Ptuj to Ormož (Drava Trail)

Today's ride was from Ptuj to Ormož on the Drava trail towards Croatia. About 28km. It was supposed to be a bit longer than that but train issues (only certain ones take bikes) and the need to hire another bike meant I ran out of time. Just as well as it started to rain when I got to Ormoz and the road I was supposed to go on was closed. I did get close to the Croatian border as there is a border crossing at Ormož.
I hired a new bike today. Again they only had city bikes available but at least this one has straight handlebars, wider tyres and six gears. It all started so well today; the bitumen roads we're great and the weather was clearing. Then it was darkening skies and gravel roads for the later part of the ride.

Unfortunately, the Drava resembles a canal in most parts as it’s used for hydroelectricity and to prevent flooding adjacent villages. I saw the largest carrot field I have ever seen (picture) - not that I have been looking for one. Also back from Ormož I caught what appeared to be the museum train, it seemed to be leaning over to one side and built up speed with a lot of noise. It was still faster than the Albury service. Perhaps Vline could purchase some from Slovenian Railways. Off to Austria tomorrow.

Maribor to Ruše (Drava Trail)

Weather hasn’t been great, grey but not too cold and it hasn’t rained while I’ve been on the trail anyway. Still stuck with the city bike as other rental places closed on Sunday, so decided to do a short section of the trail towards Austria. This is a section I’ve done before but got lost on as the signage was poor. I was glad to see however, that this section is now well signed, has been rerouted and improved with a section of proper bike path just before Ruše. The first section however is the infamous gravel but that was only for a comparatively short section and was mainly through pretty forest. It was a there and back trip of a total of 30km.

Maribor to Ptuj (Drava Trail)

I did the section of the Drava cycling trail from Italy, through Austria to Maribor a few years ago. However, I didn’t know at the time that the trail in fact goes right down to the Croatian border for another 70km. So I am staying in Maribor for a few days and doing the rest of the path as well as the Mura River trail. 

Anyway, as you might have expected the first day was a disaster. It was cloudy and threatened to rain. Then the place I went to rent a bike, a considerable walk, didn’t, have any left as they rented them all out to some Austrian group. The only option was to hire a city bike from the tourist office. Skinny tyres, three gears and upright handlebars. It was like steering from an armchair. At first it wobbled all over the place and I struggled to stay on the seat as it was that smooth. Anyway, naturally, things only got worse. Most of the 30km to the town was on gravel farm roads, some were quite rough, so I had had to hold on for dear life but I didn’t have any spills. I got through that and got  to the beautiful town of Ptuj on the river. The intention was to catch a train back. Unfortunately that plan came unstuck as the train would arrive after the tourist office closed, when they wanted the bike back. But I thought I could ride back and get there in time. Big, big mistake. Halfway back the energy reserves ran out, with the bike wrestling and the appearance of previously non existent hills. I got slower and slower. With no chance of getting back in time I rang the tourist office and they were happy for me to take the bike back to my hotel. I finally arrived back at Maribor over 45 minutes late. One thing I learnt is that city bikes are not very good for long distances. Everything hurt. On the plus side it didn’t rain. 

Ljubljana & Maribor

The tour has commenced! On Friday I came up by bus to the capital Ljubljana to see the Slovenia-Poland soccer game. good result and the non-stop chanting was very different to Australia. Great atmosphere. Next day travelled to Maribor in the east of Slovenia for some cycling (more of that in later blogs). 

A few observations on the trip so far...

Grumpy Bus Driver

Our bus driver from Piran to Ljubljana had a bad day. People kept asking him stupid questions, like where was the bus going. He eventually directed them to the sign on the front of bus and told them they should be more interested in knowing where they were going. But it only got worse. We pulled up at one town and someone asked him the departure time, he asked where are you going, she again asked about the timing. He told her to look up the website, and drove off. Later one of these knuckleheads called him unfriendly.

Interesting People

At the soccer there where some interesting characters. There were the green haired people (see photo) who seemed more interested in getting their face painting right than anything else. Plus there was a man who had his hair shaved in a target pattern. Not sure whether he likes darts or was British or both.

On the train up to Maribor an older man had his shoes off and I noticed a big hole on the heel on one sock. He didn’t look destitute. Maybe he suffers from some medical condition, or perhaps he is frugal or is really attached to those socks.

Language

My Slovenian is getting better but I think I will always speak in an old dialect few understand these days and with an Australian accent. I ordered a doughnut when I was in Ljubljana and got a chocolate filled bun. It was nice but I would’ve preferred a doughnut.

Anyway some pictures from the game and of Maribor...

Last of the Piran Summer Days

Hello, no big trips over the last few weeks, just local walking and cycling (and writing!). It has been very hot anyway, over 30 most days. But at the end of the week I am off on a road trip to Ljubljana (for a soccer game), Maribor (to do some cycling), and Kranjska Gora (to do more cycling!).

In the meantime, a few observations...

Tourists
Tourists here like to reserve their spots on the beach by leaving their towels or chairs in their favourite spots overnight. When I am out and about early in the day, I sometimes feel the urge to move their stuff somewhere else.

Some of tourists feel the need to hog all available space on paths. Whether they are on bikes or walking they appear to have the need to fill the complete width of the path regardless of how narrow or wide the path is. Usually this manoeuvre is performed by groups of three or more but even people on their own have the need to walk or ride directly down the middle of the path. Maybe because they are on holiday rules of etiquette no longer apply.

Driving
There seems to be a road rule here that buses don't have to give way to pedestrians on crossings unless the pedestrian is over the age of 90 or disabled.

The good thing about European number plates is that they indicate their country. That's important for pedestrians like me as foreigners are far more cautious in their driving in Slovenia with the major exception of Italians. I think they must be scared of committing offences outside their country. You know who to trust and who not to trust. Slovenian number plates are useful too as they indicate which area of Slovenia they are from. If they are local ("KP" for Koper the regional centre) then it's usually safe but if they are from a major city like Ljubljana (LJ) or Maribor (MR) you can't trust them at all. It appears that in Ljubljana or Maribor they don't have pedestrian crossings as, in my experience, they never stop at them when they visit the coast.

Reality TV
I'm now into those reality TV programmes that are about people (usually American hillbillies with guns) looking for creatures like big foots or yetis. They are very entertaining. They set up traps, scout around at night, but never really see or catch anything. There are lots of noises heard (which could be anything) and occasionally a shadow or blurred image. The only time they have caught anything it was deer. They don't really seem to be into the latest technology like game cameras but I guess that wouldn't be as much fun as running around at night with guns.

Americans
Americans seem very keen on the use of the phrase "I'm proud of myself". I think that's American for "I've got a big head".

Internet Privacy
I am not sure how much information the technology companies like Google actually have and collect (or at least how accurate it is). Every time I translate something using Google Translator it puts things in the feminine voice. If they don't even know your gender I have serious doubts about doubts about the quality of their data.

Dogs
I have seen a few Pomeranians being walked by their owners recently. Normally, I don't pay much attention but these dogs always seem to be very happy going on a walk, except when they spot another dog, turn into Mr Hyde, wanting to kill the other dog.

I am also not sure about ribbons on dogs. It raises too many questions. 

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