I woke at 6 to the sound of single scullers tapping past my window on the flat sea. The water merged with the sky in a steel grey and I lay for some time just staring at the point where the horizon should have been.
After breakfast with my Dad we said goodbye and after getting my things together I set out down the road to Trieste. Passing through the city I came out on the road up the hillside which led to the mountains among which the Slovenian border lay. The climb was not steep but it was very long and very slow. I heated up very quickly and began to sweat more than I expected I would. Either side of the border were long, low gradient climbs with a few short downhills giving a little respite. I saw more leisure cyclists out on the road and it was encouraging to have others around me suffering the climbs and enjoying the downhills.
The morning's progress was slow so I denied myself an early lunch in the large town of Postojna. This was a mistake as there was no cafe or restaurant for many miles the other side. A cruel road sign indicated the way to an eatery which turned out to be closed and the village of Planina afforded me only a small shop where I bought some bananas and sat on the road side feeling sorry for myself. I was soon cheered as the mountains opened out into a plain that would take me all the way to Ljubljana. The afternoon was quick as most of the road was on a slight decline. It was also interesting as several settlements cropped up as I neared the capital, giving me an opportunity to see Slovenians going about their daily business.
I arrived in the north of Ljubljana at around five and received directions to the home town of my host, Igor, in perfect english from several people leaving work. I then commuted out to Domzale and within an hour I was through the door of Igor's home. In the evening we returned to Ljubljana for a performance by the Copenhagen girls' choir before a walk among the buildings of Josef Plecnik to find a place for supper. The heart of Ljubljana was beautiful in the darkness and I was pleased when Igor suggested I come back in the morning to give a talk at his school, as it would give me an excuse to have a snoop around in the light.
Distance covered 82 miles
