Saturday 10th November 2007

We had decided to visit two gorges near Lake Bled today, providing the weather was OK and, although cold, the sun was shining and the clouds were white, so we headed off. After our good experience of the dirt road on Thursday, I asked Ana last night about another dirt road that went down the Radovna Valley between Mojstrana and Gorje close to Bled. She confirmed that the road was in good condition and suitable for a motorhome.
Sure enough, the road was excellent and the trip through the valley gave us lovely views and interesting sites. We passed an old water-powered sawmill used only in May and June when the melt waters gave sufficient power for sawing. Further down the valley we came to a derelict house with a memorial in front of it. An information board told us that in World War II, two German soldiers were captured by partisans and when a deadline for their return was missed, the Germans and local collaborators burned down 12 houses burning to death 24 people ranging in age from 7 months to 81 years. The ruin of the farmhouse is kept as a memorial to those who died.
The valley road had the added advantage that it took us very close to the first gorge that we wanted to visit – Poklijuka. We parked up and dressed in layers of clothes before setting off up the gorge but we had only got a few hundred metres when we had to turn back. They were in the middle of a large tidy-up operation that involved felling many trees and the path was blocked in many places, making walking very difficult. We decided that discretion was the better part of valour and headed for the next gorge – Vintgar.
Arriving at lunch time, decided to have a snack before walking to the entrance to the gorge. When we got there, the ticket booth was locked up and a barrier on the path said 'closed'. However, the locals seemed to ignore this and we could see other people on the path beyond the barrier, so we walked around it and followed the locals. I am so glad that we did, it was a fantastic walk down and back up the gorge and, fortuitously, the sun was shining straight down the gorge and through the water as it flowed over the rapids and waterfalls. Vintgar is famous for the wooden gantries and bridges that enable the visitors to follow the Radovna river (the same river that we had driven beside) for 1.6 km. The water has the same lovely light blue colour that we saw in the Bistrica river on Thursday, but it looked even better in this context. Vintgar is a major tourist attraction in the area and is well worth the visit, especially if you can avoid the very crowded high season.
Photos: Memorial to the burned village of Radovna; Vintgar waterfall; Vintgar walkways.

Friday 9th November 2007

Rain woke us at approx. 6 o'clock and continued for most of the morning, degenerating into hail and sleet for some of the time. Unsurprisingly, we decided to have a relaxing day based around the campsite.
After lunch, the weather improved – it was still very cold, especially in the wind, but it was dry. It was also clear that the rain overnight and this morning had fallen as snow on the mountains and all of the peaks had a white covering. We decided to investigate the local village of Dovje, which is only a few minutes walk from the campsite. The village has a large number of farms in it with many huge barns with the sound of cattle emanating from them. Many of the buildings are old, dating from the 18th century and the architecture is intriguing. Our local Somerset painter, Michael Cooper, would really enjoy painting the farmyard and farm building scenes.
Triglev mountain is a national symbol for the Slovenes and one of their heroes is Jacob Aljaz (1845 – 1927) who was the Dovje parish priest for 38 years. In addition to being a successful composer, he was a very keen mountain walker and climber. He had mountain paths and huts built in the area and the metal turret on the summit of Triglev is named Aljazev Stolp after him. With his country under occupation by the Austrian empire and with competing claims for Triglev by Austria and Germany, Aljaz bought peak of Triglev for 1 florin in 1895 to ensure that Triglev remained Slovenian. We visited the Dovje church and saw his grave and the very large graveyard. Many climbers killed on Triglev are buried in the churchyard.
We arrived back at Henrietta very cold but the lovely sunset suggested that tomorrow would be a fine day.
We had decided to stay at Camping Kamne for another two nights so we went down to the bar to pay. Although we were the only guests, the site also has caravans that stay all year and the owners come to the site, mainly from Ljubljana, every weekend. For this reason, the bar is opened for a couple of hours on Friday and Saturday evenings out of season. We had a very pleasant hour chatting with Ana, the owner's daughter, who works full-time at the campsite. Her English was extremely good and it was great to talk to her about life in Slovenia, local places of interest and many other things. Ana is also fluent in German but says that she has to re-learn Italian every year because they don't have many Italian guests. She said that she didn't want too many Italians because they are “too loud”. We had to agree with her given our experience in Ljubljana!
Photos: Dovje churchyard – gravestone of Zvone Kofler aged 26 described as 'Alpinist from Mojstrana'.

