurant/B&B and called it a day.  We were hot and our nerves a bit fried from riding in the traffic.

What a shock, the restaurant is so cool and the room amazing and pretty cheap.  We then walked down to the beach and had our first swim in the ocean since leaving Australia.

The 'sand' is a bit hard on your feet!!

It was devine, although the pebble beach is a bit rough on one's feet.  Later that night we had a beer on the terrace looking across the Adriatic and made a toast that we were still alive and survived the day.

Our room

Our hotel

Wednesday 16 June 2010 Postojna to Pivka

Wednesday 16 June 2010  Postojna to Pivka 18km
I need to go back to last night, to about 10 minutes after we posted yesterdays blog.  We were sitting in the cafe of the campground (to get WiFi access) and just as we finished posting it started raining and this was real rain not some whimpy shower.  The tent was up with the zips closed so we thought everything was OK so we waited the rain out.  We waited, and then we waited a little longer.  Water was starting to run across the ground and we started to get a bit worried about our gear.  I had left a few things in the vestibule of the tent so thought if water ran through there my clothes might get wet.  So after a while when the rain died down a bit we made a run for it.  The tent was about 200m away so it was a bit of a dash with me trying not to get the laptop wet.

What a sight greeted us, the camp site which was sloping, had been awash and everything in the vestibule had been sitting in water.  We had also left our bike clothes and towels hung on our bikes after our showers so they were dripping wet.  My sleeping bag was little damp but not too bad (Feather down bags dont like being wet).  At least it wasnt freezing cold.

We cooked in the camp kitchen and then sat in our little tent with water still dripping from the trees overhead.  We watched a couple of episodes of Robin Hood on the laptop and then wet to sleep hoping that another burst of rain did not occur.

We awoke at about 04:30 to the sound of rain but not super heavy.  I wet to ask about using the washing machines and dryers to dry our wet clothes and while talking to the man at reception he showed me the forecast, not good, rain and thunderstorms all day.  While we waited for the clothes to dry the sky cleared a little so we decided to make a run for it as neither of us wanted to spend a day hanging around a sodden campground.  We got on the bikes at about 1040 and were hoping to ride the 70km to the Croatian coast.

On our ride south of Postojna (we were about 3km north) the sky told a worrying story.  Even though we were in a patch of clearish sky all around was very dark storm clouds.  We had a good tailwind and made it to Pivka when it started to sprinkle.  We stopped at a supermarket for some food as it started raining.  There was a restaurant across the road so we decided we would sit out the storm over lunch.  We had a very yummy lunch and were glad we were there and not out on the road and the lightning came closer and the rain heavier.

And the rain came down

After an hour we asked the girl serving us where we could stay as we could not entertain the thought of riding in the rain.  We arrived at her recommended guesthouse/restaurant after riding in the rain and were very glad to get clean and dry and warm.  The lady here told us the weather is forecast to be like this until Sunday......not good news.

Tuesday 15 June 2010 Ljubljana to Postojna

Tuesday 15 June 2010 Ljubljana to Postojna 59km
Arriving and leaving any large city by bicycle is always a bit daunting and  leaving Ljubljana this morning was no different.  We went via a bike shop to get some gear cable outer as Sandy's cable is getting kinked a bit where it meets her headlight so I'll fix it when I get a chance.  We navigated pretty much solely with the GPS as it saves having to buy city maps.  Once we got out of the city we soon realised that we were not pootling down a traffic free cycle path beside a river.  There was just enough shoulder on the road and lots of traffic.

We had picked what we thought was a minor road beside a big expressway thinking it would have less traffic but that was not to be.  During our morning tea break we decided on a new route that would take us on even more minor roads which worked out well and much more scenic.  We had two fairly large climbs but the grade was not insane and we were quite proud of our performance.

Eating lunch and boiling the billy for a cup of tea

The quiet road we bliss after the busy main road

About 10km out of Postojna we started looking for the campground as on the map it's about 5km north of the town.  I did a search on the GPS under campgrounds and was surprised when it found it and mapped a route there.  As we went down the road we saw a 'Camping' sign pointing straight ahead but the GPS routed wanted us turn right onto a little road.  The sign said 6km, the GPS said 4km so we took the GPS route.  The little road soon gravel road and then soon turned into a rough dirt track.

The track took us through a beautiful forest and was well worth the adventure.

We met up with a bitumen road and turned left as instructed by the GPS and coasted about 1km down a lovely winding road through the trees.  At the bottom the GPS told me that we had arrived but all we saw was a camping sign pointing back up the way we had just wizzed down.  I would like to meet the bloke who puts the coordinates of campgrounds into the GPS map :)

No harm done as we slowly made our way back up the hill, past the point we came out of the bush at and continues on until we came to the campground.  Very nice with all the facilities you could hope for.  We even braved a swim in the pool although we both thought it still a little early in the season.....bit cold!!!

