View from the pillion

We're heading back to Ljubljana today - which as the crow flies, is not that far away. But we have some passes, mountain roads and sights to see on the way. We start with an invigorating ride through the Vršič Pass, in the reverse direction from the previous day. It's not as wet today, but the cobblestones and the tight corners are still intimidating. I find myself counting the turns, which are clearly numbered and when we get to 50 we're through the pass. This type of riding is quite tiring even for the pillion. A brief stop at a ski resort, which is busy even at this time of year with many visitors and a big contingent of Harley riders gathering for their convention. We continue en route through the Julian Alps. Riding beside rivers, around mountains and along lush valleys, we come to the beautiful spa town of Bled. Situated on a glacial lake which boasts Slovenia's only island, it is picture perfect and the whole setting seems staged for romantic fantasies...

What can I say? These are the words in my journal " Wow, OMG, holy sh.t. What a day! Crazy? " That pretty much sums up how I feel after going  up the 2,100 metre high Mangart Mountain and through the Vršič pass today. But first we stop at Kluze Fort. There has been a fort here since Roman times, but most recently this was the scene of clashes between Italians and Austrians in WW 1. It has proven to be pretty much impregnable over the centuries and now in more peaceful times, it houses a small museum.  And then there is the Predel Pass and the precipitous ride up         Mangart Mountain.  The road is wet and narrow, steep and twisty with no guard rail; scary stuff. I can't look down except for quick glances and then I catch a glimpse of the very long drop with a sheer cliff to a valley a long way below. We go up, up, up. The slow turns on slick corners are another form of scary. The very top is closed due to a slide, but in my o...

With the Triumph sidelined for the duration, we are given the BMW GS that Dan has been riding. He and his daughter take the smaller bike. It has been raining and the roads are wet. The low clouds still look threatening  so we all start the day wearing our rain gear.  Peter is following behind Dan, still getting the feel of the bike as we head out of town and up our first mountain road at a fairly sedate pace. And then suddenly, the bike skids out on a corner and we're down. I land on the road, but in an instant I assess that I am fine. I watch Peter, still with the bike, sliding towards the looming wall of the mountain. It stops short of the rock face and Peter is up on his feet. Very quickly our fellow riders are beside us, checking that we're okay. John and Ross help Peter pick the bike up. Someone keeps an eye out for oncoming traffic and waves them down. All I can think of is the positive things - no one is hurt; we avoided hurtling over the cliff-edge or slammi...

Today is another "rest day" and we all decide to do own thing and go our separate ways. Peter joins  Primož  today for a vigorous day of riding............. and I choose to have a day on my own exploring the area on foot. The Tourist office in town is super helpful and I pick up some brochures, maps and walking guides.  According to the "Easy Walks for Families" guide, the town of Colfosco/Colfosch is only 40 minutes away on a well-signed path. In this part of Italy, both Italian and German are spoken, a legacy of the time when the area was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a result many of the towns have names in both languages. It's a lovely walk, winding along the footpath through the outskirts of Corvara. All around are magnificent mountains, green meadows and picturesque houses. Signs point temptingly to paths heading up the mountainside, but I am not quite brave enough to head up one of those on my own. Along the way stations of t...