Thursday 8th November 2007

We had decided to visit the local waterfall and get close to Triglev mountain today if the weather was good. The outside temperature this morning was 0.7° C and there was a thick frost but the sky was blue with small white clouds – ideal. The internal temperature was also a little low but the heating worked well whilst we had our morning cup of tea.
After showers, breakfast and chores, we set off for the Pericnik waterfall. This lies just beyond the neighbouring village of Mojstrana up a good quality dirt track. We took Henrietta to the car park below the falls and then walked up. There are actually two waterfalls here, the lower one being 52m high and the upper one 16m. The best time to see them is said to be winter when they are a frozen into curtains of ice. However they are very impressive in the autumn and we had them to ourselves. It is possible to walk behind both of the waterfalls, which involves getting very wet from the water that drips down everywhere, but it gives a very different view of the falls with rainbows playing around them as the sun shines through the spray. The waterfalls eventually spill their water into the river Bistrica which then flows through Mojstrana. It is a crystal clear, cold river that looks for all the world like liquid Fox's Glacier Mints with a hint of blue.
A further six kilometres or so up the valley we stopped at the main car park and, after a picnic lunch sat in the sun, we walked up to Aljazev Dom where there are a few (closed at this time) forest lodges. This is the start of many trails up the mountains although purists would say that the ascent of Triglev, an aim of every red-blooded Slovenian, should really be started from Mojstrana. The ascent of Triglev is not to taken lightly, our host at the campsite told us that many people attempt it totally unprepared. She had climbed it twice, once well prepared and fit and once when she had not done any training. She completed it both times but the second time, she couldn't walk for a week afterwards. She also told us that there is a fatality every one or two weeks in the season, often caused directly by falls, but also by people being hit by rocks dislodged by people above. Every time that she hears a helicopter, she knows that there is a fatality or serious injury on Triglav. We decided not to attempt the climb, especially when there was snow on the mountain.
We walked to a monument to the Partisans who fought to defend the area during World War II. This consists of a huge karibaner and piton mounted on a rock in a wonderful setting surrounded by mountains.
We then took Henrietta gently back down the valley to Mojstrana and on to Dovje and Camping Kamne.
Photos: Chores are necessary on the Odyssey, but what a place to hang your washing!; Pericnik lower waterfall; Pericnik upper waterfall; Bistrica River – liquid Fox's Glacier Mints; Memorial to the World War II partisans with Triglev's North Face in the background.

Wednesday 7th November 2007

After dumping waste water and chemical toilet, taking on water and paying the bill, it was time to leave Ljubljana. Ann and Nick had told us how beautiful Lake Bled was and we had put in on the master plan – today was the day!
Ljubljana to Bled was an easy drive and we arrived with plenty of time to walk around the lake. We chose to park at the opposite end of the lake to Bled town near the (closed) Camping Bled. The short drive round the lake gave us a taster for the beauty but it can really only truly appreciated by walking (especially if you are the driver).
Bled is where the Slovenian Olympic rowers train and there have been many international rowing events staged here. The Slovenians are very proud of their two Olympic rowing gold medalists, who won their medals at the the Sydney games of 2000. As we started our walk around the lake we saw some rowers finishing their training.
We chose to go anti-clockwise around the lake to take advantage of the sunlight that was lighting the North and Western shores. These are the prettiest views and, combined with the mirror calmness of the water, it gave some fantastic photo opportunities. I could have chosen any of a number of excellent photographs to include with this posting. The prettiest view of all has to be Bled Island reflected in the lake, made even better by the low autumnal sun.
It was extremely quiet, there were no other vehicles parked in the car park that we used and we met hardly anyone until we reached Bled town. The acoustics of the lake at the western end meant that noises echoed across the lake and from the beginning of the walk we heard the bark of a dog in the distance. We eventually caught up with and I know understand the derivation of the term 'barking mad'. We had heard the barking on and off during the walk and here was the dog, a large one, part Newfoundland, charging around barking at everything in an excited rather than aggressive way. It spent a lot of its time barking at the lake and, at one stage, barking into the lake with its head half submerged, giving a strange, muffled, gurgling type of bark. Definitely barking mad!
An excellent quality and value lunch was taken in Bled town and we then walked up to Bled Castle. We decided not to visit it but continued the circumnavigation of the lake. The walk is highly recommended, with or without the climb to the castle and the guidebook tells us that you can even lose the crowds in summer – needless to say, we didn't see any crowds, anywhere!
On then to our next campsite – Camping Kamne at Dovje in the North-West tip of Slovenia. This is the closest campsite to Bled open at this time of the year and is also very close to the Triglav National Park. It was a good choice, small, quiet, friendly and in a stunning position. It turned out that we were the only guests – the last guests had left that morning!
Photos: Rowers on Lake Bled with Bled Castle in the background; Lake Bled Island; Bled Castle; View from our pitch at Camping Kamne;

