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Spotted on Google Street View — Soča Valley, July 2019

Travel Europe Slovenia Motorcycle Street View
Spotted on Google Street View — Soča Valley, July 2019

The Soča valley in western Slovenia — turquoise river, alpine meadows, the road running north out of Bovec toward the Vršič pass. On 17 July 2019, somewhere between about 10:10 and 10:30 in the morning, I pulled over here for a panorama of the valley with the bike.

I'd pulled over at the top of the road for a minute — there was a slow car up ahead and I wasn't in the mood to sit behind it. Let it clear off, then got going again. A couple of minutes later, already back up to speed, a Google Street View car came the other way. I clocked the 360° camera on the roof and thought, one day I'm going to spot myself up there — and for years afterwards I kept checking back, hoping the imagery would drop. I was pretty damn impressed with that day, that ride, the whole journey. Felt worth remembering.

It took a few years before I went digging — and there I was, bike, bags and all, captured in a Street View pass at 46°20′28.3″N 13°34′19.6″E. My brother visited the same valley on holiday once too — nice family coincidence. The videos below are from that morning.

Me on the KTM on the road north of Bovec, captured by Google Street View in July 2019
There I am. KTM, black jacket, panniers, heading south on the road to Bovec. Captured by Google's Street View car on 17 July 2019. Image © Google Street View.

A few years later I finally went looking. Dragged the little yellow peg onto that stretch of road, panned around — and there I was. Same bike, same black jacket, same turquoise river behind. The internet remembered me. Once-in-a-lifetime, and it had been sitting there the whole time waiting to be found.

The Exact Spot
46.341218, 13.572105
Soča Valley, Slovenia · road to Vršič, north of Bovec
Drop the little yellow peg here and pan around — I'm on the road in a black jacket, KTM, panniers, heading south.

The Valley That Morning

Morning at the Bovec campsite — bike loaded, Julian Alps waking up. Taken at 07:33 local. Campsite at the edge of town — Slovenian and EU flags, road bike on the gravel. Bovec, 07:33 local. Mt Kanin above the campsite — tents, canoe trailers, alpine backdrop. Soča valley panorama looking south, bike just visible — 10:13 local, two minutes before the Street View car went past. The KTM north of Bovec, Julian Alps behind, meadow in front — metres from the Street View spot. Jasna Lake at Kranjska Gora — the next stop after climbing out of the Soča valley. Cookie break at Jasna Lake, Kranjska Gora. Climbing into the trees on the road toward the Vršič pass. Across the border — alpine pass in Austria, mid-afternoon. Alpine viewpoint, Austria — Großglockner approach, wildflowers and mountains. Pasterze Glacier below the Großglockner, Austria. Into the thunderstorm — Austrian valley in rain, late afternoon.
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Videos

Two clips from that morning in the valley.

The Google Street View pass that caught me on the road north of Bovec.
A longer look at the morning of the Soča ride.