From Austria to Slovenia

Monday, July 16, 2018

Radovljica, Radovljica, Slovenia

Before setting off on the long (4.5-hour) drive to Radovljica in Slovenia, Hermann dropped us off near the start of a short hike up a hill to the ruins of another castle. It’s always interesting to try and imagine what life must have been like back in medieval times. After exploring every nook and cranny, we wandered back to our hotel. Hermann had kindly loaded our bags in to the car, and so off we went.

The drive took us through the Salzburg area, past Mondsee, where I recall having visited the church which features in The Sound of Music (where Maria’s wedding took place) and past the city itself. We stopped for a break in the small town of Kuchl for refreshments and a short walk. Michael and I were amazed at how every grave in the local cemetery had beautiful flowers growing in them.

The mountains around Salzburg are magnificent. As we drove further south into Corinthia (a region of Austria), the clouds rolled in and soon we were driving through quite heavy rain. Fortunately, once on the other side of the mountains (via a number of long tunnels) and into Slovenia, the skies cleared again.

The beginning of our hike up to the castle, Spitz

By the time we arrived at our destination, it was again warm and sunny.

Our accommodation is in a 17th century building that has lots of character and charm. We dumped our bags and then went off to explore our surrounds, including the supermarket we had passed on the way in. Delighted to discover how inexpensive most things were, we stocked up on a few items, including some basil to eat with the tomatoes we had brought with us from Austria.

Michael and I decided we would eat in, using up some of our supplies (butter, cheese & salami), and so declined Gitti and Hermann’s invitation to join them for dinner at a local restaurant. We had planned to get together for a drink after dinner, but we were just too tired to keep on going — I suspect we are still suffering from a little jet lag.