Tuesday 6th November 2007

Cold again this morning and overcast today contrasting with the sun of yesterday.
In the National Museum in Ljubljana, we read about the Roman Necropolis at Sempeter about 50 km from the campsite. The guidebook suggested that the site might not be open but we decided to try anyway. We arrived to find the ticket office closed and the sign clearly showing that it was closed from November to March. Unlike some of the other sites that we had visited, it had a fence all around it and we took a look through the gate. In the site someone was cutting the grass and I jokingly commented that he might let us in. Sure enough, he came to the gate and asked us if we wanted to see the site. He then took us to meet his colleague (daughter?) who gave us tickets and in we went. The cemetery was found by chance in 1952 and the restored graves were first displayed to the public in 1960. The graves had been covered by the river Savinja and were therefore preserved – other parts of the necropolis were not flooded and were used as a quarry for stone for local buildings. As you can see from the photos, there are some very well preserved and the carving is excellent.
On then to Kamnik. Our guidebook compares Skofja Loka with Kamnik and says that they both lay claim to being the oldest and loveliest settlements in Slovenia. Well, having seen both, I must say that Kamnik wins hands down. The old town is lovely and the jewel in its crown must be the Romanesque chapel on Mali Grad – the castle hill in the centre of the old town. It not only looks incredibly pretty high over the town but also has wonderful views over the town, the countryside and the snow capped mountains beyond. Once again the architecture is fascinating and the tourist information map of the town gives excellent information about all of the sites. The town just had a really nice feel to it and I would be very happy to return one day. There is a campsite (only open May to September) very close to the town, so it would be easy to visit. We bought roasted chestnuts from a street seller and sat in Europe Park to eat them – absolutely gorgeous!
Dinner was escalope of veal with Greek Briam (roasted vegetables) washed down with a bottle of Croatian red wine. Now some people who know me may suspect that I have come on the Odyssey as a very extended wine-tasting tour, but this is not the case. We have had some excellent wines, especially Alsace Riesling but this was the best red wine that we have had to date. The wine is Frankovka 2006, produced by Ilok ('Ilocki podrumi d.d.') and is from the Srijem region. It is a beautifully full-bodied, smooth red and is very drinkable. Unfortunately, I only bought one bottle (limited space in Henrietta) and we have left Croatia but, if you are ever in Croatia, give it a try and send me a bottle!
Photos: Ennii Tomb at Sempeter; Ceiling of Ennii Tomb; Spectatii Tomb, over 8 metres tall; Malid Grad chapel, Kamnik; View from Mali Grad chapel.

