Kranjska Gora, Villach and the journey home

Day 41 - July 16: Radovljica - Jesenice - Kranjska Gora 50 kmAs the day goes on, the sun starts to shine more and more, and in the afternoon, we have a fantastic view of the highest mountains of the Julian Alps, such as Prišank, Zvoniki, and Razor, in Kranjska Gora under a bright blue sky. In the background, you can also see the peak of Triglav. The ride to Kranjska Gora can be described as enjoyable cycling, even though it's uphill the whole time. Until Jesenice, we follow small side roads, and then it's a beautiful path on the old railway track of the Crown Prince Rudolf Railway, which operated between Ljubljana and Tarvisio from 1870 to 1967. One of the steel bridges has been preserved and is currently being renovated. We arrive at the well-located Natura Eco Camp campground in the early afternoon, which is not far from the center of Kranjska Gora. We leisurely set up our tent for the last time and then explore the surroundings. We cycle to Lake Jasna and enjoy coffee and cake while admiring the mountains. In the evening, a heavy thunderstorm approaches, followed by heavy rain that lasts half the night. Our tent holds up well, and Dominique finds it romantic to be cozy in our tent while it's lightning, thundering, and raining outside!
Day 42 - July 17: Kranjska Gora - Planica - Arnoldstein - Villach 55 km Total: 3585 kmWe take our time starting the final stage, waiting for the sun, which is shining again in the morning, to dry our tent. We continue on the railway cycle path, passing the World Cup ski slope in Podkoren, which we soon leave to cycle to the ski jumping hills in Planica. Especially impressive is the ski flying hill. Next winter, the Nordic Ski World Championships will take place in Planica, and there is already strong promotion for it. Back on the main cycle path, we immediately reach the border with Italy, making it the eighth country on our tour. Today, on Sunday, there are hundreds of cyclists on the beautiful cycle path, including many families. From the border, it's constantly slightly downhill until shortly before Tarvisio, where we meet the Alpe Adria Cycle Path, which leads from Salzburg to Udine and further to Grado on the Adriatic Sea over a distance of 410 km. Last year, with our cycling group Harz5, we reached the highest point of this tour in Bad Gastein. This tour is obviously extremely popular because between Tarvisio and Arnoldstein, we encounter significantly more touring cyclists with luggage than on the entire Iron Curtain Trail. For us, it continues to be slightly downhill and then along the Gailtal Valley to the confluence of the Gail and Drava rivers. We cross them on the red Peace Bridge, a fitting end to our bike trip.
July 18: Journey home by trainAt 11:16 a.m., we depart from Villach by train to Schwarzach-St. Veit. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) are well organized, and the bicycles are loaded into a separate wagon, making loading and unloading easier. So the transfer to the EC train to Zurich goes smoothly and without any problems. We are a little restless sitting in our seats due to the homecoming and the lack of movement. We already know this route from several trips in previous years (ski tours in Innervillgraten, cycling tour in Slovakia). In Zurich, we have a connection right away and enjoy tapas at Tellplatz before going home. Yes, and then we're back home, happy that we arrived safely and soundly after six weeks with many memories. It's great to have summery weather to welcome us.