September 10, 1998
Layover in Olimje
We spent our rest day with a series of walks which left us with weary calves and feet by day's end. Each began with a steep climb out of the river valley to the top of a surrounding ridge, and then steeply dropped down again. The walks were all lovely, passing alternately thrugh dark woods and then past farmsites alive with chickens, goats and cows. the weather was fine throughout the day, giving us stunning views into the valleys and over the hills into the distance.
Before embarking on the first hike we stopped to admire the lovely Minorite church in Olimje. Besides its unusual beauty it is distinguished as the site of perhaps the oldest pharmacy in Europe, dating to the 17th century. Sadly we could not visit the interior as this unluckily was the only day of the week it was closed to the public.
Almost immediately upon beginning the first hike we were greeted by an affectionate small dog which appeared to be a cross between a dachshund and corgi. We made the error of giving him attention and were rewarded by four hours of companionship. We were amazed to have him stay with us for both of the first two hikes, and to wait while we stopped for an ice cream break at a tourist farm. He kept with us all the way back to our rooms, leaving only after we closed our door and lay down to rest for a few hours.
Later in the afternoon we set out again for another short walk to another neighboring church and to hike up its nearby hill. Remarkably we were again greeted by an extroverted dog - this time a puppy that ran ut to us from 50 yards away, his ears flapping and his tail whipping around behind like a propeller. After jumping at us and licking me vigorously in the face he setled in behind, in front of and under us for the entire hike, finally falling back only after extensive acts of discouragement on our part.
Returning to our rooms finally, we showered and then strolled down to our friendly neighborhood brewpub for pizza and a beer - the perfect end to a memorable day.
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