Penguins Bike

Day 20-25 - Rest Week - Ljubljana, Slovenia

Sarah

July 10-15, 2026 - biked 10 km (6.3 mi), train'd 241 km (150 mi) - biked 942 km (586 mi) total

We took time off-bike and off-blog to rest for 6 days. After biking over 590 mi or 943 km in over 4 weeks, we needed it.

David’s parents got everyone an Airbnb and we were gifted to sleep in the best room in the house equipped with not only a chandelier above the bed but also a rain shower and bathtub. We were also gifted a two hour long couples massage which completely relaxed us to the point where we had no energy to walk around. Massages are our kryptonite.

It felt weird to not bike, but we filled our time up just right.

I had a great birthday, more to come later.

We did the typical tourist things-visit the castle on top of the hill, go on a ‘free’ guided tour, and visit a vending machine with raw milk.

With David’s excellent navigation via train line hopping, we were able to visit Lake Bled and Most na Soči. A total of 7 trains for over 5 hours with stunning mountain and river views and through quaint alpine towns for only 16€. Our dear Portland friend, Ali, was also able to join and she delightfully called herself the 7th wheel. Everyone needs a 7th wheel.

If David was writing this post he would probably mention the 6 km tunnel and the train car that worked like a ferry bringing cars with people in them across a stretch of non-road terrain. Only one person has beat the train using the roads, but he was going 100 kph.

We did one bike ride the whole week to the outdoor sports store Decathlon to get some stove fuel and David got a new hat.

Tomorrow we will be back on the bike and if the massage and family taught us anything is that we need to stretch more and hire our parents as our official pit stop team.

Bonus Slovenia Facts

  • Population 2 million (Oregon is around 4 million)

  • Bears are so common they eat them (At least according to the free tour guide? We saw no bear on any menu.)

  • Napoleon is beloved by the Slovenians because he allowed them to speak their own language for the 4 years he reigned, unlike the Austro-Hungarian empire

  • Separated from Yugoslavia in 1991 and became apart of the EU in 2004

-make white, red and orange wine

-Ljubljana won the greenest capital in the EU ten years ago

**highly recommend a visit!

Strangely, our first dinner was ramen
Massage bed
Gabs is resting too
Dragon water fountain. There are dragons everywhere.
Slovenians love when you can speak a little of their language since they weren’t able to speak it for so many years.
Tourists being tourists
Watched the Spain vs. Belgium game with Spaniards and Belgiums. We finally did it right.
Dragon bridge. The dragon's tail did not wag.
Finally wore our penguin shirts in the cooler Slovenian forest weather. Black is just not a good color on the Mediterranean during a heat wave.
Raw milk vending machine
In the glorious communist future, we will chainsaw nude.
Napoleon needs a chin rub as it’s the only statue of him in the world
Birthday breakfast with an egg scramble made by my mom, cappuccino brought by my dad and pastries from Carol.
Not sure who this guy is
On a boat
Ali just arrived that day
Getting ready for our first of two swims in Lake Bled
David eating the worst pizza of his life…err this trip.
"Surely is the Most na Soči town I've ever been in."
Hike viewpoint above Most na Soči
David swam three times this day! So proud!
Train car ‘ferry’
Car ferry train lets you open the windows
Just before a sign just missed Ali's head. Always face forward when sticking your head out of the train.
Laško pronounced Lashko
Mom and dad are off to Venice at a reasonable hour