The last day has been a holiday within a holiday. We have had a wonderful time here, relaxing by the pool, reading and doing laundry. Usually, when we have a rest day, we explore or sightsee, but this time, we didn't leave the property. It was the break we needed. As well, we took advantage of the restaurant on-site. The prices were less than self catering and the food was really good. We shared a huge pizza for 5 or 6 euros, made peanut butter buns with fresh fruit for lunch and enjoyed the impressive buffet for breakfast (included in the room cost). We love having our own kettle as we can have tea or coffee whenever we like.Swimming in the warm pools and lounging in the jetted pools was good for our sore joints and we took full advantage of the lounge chairs. All too soon, the day was winding down and we once again shared a pizza in the dining room. The pizza is so big, that we wrap up enough for the next day's lunch.
We were greeted by this man when we arrived and he took good care of our needs while we stayed here. Impeccable service and hard working staff at Aqua Roma.
Aqua Roma Hotel and Restaurant. The facilities here are incredible with several pools, all at warm therapeutic temperatures. Local people, seniors and families, also use the pools and arrive early and stay all day. We feel fortunate that we had free access as a hotel guest.
We have been a bit puzzled about what route to take to Ljubljana. The Amber Route follows a circuitous path with steep climbs to 1600 feet. When we look at the main road, it looks better with fewer steep climbs and a more direct route - we are a bit concerned though if it is safe for bikes. Luckily, the employee who checked us in to Aqua Roma, is from Hrastnik (about 10 km along this main road) and he assured us that it was much better than the bike route. So, problem solved. We know that the grey roads are very busy and the yellow ones are more manageable, so we try to avoid the grey ones. However, the problem in Slovenia is that big trucks are on all of the roads. We will ride the first 10 km on the main road, #221 to Hrastnik, and then south to the Sava River where we think we will start riding on the bike route. As we expected, there were a lot of trucks, and often in both the oncoming and our lane. This cam be a problem as the trucks take up the complete width of the road. When we could we would pull over, but most of the time there is nowhere to go. Truck drivers were always respectful and gave us waves of encouragement.
A welcome but brief sidewalk for us. On these curves it is so helpful, as two trucks on the road take up every inch of width.
I had gotten off the bike to take some photos, and I noticed this man's reaction as Barry rode by. He stayed like this for a long time, watching Barry at the bottom of the hill waiting for me.
As we rode along the highway, there were many warnings of danger due to falling rocks. This collage attempts to show a few of the walls and the rock faces that are crumbling.
Well, this super tall chimney- 350 metres - and the tallest in Europe - is an incredible sight. As we approached it, we could see this white tip looming over the tall hills and when we came around the corner, there it was. A dominating sight in the midst of the verdant landscape.
We pulled over to get a photo and we spoke to the staff at the gate. They told us that it has not been used since 2014. They were of differing opinions if it would ever be used again.
This part of the bicycle route did not make us very happy as we had to ride several km of loose gravel. At this point, Barry rode this section alone as we had a series of switchbacks on loose gravel and we wanted to decrease the load on the bike. We had debated about riding this or the main road, but it started well, and once we were on our way, there was no way to leave.
Well, this is not good. The official route is very narrow - a taxi just came down and there was barely enough room for the car. We could see that for the next several km that this path goes up and up through steep terrain. We're going back to the main road
The lovely rushing Sava River. Most of the time, we are unable to get close to it as the steep hills usually come right down to the river. This is largely why we stayed on the main road as the bicycle route climbed up and in a circuitous fashion with steep climbs.
After abandoning the bicycle route, we came back to the highway and were greeted by this ominous sign. Basically they are warning drivers that the next 4 km stretch of road is very dangerous.
The covered bridge provided a cool respite from the heat of the day. As well, since there was limited vehicle traffic, we could take the time to get a good view of the river.
What a nice surprise to come upon this covered bridge. We had been on the highway for some time and were tired of the trucks and wind. So we ventured across and we carried on using a small road on the other side of the Sava R as it did not require climbs up cliffs.
This commemorative stone erected alongside the Sava River refers to the time during WWII when local resistance who used the river for passage were taken hostage by the "Fascist Occupiers" the Nazis.
At the Sava River, the route was not a leisurely meander along the river that we were hoping for. On our GPS, it looks like the route hugs the river and the train line. But in reality, the train line hugs the river on a fairly level gradient, and the bike route is inland, continuously climbing and winding through the steep bits rarely by the river. So, we used the main route far more than expected.
Slovenia has been such a good experience for us. It goes without saying that the scenery and nature are outstanding, but we find that the people, their open friendliness and interest in our travels and their genuine hospitality make Slovenia a special destination. The quality of life and the good repair of their homes and buildings reflect that their "western" location in the former Communist countries have given them more personal freedom than other parts of Yugoslavia and other countries behind the Iron Curtain. It is an extra bonus that the prices for food and accommodation are so reasonable. This has given us the opportunity to travel without our camping gear and not be stressed about expenses.
We appreciate the pride Slovenes take in their produce and homes.
Hot work makes for thirsty travellers. We are about 10 km out of Ljubljana and we made a stop at this Gastilna to check on a room. The 75 euro price seemed high, so we broke our usual rule of not having beer until the end of the ride, and enjoyed a small one in the lounge. We needed the break as the route today had few villages and lacked places to sit down. We are now out of Lasko territory and in Union country - Ljubljana made beer.
Wow, the heat of the day is making things hazy - but these must be the Alps in the distance. We are just outside of Ljubljana and the terrain is getting flat.
As there were few towns or distractions to slow us down, we ploughed on and made it to Ljubljana in one day. We had expected to stop earlier, but it made sense to keep going. However, we were pretty tired by the end of the day. We were able to get the last room in the family run Guesthouse Koprivek, located a 20 min walk to town. The price is right at 55 euros, it is very clean and comfortable, and the best part is that the family are very friendly and eager to do whatever they can to help us. Plus, Seavo gets to be inside in a dry, secure place. This is a valuable faciity to have in the city.
Today's ride: 82 km (51 miles) Total: 1,986 km (1,233 miles)
