July 2024
Overlanding for one day
On a sunny Wednesday-morning we put on our freshly received Radio Slovenia International scouting caps, and set out to explore Ribnica and its surroundings. We were offered a choice between mountain biking through the hills or exploring the Ribnica-river by SUP. With my girlfriend’s affinity for water in all its forms, the choice was easily made.
Our guide Aleš picked us up at the Rokodelni Center and off on our adventure we went. A short drive from Ribnica is the Ribnica river (as we were told the river that flows through Ribnica is actually called Bistrica) and we arrived at our SUP-starting point. The river is quite calm, and besides for mosquitos, we didn’t see another soul for kilometers while working our way downstream. Aleš filled us in about the river itself, the area around it, the differences between the seasons and what happens when the area gets flooded, but most of all we simply enjoyed the sweet sound of nothing. It was very peaceful simply gliding along taking in the scenery of the water carving its way through the forest and the hills, and we could definitely have done this for hours longer if possible.
Alas, we arrived at the disembarking point where our helpful guide already brought the car and prepared for the second part of the day: Overlanding on a nearby hill-top.
Upon arrival we were greeted by our chef who prepared us a fine-dining three-course meal fit for royalty, which we ate while overlooking the valley below and the nearing sunset. Unfortunately for us it was a bit cloudy, but during the evening the sky cleared up and we had a great view of the nearly full moon while playing cards on our bed, accompanied by a strong breeze and crickets all around us for that real nature ambiance. As I understand it, the usual offer includes sleeping in a villa, but we definitely got the better deal.
Come morning Aleš came to welcome us with coffee, breakfast, and to take us back to the Rokodelni Center, where we said our goodbyes and were taken on a tour of the center by the enthusiastic and very knowledgeable staff. We learned some interesting facts about the woodwork and commerce in the region throughout the ages, got a demonstration by a master basket-weaver and were offered to weave something ourselves, which we unfortunately had to decline due to our personal time-constraints.
We did however take the time to have a quick tour of the beautiful castle in the city, learned about its history, how the city got its name and visited two separate exhibitions that were open during our visit, one on the local witch-hunts in ages past, and one with a variety of interesting modern art-pieces and social experiments. All and all a lovely way to conclude our day there, and if we weren’t pressed for time we could easily see ourselves spending it there exploring more things on offer.
I guess we’ll have to visit again sometime soon.
Rydel Triebel amd Barbara
Photos by: Rydel & Barbara
