Lienz Austria

Travelled:249km from Ljubljana Slovenia into Austria

Stay: Feld in East Tyrol region- wild spot on a river N46.9565 E12.5610

Visited:Lienz Austria

We woke to a foggy morning and as Mark was feeling better we decided to continue our journey northwards into Austria.

 There are a few road options from Ljubljana and we chose the pass towards Klagenfurt. We were lucky that shortly after leaving the city the fog had lifted and we were able to enjoy the beautiful mountain views. 

We stopped at the car park just before the border tunnel to have some breakfast. There were plenty of people about and Mark noticed a lot of old postal motorbikes that we found out were going to have race later on. 

We decided not to hang about and went through the tunnel into Austria where we were surprised to be stopped for passport checks. After the border guard waved us on, we continued down the road towards Klagenfurt but turned left at Hollenburg onto a minor road towards Villach. 

We had a tea break along the way on the banks of Feistritz lake before continuing through Villach. 

We then drove through a beautiful valley with chalets and farms in lovely green fields and cows enjoying the lush grass and sunshine. The craggy mountains surrounded the valley was a feast to the eyes.

We drove through some pretty villages too.

 We got out and strolled around Lienz  where plenty of people were enjoying the lovely day in cafes lining the main square.

The old girls having a chat 

See these on lots of posts throughout Austria 

 We returned to Bluey and decided to check out a P4N spot not far away along a river on the road towards Mittersill. It looked good so we stayed! Mark took the opportunity to give was Bluey a wash with the never ending supply of the glacial waters from the river.

Today’s mud map

Ljubljana Slovenia

Travelled:249km tolls €11 Croatia, €15/7 day vignette Slovenia

Stay:Ljubljana-paid parking Tivoli Garden N46.0597 E14.4975

Occasionally travel plans go awry and last night was one of those times. It appeared that Mark could have a possible hernia and we were advised by the Travel Insruance that it would be best to see a doctor and so we decided to drive straight to a public hospital in Ljubljana as Slovenia has reciprocal medical care with Australia (just in case he needed surgery). So off we set in the dark of night for 8km to the motorway and on the way we get waved down by a police officer...of all the times it’s tonight! After 20mins he had checked our passports and papers as well as having done an inspection in Bluey. He apologised for having stopped us but our type of vehicles are high on their suspect list...we were free to go and from here on it was smooth sailing. We spent the rest of our Kunas on fuel and continued to the border.  At this time of night there were a minimal amount of cars and we were through in 20 mins. 

It’s an unusual feeling travelling through the night, a bit like travelling through a tunnel, as we cannot see the scenery around us. We bought a vignette on the Slovenia border and continued on, reaching Ljubljana just before midnight and we’re happy that there was no traffic and that we managed to get a parking spot just outside the emergency entrance.  Mark presented himself to the nurse and within 10mins he was being looked at by a doctor who concluded that he was suffering from external hemorrhoids that should be treatable with a cream and rest. He suggested we stay a couple of days to make sure symptoms don’t get worse and gave us a referral for a specialist if required. Feeling relieved we moved to the parking area at tivoli park where we had stayed in July and got some sleep. 

In the morning we went for a stroll in the old quarter and enjoyed the atmosphere of the town without the pressure of sightseeing. Then it was back to Bluey for some lunch of fresh pasta and a bottle of Croatian red wine followed by a restful afternoon with a bit of planning for the next 2 weeks.

Breakfast time!



Fresh milk dispenser

Lots of different kinds of mushroom for sale



Nice flower arrangements 

Mark always likes a good broom 

From a flat piece of wood to a bowl

Inside market selling meat, cheese and pasta



A nice hidden courtyard



The dragon, symbol of the city can be spotted everywhere 

We think these were strategically placed so people would notice their shop

We found a kangaroo..EwoutnJenny where is your Koala costume?

Interesting wall mural

Bon appétit 

Beer in a bag

Our trek last night.

Lake Bled Slovenia, Gemona Italy

Travelled:151km

Stay:Italy Gemona del Friuli- sosta with free parking and service point N46.27619 E13.1373

Visited:Lake Bled Slovenia free parking at train station 46.368301,14.082900 , Lake Fusine Italy free parking 46.473099,13.671200 

We headed into Lake Bled just after 9am and managed to get a spot at the train station in Bled. It was already quite busy. It was just a short walk down to the waters edge and then we continued to do a lap of the lake. 

It is an enchanting place with its aqua coloured waters and stunning views of the church on a little island. It is a tradition for grooms to carry their brides up the 99 steps to the church entry. It is said if the groom can survive this he will survive his married life! Needless to say neither Tom or Mark wanted to take up the challenge. 

So we kept strolling along the western shore taking lots of photos of the lake as well as the dramatically located Castle on the cheer cliffs.

On the opposite side of where we started we can to the Bled township but decided not to venture away from the water. 

Here there are lots of hotels and restaurants and we stopped in one to once again sample the Bled cream cake, but this time in Bled! 

We finished our lap at the rowing club and the boys took a dip in the refreshing waters before climbing up the hill back to the motorhomes.

On our way out of Bled going to the highway we were glad that we had had an early start as the traffic jam was a few kilometres long heading in. After filling up with diesel, as Italian prices are about 30c per litre more expensive and doing a bit of shopping, we crossed the border into Italy.

It was a very picturesque drive. We had a lunch break at Lake Fusine which is a very popular stop for both motorhomes and visitors enjoying the lakes and walks in the forest. We met Australians Dean and Vicky and we exchanged some motorhome stories.

 

Needing to get a few more kilometres done we took to the road again, taking the motorway to Gemona, which only cost €6.40. 

Beer in a paper bag...tastes good on a hot day.

We were lucky to get some shade to get a bit of reprieve from the heat. The town has a sad past with it being destroyed by an earthquake in 1976. We walked up into town and enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner, followed up with gelati.