June 20, 2025
Alps to Adriatic day 4 - Bovec to Tolmin
Soča Valley
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50261995?privacy_code=dmoLf1ko3ee31OhSHiHbmWWt0vLDB7qu
Today was a lovely recovery day. We rode downhill most of the way and just enjoyed taking our time and looking at the sights. We followed the stunning Soča river all the way.
The whole area is definitely a paddler’s paradise. Again just floods of river boats galore and a few fisherman to boot. Many swimmers were just cooling off in the heat too. Bovec also had ski lifts with some of the highest in the country.
We cycled past Kobarid, site of many WWI battles included 1917 Battle of Caporetto which was documented in Hemingways’s Farewell to Arms. Thousands of Italian soldiers died in this area and there were some memorials.
We saw the famous Napoleon bridge. The area where the gorge is the narrowest has held a bridge since ancient times and been destroyed many times. The Venetians destroyed the wooden structure in 1616 and Napoleon’s troops built the stone one in 1750 and he marched across it on his way to Predal Pass. The Austrians blew it up in WWI and it was rebuilt it and it was the sight of many battles during WWII.
We have seen a few signs of dragons around too: there is a popular legend connecting the dragon to the Greek hero Jason and his companions (Argonauts) , who supposedly founded Ljubljana after defeating a fearsome dragon
Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 88 miles (142 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |