For the last tour during this truly beautiful and magnificent trip, I started on Friday, August 7th. Once again with a rental car from Villach. This time over the Wurzenpass to Kranjska Gora and past Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia, over the Vršič Pass to reach the upper course of the Soča. The journey with the once again far too wide car over the countless and seemingly endless hairpin bends of the unbelievably difficult Vršič Pass, on which plenty of hobby cyclists struggle slowly uphill and are difficult to overtake on the narrow, winding, cobblestone and busy tourist road, was a thrill. The reward for this kind of hard work is the breathtaking view over the Julian Alps and down into the Soča Valley at the top of the pass.
View over the Julian AlpsKobarid was my destination for the day. I noticed that there were many cars with Hungarian license plates not only in Kobarid, but throughout the entire Soča Valley. In the Soča Valley, which is called Isonzo in Italy. And as history buffs know, twelve bloody battles took place here during World War I, before the breakthrough was achieved with the help of the Germans by the Austro-Hungarian forces near Kobarid. According to reports, the Slovenian and Croatian soldiers within the Austro-Hungarian army fought fiercely against the Italians. This place may surely attract historically interested people from different countries of the former monarchy. But certainly also some revisionists who would like to be grand again more than 100 years later.
KobaridIt was very hot again around noon in Kobarid when I started my way back. Over Bovec and the much easier to pronounce and slightly more pleasant to drive Predil Pass, where the impressive fortress Kluže is encountered by the present traveler as the last highlight in Slovenia. . . - only, there is no photo of it because as the present traveler, at this point, I had no desire at all to park the car somewhere after a long search for a parking space and walk around in the heat. The air, dear readers, had finally run out this afternoon after twelve days of extraordinarily intensive traveling. Filled with impressions that lifted me to heaven, countless images in my head, and treasures collected to the brim for the soul, I continued over the Predil Pass to Italy, in order to reach Villach via Tarvis and the border crossing Thörl-Maglern and return the rental car at a gas station on Italienerstraße.
It was 14:45 and on the street, in front of everyone's eyes, I made a huge sign of the cross, to thank providence for my intactness, I went from the gas station to the Rainer pastry shop to enjoy the obligatory espresso and dessert in the afternoon. The rest only meant extensive resting. Eating, resting, and drinking Villacher beer in the evening. The rest, before I left on Saturday, August 8th at 9:14 with the Railjet towards Vienna and arrived at the main train station at the base at 13:35. The rest of this journey. . .
. . . a journey that I would describe as one of my most beautiful and best. One of the most beautiful and best. A journey that filled me beyond measure through Slovenia.
