SLOVENIA (8/10) - With the Bohinj Railway from Jesenice to Nova Gorica

Strategically, Villach seemed to me to be a convenient starting point for the subsequent tours through northwestern Slovenia. Renting a car again on this trip was necessarily a requirement, so on Wednesday, right after 9:00, I picked up the reserved car from the station in Villach. Without any mishaps or hassle. However, with the small imperfection that the car had a Vienna license plate, which can be a problem in some regions of Austria, as well as elsewhere.

Anyway, Jesenice can be reached by car from Villach in about 35 minutes. Jesenice , which was the starting point of my train ride on Wednesday over the famous and well-known Bohinj Railway, especially among railway enthusiasts. Even Czech railway fans had gathered at the station that day in front of the counter to buy a ticket for the ride on the Bohinj Railway. For the journey through spectacular mountain landscapes and then along the emerald green Soča river. Comparable to major Alpine rail lines like the Tauern, Pyhrn, or Brenner, the Bohinj Railway was built during the time of the monarchy, but today it only serves as a regional railway in Slovenia.

This excursion took me to the divided city of Nova Gorica. To Nova Gorica, which represents the Slovenian part of the city, while Gorizia represents the Italian part. Directly in front of the imposing station building, across the street, is the border, and it was exciting to stand on the border marking with one foot in Italy and the other in Slovenia.

Remarkably, I found the French visitors that are often encountered here in Nova Gorica. After all, the 1836 deceased last Bourbon king is buried here in the Franciscan monastery Kostanjevica, which of course is a feast for French nostalgics.