Day 9 - Westward, HO!

22:30
I have a beautifully long and deep sleep. I’ve not slept badly here, but neither has my sleep been brilliant. The cottage is quite warm at night, and I’ve only had my little hand fan to cool me down as I slumber. Reports from back home that it’s going to be 32C when I get home tomorrow, so no abatement.

Today is moving day. I get myself packed up, which takes all of 10 minutes. I play with the dogs in the garden for a while, then sink into one of the ultra comfy sun loungers, and read my book. Simone and Franz have very kindly offered to drive me up to my next stop, a small village close to Ljubljana Airport. They haven’t mentioned payment, but I can’t believe they’d offer entirely for free. It’s a good 2 hours each way. Any discussions have been between Simone and Kirsten, and Kirsten is not necessarily the best when it comes to detail.

Lunch is a simple plate of bread, cheese and salami, accompanied by a glass of a banging gazpacho, that Max made yesterday. My ride isn’t until 15:00, so I have a couple of hours to laze.

As the appointed hour approaches, I say goodbye to Kirsten and Max. It’s been amazing to hang out with them both, up here in the Slovenian winelands. Kirsten I just never feel like I see enough of, and Max I’ve got to know a whole lot better than I did before this trip.

We’re on the road in Franz’s big Ford pickup. Simone and Franz’s English is stilting (better than my Slovenian etc etc), so our conversation is a little challenging. Honestly - I’d be just as happy to watch the stunning scenery go by. We take a slightly different route up towards Ljubljana, which takes us through some beautiful forests and valleys. Truly breathtaking. The airport is about 30 clicks North of Ljubljana, and my room for the night is in a tiny village called Cerklje.

We make good time, and arrive into Cerklje. The sun’s still hot, but I head out for a walk in this stunning countryside. There are mountains not far to the North of us, empty fields as far as the eye can see, and a small, mountain river running straight through the village. This is apparently a popular base for skiers in Winter, and I can see why. My walk leaves me peckish. Next door to my accommodation is an Italian restaurant, that apparently does good pizzas. I’m taken by their offering of a ‘Ljubljana Steak’ though - pork fillet, battered out, then stuffed with local ham and cheese, breadcrumbed and fried. Perhaps not the healthiest thing I’ve eaten on this trip, but definitely one of the tastiest. I’m quite surprised to realise that this is the first meal out I’ve eaten during the trip. I’ve WAY underspent on what I had budgeted. Kirsten and I are both keen cooks, and actually coexist in the kitchen pretty well. As a result, we’ve shared the culinary workload quite happily, and - as it transpires, economically.

Back at my apartment, I catch up on some Olympic coverage. It’s one of the incredibly few times I get to see widespread coverage of world class hockey, and the advent of digital transmission means I can typically watch as much of it as I want. Earlier today, the GB team were involved in a nail-biter against the no 1 ranked Netherlands side. 2-0 down with 10 mins to go, the GB team scrape a draw, with a last minute short corner strike. Watching the whole game, it’s actually a fair result. GB had more of the possession and chances, but they’re gonna need a better goal conversion rate if they’re to go deep into the competition. The other game I watch is Belgium vs Australia. The Belgian team is ranked 3 in the world, and they dismantle Australia, and that’s something I can always enjoy…

Time’s cracking on. I’ve an early (ish) start tomorrow, to head home to see my amazing wife, and my beautiful boys. Think I surprised Vicki a little earlier, as she seemed to think I was heading back on Thursday. Momentarily, I panicked, and had to check it wasn’t ME that had got the dates mixed up…Weiterlesen