Jenny & Ahmed's Cycling Adventure

Paths 2 The Soul - Episode 019

 From Ukanc to Spodnje Gorje (23 to 25 May 2025)

Countries Visited :

Bohinj - Bled: drying out, breathing, reconnecting...

Despite the hassles, spirits stay high, and arriving in Bled feels like a real breath of fresh air. Between repairs, laundry, a magical escape into the Pokljuka Gorges and a focused workday under shelter, this stage has been a blend of relief, natural beauty and small digital challenges.

From Bohinj to Bled: rain, hassle and relief...

Ukanc → Spodnje Gorje - 34.2 km 🚴

After 36 hours of non-stop rain, the tent held up, but its limits are showing: water is seeping between the ground and the groundsheet, the fabric above us is starting to bead, and the inner layer is getting splashed. Still, we slept fairly well, lulled by the steady drumbeat of the rain. Upon waking, getting out without soaking the sleeping bag or the inside of the tent is a challenge in itself. We go through the motions: shower, getting dressed, rescuing wet gear, packing up the drenched tent. Walking past the lake, we find a transformed landscape: the water has risen dramatically, the pebble beach is gone, the dock is submerged, and a new, impressive waterfall has formed on the opposite cliff. Even the Savica waterfall in the distance looks fuller. Quick breakfast with our last chocolate croissants, average dough but warm, gooey, and comforting inside. We sort through the wet gear, try to make the best of the food situation. Jenny gets irritated by a rude guy; the result: her bike falls, the mirror breaks, glass jars explode. Lesson of the day: anger attracts trouble... We grab one last coffee at the bar to plan our next move. Decision made: we’re heading to Bled and booking solid accommodation for a few days. Goals: dry the tent, organise our stuff, work on the blog, pamper the bikes, and rest. It’s a budget stretch, but with this weather, compromises are necessary. We set off. First, we ride all along Lake Bohinj in the opposite direction. The views are stunning, the sky finally clear, the mountains accompany us. Then it's a 35 km ride: green valleys, snow-capped peaks on the horizon, gushing waterfalls, nature looks refreshed and magnificent after two days of rain. Midway, we pause and discover yet another sublime waterfall emerging straight from the mountain. The road is mostly pleasant and quiet, with a bit of climbing before Bled. At the entrance to the lake, we meet a Korean couple who take a photo of us, a nice coincidence. Our apartment is in the peaceful village of Spodnje Gorje. It’s spotless, we unload all our panniers and lock the bikes in the corridor as planned. Then it’s sorting session, tent drying, reorganising. Jenny turns the tent into a kite to dry it outside while Ahmed settles in on the balcony. Lunch and dinner are simple: mushroom Maggi soup, tartines, then pesto pasta with a little egg salad. The shower is pure bliss. We end the evening working on the blog, of course. 😄

Sunshine, clean laundry and adventure in the Pokljuka Gorges...

What a joy to wake up dry, in a real bed ! We slept wonderfully and savoured this simple comfort once again. The weather is finally mild, so despite a busy schedule (laundry, groceries, blog), we decide to go out and enjoy it. It’s Saturday, the only properly sunny day forecast for now. We have breakfast inside, it’s still chilly on the balcony, then we prepare our “krabouchak” laundry and head to Bled with our unloaded bikes. It’s a bit destabilising at first, but we quickly regain our balance. The road is mostly downhill and we soon arrive at the laundromat. Everything runs on tokens (1 € = 1 token). We start two washing machines (5 tokens each) and three dryer cycles. The atmosphere is unusual, with red chairs and two giant shiatsu massage armchairs. Very funny, but the massage also costs 1 token. While the machines run, we sort through the Venice photos for the blog. Then we shop at Mercator. Some items, like sunscreen, hurt our budget a bit. Back at the apartment, Jenny goes upstairs to put away the groceries, Ahmed takes care of the bikes. We hang the wool clothes right away and stretch a double clothesline from the living room to the bathroom to dry everything. Jenny prepares the picnic while Ahmed calls Belgium. Then we head out for a bike ride, still without panniers. What a joy, and especially what a relief, to ride unburdened : we climb easily, which gives a real boost to morale. We pass through a neighbouring village, then take a path that descends into the forest. Beautiful view of the snow-covered mountains. At the small starting car park, we see only two cars and a few bikes. Looks like it’s going to be quiet. These are the gorges of Pokljuka, much less known than Vintgar Gorge, which is already full by 12 p.m. We follow the trail that runs along the dry bed of an old stream carved into the limestone by a glacier. The path is stable despite large rocks. We walk through a forest of enormous trees, the cliffs gradually draw closer. At a fork, we take the “shortest way”, as advised. Suddenly, the first canyon appears, breathtaking. We feel tiny, like Playmobil figures. Just after that, we enter a passage nicknamed “the gallery”, a wooden walkway built into the cliff, constructed in the 1930s by the Alpine Association. It was named Prince André’s Galleries, in honour of King Karadjordjević’s son. We have our picnic just after, lulled by the sounds of nature. Then we take the suspended footbridge above the void, impressive but not scary. It leads us toward the light, into a magical clearing covered in tall ferns. Jenny would have loved to stay there all afternoon. The rest of the trail forms a loop : we climb through forest, pass by pastures, then reach a spectacular formation nicknamed the Pokljuka Hole, a sinkhole-cave with vast natural openings. It’s hard to photograph, it’s so huge and unique. We finish the loop and descend back through the streambed to the car park. We find our bikes, nibble on an apple (we don’t eat many fruits apart from bananas). One last small climb, then downhill to the apartment. After another round of photo sorting from Venice, Jenny decides to cook on the balcony to avoid filling the whole studio with bean smell. Thanks to the two portable induction hobs and the outdoor socket, it works perfectly. She feels like a kitchen DJ, facing the mountains. On the menu : cowboy-style beans in tomato sauce, brown rice, tomato salad. One call to Egypt later, we sit down to eat. It’s simple, warm and delicious. The evening ends with work on the blog and more family calls. We go to bed later than in the tent, but sleep very well.

When Google crashes the mood...

A calm Sunday in Spodnje Gorje, safe and dry in our apartment. Wake-up at 7 a.m. with one mission in mind: make progress on the blog, especially the Dolomites episode planned for the next day. The sky is grey, perfect for staying focused. We have a simple breakfast, then get to work. Ahmed inserts photos, captions and does the layout, while Jenny summarizes the texts. For meals, we dig into our reserves: packet tomato soup, beetroot and mayo on toast for one, spread peppers for the other. A quick break with reading and snooker, then a short walk around the village before getting back to work in the late afternoon. Spirits are high… until the evening disaster: a Google Sites bug causes Ahmed to lose several hours of work. A hard blow. Meanwhile, Jenny calls her mum for Mother’s Day. Being far away on a day like this is tough, it weighs on the heart. We comfort each other by promising to make the most of the winter months together. We end the evening with a YouTube documentary on the 100 most beautiful places in the world. A nice way to keep dreaming about what’s ahead, despite the day’s little setbacks.

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Stay tuned for more in our next episode…

Jenny & Ahmed