Monday 5th November 2007

No noisy Italians (or people of other nations) last night, so woke up refreshed this morning and raring to go. We had planned a short excursion to Skofja Loka today and the weather was cold again but sunny with good visibility. It was a very easy drive to Skofja Loka but as normal we had fun trying to find somewhere to park. All of the car parks in the town were full and, even it they weren't, it would have been difficult to squeeze Henrietta into the marked spaces. We went a short distance out of the centre and turned into a housing estate where there was a car park with a large number of free places. The five minute walk into the centre lead us to the narrow Capuchin Bridge and over into the old town. The most interesting part of the old town is Mestni Trg (the town square) where there are many buildings of architectural merit. The Homan House (built in 1511) is particularly interesting with its mixture of styles and frescos on the outside. We knew that, being a Monday, the castle with its museums would be closed but we walked up to it to take a closer look and enjoy the view over the town and countryside.
After shopping in the local supermarket, we drove out of town and up a valley towards Zelezniki and found a picnic spot near the river for lunch. We then returned to Ljubljana to catch up on chores and post the blog on the Internet. The campsite has WiFi Internet access that is, allegedly available from anywhere on the site. This sounds very good and it is fairly priced at £6 for 2 hours, so lets see if it works.
Photos: Mill and Capuchin Bridge; Homan House; Homan House detail; Castle and town walls.

Sunday 4th November 2007

Now, I don't believe in generalisations or racism, but are all Italians noisy? In the earlier hours, a large group returned to the campsite. We heard them as they entered and for the next 10 minutes as they continued walking very slowly across the site to the permanent vans or possibly the motel complex at the other side. Each speaker had obviously decided that the rest of the party was deaf judging by the VOLUME THAT THEY SPOKE AT. All was then quiet until dawn when a number of Italian motorhomers decided to leave. This involved very loud discussions between the parties – “DID YOU SLEEP WELL?”, “NO, THOSE REALLY LOUD PEOPLE WOKE ME UP IN THE EARLY HOURS”, “SHALL WE GO NOW?”, “YES, BUT ONLY WHEN WE HAVE WOKEN UP EVERYONE ELSE”.
It was cold, damp and dismal when I put the kettle on. For the first time on the Odyssey, I put the blown-air heating on briefly to take the chill off the van. This was the normal procedure on our Scottish holiday in Late May / early June!
It was foggy and if the Italians were on their way home, it wasn't going to be a pleasant journey. We had already decided to spend the day in Ljubljana, travelling by bus and therefore the fog was not a problem.
Ljubljana is a pleasant city with interesting architecture but in a much more understated way than other capitals such as Prague or Budapest. The National Museum archaeological section was small but extremely well presented with excellent English narration explaining not only the finds but also very good background detail about Roman life. The museum is shared with Natural History, Minerals and some historical exhibitions. The intention is to move the other parts to a new museum, allowing much more archaeology to be displayed. Judging by the quality of the presentation of the existing material, the expanded museum will be well worth seeing. One of the most impressive aspects of the displays were the translations of Roman inscriptions. I have often wondered what such inscriptions said but museums very rarely translate them. One inscribed grave stele was translated as “Urbana, the slave of Iulius Salvius lies here. Atimetus, her companion in servitude had this monument erected. You have stolen from me from my husband, from my children, you cruel gods, why have you taken me so soon? I had only lived for three decades and already a mound of earth covers my bones and ashes. Now carry quickly on, traveller, forward, where the road leads you! All will subsequently meet their fate after me.”. This really brings to life the inscribed stone slab and gives the visitor some insight into Roman life and the anguish that this death caused. Other museums take note and follow this excellent example.
We did our own walking tour of the rest of the city centre admiring the architecture and finishing at the castle with a good 3D audio-visual presentation about the history of the city. On the way into the castle Jane spotted a man walking towards us wearing a Bath Rugby shirt. I stopped him to find out why he was wearing it. He did look a little surprised when I accosted him, but my Bath shirt was hidden under my coat and I was gabbling away in a foreign language. The couple were Austrian and had visited England on a number of occasions and actually spoke good English. On their last visit, they had visited Cornwall and Bath and he had bought a Bath shirt while he was there. Not really a Bath Rugby supporter, more of a Bath city (small c) supporter but it was the first Bath Rugby shirt that we had seen on the Odyssey and photographs were taken by both parties.
Despite the mist (much reduced since the morning), the views were very good with glimpses of the snow-covered mountains to the North.
Photos: Two rugby shirts of the worlds best rugby club (in my humble opinion); Triple Bridge in Ljubljana; Grave stone of Urbana.