The Wobbling Sprocket

Brian and I took a train from Ljubljana to Ptuj (pronounced "phoooey"), Slovenia, yesterday and then rode our bikes out to Ormoz and back.  We could have stayed in Ormoz, but there wasn't much happening there and we liked Ptuj.  Today we have moved on to Maribor, another great town right upstream on the Drava River from Ptuj.

We went to a wine tasting in Maribor tonite.  it's been raining all day and we virtually had the place to ourselves.  We learned a lot…not necessarily about wines, but about the noises that we heard all along the bike ride the prior week.

Eric though there was something wrong with his bike…and then I did.  We heard noises that roughly corresponded to our speed.  It wasn't our bikes, It was wind rattles.  They are things that look like small windmills that put out different pitched noises.  Their purpose is to scare birds away from the vineyards.  The birds have grown accustomed to them so they are no longer effective, but the tradition of wind rattles continues.  They date back to the 1500's.  The place where they had the wine tasting has a small museum devoted to them.

Brian checking out the countryside from the Grad in Ptuj

At the wine tasting in Maribor, Slovenia

Early depiction of a wind rattle.

This vine was in front of the place they had the wine tasting. It is the oldest grapevine in the world! Over 400 years!!!!

A "wind rattler"

Brian has done all the tours in our bag, save the Canadian Rockies (which we only did once).  A lot of them he has done more than once, some of them more than twice.  Eventually I suspect some will be more than thrice.  Only Graeme has done more. 

Brian's home away from home, Le Petite Cafe in Ljubljana, awaits him.  Brian is in for Croatia.

Brian and I plan to poke around the following week and perhaps scout some new territory.  Brian will need to go shopping for some panniers before then.

Kate, Pip and Rosie all signed up at the same time.  That's not unusual.  What is unusual is that they all three are from Down Under, Australia.  Add Graeme W and there are now 4 people from Australia signed up for the next Lao tour. 

Over the years we have had riders from Canada, Italy, France, Taiwan, Great Britain, Columbia, Australia as well of the US.  I love it when there are people from other countries on a tour.  It keeps things interesting.  

From their pictures, I would guess all three like being "out and about".

It's great to have them.  I think they'll love the Lao adventure.

Kate flying in the thin stuff....

Pip, deep in some white stuff.

Rosie, enjoying the wind on some wet stuff.