Slovenia Hiking

Today had a 100% chance of rain all day, so we decided not to hike.  We went to the bus station to get a ride to the next town and realized we would have to wait 90 minutes for our bus. So I channeled my inner “Gerard” (one of my top 6 brother-in-laws who is never afraid to pay a little extra for premium service) and rented a taxi to take us the 12 miles to the next town. It was money well spent as our accommodations were more than 2 miles from the bus stop so we would have gotten soaking wet getting there.  We were dropped at the front door to our out of town hotel, which has a very well appointed restaurant attached.  Chris took a nap and I finished the novel I was reading (no pictures included….so many words). 😩  After a bowl of garlic soup we suited up for a 1 mile walk in the rain to a castle ruins, Chris’ new favorite pastime. We finished the afternoon with a nap and then dinner.  My entre of Wild Boar was great. Throughout the whole trip I couldn’t help ...

Today we woke up to overcast skies and debated whether we should hike as there was a 60% chance of rain. We had breakfast, finished our laundry, and decided to take our chances hiking. Back on the trail. Todays hike was rated as a moderate hike. It was 12.7 miles long with an elevation of 2267 feet and a decline of 2566 feet. We made the hike in 5 hours which was 1 hour faster then was listed on our guide. We got 45 minutes into the hike and it began to mist and then rain off and on (more on) for the rest of the hike. Fortunately the day was warm and the rain wasn’t much of a bother as neither one of us donned our rain gear as we felt we would get too hot from the gear that we would be wet from the inside.😜 The trail was mainly dirt and with the rain it was soft so it wasn’t as bad on our bodies as some of the trail surfaces. We had to be a little careful on the descent but it was overall a good day of hiking.  The town of Jesenice, where we are staying tonight, is a lot bigger th...

 I just think Lasko would be a great dog name, don’t you? I mean just look at that goat face.🥰🥰 Today we decided to bike to our next town as we were able to rent bikes, bike to our next town, and then have the bikes picked up and returned to the rental place. The bike path was in really great shape and it was a great way to still “be on the ground” and really get a feel for the area, just at a faster pace. Amazing how you see an area differently depending on the mode of transportation you take through it. Once we arrived in Mojstrana, our location for tonight, we hiked to a waterfall. It was one of the better ones we have seen. It was a 6 mile hike round trip with a bit extra with elevation up to the waterfall so we still got a few steps in. We are staying at a super cute hostel and the people staying here are from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages. It’s awesome to see so many people doing so much outdoors. We have a long hike tomorrow with the weather looking like rain so w...

Based on sore joints and some inflammation we called an audible today and took a taxi to our current location.  We are happily back in Slovenia. Kranjska Gora is a beautiful ski town that features World Cup ski events each year, including a 2023 ski jumping event.  This is a quintessential ski town with a fantastic village at the base with a ton of shops and restaurants.  We are staying in a Ramada and spent the day resting by the pool and in the hot tub.   Tomorrow we are renting bikes and riding the next leg of the route which should be fun.  Chris would like to hop a train for one leg of the trip so we could officially say the trip included planes, trains, buses, hiking, and biking but the route doesn’t have a train.  😥 We have a paragliding excursion planned for Saturday but there is rain in the forecast so not likely, but something we hope can happen.   Picture of the beautiful church here in town.  The churches have been absolutely stunning...

  Day 11 was brutal and the “difficult” rating of this section was underrated. We began with 2,500 of vertical in the first 3 miles, so basically straight up. The footing and trail was sketchy in several areas.  When it takes us 40 minutes to walk 1 mile you know it’s a tough trail.  We had read reviews indicating the trail isn’t well marked in certain areas and we were vigilant to stay on trail.  After three hours of up hill, the hard part started.  The next 9.5 miles we’re on a country highway.  The hard surface of the asphalt was rough on the joints and after several miles of pounding I commandeered a ride to our final destination.  As noted, we are in Italy now but cross back into Slovenia tomorrow.  The language barrier is far greater in Italy, with Chris trying to communicate somewhat with her high school German, but it’s much tougher than in Slovenia where everyone spoke some English. As a (sarcastic) shoutout to the Italians in this region...