SLOVENIA !!! The country that's grows on you .. !!! FAST !!!

And then we were in Slovenia. Hugging the coast as best as possible we made our way to Piran which unfortunately did not seem to hold our attention. We also stopped off at Koper but the traffic into the tourist areas was pretty congested so the decision to move on was made. If memory serves correctly we had by this time been overloaded with way too many beautiful coastal towns and the time had come to head back inland, not to see the sea again for some time.

The challenge with extended journeys is that it carries with it the distinct possibility of being overloaded with too much beauty, magnificence and splender.  One's ability to absorb and cope with this bombardment of information simply results in a shut down of the senses,  we needed to continuously remind ourselves of the blessings bestowed upon us as we continue our travels.

Around about this time we needed to search for a mechanic and parts to exchange our now faulty alternator with that of a reconditioned one. Seems the last one we installed when travelling Romania a few years earlier was not holding up. It now battled to keep our main battery charged let alone trying to continuously resuscitate our leisure battery required to run our lights, charge PC's tabs , pump water etc. Notably we travel with the Fridge permanently connected to Gas as experience has taught us that the battery support does very little in keeping the unit cold. Plus it sucks excessive power from our somewhat limited supply.

After questioning the locals it became apparent that although the enthusiasm was there, to conduct any repairs would necessitate our arrival in Ljubljana. Until then we would only find towns with limited access to the required parts and although possible to order the part for delivery 3 days hence, this was not our preferred modis-operandi. We simply shut off connection to our leisure battery for now and until resolution was found.

 This is the Toplar Hayrack just outside Predjama. Not much to see here but it gave one a sense of how hay was stored along with loads of other farming paraphernalia. It was quiet here and we had visions of staying over but then we spotted a well restaurant not far away and decided to move on .

Situated some 9km north of Postojna Caves lies the tiny village of Predjama (pred-yama). Apart from being as cute as a button, this tiny hamlet's main claim to fame is the fantastically dramatic castle of the same name. Learn the legend of Erazem whilst exploring this great attraction.


The Low Down:
Set into and spilling out of a huge cavern, the castle has stood on this site since 1202, although what you see today was built in the sixteenth century. It's probably Slovenia's most photographed castle and it's easy to see why

This was the beginning of the inland adventure that was to unfold around us........  As it turns out Slovenia does not advertise much in terms of historic sites versus that of action, outdoors and the general promotion of fitness and adventurous opportunities within the country.

One day soon I'm sure this will change as the cities, towns and village sites viewed were wonderful indeed

 At some point, a bit fuzzy now, we were instructed to visit the Kobarid area were we would find loads of nature, nestled well into the mountains where the city folk would descend to receive their regular fix of river rafting and weekend camping.

On the way we would be presented with crystal clear flowing waters as a result of the snow melting in the mountains. Closing my eye's brings back fond memories of the greenery, winding uphill roads, the bikers absorbing the sharp turns in the road, all the while being polite and conscious of their surrounding and the other road uses while enjoying. Very, very mature to say the least.

This became our camp spot of choice. Just alongside the road leading down tot he river rafting areas of Soca or Bovec. ( can't remember while one?)

 At some point while on our return from high in the mountains it began pouring with rain and along with it a few accidents, resulting in a huge "Stand still - go" back up on the "High Way".

It was hilarious watching the folk exiting their cars in search for places to pee somewhere across the barriers and into the mountainous bushes. The ladies were the most entertaining to say the least. The though crossed our minds to rent out our Loo but decided against it.

At some point, and after the Camper overheated for the 6th or 7th time we decided a beer and some grub would do just fine and ducked off the road to find a pub / restaurant......

... note to myself : try stay away from restaurants as they play havoc with the budget!!

Having now spent approx 2 hrs people-watching it was time to get back on the road

... Lol, not much change to the situation.

We tried as bit of cheap plonk calleed "Rotwein" ... I should have known better !!!   It took me about week more weeks to finally complete drinking it..... Only being consumed those erratic time when I ran out of other suppliers

Not much later and as the day light was fading we needed to find a suitable parking spot for our sleep-over. The next off-ramp found us venturing towards a Nature Reserve direction which was quickly found. Our Camp site was in the form of a parking lot adjacent to the nature reserve / dog walking park just outside a small interesting town.

even though raining, the town folk were still intent on walking their dogs, running and generally ensuring they keep fit and healthy, all the while we remained in the camper reading our books. At last when the light faded completely the townsfolk wondered back home. You will notice the bikes strapped to the roof of the camper ...... never can be too sure !!!

 The next day we hopped on our bikes to venture into town in case there was something to see. Not much but had a lovely chat to the tour office girls who enlightened us of a possible solution to our Vehicle repair challenge.

 As luck would have it, we found a mechanic plus the part within the same day so while they installed etc we used the time to cycle around the lovely town.

The guys were extremely proud to have located and installed an original - reconditioned alternator, and not just something found in a scrap yard as was the case in Romania......

Time will tell how long it lasts.

And then it was off to .........Opatija, Pula, , Rovinj, Porec ...... before venturing into Slovenia.

The last leg of our Croatia tour is now almost over. Looking back over the time spent in this lovely country I can honestly say it was well worth the effort. Notably this country was our " defining destination" while planning this trip through 8 countries and it did not let us down. Sadly we never had much interaction with the local population which is regretable as normally these folk add the colour to any adventure.

Arriving at PULA turned out to be quite an eye opener in that the sites visited could quite easily have been in Italy and the like. With the sea being the added attraction resulted in us being comfortably mesmerised, cycling around and around just soaking up the ambience.

The Temple of Augustus (Croatian: Augustov hram) is a well-preserved Roman temple in the city of Pula, Croatia Dedicated to the first Roman emperor, ...

The main attraction was the Amphitheatre Arena majestically located within seconds from the cit y centre.  The old town centre had its own attractions in the form of well preserved roman structures. All this without having the need to cycle up and down mountains, hills and the like . PERFECT !!

The Pula Arena is the name of the amphitheatre located in Pula, Croatia. The Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved.

This was to become our Camping spot of choice, in the parking lot of a supermarket chain.

And then onto Rovinj where we spent the day cycling around taking in the sites. Never to disappoint, this was another perfect location in a perfect country.

 Rovinj is a Croatian fishing port on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula. The old town stands on a headland, with houses tightly crowded down to the seafront. A tangle of cobbled streets leads to the hilltop church of St. Euphemia, whose towering steeple dominates the skyline. South of the old town is Lone Bay, one of the area’s pebble beaches. The Rovinj archipelago’s 14 islands lie immediately off the mainland.