We drove o
ver Napoleon’s Bridge which towers over a beautiful greeny-blue river called the Soča. Camping Koren is a wonderful campsite www.kamp-koren.si. It was just what we needed. And what I needed was a shower!
One of the many privileges of this adventure is that you really start to appreciate the little things. Now, we’re lucky because our Snail has a toilet, shower, cooker, fridge and beds. It’s not the top of the range model, or even the middle or lower by today’s standards, but it has what we need and it is enough. But having a shower in this place was just heavenly! As I turned the hot water on, the power of the water seemed to wash my worries away. Yes, it was just what I needed.
By the time I emerged from my steamy waterfall, the evening BBQ had already started. The Pilot and two of his paragliding friends had already started the Slovenian red wine and the food was well on its way to being cooked. The BBQ bucket donated by my sister was able to feed four people a variety of burgers, sausages, chicken legs and drumsticks. As 
the size of the bucket only permitted a few items to be cooked at the same time, we spent the time in between drinking the wine and sharing stories and jokes. It was a great evening.
And then the evening took a wonderful random turn. Another of the exciting aspect of this adventure is the people you meet along the way. I had left my three dinner companions to go and ‘check the bikes’ (code for going to the toilet). I was trying to manoeuvre my way along a cobbled path without my glasses and my new flip-flops. Why I decided to bring my wine glass I can’t remember, especially when I had already drunk my fair share.
Through the darkness I saw a little sign and a voice called over to me. Now, remember I don't have my glasses on and so I proceeded to answer their call, whilst squinting my eyes and slowly approaching the sign like a moth to a flame in order to read the letters. I thanked them for their offer and sat down. I then realised that what I actually needed was a little female company. The evening was great, but sitting in male company can get a little tough when you’re the only female. It kinda gets a bit ‘boy’ orientated, so I welcomed the fact that I had met some new people to share stories with. They were both from Slovenia and spoke English very well, to my relief. We shared our stories and what our days had been like leading up to this evening. After a while, we were joined by the Pilot. The BBQ had come to an end and because I had been gone for ages to check the bikes, he came looking for me. Always the gentleman!
And so we sat altogether on the grass. The intricate bottle in front of us contained a beautiful smelling scent of peaches. I don't think I will ever forget that smell. I watched how they would both apply the pipe to their lips in turn and glorious bubbles would appear at the bottom of the bottle and then smoke out of them. Now at this point, I must confess something. I have never smoked in this way before. I suppose because he had joined us, I thought I would have a g
o too. Now, as a child, when you make bubbles in your milk, what do you do? You blow. What did I do? I blew. Are you supposed to blow? No. Did I know that? No. Do I know now that you're supposed to suck? Yes. Confession concluded. I felt a bit silly really, and it had to be restarted again. New experience gained and new knowledge acquired! It was lovely and weird at the same time. You suck through the pipe and somehow the delicious smoke comes to you and bubbles happen in the water. I don't know the complexities of how it works, but it was a great experience. So I say a very big thank you to the two lovely ladies who welcomed me last night!
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