Day 4
We made good progress packing up and got on the road for our long drive to Slovenia.
However, fate had other plans.
Not even twenty minutes into the journey, in the middle of forest with no phone signal, the dreaded engine oil warning light flashed up on the dashboard.
Three hours later, we were finally on our way.
Deflated to have lost so much time, which would be detrimental to our itinerary, we ploughed on, making a quick stop at Lake Balaton (Hungary’s understandably popular answer to a beach retreat) before crossing into Croatia and driving through some of its pretty villages, then finally into Slovenia.
Slovenia was the gem of the trip.
It was stunningly beautiful in a way I hadn’t quite expected. Clean and picturesque, with the mountains returning to frame the landscape.
We didn’t arrive at the campsite in Zgornje Jezersko until around 9pm, unfortunately. But we made supper, watched the sky above the moonlit Alps, sipped Romanian wine and discussed our plans to see more of Slovenia in daylight. We buzzed with a quiet excitement for what the next day would bring.
And after all the stress of the day, surely we’d sleep.
Alas.
Although The Barkening didn’t exist here, it was replaced by the bells of the nearby chapel, which rang out every fifteen minutes from 5am.
Yes.
Every fifteen minutes!
What fresh hell is this?
Then the campsite’s rooster joined in with his own wake-up call.
And one of the farm’s cows politely responded with a very well-pronounced and confident moo that gave me the giggles.
To make matters worse, the chapel bells seemed to believe that if its jingles hadn’t woken everyone already then 7am was the time that EVERYONE MUST GET UP.
Unbroken sleep was now a distant memory.
R. H. DIXON 