E-Bike: Italy, Austria & Slovenia

And we’re off! Our E-Bike: Italy, Slovenia & Austria group are all checked in and ready to go…. We’re on our way to Zagreb where we’ll have time to adjust to the time zone and do a bit of exploring, before our E-Bike adventure starts…..

There is no denying that Auckland to Doha is a long way by air (17 hours); however that’s much shorter than biking and once we were there it was a relatively quick hop to Europe.

During our time in Doha Airport we found the elusive yellow teddy bear, the restful garden and travel in the quiet internal train.

Arrival into Zagreb was very straightforward and that was it – we were in the EU and free to go anywhere in the Schengen zone. Vicko Krampus came to meet us and so did the rain – our first images of Croatia were bright green fields and bustling morning traffic.

Thankfully we could go straight to our rooms and after a wash, some breakfast and coffee it was game on. At 11am most of us met for a stroll from our hotel, through the Lower town on to the Upper town. We passed from the grandeur of 19th century architecture to the more practical 20th century, to the charming medieval buildings. The early morning rain changed into a cloudy/sunny day perfect for us.

After a walk it was free time to have lunch and explore on our own until our early Welcome Dinner. The evening walk through Lower Town was a delight via the park decorated with flowers and lined with shady trees. There is many a statue in Zagreb (mostly men), the most important sitting on their horses.

Hotel: Sheraton Zagreb

Vicko arrived in the morning full of zim and energy for a Zagreb walking tour. He managed to interweave points of interest with insights into the Croatian mentality: “expect the waiters to never smile and always be grumpy”, “this museum has a wonderful collection of … but its closed”.

The morning was wet but we laughed our way around Zagreb including a spontaneous visit to the Greek Orthodox church and the Museum of Broken Relationships’ gift shop. The morning ended with a funicular ride and sun starting to reappear.

The rest of the day and evening were free, and a diverse selection of things were explored.

Hotel: Sheraton Zagreb

It was breakfast in Croatia, morning tea in Slovenia and lunch in Austria. Our competent bus driver Zoran rocked up for a 9am departure and we were off on the brilliant highways, viaducts and occasional tunnels.

Sadly, the rain reappeared as we arrived in Klagenfurt and the temperature dropped to 13c. However we all survived and met our cycle team at 4pm. Marko Bauer (Lead Cycle Guide), Ernst Altenberger (Cycle Guide), Marc Huemer (Support Driver) and Gerald Mari (Support Driver). After a comprehensive briefing we had a test ride on our bikes. Once we were all happy with our bikes it was time for a stroll around with Marko in the medieval centre of Klagenfurt and then on to dinner. Rainer Buck, the CEO of Edelweiss joined us for dinner and will be with us for the next few days of biking.

Hotel: Moser Verdino

What an extraordinary ride – it was like travelling through picture postcards. We started the day dividing into two groups: the high energy and the scenic. Marco led the high energy and they were off! Ernst led the scenic group and we also departed with enthusiasm with the promise of lots of photo stops.

Leaving Klagenfurt we passed by the Worthersee Lake; wealthy homes lined the lake shore and we rode mostly on the cycle lane by the road. Entries from the Ironman competition zoomed by us on their ultra bikes which hummed on their own frequency – very musical.

Passing through charming Austrian villages we stopped at Maria Worth church for a snack and picture break.

Heading inland we cycled through forests and along country lanes and through farming villages.

Lunch stop was at a beautiful restaurant with a balcony overlooking Lake Faaker and looked towards the mountains. Just beautiful!

Heading towards Italy we passed more farms and the Italian Alps became visible in the distance. At one point we managed to lose the CEO of Edelweiss but he popped up again at the next coffee spot. Good to know that even the best can get geographically embarrassed.

Crossing into Italy was seamless and meant one moment all the signs were in Austrian and the next in Italian. The ride started to climb as we made our ascent into the mountain towns but these climbs were nothing on the e-bikes.

A short stop at the medieval church of St Andra where the frescos were a visual delight.

Then after a short ride we popped out of our country lane into the Alpe Adria. This excellent cycle path starts in Salzburg and runs to the Adriatic Sea. Once an old railway line it is now one of the finest cycle paths in Europe.

Hotel: Nevada

A day full of highlights as we travelled down towards the Adriatic. Immediately after leaving the hotel we returned to the amazing Alpe Adria. The path ran close to the new highway and sometimes there was the surreal experience of a forest and sound of birds and then the thunder and modern world of traffic rushing to their destinations.

The path was punctuated by tunnels and bridges as it weaved through the mountains.

