Day 10 - Zagreb (HR) to Maribor (SLO)

Monday 29th May
------------------------


Had a lovely peaceful evening and slept like a log until 08:00. Very slowly packed-up my stuff as I knew that I had all day to cover very little distance. Set the sat-nav to avoid tolls and motorways and got to see some fantastic rural sites and to ride brilliant twisty roads. If only I had time to do the whole journey this way, but then these days there is traffic. Foreign motor travel must have been amazing 50 years ago.

Unexpectedly I got to the Slovenian border quicker than I thought but I was waved through after a quick flash of my passport. Decided to treat myself to a breakfast / lunch seeing as I hadn't really eaten for a while so stopped in a small village cafe and ordered a pizza, coffee and cool drink. It has been really hot recently - I reckon 28C today at least.

Took a couple of wrong turns, one down a road that appeared to be marked as closed, which indeed I found it was after off-roading 3 miles and then I accidentally went down a motorway for one junction (my vignette has expired). Got to Mirabor. Really nice old town built on the river - lovely. My one decent photo taken from the other side of the river didn't come out which was a shame as it was great.

Decided to head for a camp-site. There are quite a few dotted about in Slovenia - it's very tourist friendly. Had to back-track the way I came for 12 miles and am now checked into a lovely place which is a thermal spa resort next the a river. For €19 I have access to all the pools and thermal waters as well as camping. It's all first class and for the first time there are Brits. It's like being on a proper holiday - even got sun-burnt sleeping on a deck chair! Lots of pools (indoor and out), a mini aqua-park, diving boards, wave pool and my favoirite, the extreme jacuzzi pool. Really pleasant surprise. Most people stay in the fancy hotel over the road, but the campsite is good too.

It is the West though with beers costing €3 and my bogus microwave hamburger €5. Should have eaten in the hotel or cooked the crap I have been lugging with me from home.... I haven't even opened my left pannier. Still not figured-out this packing lark after all these years.

Tomorrow? Lichtenstein I reckon as I have also never been there. I want try and find a way into Austria without going down motorways - should be fun. After that I will slog through Austria on motorways as I think that my Austrian Vignette is still valid for tomorrow. From Lichtenstein, who knows... Might go for another quick swim tomorrow morning and ride with wet undergarments to keep me cool.

Mileage: 2813
Country count: 12 (GB, F, D, A, SLO, HR, BiH, MNE, AL, MK, RKS, SRB)
Beers: 30 + 0.5l of red + Blueberry Schnapps + 3 Raki + 4 Pokojnice shots + 1 bottle of Croatian home-made white.
Fines: 0
Bribes: 0 (but 1 passport switching scam)
Ass pain: 1/10
Mechanical issues: 1 (headlight bulb & fuse)
Accidents: 1 (witnessed) + 1 guy reversing into me + 1 crash in Kosovo petrol station
Coldness: 0/10

Comments

  1. Anonymous29 May 2017 at 13:19

    Sounds nice. relax and have a safe journey home

    ReplyDelete

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