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The All In Sabbatical 2016The All In Sabbatical 2016
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A 28-day adventure by Christopher Read more
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  • Christopher SolomonThe All In Sabbatical 2016
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    Day 8

    Day 8 - Črniče

    June 25, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Another day in Črniče. We hiked to the end of town, found a rough trail to a gurgling river and followed it upstream among the boulders and dense trees. We returned to have lunch at the Arkade tourist farm and the food was so good. We had intended to eat a light lunch, but at the insistence of the owner, Silva, we each had a dish of mangalitsa pork that the Cigoj family raises. I've never tasted pork like that. It was rich, deep and delicious. Silva cajoled into trying one of her light, refreshing white wines made with a grape that is unique to Slovenia, Malvazija. It was indeed refreshing and bright - it tasted of a breezy sunlit Saturday or maybe that was just my imagination. This region of Slovenia is subject to seasonal intense winds they call The Bora (or Burja), which can reach up to 120 mph. The intensity and impact of these winds has shaped the towns and landscape. Towns are packed tightly, with labyrinthine roads hedged by high walls or houses themselves. Terra cotta roofs are kept in place by stones (pictured).Read more

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    Day 8

    Day 8 continued - Štanjel and Goče

    June 25, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After taking a break to do some laundry in the afternoon, we drove through several small towns in the Vipava valley, including Štanjel (population: about 300), an impossibly picturesque hill town from medieval times that doesn't seem to have changed in several hundred years. We wandered the cobbled streets, marveled at the juxtaposition of ancient stuccoed walls with beautiful new varnished doors. We strolled through an impeccably manicured garden commissioned by Enrico Ferrari and ended our visit with a trip to the castle where we were treated to an impromptu performance by a local concert band that was rehearsing in the courtyard of the castle. We ventured on to the even tinier town of Goče (population: about 200) which felt like an Italian village stuck in time 200 years ago. We ended the day with another amazing dinner courtesy of the matron of the Cigoj family, Silva.Read more

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    Day 9

    Day 9 - Škocjan Caves and Soča Valley

    June 26, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    Today was pretty rainy as we departed Črniče but perfect for exploring the Skocjan Caves. Words can’t describe the beauty so hopefully the pictures will give at least a hint to the wonders of this part of the world. The rock is mostly limestone which when dissolved into the watershed gives the Soča River that brilliant blue color. After leaving the caves, we drove north toward the Alp region of Slovenia, tracing the path of the river Soča. As the mountains reared up around us as we ascended the valley, towns became more traditionally alpine. We stopped at a random trail signpost situated on the side of the road near a bridge crossing the Soča river and decided to explore the trail which promised to lead to a waterfall. The trail, lined with brilliant white rocks proved to be almost as spectacular as the Boka waterfall, the mightiest waterfall in Slovenia. We then continued our journey and arrived at our destination, nestled deep in a tiny valley in upper Trenta, with spectacular views of the mountains looming all around. We stayed the night at Homestead Kekec, a "four apple" tourist farm in this idyllic setting.Read more

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    Day 9

    Day 9 continued - At Homestead Kekec

    June 26, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The owners of Homestead Kekec, Mitja (who was one of the best climbers in Slovenia in his youth) and Joži (who sailed around the world over 3 years) eventually settled here in 2001 and have lovingly restored the original farmhouse and surrounding buildings. Mitja is also a winemaker (has his vineyards near Maribor) and an incredible chef. We sat in their open air restaurant for dinner, marveled at the dramatic alpine views all around us, drank Mitja’s wine and played with their dog, Lam (who steals people’s coffee if you’re not looking!). They say Slovenia is known for the 3 C’s - churches, castles and caves. I’m going to add the 3 W’s - wine, waterfalls and windy roads - as you’ll see from our next post!Read more

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    Day 10

    Day 10 - WW1 History & The Vršič Pass

    June 27, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    The Soča valley played an important role in WW1 as a front where the Italians prevented the Austro-Hungarian army from making inroads across the Italian border through this region of Slovenia (which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at the time). Throughout this region are many monuments and remnants of the brutal, devastating campaigns fought in the mountains and valleys. We visited a war museum in the town of Kobarid and hiked a historical trail along the bluff of the Soča river. Along the trail we discovered trenches, buildings, outposts and munitions storage caves that the Italian army used to defend the Soča river valley. It was haunting to walk the same bulwarks and trenches where these battles took place. The trail wound along a stream that fed into the the Soča river. We followed it to the stunning waterfall, Slap Kozjak.

    We then began our trip to the eastern Julian alps by driving through the Vršič pass, along a winding mountain road which includes more than 50 hairpin switchbacks. It was harrowing, not only because of the sheer drop from the side of the road, but also the narrowness which had to be negotiated with oncoming traffic. But the views were a great reward. Also we ended up in Italy by accident. Ultimately we made it to our destination, the picturesque resort of Lake Bled.    Read more

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    Day 11

    Day 11 - Lake Bled

    June 28, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today we woke up in a treehouse! We stayed at the Garden Village, an eco-resort in the town of Bled. We went for a run on the walking path around Lake Bled (me once, Chris twice plus he jumped in the lake). Later in the afternoon, we rented a boat and Chris rowed me across to the picturesque island in the middle of the lake (he initially set out rowing backwards, but we finally figured it out). On the island, we climbed the ninety-nine steps to the top and toured the idyllic Church of the Assumption of Mary. Legend has it, if you ring the “wishing bell" of the church three times (and thereby give honor to the Virgin Mary), your wish will come true. So I rang the bell ten or twenty times (I lost count). We climbed the clock tower and then I rowed us back to shore. Of course there was a castle to see as well (what’s a Slovenian town without a castle?), so we meandered our way up to the top of the hill where the castle was perched on the limestone cliff. The castle was partially closed due to a wedding (not ours) but the views from the castle alone were well worth the trip!Read more

