144 – Thursday 10th Sept 2015 – No Atchu in Ptuj!

Our lovely hosts said good bye to us as they were off to a vineyard to cut grapes … leaving us – strangers – on their driveway.  Would we trust people so implicitly in the UK?

We drove a short way to Ptuj, the oldest towns in Slovenia with a compact centre.  Having finally found a place to park, we promptly found the TIC and a cafe.  Two coffees and J had a cheese and ham toastie – all of £3.80!  Walked up to the Castle and I am booked to move in!  It was owned for centuries by the Counts of Leslie.  One of the relatives was a Scottish Leslie.  LESLIE is my family name and we came from Scotland (there is also a town called Leslie), but we can’t have been very popular in Elizabethan times as we were sent to be landlords in Ireland.

We wandered the town and eventually someone told us where we could find food … lots of bars selling alcohol, but not fodder.

Campsites are bit few and far between and we were feeling a little weary so we headed to the spa complex (hotels, conference centres and massive pools complex).  As I checked in to the campsite, you know how it goes:

• Do you want electricity.  How much?  No, thank you.
• Do you want to use the pools?
• By the way I charge and admin fee and don’t forget the Tourist tax.

Still EUR28.34.  BUT I made good use of the hot water and did a massive hand wash.  J rested his leg … slight mishap with a bicycle rack and a shin wound.

 

145 – Friday 11th Sept 2015:  EHIC into action

K ran along the Drava.  J’s wound re-dressed, but K not happy that it will heal properly as right on the shin bone.  Decision made.  Hospital spotted yesterday on the Ptuj map.  Just as well we had a town map as hospitals are not signposted.  Of course all the locals know where they are.

We handed over the EHIC and logged into free wifi, prepared for a long wait.  Machine coffee only EUR0.30!  Seen within an hour.  Courteous and smiley staff.  K kept up to date after bottom injections for tetanus.  Promised to smack his butt later!!!!   Came away with instructions about seeing a Dr tomorrow, a fistful of replacement dressings and a cheery, come back to us if you need anything.  NO BILL.  NHS eat your heart out!

Lunchtime so we headed for the nearest Gostilla (basic restaurant).  What a find.  EUR7.00 for yummy mushroom soup, salad bar, dish of the day and dessert – wafer thin pastry with Slovenian version of cottage / cream cheese.  The brave walking wounded had a few vinos to help with post traumatic stress.  Doggy bag again … the Slovenes do not know moderation in portion control.

K’s ‘skunk head’ (white stripe in parting) had become rather too evident.  A hair dresser by the car park quoted a reasonable amount for her labour, given that K has the hair dye product.  So J rested … did I mention post traumatic stress, or was it the wine?!?

It was 4.00 before we left Ptuj and headed for another Agrotourism.  Slight hiccough – Sally the Sat Nav took us to a dead end – a farm.  and this was after many miles of bumpy single track.  The family came to our aid and repointed us to our intended destination.  However, we did not like the look of the low overhanging branches along the suggested route, so stopped to look at other (limited) options nearby.  A passing car stopped and also tried to offer assistance … just how lovely are the Slovenes? We aborted all plans for a cheep night and ended up at another thermal spa resort … but it has wifi!