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Photos Of This Trip

Day 5 - By Andy

Bit of a lie in after the previous two days exertions - until 9am anyway.

After breakfast we has a gentle wander down to Most Na Soci. First section along the road was a bit dodgy but then we got onto the riverside path which gave very nice views across the lake - actually a reservoir.

We came across a kids canoeing competition and then saw the bridge itself - "Most" means bridge - complete with jumping platform, 15m down to the water. The Geordies we had met on the top of Triglav told us they had made a special trip just to jump off it! We resisted the temptation though!

We headed up into the town for the "historical cultural trail" which told us about various iron age buildings and other features of the town.

We ended up in a bar with a good view over the river, where we had our first beer of the day - well the boys did anyway!

Got a taxi back as we had a tight deadline to get to the afternoon's activity, and we didn't really fancy walking back along the road. Also it seemed a better idea to spend the time looking out over the river (with a beer!)

On arriving back we were told the afternoon start had been delayed, so we probably could have walked.

After lunch we headed into Tolmin to get kitted out for the afternoon's activity of white water rafting.

We were driven up the river where we donned our wetsuits and helmets and climbed into the rubber dinghies. We were instructed in paddling techniques, eg one side had to paddle backwards to turn the boat. We were also told what to do if we fell in!

Set off paddling and after a while we met up with the other boat and they suggested we had a race. Our leader told us to sit on the edges of the boat as we would be able to row faster. We set off and immediately he pushed us all in the water ! Turned out this was the plan all along, to get us used to being in there and to get the shock of it over with, in case it happened later.

After that minor trauma we set off down our first set of rapids. The guide steered from the back and instructed us when to paddle forwards and when backwards, to manoeuvre round the rocks.

We did this for a few sets - did very well - before stopping on some rocks where the boat was turned over and placed on a rock, to allow us all to slide down into the water. We all did this a couple of times before carrying on through more rapids, each getting a bit faster and rougher than the last.

On one of these Sarah managed to lose her paddle so we had to stop to retrieve it. While doing so Sarah also managed to find a message in a bottle! No time to read it though and we carried on down a couple more sets of rapids.

We then stopped again at a spring for a well earned drink of water, and we had a look at the message. Turned out to have been written in German by a child and was a sort of chain letter, you were supposed to add a bit and put it back in the water. Not having a pen we took it with us.

Final few sets of rapids were even more tricky, but we managed them with some well co-ordinated forward and backward paddling.

We were then told we could swim the next section, which most of us did. After a short time in the water it got so cold that I had to turn over a float with my hands out of the water. Rest of me was OK though as it was covered by a wetsuit.

After our brief swim it turned out that was the end of the and we got out and carried the boat on our heads to the car park.

The white water rafting trip was very enjoyable and given that we were all beginners and there were only four of us in a boat for six, we did very well.

On the way back to Tolmin we were following the boat trailer in a car and we saw the "message in a bottle" fall out onto the road - so maybe it will continue its journey in a different way!

Back to the house for showers all round before going back into town. We had planned to eat in time to watch a concert by the choir who had been practising across the road from us all week, but by the time we had got there it was already 8pm - start time of the concert - so instead we ate in the restaurant in the square where they were singing and watched through the open window. A much more comfortable way of doing it, almost like being in a royal box!

The concert finished just after we had finished eating and so we headed off in search of Tolmin nightlife!

John had been told about a pub where the "young people" go (and we thought we might pass for some of them!) but it was down a hill, and therefore up again, so instead we went into a random bar for one drink before heading back.

Back at the house me and John tried to drum up some enthusiasm for going to the pub - where we knew the choir would be - but only the two of us went in the end. Had a couple of beers and a schnapps but the choir were just sitting down eating, not very lively, so we went back to the house, at which point the bar seemed to liven up!

Still didn't manage to get to bed very early, given the early start for Lake Bled the next day!

Day 6

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