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    Day 12

    Day 12 - Moutain Biking in Lake Bohinj

    June 29, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We had a hearty breakfast at the Treehouse in preparation for our mountain biking expedition today. We (Chris) hired a guide to take us on a biking and hiking trip through the Lake Bohinj region. Gregor, the owner of Hike&Bike Slovenia, fit us to our Specialized mountain bikes then lead us through a few tiny villages before taking us up the river valley to the Mostniča waterfall. As we began our ascent from the lake, we passed through a lush forest where we came upon an abandoned hotel overlooking the lake where Agatha Christie stayed in the 1960s (the story goes that when asked if she would use Bohinj as a setting for one of her books, she famously remarked that the Bohinj valley was “too beautiful for murder”). The upper river valley is located among the lower pastures where farmers have been taking their cows to graze on the summer grasses for centuries. Most of the traditional pasture huts have been converted to vacation cabins, but they still retain the look and feel of rustic shepherding abodes. In addition to being an expert outdoorsman, naturalist, and guide, Gregor provided many interesting lessons and provided insight into local history and culture, including a visit to a Shepherding and Cheese-making museum. All in all, the bicycling portion was pretty challenging, but we survived! Our hard work was rewarded with stunning views of pastoral alpine treasures and rich cultural insights. At the conclusion of our trip, Gregor invited us to his home in the cute little village in Stara Fužina where we sat in his garden along the river that winds through town. He and his wife Mia treated us to a sampling of Bohinj regional cheese and three different schnapps. The latter was homemade by Mia’s father and included an oak barrel aged schnapps, a blueberry variety and one made with dozens of locally harvested herbs and flowers. It was a great and fitting conclusion to a tour through the region. The breathtaking scenery and fascinating culture in Slovenia have been amazing, but it’s the warmth and graciousness of our Slovenian hosts everywhere we’ve been that has been the true highlight of our travels. Gregor and Mia were exemplary ambassadors for their country and we are fortunate to have spent time with them.Read more

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    Day 13

    Day 13 - Lake Bohinj

    June 30, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We woke up to another beautiful day with a stunning vista outside our hotel window overlooking Lake Bohinj and the mountains beyond. We took an early morning walk around our town of Stara Fužina in search of breakfast, but as it’s a sleepy, small village nothing was open yet except for a cafe that mostly served pastries. Since our hotel room had a small kitchenette, we opted to drop by a little market and make our own breakfast from fare we found. We had a great meal on the hotel room terrace with fried eggs, local cheese, salami, apricots and pears, whole grain bread and cottage cheese. While we ate, we watched paragliders descend down from a launch point to the north and land a few hundred meters away from us on the shore of the lake.

    On our last full day in Slovenia, we decided to “take it easy” and settled on spending the afternoon hiking the trail that circumnavigates Lake Bohinj (about 7 miles). Shortly after leaving Stara Fužina, which is situated on the eastern shore of the lake, the trail goes through the town of Ribčev Laz. At the edge of town, there is a picturesque stone bridge leading up to an old church - the Church of St. John the Baptist which was built sometime in the 10th or 11th centuries (almost one thousand years old!). We continued along the south shore of the lake and on to the far western shore where the trail leads through the town of Ukanc (there we passed a nice little restaurant where we returned later for dinner). As we worked our way along the north shore of the lake, we were treated to great views of the towns we passed through and of the various boaters out on the lake. This area of Slovenia is known for rowing and produces many athletes that compete in crew or rowing and rank among the top in the world (a recent olympic medalist in rowing was from Lake Bled). In fact the New Zealand olympic rowing team was currently residing in the Lake Bohinj region and I’m pretty sure we saw them training on the lake as we hiked around it.    Read more

  • Christopher SolomonThe All In Sabbatical 2016
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    Day 14

    Day 14 - From the Alps to Edinburgh

    July 1, 2016 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Today is the day we leave for Scotland. We rose early and went for a workout at an outdoor fitness playground on a hill overlooking the lake (I couldn’t figure out whether some of the apparatuses were actually designed for exercise or for humiliating/injuring you). We finished our workout with a run to the lake and had a quick swim in its chilly waters to cool off. We then packed up, headed to the airport and arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland late in the evening. After the hot weather we had in Slovenia, the cool climate of Edinburgh was a welcome change (50s and breezy). We checked into the hotel and then went for a walk around the old town. Even though it was after 10pm, due to Edinburgh’s northerly latitude it was still light enough to see the beautiful architecture and feel the weight of history that is pervasive in the atmosphere and has shaped the city throughout the centuries. We finished the night with a quick visit to a quaint pub, where four gentlemen were tucked into a corner playing traditional Scots Gaelic music. It seemed as if it were an impromptu jam session and that they were playing for themselves, not knowing or caring that a handful of people watched with rapt attention. We enjoyed a few songs until we needed to retire for the evening after a long day of travel. How amazing it is that we started our day with a swim in a Slovenian alpine lake and ended it with a traditional folk music performance in Edinburgh’s old town.Read more

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    Day 15

    Day 15 - Edinburgh to Inverness

    July 2, 2016 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Our stay in Edinburgh was short as it was only a stopover on our way to the highlands. We took a train from Waverley station to Inverness. The train journey passed through rolling hills that eventually turned a bit more rugged and dramatic. Like many older European cities, Inverness is situated along a river and has a scenic walking path alongside where you can enjoy a stroll. We didn’t have enough time in Inverness to take in any of the sites as we had to prepare for our cross country mountain biking and hiking expedition which started the next day.Read more

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