Not only was the site expensive (€34), but you had to check out by 09:00 rather than the normal 11:00 or 12:00 at other sites. This was not very sociable and we then discovered that our electric cable was locked into a cabinet and we couldn't retrieve it. So, off to reception in the hotel to check out and ask how we got our cable back.
We then discovered why it was so expensive. The overweight, unfit guests (mainly, Austrians, Germans and Slovenians) had all come for 'the cure'. Apparently, bathing in thermal waters here will cure you of everything and, magically, make you fit. This means that you can eat and drink anything that you like, take no exercise and it doesn't matter. We passed the steaming camping thermal bath (36 - 38°C), full of campers standing in it up to their armpits. We went on to the hotel where there were 11 different pools with temperatures between 27°C and 39°C, including waterfalls, Olympic-sized swimming pool, children's pool etc. The campers had access to all of these included in the camping price. Not to mention the optional spa treatments – winegrower's bath, aqua detox, parafango (a mixture of parafin and mud – lovely!), blossom bath and countless forms of massage. Given that we arrived so late and had to leave so early, we had no time to try any of the facilities – next time perhaps.
So with our power lead released from captivity, we set off for western Slovenia.
Both our Garmin satnav (sadly lacking in road detail in Slovenia) and our ACSI Campsite computer package suggested that our route should be via the Eastern extremities of Croatia and so we decided to take their advice. With retrospect, a slower but more direct route on minor roads in Slovenia would probably have been more interesting and relaxing.
We at the Slovenia / Croatia and had to sit on the Slovenian side for some time. The Austrian car in front of us was kept for a age and when they eventually passed back their passport, they moved them forward to the barrier and insisted on checking under the bonnet. The car was a very fancy Audi and, I suspect, they just wanted to have a look at the engine! It was then our turn. I approached the officer proffering our passports. He glanced at them in my hand, looked away in an arrogant fashion and raised the barrier. I assume that that was the signal to proceed (as it had been at other border crossings, without the arrogance) and I started to accelerate away. This however was just part of his game – with a loud grunt, I was summoned to a halt and had to pass over the passports. After close inspection and gazes in our direction, he finally returned the passports and waved us on with the slightest gesture of his hand. Whilst watching his hand closely and listening out for another grunt, I hesitatingly pulled off. The Croatian border guard was, in contrast, very pleasant and efficient and we were on our way. The journey was rather tedious and uninteresting until we re-entered Slovenia and arrived at Ptuj. We made a welcome stop there and viewed the pretty town from the castle above it. We also roamed the streets as usual admiring the architecture. The town archaeological museum was well worth the visit with some very fine stone age, bronze age, iron age and Roman finds. There was a Mithra cult in the area with a number of shrines to the Roman god. There was a good display in the museum but there was also a site on the way out of town that sounded interesting, so we decided to go there. Unfortunately, the signs to the site were very poor and we missed the turning. It would have been very difficult to turn Henrietta around and with no clear indication of the turning that we needed to take, we may still have missed it on the way back. We decided to forgo the visit to the Mithra shrine.
Motorways tend not to be the most interesting of roads but we had to cover the miles quickly and that was the only option. So, it was on to the Motorway and €11.15 (in tolls) later we arrived at Campingplatz Pivka Jama near the famous Postojna caves.
The site is in a forest and is very large but was virtually deserted when we arrived. We parked close to another Hobby motorhome and had a somewhat limited chat with them given our very limited German and their non-existent English. We invited them to look at Henrietta and we then had a look in their Hobby. It was a 2007 model bought in December last year and was very impressive. It was well under 6m (Henrietta is 6.4m) but still had a fixed bed and the layout was excellent. It was a two berth and was very well designed with a very efficient layout. The only compromise to allow for the shorter body was that the shower was not separate. This results in the toilet getting wet when showering and showering is a little more awkward given the restricted pace. The 4.4l turbo diesel engine (compared to our 3.2l), in a smaller body must give a lot more power. All in all a very impressive motorhome and certainly one that we would have given serious consideration had it been available second-hand when we were looking.
Photos: The rather crowded site at Lipa Terme; the campers' bath at Lipa Terme; Roman lamp in the Ptuj museum.
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