THURSDAY, August 31
This morning the station master assured us that the next train to
Ljubljana would indeed accept bicycles (it was not Yugoslavian), so we
took it. And he was right. In short order we were in Slovenia's
capital, the sun was bright, there was a festive feel in the air, and
we were on our way. A quick look around the city and a lunch on the
river bank, then on we rode. It was fairly late, so we did not go far,
but we found a small pension and settled in for the night.
Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and when that nation split up it went
its way peacefully. It was a fairly prosperous part of the united
Yugoslavia, and has since grown well and become part of the European
Union. Much of Slovenia is forested, much agricultural, and on the
whole it is a wonderful place to cycle. And tomorrow we would start
out in earnest.

WEDNESDAY, August 30
The weather had not changed, so we did.

We went to the train station
and asked about tickets to Rome or Ljubljana (Slovenia), two places we
knew were outside the weather system settled in over central Europe.
We decided on Slovenia, purchased our tickets, and 10 minutes later
were on the train. Our bicycles were safely loaded in the baggage car,
and we were on the move. As the train made its way east out of
Switzerland and through western Austria, we smiled at our decision to
completely change our route--especially as the rain kept coming down
and we could see snow dusting the hills. Our train ride was
comfortable and uneventful until the last leg, from central Austria to
Slovenia. Waiting on the platform, we watched our train pull in, and
looked for the sign indicating where we should load the bikes--such
signs mark most trains in Europe. When we did not see a sign, we asked
the attendant, and were informed that this train did not take
bicycles. Our tickets said it would, but that made no difference. The
only suggestion the attendant had was for us to abandon the bikes and
board the train, hardly a reasonable option. In the end the train
pulled away without us, and we were informed by the station-master
that "Yugoslav trains refuse to carry bikes..." I wish someone would
have told the Swiss ticket-seller!
So, what to do--just keep going! We decided to take the next train
going in the direction of our destination and get off just before
entering Slovenia. While by this time it was late, we followed this
plan and ended up in Villach, Austria for the night.
I don't know the lesson from all this today. Perhaps, once again,
flexibility is what it is about. Years ago a friend said it this
way--You flex or you break. How true!

TUESDAY, August 29
Today began with the same clouds as yesterday ended with, but no rain.
Brian and I set out from Uster, this time certain of the route, and
proceeded along well marked paths and roads. The scenery was
spectacular as we made our way along lakes, rivers and canals that
were surrounded by high alpine peaks. Our general direction was west
towards our inevitable climb up a high pass to join the river Inn and
its famous cycle path, which we intended to follow for 300 or more
miles to Passau, Germany, where it joins the Danube.
However, as the day went on the rain came down in increasing
intensity, until by the time we reached our stopping point at 69 miles
we were riding in a torrential downpour.
From the warmth of our hotel in Bad Ragaz, and from the Italian
restaurant we feasted in, the sound of wind and rain continued
unabated, the weather reports told only of unseasonably cold weather,
including snow at elevations lower than our intended route, and the
hotel manager only shrugged her shoulders...So...Continued on
Wednesday.
The lesson? What a blessing to have the resources to get in out of the
rain! How many do not have them...