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White horses, science fiction underground river caverns, Trieste in sailing regatta fever, 50kg heave – no gym required, climb into Slovenia. All in beautiful sunshine. Thanks Marko for the tips!

A gushing river has etched out a massive cavern over millions of years. Perched on the side looking down, the river was far far below. The path I followed twisted and turned behind me, upwards to the silent cavern. Ahead was a bridge crossing the yawning depths, still far below the cavern roof. This gorge was massive. Without the man/woman-made path, lit up for my group, I would be in complete darkness. From above and below – rock. This gorge was underground.

The eery walls of white calcium carbonate, white pillars hanging from above and rising from below. A glisten would form on the bottom of a stalactite. The bulge of water would grow. And then, drip. And so they form, over thousands of years.
Different people see different shapes, said the guide. I see the ‘silence’ – a science fiction alien from ‘Doctor Who’. Or maybe one of the aliens from the film ‘Alien’ with Sigourney Weaver. Whatever I saw, it felt like I was in another world. Amazing.

But before, preparing me for my science fiction adjourn, I passed through the fields of Lothlórien from Lord of the Rings. Green, lush fields, with white horses frolicking in the sun. Legolas was just around the corner.

A fellow long-distance cyclist. Meet Samuel from France. Travelling a circuitous route from France to South America (via Greece). He didn’t join me into the caverns, and had gone by the time I emerged. We did go, together with Marko, to the cavern lookout. I guess our paths may cross on the way to Greece.

I wanted to see Trieste, which made my route today very convoluted. Marko had a brilliant tip of following an abandoned train track that went downhill all the way into the centre of Trieste. Fantastic!

Trieste was in sailing regatta fever. I made my way down to the shore, took the necessary ‘I was here’ picture, and then tried to find my way back. Not too easy.. OK. I don’t have a problem with going the wrong way up one way streets (otherwise I would still be there now). However, Trieste being so steep, at one point, the only way forward was up – and almost vertically up. No gym today, but a 50kg (bike and luggage) heave.

Once out of the centre, finding the way out of the city without freeways is also a challenge. Thanks to my little friends (that I discovered on the way from Venezia eastwards) – the black sticker with the red arrow.

Around and around, in and out, up and down, and then ‘Hello Slovenia’ (after a short steep uphill grunt).

Tonight is hostel night – in the seaside town of Koper in Slovenia. Tomorrow the Istrian peninsula in Croatia.