A Drive Through Slovenia

*** Under Construction ***

April 15
Written April 16

Dear Friends and Family,

This was day two of our ten day excursion into Austria and the plan was to see a new country for us: Slovenia. However, we were on vacation, so there was no rush. First, we needed a little breakfast; our "diet" menu of an egg, some ham and cheese, and apple. The goal on this trip was to not go TOO far off program, although we knew there would be plenty of special occasions. That's ok, it's balance we search for.

Despite the clouds and gray, I also tried some pictures of the lake nearby. While sitting at a little gazebo on the shore, I discovered a good wifi signal and was able to upload the diary from the day before, as well as check with email and news. It was interesting how little we really need to be connected to the world, little, but not zero yet.

By about noon, we got our act together and headed out for Slovenia via the Loibl Pass. It didn't take long to be gaining altitude between towering rock cliffs; no extra room on this road. We would have taken more pictures, except the only flat spots were the two lanes of the road itself. Not a good place to stop and set up the tripod.

Near the top, still on the Austrian side, we did find a place to park -- and to eat. The Gasthof-Pension "Deutscher Peter" (German Peter's Guest House) was a find, not the least of which because it had decent parking. The small hotel and restaurant had been in the Tschauko family for a couple of hundred years and had been servicing this mountain road since 1500. We certainly enjoyed the service, good parking, good food, and excellent wifi connection! (We're not completely weaned off "the wire".)

After lunch, we continued our twisty-road excursion. Near the top of the pass, the road was all hairpin turns that even the Boxster would have had to slow down for as we went up and down very steep valleys approaching the Slovenian border. These were definitely "natural borders" that had prevented large-scale invasions for centuries.

The pass itself, and the border station, were just before a long tunnel that exited into Slovenia, our new country. We found out that it was a country that required yet another sticker on the car in order to use the roads; another 15 euro ($20), for a seven-day pass. Fair enough, we may make another trip on our vacation.

Shortly after leaving the border area, we ran across the remains of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp. On our gray day particularly, this was a grim and sobering place. The Camp ran from 1940 through 1945, incarcerating "undesireables", including communists, Jews, Gypsies, and political opponents, working them to death in nearby quarries. Hundreds of thousands died providing architectural stone for the Third Reich.

The descent from the mountains was steep and quick. Down in the flat valley, we joined a real freeway/highway/autobahn, heading back toward a more modern route back into Austria. The countryside was definitely not Austria-prosperous, but not exactly the image of East-European poor either; an area in transition.

We made one detour, into the town of Radovljica, attracted by the sign that said "Stara Mesa / Old Town". The Slovenian name reminding us of our old times trying to learn Russian, a clearly-related language. At least Slovenians write with "our" alphabet. Radovljica turned out to not be a very exciting destination, maybe because it was drizzling and we really didn't want to wander far from the car. We did grab a couple of pictures to prove we were there, but then hit the road again.

The rest of the trip was unremarkable, other than getting lost in the old border crossing. We had to pull over because I had failed to properly close the gas tank cover, but on the way out, we managed to get lost in the maze of parking lots and inspection stations that still remain from the old days. When we actually got back going the right direction, we joined the traffic passing through the border without a stop. The new political reality is a lot easier for travelers!

From here, we went into the last of seven tunnels for the day, after paying another $8 toll. I know these things cost money, but I have the feeling these are simply local highwaymen extracting tribute from passing travelers. All for tradition.

And so we were home well before sunset, assuming there was a sun up behind those clouds. I hope tomorrow the weather improves.

We'll see.

John and Marianne
ps: Here is today's track:

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