It was really good to be back on the bike.

Monday 14 June 2010 Innsbruck to Ljubljana

Monday 14 June 2010 Innsbruck to Ljubljana (Train)
When we booked out tickets the lady printed the itinerary and we noticed that there was only 10 minutes between trains and we had two train changes on the way to Ljubljana.  Normally this would be OK but when you have to put the bikes in one carriage and then cart 10 panniers to another carriage it all gets a bit exciting, especially when you consider yesterday's train to get here was 15 minutes late.  Sandy and I gave it a 50/50 chance of making it to Ljubljana.

Leaving the hotel early we rode to the Innsbruck train station with about an hour to spare.  We double checked the platform and then shock horror I noticed a warning on the itinerary (in German) so I used Google Translate to convert it to English.  Not good news, the train from Villach (our last change) was changed to a bus for until the first stop.  We both thought there was no way we could get the bikes and all our bags from the train and then out of the station and onto a bus in 10minutes.  Ah well what's the worst that can happen, we miss the bus/train, stay the night in Villach and then catch another train or just get on our bikes and ride the rest of the way.  Villach wouldnt be so bad as it's almost over the alps.
We load onto the train and settle into our seats, all good so far, for our two hour journey to Salzburg for our first train change.  At Salzburg we go over the plan, rehearse the timing and prepare for an operation with military precision.  Before the train stopped we were waiting at the door with our bags ready for a quick exit.  Out of the train, walking (staggering under the weight of our bags) down to the bike carriage we grab our bikes from the friendly staff and head to the other platform.  Down an elevator and then damnit the elevator to get up to the next platform is broken so it's up the stairs with our bikes and bags.  I make it to the top with muscles aching and lean my bike against a wall to run back to help Sandy who had just about blown a gasket halfway up.  At the top we regroup and headed for the carriage 18 which was where we had to take the bikes according to the tickets.  We get to 18 and it looks just like a normal passenger car, bugger what now.  We run/walk/wobble our way back down the length of the train trying to find a staff member and are finally pointed to a carriage miles down the train.  We throw the bikes on and then had to lug our bags back down to our carriage.  We panic and climb on the next closest carriage, at least the train wont leave without us.  The only challenge left before us is to walk through what seemed like a thousand people through three carriages carrying all our bags.  By the time we got to our seats we were both spent.  At least we'll make it to Villach.

When the conductor came to check our tickets he told us about the bus connection in Villach.  He then came back later and with relief told us that the bus was not in use and the train was operating normally.  Yah we might make it yet!!

We were due into Villach at 1443 and at our connection was at 1453.  Things were not looking good when 1443 came and went and we were not at the station.  Nevermind, we'll just catch the next train.  We had resigned to that fact when we arrived and were sort of relaxed in collecting our bikes when the conductor pointed to the train on the next platform and said 'that's yours!!'.  OK mission is back on.  We load the bags onto the bikes ready to wheel them down the length of the train when the conductor on the other train opens a big door and motioned for us to pass the bikes up.  So it was off with the bags, again and into the train.  The Villach train was even later that the one we came in on.  We couldnt believe our luck, we were going to make it to Ljubljana.

At Ljubljana we had two minutes to get off the train and retrive our bikes so again we were ready at the door.  The conductor saw us and let us into the bike carriage with our bags so that we could have a quick getaway.  It was very hot so he them told us to wait in his little staff cabin.  Bloody nice bloke.

We knew we had left Austria as soon as the border passed, the orderly, neat and clean was swapped for tussocks of grass, a little graffiti and buildings with a lot more character.  I mean this in a really nice way as we both really enjoyed the rustic nature of France and this looked to be right up our alley.

From the Ljubljana station we then used the GPS to find our room.  The city is so cool, has a relaxed atmosphere wrapped in a slightly dark undertones.  Our Pension (B&B) is beautiful with a garden cafe and nice rooms.  We unpacked, threw our bags in the room and then went down for a well earned beer and some dinner.

Our Pension

I would much rather spend a day cycling then swapping trains and carrying panniers.

After dinner we went for a walk (it doesn't get dark until late) into the middle of town and we were shocked at the vibe going on.  The cafes on the river with people strolling around eating icecreams were amazing.  A little more character in the form of beggers added to the charm.  One young girl gave me a sob story of coming here for an exam and not having any bus fare to get home.  I tried to explain that we were unemployed travellers with nothing to give, which is technically true.

Anyway it was a very long day but so satisfying to arrive here in Ljubljana.  We are very excited to get on the road tomorrow although we have no idea what to expect.