From Faak am See to Bovec (Aug. 20)

Today's hard facts:
Distance: 69.5 km
Avg speed: 14.7 km/h
Altitude: 1156 m (Predil pass), 480 m (Bovec)
Trip time: 4:44 hr (9:45 hr total)
Route: Faak am See - Arnoldstein - Tarvisio - Cave del Predil - Predil Pass - Bovec

Today was an exciting day, and Andrea is now also known as The Incredible Machine. Why? Read on.

The leg to Tarvisio was straightforward. But in Tarvisio, trying out the new bike paths along old railroad routes was too tempting, and we went along the one to Kranjska Gora too far to get on the road to the Predil pass. Anyway, this 5 km detour did not hurt, and we had to stop often on the rest of the trip to enjoy the scenery: torrents, high mountains and green forests, all perfectly mixed together. Not to forget the old industrial buildings of Cave del Predil, and the magnificent Lago del Predil, where we made a stop to cool down a bit before the final ascent to the pass. And now comes the reason for Andrea's new nick name: When I went up the Predil pass with Günther Tischler about 10 years ago, he said that I ride my bike up like a machine. I did the same today, but Andrea followed me closely, breathing and moving in silent mode. Simply incredible.

We made a long late lunch break on the pass, eating Jota z Klobaso and Mešano Meso na Žaru. Then, on the way down to Bovec, there was even more scenery to enjoy: villages with the impressive Mangart mountain in the background, fortresses from the time of the Napoleonean wars, and an impressive canyon of the Koritnica river near Kluže.

In Bovec, the first thing we did was making a reservation for a Rafting tour on the Soca river tomorrow. Then we found an affordable place to stay, thanks to the professional help of the local tourist information center. Instead of dinner, we had 4 balls of ice cream. Yummy.