|
Day 11 continued
Wending my way back down the mountain, I eventually joined a major road, thronging with bikes - this was the Soca valley route I had intended to take. Can't blame the magazines for my little bit of of Dennis Matsonesque taking of unsuitable Ducatis on unsuitable surfaces: this was down to a wetware error. I won't be rushing out to buy an Enduro bike (not even the lowered CCM) but I was pleased to have proved to myself that I can ride on the rough stuff if needed.
I decided to reward myself with lunch at a roadside cafe somewhere between Bovec and Zaga. My Mum (who had previously visited and recommended Slovenia) had texted me a few key Slovenian words: good afternoon (dober dan), please (prosim), thank you (hvala) and beer (pivo). Didn't need the latter one yet so ordered gnocchi with tomato sauce (both a bit watery) and then in my Euro-patisserie-quest, something called "Gibanica" described as "sweet filled with poppy, walnuts, cottage cheese, apples & cream". It was a hot sweet, made up of layers, with sort of baked cheesecakeyness sandwiched between apples and poppy seeds. Good job I'm not in the sort of job that requires staff to be drug tested, as my readings would probably suggest I should be passed out from an opiate overdose, given the quantity of poppy seeds. Interesting, but I won't be hunting it out again.
I carried on to Bled where I was booked into the Alp Penzion. Slightly brusque check in but the room was ok, save that I couldn't get the aircon to work. On asking at reception I was told "you're in room 6? booked through booking.com? I have the remote for the aircon - it will be an extra €5 per day for aircon!" WTF??? Nothing about this on booking.com printout. Having selected a room with aircon, I wouldn't expect to be charged extra for it any more than I'd expect to be charged extra to walk on the carpet, watch the TV or use the en-suite bathroom! The spirt of old communist Yugoslavian customer service lives on.
I went for a walk round lake Bled, which was as mosquito infested as it is picturesque. My Incognito natural repellant had preserved me from the zanzare di Tavullia, and did the trick again. Lake Bled has a clifftop castle, a church on an island, super clear water in which people were swimming and rowing, and a photo op at every turn.
Dinner that night was a pizza and beer in the Gostilna Pri Planincu (owned by a member of the Slovenian DOC, though he wasn't there). Ducati calendar stickered, with a card and another sticker left behind, I went back to my airconditioned room (the remote having been released to me).
|