Distance: 99km
Elevation: 500m
It had rained during the night. I made myself breakfast and completed my morning routine during a rain break. Also, it had cooled off quite a bit.
I had to pack up in the rain which is never great. All my gear got a little wet and covered with some sand from the ground.
I started cycling trying out my new poncho. Due to construction work my bike path was closed which meant 10-15km detour with rain and headwind. As they say “if it ain’t raining, it ain’t training”.
It turned out that the poncho was bullocks. I got both cold and wet and in the wind it is like a sail. During an early break in a bar I changed back to my rain jacket. I waited a little for the rain to stop but no dice.
Because of missing alternatives, I had to travel on a state street with a lot of traffic including heavy trucks. Most people were driving by very considerately but some random idiots were taking risks on my expense and would be getting unnecessarily close to me. I just wished we could switch roles for a while to make them understand how this feels on a bike.
I made another lunch break in a rather fine fish restaurant by the road. I was craving something healthy to eat – like a salat – for days now. I asked if I might enter since I was all wet. “Sono bagnato”. The reply was “Nessun problema”.
They made an extra large salad for me. Also, I had a “chocolata calda” for dessert and it was actually a cup of molten chocolate which you had to spoon. Great!
Meanwhile it had dried up. I managed to pick up the pace a bit to keep warm and dry up. A little later it started raining again.
30km before my destination, Rosinate got a flat tire. Probably, it had been a very pointed stone a couple of hundred meters before.
This normally doesn’t happen with these tires of mine but I realized that I had crossed half of Canada on them and meanwhile they were worn off a little too much.
Half an our later, I was back on the road.
I was excited to get into my first new country on this tour and expected a border crossing or at least a sign. Negative. I crossed a road and was in Slovenia, country no. 15 on my journey around the world.
Around 6pm I arrived in Nova Goriza.
It took me a while to figure out how to get through the fully digital checkin at my hostel, but with the help of the host Kira on the phone I managed. In the hostel there were just three guys and we all shared the same dorm room.
I found a place nearby to buy some groceries and then was busy to dry all my stuff.
It was a great feeling to be dry, clean and warm again.
Also, dinner was delicious: Chili con Carne with a cold beer. Wonderful.
Kira came by later. A young woman who had started this hostel together with her husband three years ago after traveling the world.
In the evening I also met Phillis from New York. He was on a tour from Amsterdam to Istanbul by train and bus. He was very much interested in art and culture. We did not speak much.
Nova Gorica was built after World War II in what was then Yugoslavia as a counterpart to the Italian town of Gorizia in the other side of the border. Today it is known for its cultural vibrancy and scenic surroundings, it serves as a gateway to the Soča Valley and the wine-rich Vipava region. In this year, Nova Gorica and Gorizia together are the European Capital of Culture. According to Phillis, there were literally hundreds of events going on this year on both sides of the border.
I went to bed by 9pm and slept like a baby despite a lot of snoring going on in my dorm room.