September 19: Lake Bled to Bohinjska Bistrica

Finally it was time to ride our bikes ... well almost.  The day began with an 8am briefing by our Helia representative Anna who gave us a tour overview and then introduced us to our rental bikes.  After a quick test ride we boarded the shuttle to the start of the ride.
We admired the sagwagon's bike trailer and noted improvements for our own rig.

The ride up to the plateau to Pokljuka was steep and winding.  After seeing the switchbacks, we were glad the official start required a shuttle to the top.
(sorry for the sideways photos -  not sure what's up with Blogger!)
The scenery was classic Alpine views.  The homes and barns were of similar design to those in the Tyrol or Swiss/French Alps. What was distinctly different were the hay racks which were plentiful.  For centuries the local farmers plant buckwheat immediately after harvesting the hay.  There is no time to dry the hay in the field so it is immediately collected and arranged on the drying racks.

The descent was steep requiring lots of braking ... and picture taking. The mid-morning coffee (aka pastry) stop took place in a small village perched along a crystal clear stream.  
Everyone enjoyed the Gibanica made with cottage cheese, eggs and walnuts.
The ride continued down the valley to Lake Bohnji and included a side excursion to a primordial waterfall (as well as almost 7 km of climbing).
Of course some of us (hint, hint Betsy) could not pass up an ice cream stop.

Our evening activity included a swim at the hotel's aqua park and then in search of dinner, this time pasta.  





 

Comments

  1. Ann BalchSeptember 24, 2025 at 12:31 PM

    Enjoying your trip vicariously! Weather looks terrific so far. I emailed a NYT Slovenia article from today's paper (PDF format). Can't tell if there is any overlap with your route. Hae fun & stay safe!!

    ReplyDelete

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