Hello everyone
At the time of writing we have just arrived in Venice. We left campsite Valkanela on 15th October, the day it closed. During the last week most people had left and very few had arrived as officially the campsite was supposed to close on 1st October. We enjoyed having this beautifully kept campsite mostly to ourselves and enjoyed walking around the bay, enjoying an amazing sunset and swimming in the sea and the pool just by ourselves.
We managed two sections of the Parenzana cycle track. We firstly drove to Porec with the bikes on the back of the car and cycled to Vizinada. The ride there and back was around 25 miles and quite tough at times. It was also not the most exciting cycle ride, but if nothing else, it was great exercise. We drove a few days later to Vizinada and cycled to Motovun. This part of the track was much more interesting with some great views of Motovun in the distance. The valley was in low cloud and we felt sure we would be cycling in mist but by the time we got there, the sun had burnt it off. Just before we reached our destination we had to cycle through a very dark tunnel which was a bit spooky but there were lights which were controlled by a movement sensor and did come on albeit a bit late. The ride to Motovun was mostly downhill and was about 8.5 miles which meant we had to cycle 8.5 miles back uphill!!
We took a drive along the coast road and stopped at a pretty harbour on the headland at a small village called Savudrija and had lunch at a harbour side restaurant. We then drove into Slovenia and through the very affluent seaside town of Portoroz with its casinos and grand beach front hotels. A far cry from Croatia. We headed to the delightful town of Piran and firstly had to navigate its complicated visitor parking which was separate from the main car park and was a good half mile walk to the town. The coastal town on a small peninsula with its warren of narrow alleyways and pastel coloured houses was a joy to wander around. We had some great views from the cathedral at the top of a hill and its walled gates. Piran and Portoroz’s wealth has been built on the salt produced at the nearby Secovlje. We had no idea that the small coastal area of Slovenia was so pretty and may need some further exploring another time.
On our last day at camp Valkanela we finally got the kayak out (this was third time lucky) with the puncture repaired. We had lunch on an island and did some snorkelling. Nothing interesting to look at underwater as there were no fish around, but enjoyable all the same as the seawater was still quite warm. It was a great way to spend our last day in Croatia.
And so on Sunday 15th we left Croatia earlier than usual and headed up into the hills of Slovenia. Our destination was a winery and camping ground called Saksida. A recommendation from a German couple we had been talking to at the campsite. Camping Saksida is located in Dornberk in the Vipava valley. The area is surrounded with grapevines and during our time there we were able to do some wine tasting. The owner of the campsite also specialises in providing a food tasting experience, fine dining. We were lucky that they were providing food that night so we booked ourselves in. At the campsite were two other motorhomes, a couple from GB (first GB van we had seen since we have been travelling) called David and Pauline, who were from Portsmouth. Also another couple Wolfgang and Silvia from Switzerland. We all got on incredibly well and sat together for our dining experience. We were served 9 courses in all, all very small and incredibly delicate and attractive to look at. Each dish was served on an interesting plate which sat on a very large plate, it was so beautifully done that we all took photos of each course, as you will see from the photos. To be honest, I can’t remember what we actually ate, although each course was very tasty, probably down to the amount of wine we were served during the evening. For three couples who had only known each other for a few hours, we all got on very well and the restaurant was filled with laughter and also the owner did ask us to leave as she wanted to close up. We then headed back for further drinks in David’s van.
The following day in hot sunshine (and feeling slightly jaded) we managed a short drive to a hilltop village called Stanjel A 16th century castle sits on Stanjel’s hill and is currently being restored. We were able to walk around the narrow alleyways and small holiday apartments which were once the living quarters of the castle residents. The castle grounds was practically empty and we saw only a handful of other visitors. We walked around the well kept attractive landscaped gardens designed by Max Fabiani. He also engineered an innovative irrigation system to provide water to the water short valley. The views were quite spectacular across to the Nanos Ridge.
In the evening we met up with Silvia and Wolfgang and enjoyed their hospitality and yet more of their wine!! We purchased a couple of boxes of the wine we had sampled during the meal from the winery. Six red Merlot and six white from zelen grapes indigenous to the region. Whether we will have any left when we return to the UK remains to be seen. We enjoyed our two days in Slovenia with our new friends whom I am sure we will keep in touch with.
Our German friends Susi and Thomas whom we met in Rovinj are also in Venice at this campsite and we are looking forward to seeing them later when they return.
So this brings us up to date. Tomorrow we meet up with John’s sister, Penny and her husband. They flew into Venice today to celebrate Penny’s landmark birthday. We will meet up with them for a couple of days.
What a busy social life we have!!
