On June 10th, about a week after my departure, I left Italy.
I crossed the border with Slovenia – between Gorizia and Nova Gorica – which led me to write a post: “MOVEMENT and BALANCE“.
In the evening, as I was pitching my tent near the enchanting Bohinj Lake, I started my short Slovenian chapter:
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10 June, Bohinj | Day 9 🇸🇮
On Fridays I used to take the car, drive on A4 towards some travel agencies to do my job, make out the day and come back in the afternoon, slowly, the week behind. Today I took a bicycle and cycled from Gorizia to a place in Slovenia I never heard before – Most na Soči – climbed on a bus to Grahovo, then on a train to Bohinjska Bistrica and back again on the saddle up to Ukanc.
On Fridays I used to go to the gym or running before dinner and then choose a way to switch to the evening and on the weekend. Today I fixed the tent 10 meters away from a lake, I will watch the start of the European football Championship at the Bohinj Camping bar and sleep alone in a sleeping bag, surrounded by leaves and gooses.
On Fridays I used to know from beginning to end how my day would have been. Today I faced a jump into the unknown.
On Fridays I usually spent the nights with my friends, or with my family. Today I miss my friends and my family, but there is no other place I’d rather be.
Instead of this.
Never before I woke up before dawn, few meters away from a misty lake, awaken by condensation on my nose and by the sound of swimming gooses.
And the very funny thing is that gooses, when they swim, don’t make any sound at all.
The forecast was promising flood for the weekend, but this morning the sky was not so threatening and so I chose to go for a sort of trekking to the majestic gorges of the Mostnica river. Foolishly, dressed as I woke up.
Around 11 the flood arrives, hitting me in the middle of the walk and turning me soon into a tadpole.
I run back, stopping in the first gostilna (tavern in Slovenian) to make peace with the world and a glass of wine and then I decide to pack up my tent and spend the second night in a hostel in Bohinj, trying to dry what’s left of myself.
While I’m filling my backpack, obviously under the water, I start to think about the most unnecessary weights I brought with me.
Definetely sunscreen wins.
You know, my friend, in my previous life I always dreamed of becoming a bird. I was the son of a poacher, and when my father could not see me – I used to set free all the birds I could. Each time I was punished, but I never wanted to stop to save them.
And so, when I found myself once again standing in front of the Creator, He gently asked me: “What would like you be from tomorrow?
A belted kingfisher?
A golden eagle from Colorado?
An Australian black swan?
A bearded vulture from Tibet?”
“A duck in Bohinj Lake.” – I answered.
10 AM
Bled? Beautiful. Truly a gem.
But dark. A dark jewel.
I haven’t been there for long, it’s true, but in Bled, for almost 2 hours, I could not see any colors.
The lake was dark, the mountains surrounding it were dark, the hotels facades were dark, the look of the swans was dark.
Due to the gloomy sky, even the marvellous white buildings – like the little church on the island in the middle of the lake or the village castle – took on shades of grey, tending to dark.
I was there on a Sunday morning and the lake was holding a rowing race. Even the uniforms of the competitors had no color.
I then looked for a bar, where I could stop for a moment to observe the place a little better, hoping I could capture brighter tones.
So I stopped looking for five minutes, focusing only on the brilliant taste of a Kremšnita (a ⅘-creamy-cake) I ordered.
As I finished the last bite, I raised my eyes again.
And that was how I saw the colors.
In Bohinj it was raining this morning. Again.
So I found a lift to Bled, which I’ll talk about tomorrow.
And then another one, nap included, to Ljubljana, where I just woke up.
Extremely surprised.
On the top of Ljubljana’s Tower I stayed more than an hour. I liked to stand there while the weather was changing constantly, scanning streets, rooftops, directions, mountains, people.
Schoolchildren, families, old couples and Chinese groups eager to photograph each tile or puff of air.
Suddenly I noticed a girl emerging outside of all these crazy click games. Many times her friends invited her in the middle, but she never joined ’em.
So, I don’t know why, I dared to ask her if she wanted to pose for me. To my amazement she smiled and said yes. By the moment I was shooting she even sketched a kiss, leaving me stunned.
Just too bad she did it in the wrong direction.
14 June, Ljubljana | Day 13 🇸🇮
Is it possible to wake up at 7 am in a hostel in Ljubljana, not to know exactly how to engage the day – but feeling that you need a rest – to take your bike and stroll around the city, to get lost in the deep green of Tivoli Park, to arrive by chance at the edge of a pond, to hang a hammock in the first possible spot, to fall asleep inside it before eating a toast and then to decide that the day may not have anything more to say?
Today I found out that, yes, it is possible.
There are a few reasons why I decided to stay in Ljubljana more days than expected:
1. I needed to recharge the batteries before hitting the long road to Zagreb;
2. The atmosphere is fresh, alive, serene, uncommonly inspiring;
3. There is no special tourist attraction, but it’s really very beautiful anyway;
4. I met nice people, which I wanted to know a little more;
5. Today it’s rainy, so I’m not going to pedal 150 kms under the water;
6. In the morning, when I walk out from the hostel and sit in one of the bars along the river, in the quiet southern part of the city, I see this.
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STATISTICS SLOVENIA
KM in BICYCLE: 240
KM in CAR: 75
NIGHTS in TENT / HOSTELS: 5
NIGHTS in HOSPITALITY: 1
EXPENSES: 199 €
CURIOSITIES
CURRENCY: Euro
“GOOD DAY”: “Dobro Jutro”
“THANK YOU”: “Hvala”
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