Penguins Bike

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!

July 16, 2026 - biked 44 km (27 mi), train'd 151 km (94 mi) - biked 986 km (613 mi) total

We had a big send off from Carol and Peter. A big breakfast with a macchiato, an assist with our bike bags. After we left, Peter ran to the train station because I had forgotten my water bottles. I hadn’t even noticed yet.

Finally on the train to Koper, back to the sea, we had to buy tickets for our bikes for only 3€ each. She asked if they were electric and I said “I wish.”

This begs the question, with the mainstream use of e-bikes, do we get more street cred for not using them or are we just foolish?

We feel proud of our work but we have thought multiple times of selling both our bikes and buying a Vespa.

We don’t have e-bikes but we have parents who took back about 17 pounds of stuff we brought and realized we don’t need. Maybe we will be more speedy.

We got rid of the following:

-David’s puffy and Carhartt pants -two black penguin shirts (we only wore once; too hot) -rain gear (only rained once) -Sarah’s dress, two shirts, one pair of shorts -watercolor and watercolor paper (apparently we have no downtime) -two decks of cards (same reason as above) -extra journal (we blog instead) -fuel canisters adapter (we have found other cans…so far) -bike rack straps -Sarah’s bike light (I can use my headlamp) -extra moldy headlamp we found in the tent (always do a test trip beforehand... we clearly didn’t) -two metal cups -two coozies -yellow dish towel (everything is so dry here) -soap from Marseille -EuroVelo 8 overview booklet (useless, don’t buy) -two small backpacks for city walking

Things we procured during our rest week:

-Half a sponge -few feet of water electrical tape courtesy of my sister, bro-in-law and my mom bringing it! -yellow purse bag for David -new lighter hat for David -eating utensils for David -two pairs of socks for Sarah

Unfortunately we didn’t get far today. I just happened to start my period on the first day back on the road and my energy was sapped. Still it was nice to be reunited with the Mediterranean Sea. We swam right when we saw it.

Our planned campsite fell through but we asked someone in this small town where to stay and she said she knew the hostel owner. 10 minutes later she opened up the hostel for us.