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Published: August 7th 2012
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Mountains!!
viewed from the bus July 17th:
Early to rise, no sign of the guy who runs the B&B so I had to leave the cash in the room… I sure as hell hope that he gets it, I’d hate to have to pay for my most expensive room twice just because a cleaner or someone was a little light fingered (NB: I emailed the guy the next day and he said he HAD got the money and apologised for not being around to collect it himself).
Well that’s nice of the Venezia Mestre train station… to still have an hourly train to Villach over the boarder in Austria listed on their train timetable (the time table is valid till December 2012 apparently) even though they don’t have a train at all, they have a bus which seems to go maybe twice a day (and I just missed the first one by a few minutes grrr) the next bus doesn’t go for another 4 or so hours… oh well as long as I don’t get to Villach and find that they have no trains going to Ljubljana… hmm maybe I shouldn’t jinx that?
~Later~
Wow, mountains out of nowhere! After
Dragon Bridge
the landmark I had to turn right at to reach my hostel traversing mostly flat terrain for a while, we suddenly come to these mountains… no preamble, no warning hillocks or rising terrain, just plains and then straight out of the ground HUGE PEAKS! Ooh a waterfall too… actually it kind of reminds me of that part of the South Island (you know the one) with the wide grey/white pebbly plains lined with rivers and surrounded by mountains.
The bus was interesting too, in that it made for interesting people-watching. There was a very attractive girl in a very light, small, summer dress (who had some really cool tattoos too) when I got on the bus there was a guy sitting in my seat (next to the girl) when I asked him to move he looked lie he was going to protest, but changed his mind and went off to his proper seat. Throughout the trip he’d take any opportunity to get talking to her; he watched, almost entranced as her pen rolled towards the edge of the table and then pounced on it the second it hit the floor so he could hand it back to her and get her thanks… in and of itself, a gentlemanly act
H2Ostel
my room at the oddly slopey hostel if it wasn’t for his constant furtive glances at her and the fact that WE’RE ON A BUS you’re from England, presumably on holiday, she’s from Italy or somewhere… what do you really think is going to happen?! The other guy in our group of 4 seats was more direct and I guess much scarier, though slightly more realistic about the limits of his ‘relationship’ with her and just stuck his dark glasses on and tried to tilt his head in a way that didn’t look like he was staring at her… after she dozed off he lost the glasses and just stared at her without any obvious shame… hey I guess at least he didn’t suck on her foot or anything, still very creepy though. I just sat and read my book when I wasn’t looking at the scenery.
~Laterer~
In Villach, not sure what country is; judging from the all the German being spoken and the German writing; it’s either Switzerland or Austria (NB: I looked it up later… Austria). Luckily from here Ljubljana is reachable by train (lucky because I know the way to my hostel FROM the train station!) Also luckily my hunger can easily be sated by this packet of jelly lollies that Eva’s mum packed for me a week ago!
~Slightly Later~
Wow this has to be one of the longest train tunnels I’ve been in… maybe I’m on the underground and don’t realise it?
~Even Later than that~
The view from the train is really like somebody has lined up a bunch of postcards, it really is lovely; mountains and woodlands and that sudden warm aroma of cow pats is oddly soothing. This part of the country seems to be mostly smaller rural centres.
~Still later~
Ljubljana looks lovely; a warm night, another easily locatable hostel and a nice one at that. Was able to break a €50 note checking in too, which is good as so few shops seem to accept them (they just assume it’s a forgery). Nice room, though just above the common room and might be a tad noisy!
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