Day 1. June 5. Leg 4 Trans North Italy Brestovica- Grado 43 Km

After 8 months of leaving our bikes in a basement in Slovenia, we finally returned to relieve them from their cell.

The bikes needed a good wash and service, as well as to replace the front brake pads.

It was a warm muggy day to start and showers were passing through, so it was good to have a terrace to get all sorted and pack the panniers.

After a mile of cycling through a couple of kms of burnt our forest, we were into Italy

It was then a fast downhill to the coast. Fortunately we found a track that avoided the busy road into the shipbuilding town of Montfalcone.

After the damp morning, the weather brightened up and the rest of the day was warm and pleasant.

We descended into the town and were greeted, to our surprise, by a superb cycle route passing through the centre.

We were then on the Euro vélo 8 on which we will be cycling for much of our journey back to France.

Cycling out of the town, the trail passed along the coast then inland along flat fertile lands then over inland water courses.

Sue spotted this little turtle who was balanced on a log in a ditch. Afterwards we saw many others who slid into the water as we passed by. Hence their name, “Pond Slider“ according to Google.

As we crossed a long bridge we were now on the Grado peninsula, and it became very touristy. Lots of resorts en route to the pretty town.