We had a great morning in Malibor. What a beautiful city. We had breakfast at a cafe called Nana and it was delicious. We wandered around enjoying the city. Our plan was to hop the train sometime in the early afternoon, leaving our bags and bikes at the hotel until we left. We decided to go to Tourist Information just to confirm the train information we had online. Imagine our surprise when the lovely woman at TI told us that while the trains go hourly only one train a day takes bikes. Yup. The 11:40 train. It wasn’t too much of a problem...it was only 10 AM, but there is always that ‘what if we hadn’t checked?’ feeling.
Maribor is beautiful and feels young and vibrant, even while many of the buildings are old and historical. It is a university town.
We headed back to the hotel, checked out and headed to the train station for our tickets. It was an incredibly reasonable 29 Euro for two people and two bikes. We had cappuccinos and watched the world go by while we waited for our train.
The mystery of why only one train a day takes bikes was solved when it arrived. There was an entire car devoted to bikes...a freight car is the way I would describe it and it was fantastic. Lots of room and there were three of us getting on, so lots of cooperation too. We left the bikes and luggage and moved up to the passenger area. It was also a direct train, so we could simply get on and relax.
We met a great woman from Berlin (living in Vienna) when we arrived in Ljubljana. Hers was the fourth bike in the car. She is embarking on a solo bike tour. We wish her well. It was one of those great encounters you have when travelling.
Then the main event, Ljubljana. An amazing city, and the chief booking agent outdid himself with the hotel. Then the hotel, for some mysterious reason, upgraded us to a suite. We are happy! We have had all afternoon to explore, and have all day tomorrow as well. We enjoyed drinks riverside in the sunshine in the late afternoon and then found a fantastic spot for dinner. It has been a most wonderful day.
The entire center of town is pedestrianized. They have these amazing golf cart type vehicles that will come and pick up people who are unable to walk to where they want to go.
Steve Miller/GrampiesWow. The light is good too. Often it is hard to see the keyboard. I also like the mirror just on the side. Nothing freaks me more than facing a mirror (seeing the scary guy in there!). Reply to this comment 6 years ago
We are so looking forward to seeing more of Ljubljana tomorrow. We may even get the ponies out to explore a bit further out and the parks. There are bike lanes everywhere.
Today's ride: 6 km (4 miles) Total: 1,548 km (961 miles)