All was going extremely well until the path was closed due to reconstruction – what to do? One group took the low road (modern traffic road) and got to Venzone (our lunch stop) before the others who took the high road and followed the old road, country roads and some of the modern road. Needless to say we were all glad to arrive at Venzone and refuel in this charming Italian town.

Venzone was destroyed in an earthquake in 1965 and has been rebuilt in its former style (eat your heart out Christchurch). It certainly felt like we were in Italy with blue skies, sun drenched squares, faded green shutters and pizza, gelato and expresso on tap.

After lunch we rode by the Tagliamento River, a braided river milky blue with the recent rains. Leaving the Alpe Adria we followed country roads as much as possible.

Just as we were reaching San Daniele the threatening dark clouds released their rain. The Expresso group managed to reach the town without getting too wet and found a hospitable place to taste the local prosciutto (cured ham) with a glass of wine. The other group got wetter and elected to go straight to the hotel. All was not lost though as our included set meal that night was typical Italian style and included the ham and wine. In fact, that meal was a triumph with several courses including antipasto (appetisers), course one (pasta), course two (meat), dessert (tiramisu) and finally limoncello and coffee.

Hotel: Dolcenero Hotel Residence

Sadly, this morning Rainer left us to return to Austria on his BMW motorbike. It was a fond farewell as he turned to the North and we continued South to the Sea. Another big day was ahead of us, but the sun was out and some highlights were ahead.

Leaving San Daniele we took country roads over the small hills. The country roads passed fields and small villages, isolated churches and forgotten buildings. Poppies and wildflowers grew near the cultivated land and were splashes of colour in the green. Most welcome were the trees lining the roads, a left over from Napoleon who planted trees to shade his marching troops.

First major stop for the morning was Udine, the capital of the region and built in the Venetian style. Marko conducted us around the two main squares of the town centre.

Back on the bike and a ride to Palmanova where a delicious picnic had been prepared for us by Gerald and Marco. Palmanova is a town surrounded by a 9 pointed star fortified wall.

Still following country roads and dedicated cycle paths we moved onto Aquileia – time for a touch of the roman history of the area. Once a enormous roman city, Aquileia today is a large archeological site dominated by its majestic basilica.

Mandy leaped in as our guide inside the basilica and we explored together the beautiful mosaic floor and some of the remaining frescos.

After a refreshing drink it was back on the bikes for the last leg of 12 kilometres into Grado. We cycled kilometres on the causeway to reach Grado as it used to be an island.

Hotel: Hannover

A very welcome rest day in Grado. This small Italian seaside town was perfect for us to rest, shop, explore and even swim in the sea.

The morning started with our local guide Ellen walking us through the old town and explaining why, when and what Grado is about. Some of the highlights were: the narrow, crooked streets with their flowery steps and colourful shutters, the amazing age of the churches and the occasional glimpses of the blue Adriatic.

Challenge of the day: how many people can you photograph eating Gelato? Hamish was the winner and his successful photos along with the runners up are below.

A beautiful day for us today with sunshine and a ride east and north. Starting from Grado we left this charming Italian town along streets then a cycle way. Edging the cycleway were hundreds of Oleander trees with white, pink, coral and red flowers; their perfume scented the air. On the other side of the cycleway were marshy reeds. The terrain was mostly flat with the path mounting stop banks with view across cultivated fields with country houses.

Our first stop for the morning was inside a nature reserve – sadly the coffee shop wasn’t open but the dependable Gerald was there with lots of snacks, fruit and water.

Continuing our ride we cycled along country roads through small villages and across farm areas. Our lunch stop was Gradisca, a small town dominated by a castle and its defense walls.

The afternoon ride continued the theme of villages and country roads as we headed for our destination Gorizia. Just on the outskirts of the town we divided into two groups; one group went straight to the hotel and the other headed up the hill to Sacrario Militare di Oslavje (a massive monument to the fallen soldiers of World War 1 who died on the battle fields in this area).

As fate would have it a senior miliary officer arrived and he was very willing to show us around and explain the monument. He was rather overwhelmed that we were all from New Zealand, such a long way away. The sobering facts about this monument include: 60,000 Italian soldiers died on the immediate battlefield, 12,000 of those are unidentified; a year after the monument was opened WWII started.

Back down the hill we cycled to the hotel and had some free time before dinner. Most of us ended up at the bar across the road for a refreshing beverage.

Hotel: Grand Hotel Entourage.

Challenge of the day: Take a photo of your cycle guide looking like a saint or angel? Both entries were so good that it was a draw.

