Lazarow World-Hike-About

A favorite: it took, and still takes, our breath away. Slovenia, the land and people made a favorable impression upon us; in fact, a very favorable one. This small country with a tough history is fascinating, certainly, the parts we visited. We kept out of the big city until we were ready to take flight (still in Ljubljana at time of writing). Until then, we spent our time on the rugged and beautiful mountains and slept in the quaint villages of the Julian Alps. The experience was memorable leaving indelible marks both in our minds and on our bodies. Over the period, we acquired elevation of some forty-thousand feet or approximately 7.5 miles. The issue in Slovenia is that distance is not commensurate with elevation gain as most hikes vary from steep to extremely steep in short stretches. We undertook what we would consider a fair number of hikes, had extraordinary experiences and effectively, saw next to nothing of this small and 'unknown' country. Of course, it'...

Because the forests are not compacted with trees, they are some of the nicest we've seen. Seniors Jenni found a new place to live for our return from Slovenia. We popped into a hotel for a few days as the short-term lease was only due to commence 4 days after our arrival in San Diego. ‘It was obvious that we returned to soon’, I tried to convince our recovering but sturdy editor. We met our landlady outside the house, a unit within a massive complex for those whom have reached the age of at least fifty-five. The editor just scrapes by that number but I suggested she take some form of identification in case she had to prove her age. I relied on my face to provide the necessary evidence. We entered the unit and I immediately had a panic attack. This place would not work—it was too large—perhaps three and nearly 4-times our regular size of accommodation. We were struck at first, figuratively of course, by the passage way. It stretched way into the distance so that leading of...

A rather steep and fairly tough climb of 3,000 feet along and above the ski slopes of this famous region. Apparently, world championship competitions are held on these slopes. Fortunately, no snow was encountered but it certainly was a challenge. Upon arriving at what appears to be a summit, the hiker has a further forty minutes of walking up-and-down to reach the very small and exposed peak. En route to the top, a quick look at a village below. The mountain in the background is in Austria. The first and only view of the surrounding mountains taken from the small peak. The following day, Jenni walks at the lake in the town. See picture below. Telephoto lens shows the same lake from 3,000 feet higher and a few miles distant. A shot of the villages from above (telephoto). A peep along the Soca River, outside town of Bovec. A shot of the villages from above (without telephoto). High-noon in the village of Kobarid; we enter and everyone leaves. K...

'Southern Africa' lies between Slovenia and Italy, a window into Italy from Slovenia. Early going, early days as we head up. 'Hole in the Wall', heading toward the 'Okno', the window with a view into Italy, one of those frightening occasions (see narrative below). One of the views into Italy. We took a cableway ride to reach high on the Kanin Mountains, some 5,500 feet elevation gain. Once we arrived, we set off on a hike. However, after a while, we changed course as there was still too much snow for our liking. Instead we headed to the 'Window', (Okno) a massive hole in the rock walls through which staggering views of Italy provide pictures that are instantly burned into the mind. (Jenni returned from injury to try out her various body parts and succeeded admirably. She completed all the sections but for the one below as she had limited use of her arms.) The only problem with the view is the journey. The underfoot is scree with ...