Wine And Wellness Impressions

In the name of hard work it was necessary to take myself off to one of my favourite countries (Slovenia) and try out some homegrown wines and thermal spas, so as to be sure it would be something that would be worth offering for our 2008 programme.

This tour begins in the second city of Slovenia, Maribor. The good news is that Maribor has direct flights from (London) Stansted, the bad news is that Ryanair is the provider. So for those not experienced with booking a Ryanair flight...beware. There are several default options (such as travel insurance, priority boarding) that you need to uncheck if you don't want them. Otherwise your base flight price of 5.99 or whatever will soon turn into 100+ once you have added your baggage etc. There baggage limit is also 15kg (about 32lbs) which is pretty low for many people, especially when biking and requiring a few changes.

There is further good news, though. Slovenia is now a fully fledged Euro member, so no need to change your money and mess around with Tolars anymore. It is also still pretty cheap....€1.50 for a beer. Also for those who have not visited this county before, the people are embarrassingly good at English and seem to make friendliness a national pastime.

So, Day 1

Maribor airport is extremely small - the arrival of the Ryanair flight would appear to be a major event, so passport control and baggage (which is physically handed to you) is negotiated in a few minutes. I was met at the airport by our man on the ground, Saso, but a public bus can be taken cheaply to the centre of town. The town of Maribor (approx 100,000) is a very pleasant place to hang out with some very nice shops, cafes and bars, especially down by the river (an area known as Lent). The hotel is very centrally located, just of the main square (hotel Orel). It has also been recently renovated. I borrowed a bike and toured around the town a little before it got dark (this is November, so short days) and was amazed how quickly I was in the countryside with vineyards. I was also impressed by the number of bike lanes. Dinner included a rather interesting beer that was bright Green, which seemed odd having come from Ireland. I was informed that this should be one of the few beers to take, as this is wine country!

Day 2

Took charge of the bike, which was an interesting orange colour (this had nothing to do with the green beer, honest!). These are trekking style bikes, with 21 gears (all shimano equipment with rapid fire) , rack on the back, rear pannier, computer and map holder. So all seemed in order there. There was a nice road book and a laminated map to follow. Additionally there were stickers on most of the lamposts at major turns.....this was surely idiot proof.......

Maribor is left by following a cycle path along the river, so no urban fringe traffic to contend with and also a nice flat start to get going with. The route then took to some quiet backroads and moved a little away from the river with some slight inclines, that afforded some nice views. The whole day was only 32 km and with fairly modest inclines to deal with. There were a couple of dirt track sections, but in the main the route is paved. The destination was Ptuj (which is somehow pronounced Petooey). This is a beautiful town, the oldest in the country, with a castle on a hill, a market in the centre and a lovely family run hotel right in the heart of the place.

Day 3

Another nice start to the day (not just the sunshine and 14C which for November is pretty good), but the cycle. It begins crossing a pedestrian/cycle bridge before joining a path along the embankment of the river. Along todays route is a pancake house , which kind of made me regret my breakfast choices. There were some really pleasant villages to cycle through, although there was a short 1km section on a busier road - nothing to heavy, but more than experienced thus far. The town of Ormoz was interesting as it is a border town (with Croatia) and is one of the few places to have any noticeable impact from the 1991 War. The centre had several new buildings due to the bombings. Around 3km after Ormoz the road started to climb, which is easily the hardest section of the tour. Basically you leave one valley to join another, there were some downs and ups, but overall it was about 100 meters elevation gain, with a couple of short steeper sections. Once at the top the scenery took on a new look, very similar to Tuscany.

The accomodation was not far away (total for day was another modest 37km). The owner could not meet me straight away as apparently he was busy with 2 deers that were shot that day. One guesses the Venison is a good call.....and indeed it was! The place is known as Jeruzalem (apparently a crusades stop off point). Well the first stop off point was the cellar, where some tasting of some very pleasant whites was to be had.

Day 4

For the first time the day does not start either on a path or on the flat, but instead on the quiet roads, but up a bit of a hill. It is not a particularly big hill, but somehow the previous wine tasting (lets be honest, less tasting more drinking) gives it more bite than it should have. Luckily the next hills are down and we are back to the familiar of small towns and villages and quiet roads. There is an optional detour to a spa and another to see one of the last working water mills.

Todays destination is Moravske Toplice. This is a spa town that for the tour proper offers 2 nights of r+r, but for me, just a single night. The hotel is modern and basically built around 7 (I didn't count them all to be sure) pools, Sauna, treatments etc. They all utilise the thermal waters, an ideal hangover cure perhaps? By 5pm it was freezing outside so perfect for testing the indoor/outdoor large pool that was a lovely 34C. The use of the facilities is included in the package, so its a great spot to hang out. Total for today was 45km.

Day 6 (or 5 for me!)

The day starts out on some really nice flat country roads. There is then an interesting river crossing, its not really a ferry, a kind of boat with pulleys. The river is quite fast moving, but I guess being one of the oldest crossings of its type, then it must be safe enough, right?

After the crossing, then the ride gets a little hillier again - but nothing dramatic. Todays stop is in Drbetinci, which is really a collection of houses. The accommodation is an agri tourism, which means another wine cellar and some more tastings.... Total for today, the longest of the tour a still modest 51km.

Day 7 (or 6 for me!)

A nice start to the day with some downhill! Again some lovely villages and pleasant scenery to enjoy. After Trnokskaivas the terrain gets a little hillier again but afford some great views. The route then heads for 2km on an unpaved track through the forest before descending onto quiet roads again. For the final section the route rejoins the path back along the river and into Maribor. Last day was 42km.