A Bicycle Tour of Slovenia | EPISODE 2: THE JULIAN ALPS

Moving on through the magnificent scenery and culture of the Julian Alps of Slovenia. A bit of a cheat as we start our day; a shuttle that takes us to the top of the pass. But what a day as we cycle down into some of the most picturesque vistas any of us have ever seen. The route winds us through the gorgeous Julian Alps to the town of Skofja Loka. Here we spend the afternoon and evening, a fabulous medieval old town with surprises at every turn. An absolutely spectacular day.

Music:

Meghmalai – Maree Docia
Epidemic Sound

Rise – Jakob Ahibom
Epidemic Sound

Don’t Blink – Clarence Reed
Epidemic Sound

Forward – Dovetail
Epidemic Sound

Outside St. Petersburg – Trabant 33
Epidemic Sound

Lost Empire – David Celeste
Epidemic Sound

I don’t mean to be too much of a whiner but these bikes are kind of hard on all of us I mean to be a whiner they weigh like 1,000 lb mine is sized for probably a 14-year-old kid so we decided against the 3500t climb and we got a shuttle up

To the top we’re here no regrets what do you think Kelsey no I’m sure it would have been possible I just think it would have murdered Me [Applause] Good morning and a beautiful morning at was it had rained all night hard but as the sun burned off the low-lying clouds the rain left the world refreshed and invigorated we moved slow as we had to wait for our shuttle and we walked into town for souvenirs to send home before

The van arrived and took us to the top of the pass well good morning we’re here at the top of shishka planica a ski area here in Slovenia and we actually got a ride to the top of this pass we decided after yesterday’s climb on these bikes uh I

Don’t mean to be too much of a whiner but these bikes are kind of hard on all of us I mean to be a Wier oh there’s Bailey and yeah they weigh like 1,000 lb I think I mentioned earlier mine is sized for probably a 14-year-old kid um

Except it’s got a very long seat post so they were like yeah it’ll work for you perfectly fine so we decided against the 3500 foot climb and we got a shuttle up to the top we’re here no regrets no regrets we’re here to enjoy ourselves what do you think Kelsey um I

Mean Kelsey and I rode all the way to the to he took the shuttle we rode we’re not even out of breath no I’m sure it would have been possible I just think it would have murdered me actually Kelsey was killing it yesterday she she lives

In San Francisco and she bikes to work so she is used to the Hills uh but uh yeah but my bike ride is like 3 and 1 12 miles and there’s one Hill a 300t climb instead of a 3,000 ft climb so I don’t know I think it would have been rough

Yeah it’s been a beautiful morning but looks like we got some weather coming in so we’ll probably hit some uh we’ll probably hit a little bit of weather on the way down before we make it to our next destination which I honestly can’t remember what it is but we’ll get there

It’s beautiful here in slovania love it and we’re Off Yeah it’s chilly it’s a cool morning really cool oh my goodness wow it wasn’t long before we were provided with some of the most amazing views of the ulian Alps and we found ourselves sailing into a gorgeous Valley rough road here all the way down actually right yeah so I think we just continue on the road you believe how amazing this stuff is this is incredible wow yeah this is beautiful So straight right not right okay Coming from Colorado we’re used to mountainous terrain used to all inspiring mountains and Views that seem to go on forever but this is something completely different these lush green valleys these Alpine Villages and absolutely pi are perfect mountains simply have to be seen to be believed everybody has a different way of

Imagining Heaven this is as close as anything I’ve ever witnessed The road eventually led us from This Magnificent meadowfill Basin down Valley winding through the Serene Countryside of the Ulen Alps this mountain range may not be as well known as The Swiss or Bavarian Alps or the dolomites of Italy but that’s partly what makes it so special this region still seems

Comparatively undiscovered The Villages aren’t as thronged with tourists and it still has a feeling of Old World Europe perhaps this is due to the fact that this whole nation was part of Yugoslavia a renegade part of the Communist block that bited Eastern Europe for the second

Half of the 20th century it was cut off in some ways from the Western World and in all ways it was economically Repressed Znik is a history of iron smelting dating back to the 1400s we stopped for lunch by an old Blast Furnace dating from 1826 poor little kitty hungry got nothing to eat Juliana’s not here And then we resumed our Day’s Journey riding through the villages and pass to the fields and forests via bike paths and winding Farm roads but always along the lovely sasur River we were heading for the town of scof Loa our stop for the night at some point we reached a busier

Highway with no shoulders but with kind drivers and it carved a beautiful route through the Mountains so Kel how do you like this does this feel pretty sketchy to you this kind of writing no it’s fine no all the drivers are really respectful they are actually ft of space by everyone passing I know and nobody haunts and nobody seems impatient they just wait it say

And they Zoom past you get get it out of the way yeah no it seems fine as long as you know where you’re biking yeah I don’t know I think that’s one thing about biking in the city that just makes you more used to sketchy stuff yeah gee where’s Bailey coming from

Pissing you got to do what you got to do it’s a pretty little Valley here isn’t it mhm at length we reached the enchanting medieval city of Scopia Loca here’s the view outside our hotel in Scopia Loca After the requisite shower we found a trail that led up to the town Castle but with lovely diversions along the Way it seems only right to begin our discovery of the town with a bird’s eyee View and the castle commands a fabulous Vantage of the Town below oh this is Pretty Sca sca sca I like Red Roofs roofs do you say Roes I don’t think you do roofs got to give the 360 Here guess we’re going this way audience is going to think that I can’t and then we Dro down into the Oldtown one of the best preserved medieval centers in the country allowing ourselves to get lost in the Maze of narrow Streets we found ourselves at the capucin bridge the oldest preserved bridge in all of Slovenia Everywhere there were cyclists perhaps because lublana the capital is less than 15 miles Away we found a spot to enjoy a local beer with a view of the bridge of course and then dropped into a restaurant a bit early but we’re treated to yet another magnificent slan Meal oh my gosh I haven’t had a p scof Loca in the Thousand Years of its existence scof Loca has had a violent history it’s been ravaged repeatedly by plague and by fire and at least one major earthquake it’s been attacked by the Ottomans occupied by the Nazis and

Then by the Communists and endured multiple peasant revolts we walked back to our hotel through the enchanting and now peaceful streets grateful to live in the relatively stable times that we Do