Immediately after leaving Gorizia (1.5kms) we came to the border between Italy and Slovenia. Once a divided city like Berlin, Gorizia today is a smooth transition between one country and the next; one minute the signs are in Italian, the next Slovenian.

Our ride today was across farm and winery land following the Vipava River. Picture perfect the gentle rolling slopes were green and fertile; small villages snuggled into the folds of the land and church spires popped up above the trees.

Coffee stop was Stanjel with its castle on the hill. To reach Stanjel we had a challenging hill but as they say what goes up must come down and the whizzing down was a heap of fun. The weather today was sunny and moving up to 29c. Lunch was in the charming Slovenian village of Vipava where we found a pleasant cafe with shade.

After a much-welcomed break with food from the local bakery, drinks and gelato from the cafe we were ready to think about the afternoon. At this point 10 of us chose to take the transport to the hotel and the remainder chose to cycle up the hill to Postojna.

At 5 o’clock we had entry into the world famous Postonja Caves. A small train took us deep into the caves and a 1.5 km walk inside the biggest caverns: then a train back to the entrance. Truly amazing these caves are the largest in the world open to the public.

Hotel: Hotel Jana

Bright sunny weather and a path to cycle – what could be better? We set off from beautiful Postojna Caves for the nearby Predjama Grad (castle). The country road was undulating and that was the pattern for the rest of the morning.

Predjama Castle is the largest cave castle in the world and our visit there included an audio guide so we could explore the four-story building with its many surprises.

After a lovely refreshment on the cafe terrace, we headed out again taking back roads to climb over the hill towards to Kalce. There is little that can beat the country riding over small hills into fertile valleys and following the road as it descended into the Ljubljana basin. We had lunch at a country inn in Kalce; delicious pizza.

At lunch there was a choice again of hopping into the transport and going straight to the hotel or continuing to ride into the city centre of Ljubljana. Whichever choice was made we all met up again to walk to the oldest restaurant in Ljubljana, Vodnikov Hram and a delicious Slovenian meal. It also happened to be Brian’s birthday; so, a very sparkly cake was produced.

Hotel: Urban Hotel

Oh the joy of a lay-in, as the day was free to do as we wanted. Some of us joined Mandy at 10am for a walk around the old centre of Ljubljana. From the main square and its impressive statue of Preseden (Slovenia’s revered poet) we saw some beautiful Venetian Succession, Art Nouveau, and Medieval buildings, which make Ljubljana such a charming place. We walked down to strange Butcher’s Bridge, on to the famous Dragon Bridge, through the green market, pass the triple bridge and back to the other side of the Ljubljanica River via Fish Bridge – so many bridges in Ljubljana!

Then it was free time, and some went up to the castle, others shopping, a few to museums and a lot to cafes to people watch and absorb the happy vibe of people enjoying their day.

In the evening we met up again to visit a nearby restaurant, Sestica, and have an official goodbye to the bike team.

Our last cycle ride as we biked from Ljubljana to romantic Lake Bled. Our route took in bike paths, country roads which crossed farm land and through charming villages. The rural houses were decorated with flower boxes with bright red geraniums and gardens full of roses, lavender and country flowers – picture perfect.

Even with the usual breaks and coffee stop we arrived in Bled early afternoon. There were a few surprises waiting for us; first boot beer (an old tradition where beer and drinks are served cold at the end of a ride); then Marco had a few more stories and legends for us.

Sadly, it was time to say our final farewells to the marvellous team of men who have looked after us and the bikes for the past ten days.

Hotel: Kompas, Lake Bled

A day to enjoy the sunshine and recover before going our separate ways. A group of us chose to walk around the lake in a clockwise direction, enjoy the Custard Squares (kremsnita) and even get up to that imposing castle on the rock.

Early evening we had drinks on the terrace before wandering off to our farewell dinner.

At 9am we were off and away – the first to depart were Jan & Dave as they started on their journey north to Scandinavia. The rest of us were travelling by private coach to Zagreb airport; our rest stop was Skofja Loka, an old town in Slovenia before we sailed across that land border to Zagreb.

At Zagreb airport it was goodbye to Alan & Jan and Hamish & Kate as they were overnighting in Zagreb. Then it was goodbye to Jacqui and Lorna as they were flying on to London. The rest of us flew to Doha.

Unfortunately there was a four hour delay in the plane departing from Doha but we managed to find some things to do. In Auckland it was time to say goodbye to James & Kay, Susanne, Shirley, Peter, Viv & Brian, Joan & Graham, Valda, Karen and finally Richard & Mandy.