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Slovenia by bike: Mountains, a big lake, and a small city

Updated: Dec 2, 2020

Day 3


I was excited to cross the old Iron Curtain into the former Yugoslavia. I know that things are different nowadays, but the idea that I could cross a mountain range and suddenly the language, architecture, history would be completely different - well, that's just not something you really find in the United States!


The only barrier between me and Slovenia: A really, really, really steep mountain range. I had to ride up the Wurzenpass, which included 2 miles of 18% uphill grade. This was, without a doubt, the most difficult part of the entire ride. Often I was able to go just a few dozen feet before stopping. Clipping in/out of pedals and a heavy rear-load in the panniers didn't help, either. I did get some encouragement from a British guy as he drove by me (and cheered for me once I got to the top!) but I ended up walking up a third of the way because I the "start-stop-start-stop" was just killing too much time.


All in all, it took me about 1.5 hours to move 4 miles up nearly 2,000 feet in elevation. Yeah.


But when I made it to the top - I was at the border! There was an old border post with someone in it, which I found strange considering that Slovenia is in the Schengen zone, but I continued.


The town center of Kranjska Gora. Note the large wood log in the middle...that's another fancy water fountain!


Like Austria, Slovenia also had some nice bicycle trails that I used while passing equally beautiful scenery.


I passed through the ski town of Kranjska Gora and then the Triglav National Park. While this park is home to Slovenia's tallest mountain (that also appears on their flag), I cut through the eastern edge and instead passed a couple foundations of stone where buildings had once stood. These were hideouts of resistance fighters during World War II, that were burned to the ground when the Nazis came through.


After cutting through the national park, I arrived at Lake Bled. This beautiful lake is the top destination in Slovenia and it's easy to see why - castles, water, a church on an island, hills to hike up, an old town... I checked into my hostel, changed clothes and then set out on my bike on the bike trail that circles the lake. I stopped at a hill where I hiked up for an awesome view. Then I returned to the bottom to swim in the lake. After a day on the saddle, it felt great! Unfortunately before long it started to rain, so I didn't stay long. As I started riding again, the rain let up. I returned to my hostel and struck up conversation with my British and Australian roommates.


Beautiful Lake Bled! Church on an island, Bled Castle on a hill towards the left, and me - with a mismatched bike shirt, bathing suit, and sneakers.


Traditional pletnas (boats) Bled Castle on a hill


Day 4


This was the only day on the whole trip where I had bad weather. I was fortunate that it was only one day of bad weather (really, just the morning) because it could have been worse. And on this day, which was the shortest planned ride I had.



I began with a visit Vintgar Gorge just outside of Bled, a nice walk through a gorge that resembled a slot canyon. There was a waterfall too - nothing too stunning, but it made for a nice hour walk. I then turned south and headed toward the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana.


I don't speak Slovenian but I think this means "Cyclists will fall over in pain if you hit them! But only for the next 1.5km"



Crazy wood carvings marking the 500th anniversary of a peasant rebellion in Smeldnik



I continued through towns with a few small hitches: A wrong turn took me to a village where the road came to a dead end, and I had to walk my bike past an active construction zone. I saw several religious displays (like in the middle of the traffic intersection pictured here) that reminded me to be thankful I live in a country that doesn't make religion its centerpiece.


I made my way to the only city of my journey - Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia. It was a pretty city, with a compact downtown area along a river with a big castle on a hill. I checked in at my hostel, locked my bike to a bike rack in the courtyard of a building next door, and spent the afternoon exploring this small capital.


Views of Ljubljana


Calm alley in the city Ljubljana castle lit up at night up on the hill

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