Where in the world is Ljubljana? Travel writer Abi King asked that question recently on her travels from Istanbul to Berlin. She has embarked on a train journey for
InsideTravelLab called the #IronRoute.
Here is how she describes it:
“
#IronRoute is a rail trip from Istanbul to Berlin that aims to explore the theme of “east” and “west” as it used to apply to Europe, while also getting a taste of those places as they are today.”
Read more at
InsideTravelLab…
The Amber Route is no stranger to the themes of ‘east’ and ‘west.’ Starting in St. Petersburg, we spend the majority of our time in the eastern Europe. The answer to Abi’s question is that Ljubljana is in Slovenia, and it’s the capital of this Eurozone nation and our last rest day before our arrival at the finish in Venice.
I remember Ljubljana well. If I were to describe it, I would call it old, yet modern, and a dynamic, yet inviting place. In our inaugural Amber Route adventure, I visited Ljubljana Castle which dates back to 1112 A.D. It has seen a lot over the centuries and now the renovated castle is a popular upscale dining spot and event hall for weddings and other celebrations – or just a great place to view the city below.
I also strolled through old town and its narrow streets, alongside its canals, and past the outdoor markets. This was our last taste of the ‘east’ as the next day we cruised downhill to the Italian coastline. East meant many different things to us along the way as we cycled through a great stretch of it from St. Petersburg. Take a moment and peruse through some of the posts from last year to see what surprises eastern Europe had for us.
Stewart
recounts his harrowing first day of cycling!
Paul on exploring
EstoniaMe in the
Latvian Bicycle MuseumFive Things I remember about the Amber Route – Paul McManus
The warm weather is finally here in Canada but we are already thinking about next summer. July 2012 will see the return of the Amber Route Bicycle Expedition. This awesome cycling experience through some of Central Europe's most fascinating cities and some of the most undiscovered routes will be another challenging trans-continental journey for those who choose to take it on.
For inspiration, read through some of the
posts from last year's tour, and start dreaming about St. Petersburg, Venice, Krakow, and Bratislava, and start learning about some lesser known gems like
Tallinn,
Birzai,
Banska Stiavnica, and
Ljubljana. More details on route, pricing and dates can be
found here.
Registration is now open!
There is nothing quite like waking up in the middle of the night to the sounds and actions of a fierce thunderstorm. At first you're groggy and confused. Then as you realize what is happening and why the side of your tents seems to be collapsing inward you begin the slow, internal process of deciding what to do. The water puddling under your tent is a bt disconcerting but you trust you tents waterproof floor, or do you?
Obviously you should get up and stake your tent out better but that means getting wet and you're so comfortable in your nice warm, dry sleeping bag. How long can the storm last really? My solution was to put my feet into two corners of my tent and my arms into the other two in order to reinforce the walls against the battering wind. It's quite difficult to sleep in this 'upside down turtle' position but at them time it seemed better than getting wet.
Next you being to hear, through the storm, the excited conversation of other riders whose tents have obviously flooded or who have done an even poorer job of staking out their fly than you have. Now a second debate begins. Do you get out of your tent and help them? This also involves getting wet but these are your friends after all and wouldn't you really appreciate help if your tent was flooding? I decided to play the wait and see game. I waited a few minutes to see if someone else would get up before I could. I was in luck. I heard Ross shouting over the rain, asking if everyone was OK, if anyone needed help. Everyone seemed to have everything under control and 30 minutes later the storm passed.
The last two nights in Slovenia have brought unexpected storms. Two nights ago a storm even flooded the entire camping area, leaving 2" of water standing on the ground (and in some peoples tents). This put a bit of a damper on the mood of the group the last few days. But today, all that changed.
Last night was dry and restful. Todays ride was sunny and short. We rode through some beautiful hills and nice little villages (I'm getting addicted to ice coffee from all these cafe stops). The highlight of the day for me was riding through the fields of hops that are grown in this region. I've never seen how hops are grown (they grow on vines that hang from high wires suspended 15 feet off the ground) but I love the smell of hops and the tall fields of vines offered some nice shade along the road. As I write this no one is hiding in their tent or solemnly trying to dry out their clothes as they have in the past couple of days. Everyone is at a big table at the campsites bar, laughing and joking and of course having a few drinks. What a difference a day can make on a tour with the TdA.
Only 1 week left! We just crossed in to Slovenia in the middle of our longest stretch between rest days. Six days of cycling from Bratislava to Ljubljana (Lou bee ah na). The first few days we rode along the border between Austria and Hungary. Fifteen years ago it would have been impossible to cross those borders so easily.
Today you can hardly notice. Austria made a big impression on me. Very beautiful countryside. The riding was dreamy. Easy rolling hills through wine county and along a great network of bike paths that took you to all these quaint villages where local fruit and wine was sold everywhere. The apple strudel, washed down with an ice coffee, was the perfect mid ride snack.
Today we entered Slovenia with the first significant climb since the lesser Tatra mountains. But the day ended with about 20 kms of decent and Ruth was waiting in camp with a home made Hungarian goulash and some black currant wine that a few rider bought on a city tour back in Bratislava. It's tough on tour, I'm not sure how I've managed to survive.
