"We are family..." Pt. II (aka The Super Family Extravaganza)

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Today began with Grega, Miha, and Helena picking me up at 9 am. This was quite a controversy during the lunchtime discussion two days earlier: Marija had voted for 7am, Helena for 8, and Grega, indignant and young, for 10. A compromise was in order.

We headed northwest towards Kranjska Gora. (As a side note, when we stopped for gas and snacks, I was absolutely thrilled to find that Milka brand also has a white chocolate candy bar "Mit Limetta & Gruner Tee" - with lime and green tea; damn, where's that umlaut when you need it? It was to die for).

The first stop was Planica, which at 239m is the world record-holding ski jump. And we climbed it. I was mildly pleased that I did not have a coronary halfway up, and celebrated accordingly by striking lame ski-jumper poses while Grega photographed. On the way down, though, my bum left knee started complaining. Leprosy strikes again! Lunch and ice cream (which Helena made sure was untainted with covert cocoa) followed.

Then to Zelenice, just down the road, which was the natural spring lake that is the source of the Sava River.

Then to another little lake in Kranjska Gora, where we started the road through the mountain pass.

Then to the Russian Chapel, a beautiful little wooden monument build on one of the serpentine turns of the mountain pass we were travelling. It was built to honor the Russian POWs who died building the pass, I believe, during WWII.

Then to Vršič, a mountain peak, where our car was stopped prematurely in a minor traffic jam. The cause: about 11 massive sheep in a huddle in the middle of the road. We parked the car, and - oh, here they come! The sheep, obviously accustomed to annoying tourists like us, came directly up to our windows, stuck their heads in, looked around a bit. I held cookies in my hand to feed to the overzealous sheep. Apparently unsatisfied with the generous snack, three large sheep began bleating loudly and charging after me (while Grega photographed). Out of cookies, they were content with chewing on Helena's vest. We snuck past them, played in the snow for a little while, and continued on.

Then to ... OK, I would lie if I told you the name of the waterfall that is the source of the Soča River, because at our arrival I was deep in a super-family-extravaganza-coma in the car.

On to Kobarid, (linked to Ernest Hemingway) where we squeezed into the World War museum before closing time. That was actually pretty cool, and I wish we could have spent more time there.

We ate a late dinner at a place in a smaller nearby town (again, didn't catch the name). After a looooong wait (Grega and I joked that they were still catching the calamari), we boarded the car one last time.

And drove.
And drove.
And returned back to Ljubljana at an impressive 1 am!

Super Family Extravaganza: ful kul!!! (That's "full cool" for all you Americans out there).

Next time: Hrvaška power!

P.S. I'm kind of tired right now, can you tell?

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Photos

Planica
I climbed that :D.

When Sheep Attack
This shot is a lot funnier when you imagine it to the theme song of the Bumpus hounds from "A Christmas Story." Now add bleating instead of barking. Am I right?

Vršič
All this time, I had this incredible urge to bust out with, "The heels are aliiiiive with the sound of muuuuusiiic!"