Last posts I've been taking the view that the rally is all but over. Not so. The last 24 hours have shown that the drama is far from over.
The route from Maribor to Ljubljana is 130 kms direct on a good motorway - Slovenia's roads are excellent. The ERA route is about 3 times longer almost all on side roads. So there was a temptation to take the Motorway and have a leisurely day in Ljubljana. Very few did but some must have regretted it.
Our day of contrasts began after 40 kms when, on a test, the fan belt started slipping. A repair in Russia came apart when a metal strut sheered. Half an hour of frustrating work on our own was relieved when Andy, head of the sweeper team turned up and, with successful improvisation sorted it. In thebaking sun it was a long 90 minutes.
By mid afternoon, we were done leaving a part of the ERA course unvisited. Those who did were out until past 7pm - a very long day and somewhat frustrating to Ljubljana's official welcome. We later learned of the problems caused by the final part of the circuit unfortunately resulting in several accidents: no soft ending this day.
For us it was a reviving beer in the sunshine followed by a good dinner at Valvast'ro - a proper restaurant with proper cooking.
On this showing it's hard to beat the attractions of Ljubljana as a stop on this journey - and indeed any tour in the region.
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