Day 5

Day 5

Another early start, blessed with a large Italian man saying “Mama Mia!” at breakfast and this stunning road out of town.

The road out of Borgio Verezzi

Unfortunately that was it for high points for the day. 411 miles of baking, overpriced motorway, broken only by a brief session on a two lane road between motorways, where the only other vehicle in sight for an hour tailgated me so closely they couldn’t see me indicating to tell them I would let them past and nearly ploughed into me as I braked, turning into someone’s drive, to get out of their way.

I did not enjoy the trip across Italy.

I did however see the only wild reptile I have ever found in Europe in a petrol station parking lot. It was quite a moment of realisation of how long it’s been since I lived in Africa, the jolt seeing a lizard run out from under a rubbish bin brought.

A realisation bringing lizard.

Riding all day and into the night I reached the Slovenian border and took a break just on the other side, to watch the sun set over rolling green hills and have a chat with a Bulgarian lorry driver about places to see on this side of Europe. I was now in the fabled Eastern Europe, a place my cold war era up bringing in southern Africa had made seem as far away and as strange as the moon. I took a minute to take it in then mounted up to find somewhere to stay in Postojna.

I had come to this small town near the Slovenian border to see the Proteus, a species of cave dwelling newt, the largest troglodyte species in Europe, from what I had read and TomTom lead me to the Cave Hotel. It was closed. Cursing him I demanded another place to rest and was brought down a narrow, industrial road at 9:40 pm to find this.

Can you see the Hotel? 

Try it in the dark!

In what looked like a warehouse I found the eclectic collection of a hotel on one floor, a bowling alley and bar on the next, and a restaurant above them.

 I decided to think about it in the morning and dragged my weary self to bed.