Tuesday, September 12, 2023
It was a damp and cold night. All the clothes that we spread over the bags in the tent in the hope that they would dry remained unpleasantly wet. The first alarm rings at 5:30, luckily we have a second and then a third at 6:00, when we get up with difficulty. In the evening, we noticed dew gathering on the equipment outside while setting up the tent, but overnight this dew turned into a thick fog. The tent is significantly wet from the outside and inside, but now we have no choice but to shake it off and wrap it in a bag. A problem for later.
This morning we really drag ourselves like fog, needing a little more than 1 hour to finally be ready to go. Probably not helped by the fact that we know what kind of hill awaits us. We wear long sleeves in two layers, but after the first kilometer, we already strip down to short sleeves because the hill warms us up a lot. The approximately 5km long climb above Livade somewhat redeems itself when it rewards us with a view of the entire valley below it, hidden under a sea of clouds. Truly a magical view, almost worth waking up so early for. Maybe for those more morning types.
At 8:45 we reach the top of the hill Sveta Elena and find a picnic spot with a view of the valley, where we prepare breakfast (pasta with pesto and flakes). We watch how the fog in the valley slowly clears and enjoy the break. In the blink of an eye, another hour and a half passes by. If only time could pass so quickly while cycling uphill.
Then follows the descent to the town of Sveta Lucija, where we turn right at the crossroads towards the border crossing Brezovica pri Gradinu. The border crossing is deserted, on the way there a couple of motorcyclists and some German tourists overtake us, but driving there is not allowed for RVs and trailers.
A short descent from the border, then alternating a few ascents and descents until we reach the town of Sveti Anton, from where follows a little more than 10km descent all the way to the city of Koper. Today we did a good 40km. For a well-deserved lunch, we stop there at McDonald’s.
With this, our journey is nearing its end. After lunch, we slowly drive to Dekani to Martin and Tim, there we dry the tent and wash our clothes. After a short break, we go swimming. In the evening, we finally get to the pizza in Koper.
