European mountains cafe search (2016)
Day 2
After the disappointment and lack of cafe stops on Tuesdays ride I was determined to find better today. I also wanted to make sure that the scenery was an improvement on the rather bland Ironman Austria route we had cycled round on a drizzly morning. My plan was to use the experience gained from last years cafe mountain tour to satisfy both requirements. However the day turned in to an emotional and cycling roller coaster of high climbs, getting lost and a miraculous discovery
The plan was to do 3 climbs over 90 miles, 2 in Italy but first starting off in Slovenia with the iconic climb up 24 hairpin bends to Visci. As it would be a long day I set off early, with my European cycling guest Andre (who is notoriously hard to please), from our apartment at the foot of the climb and headed for the first hairpin. I knew from previous experience that I was much better at going up and Andrew faster at coming down so we agreed to see each other on the other side.
It's a lovely ride up, if a bit tough with the 24 hairpin bends and road maxing out at about 15% gradient, but the views are great and you can lose yourself, and your cycling guest as it happens, whilst you wind your way up for about an hour. It was only spoiled by the motorbikes and sports cars that came up behind me before always having to rev loudly as they whizzed past. What's the point?
After exactly an hour I reached the top where to my surprise there was snow at which point I took a photo of summit sign for evidence of my ascent. Andrew later informed me that he had tried to take what would have been his first, and he assures me will be his last, selfie but missed half the sign out.
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| Evidence of reaching the top |
From here I descended as fast as I could down the 26 bends on the other side before a long more gentle descent straight to Bovec. It had been 7 miles of up then 20 of down so I guessed Andrew would be catching me up soon so decided to wait to maintain my credibility. A couple of minutes later he appeared so I told him I had been waiting much longer than I really had, before we continued into Bovec for first stop of the day right on schedule.
We decided to stop at the Bovec Rock hostel as it looked very nice and the staff did indeed turn out to be most pleasant and friendly. It also had excellent views of the mountains in the Soca valley.
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| Outside the excellent Bovec Rock Hostel |
Despite it being a boiling hot day I had to maintain standards and ordered a hot chocolate, I was offered thick or milky so obviously went thick while Andrew went for a cappuccino. We were then told they didn't do food but that I could pop to the nearby bakers and bring something back from there. This offered the best of both worlds as I had a proper cake selection to go with my drink. The refreshment highlight being my chocolate covered doughnut type thing.
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| Drinks and cakes featuring a chocolate covered doughnut type thing |
Food, drinks and atmosphere and ambience (AAA) had all scored highly making it one of my favourite European cafes visited to date, but the scores said it was not quite as good as my current number 1 rated European establishment which coincidentally I planned to revisit at the top of the next pass.
We left the Bovec Rock Hostel and soon found ourselves climbing again, separately of course, but we had done this particular part of the route last year so knew the way. First we had to cross the boarder into Italy which unlike our crossing into Austria yesterday is not patrolled.
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| Un manned boarder crossing, just the way I like them |
The views in the Soca valley were stunning all day so despite it being hard work it was a lovely hour of climbing until we arrived (10 minutes apart) at my current number 1 rated European cafe. (see Only a theory)
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| Andrew eventually arriving at cafe |
The views from this cafe are fantastic but it does have some drawbacks. No hot chocolate and no cake, although on the plus side the pasta is very good and authentic plus Andrew said his cappuccino was top notch.
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| Great Pasta just the way my Mama would have made it if she was Italian |
Because of the drawbacks I decided it wasn't as good as I had remembered and couldn't really keep its number 1 status as I had preferred the Bovec Rock hostel. Despite cycling to cafes in Holland, France, Slovenia, Italy and Austria I still didn't think that I had found a destination yet that delivered the cafe experience I was after. I hoped the last stop today would be worthy contender but held out little hope.
From here we descended down a very tricky road and my lack of finding a genuine top cafe had me feeling a little down. Soon things, and my mood, only got worse when my cycling GPS had a melt down and somehow made up a fictitious route for us to follow. Despite it not feeling right and Andrew pointing out we were going the wrong way I insisted that if my GPS said it was that way then that was the way we would go as technology knows best and off we went. Despite now going in completely the wrong direction the view was stunning and temporarily cheered me up.
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| The view you get if you go the wrong way making it almost worth while |
We then climbed up into a little village and to the end of the road where we stopped at a dead end. As we looked at a wall, which I was all for climbing over as the GPS said it was that way, a local shrugged and told us in Italian we needed to turn round, which after checking the map I reluctantly did. This detour had added 7 miles to our ride and I was now worried any further cafes would be shut by the time we got to our next potential stop. I had hit an all time low as this trip wasn't going to plan and I do like to follow a plan.
Fortunately we soon found the right way and we went down the valley before finding the start of a lovely flat cycle path which went along an old railway line for several miles. We then came to the point where I had planned to turn off for the final climb and cafe stop. But what was this, at the junction there was a converted station which was now a cafe and information point.
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| Cafe heaven on a flat cycle path in the mountains |
I assumed it was a mirage but things only got better when the information lady told us we could continue on the cycle path all the way to Tarvisio and there was no need to get home by cycling over another mountain. Next they provided excellent hot chocolate and cappuccino along with some lovely plum tart.
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| Lovely Italian Plum tart |
As I sat there enjoying smashing refreshments and lapping up the fabulous views by the side of the worlds best cycle path I knew I had at last found a top quality continental Cycle cafe which is now officially the best one anywhere in Europe (that I happen to have stopped at).
We were enjoying relaxing there rather too much but bicycles don't cycle themselves (unless they are motorbikes and what's the point of that) so it was time to move on as there was still over 30 miles to be done. Although the cycle path was smooth it had a gentle incline all the way which got rather tiring on the legs as the miles went past. However I informed my legs that this was a much quicker and easier option than the alternative would have been. It was also rather exciting as it went through many tunnels and over high bridges.
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| Part of the cycle track over one of many bridges |
Despite cycling nearly 100 miles and being out on the road for 11 hours we agreed today had been a great success especially after finding the number 1 cafe in Europe and the miraculous cycle track. Thoughts now turn to our final challenge. This will be our attempt to ride up Monte Zoncolan which is considered to be the toughest climb in professional cycling and we are far from professional cyclists.
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