Day 35. Tuesday 5 May.

A wet day forecast, and early morning it looked imminent. We had planned to do a road trip including the Vrsic Pass (highest pass in Slovenia) & along the Soca Valley to Bovec. A quick check of our map limited the preferred one-way round trip option, which would have taken us into Italy – the terms of our car rental don’t allow us to cross international borders. Our fallback was to do an out and back to Bovec, via Kranjska Gora, a neat 70 km each way. We knew by now that the timings on Apple Maps would not reflect ours!

Our first stop was after Kranjska Gora at the Russian Chapel, dedicated to Saint Vladimir (!) built by Russian prisoners of war used in forced labor in the area during World War I, in memory of 100+ of their colleagues killed in an avalanche in 1915.

The fuel gauge indicating range in the T-Cross was dropping by 10 km for every 1 km traveled. D was starting to get a bit worried, although logic told him this was not an issue. At the top of the pass (1611 metres) we figured that Bovec would have fuel: it did.

Plenty of cyclists do the pass & damp conditions would have kept them cool. The road snakes through tiny villages; snow sports and high-octane activities are the go: rafting, kayaking, canyoning and of course the familiar serious hikers. There are also plenty of motor bikes.

The sheer rock faces are awesome and on a fine day their peaks would glow. Today, the clouds came well down.

In Bovec a coffee with a traditional Slovenian cake, very like a strudel, although we were assured that it wasn’t the same. As we left, we took our cups and plates inside: the waitress thanked us and offered us a job: ‘we are short of staff’ for the season.

Back up the mountain road, hoping for the clouds to lift or part for that magical shot.

The Soca River is a marvellous sight & the aquamarine is accurate. Idyllic fly-fishing terrain.

On return, stopped at Kranjska Gora to marvel at the blinding white riverbed – not much water covering those rocks, but the same green hue. There’s a man-made recreational lake which would have been busy with swimmers during the last week but today? No, since temperature was 5.5 at mid afternoon.

Another full day of meandering in outstanding scenery. We comment regularly on the language being super challenging; so few words are easily identifiable for us: pizzeria and stop are no-brainers, as is one from a roadside billboard today (but we’re none the wiser what the issue is).

A comment on drivers in Slovenia – we have seen no road rage, blaring horns, angry gestures, tail gating etc even in Bled during that awful peak hour. Drivers in this region have been extremely patient with the many cyclists sharing the roads – and take care to pass safely. Bikers likewise have passed only when safe. It has been more relaxing driving here on the wrong side of the road than on the Tuggeranong Parkway! For D anyway.