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expedition_retirementThis entire trip was built around this bike tour. Operated by Stephanie Ventures, we were invited to join the tour by a friend who had gone on another trip with this organizer, and we readily agreed because Slovenia was on my list of places I wanted to visit. Stephanie, the organizer, hired a local guide to lead us, and rode with her twelve paying guests throughout the tour.
While the tour began in Bled, as originally planned, the itinerary ultimately varied significantly from what was originally presented. Before the trip even started, a decision had been made to swap the Goriška Brda portion of the tour with the legs along the coast from Piran. This allowed us to ride the roads in Goriška Brda on a weekday, rather than a weekend when there would be a *lot* more traffic. Since the rides along the coast were largely on dedicated bike paths, riding there on the weekend wouldn't be as big an issue.
The logistics of this change meant that we had a longer transfer from Bled to Piran, and we lost one of our rides. However, we still did get to hike through the spectacular Vintgar Gorge before we left Bled. On the other hand, because most of us had planned to travel to Trieste after the tour, we were able to arrange a transfer into Trieste from Goriska, rather than returning to Piran, where the tour was originally scheduled to end, which was very convenient.
Altogether, we had five rides, two from Bled and two from Piran, all of which were out-and-back rides, and one in the Goriška Brda wine region, which was a beautiful loop ride. The weather was spectacular, warm and sunny for each of our rides, as well as for our hike in the Vintgar Gorge. The only rain was during the evening and night we first arrived in Bled, which was a spectacular thunderstorm that echoed through the mountains for hours. It was a wonderful trip and we got to see a bit of the diversity of landscapes that make up Slovenia.
While the tour began in Bled, as originally planned, the itinerary ultimately varied significantly from what was originally presented. Before the trip even started, a decision had been made to swap the Goriška Brda portion of the tour with the legs along the coast from Piran. This allowed us to ride the roads in Goriška Brda on a weekday, rather than a weekend when there would be a *lot* more traffic. Since the rides along the coast were largely on dedicated bike paths, riding there on the weekend wouldn't be as big an issue.
Altogether, we had five rides, two from Bled and two from Piran, all of which were out-and-back rides, and one in the Goriška Brda wine region, which was a beautiful loop ride. The weather was spectacular, warm and sunny for each of our rides, as well as for our hike in the Vintgar Gorge. The only rain was during the evening and night we first arrived in Bled, which was a spectacular thunderstorm that echoed through the mountains for hours. It was a wonderful trip and we got to see a bit of the diversity of landscapes that make up Slovenia.