Day 7: From Oberdrauburg (Austria) via Italy to Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) (100 km, 1000 vm)

Waking up at 5 am is already an automatism. I guess this will also be good practice when I get further south. Get up early, cycle for 6 or 7 hours until noon or early afternoon and then relax when the heat really kicks in.

After I packed my tent away and got the bike ready it was 6 again when I was ready to go. The day started with a 350 meter pass with a moderate incline. At the top (Gailberghöhe) I took a picture and then went down towards Kötschach Mauten where I stopped at a bakery to have a quick breakfast on the go – I am getting very time efficient at this now – and then headed on. I went along the river Gail so always slightly downstream until Feistriz where I had to go uphill again towards Italy. I was excited to cross another boarder and even though Italy is not far from where I live it still felt like I am getting further away. After the border I followed a bike path towards Tarvis and then headed towards Kanjska Gora. The bike path went gradually uphill for 16 km but again with a moderate incline. The path itself was well set up through forest and beautiful landscapes.

The crossing into Slovenia was not spectacular. On the bike path was a sign and that was is. It is amazing how we in Europe can just cross borders. It is such a privilege. Shortly after I arrived in Kranjska Gora, a little town known for it’s FIS Ski World Cup. First I passed the typical ski resort hotels then I reached the town center which was nice but nothing spectacular. I had lunch and then booked myself a room in a youth hostel. I didn’t feel like camping today. The hostel is about 1,5 km outside of Kranjska Gora next to a little lake. I didn’t expect anything special but just wanted to have the possibility to cool of a bit. But when I arrived at Lake Jasna I was stunned. It must have been one of the most beautiful lake views I have seen. Ok, there were lot of people, but for a hot day like this on a Saturday it was actually not too crowded. I checked in the Youth Hostel and went straigt back down for a swim and an Ice cream on the lake.

Tomorrow will be a fairly easy day after a long one again today. I will only go to Bled, about 40 km away. One of my best friends is on a road bike weekend there and I will meet up with him there.