Slovenia: not just a pretty place

Come in our car for a train-ride to the vineyards, revisit a favourite lake...

...and explore a reborn city and its youthful vibe ~

~~~~

Slovenia is not just a country of postcard views and lakes and castles you would be crazy to miss...

...or vineyards that are best approached by car (on a train). Yes, really!....

...or even, the village with the most improbably coloured river.

It's not just about the ultra-relaxed capital with its fun and youthful feel, either....

...or its dozens of bars and restaurants!

~~~

Slovenia is all this ~ and more

Part of the former Yugoslavia, in 1990 it became the Republic of Slovenia.

Bordered by Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, the country has a population  of around two million. It is about half the size of Switzerland and is just across the Gulf of Venice from Italy.

With three distinct climates and enough lakes, mountains, beaches and plains to cater for every activity, Slovenia is impossible to pigeonhole.

Read on, to see what captivated us (yet again) on a recent second trip to the country with 'love' in its name.

~~~~

Lovely Ljubljana

The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana (pronounced Lyoo-blee-YAHN-a). Go on, say it: here's a name you can almost chew.

Like many other cities in this part of Europe, it is a new-old city. Originally a Roman town then an important stop on trading routes in the 12th century, even later it fell under Habsburg then Socialist control, until finally, in 1991, the country became independent.

Almost twenty years ago, we visited Slovenia for the first time, falling for this magical small country (about the size of Israel) and its scenic beauty. However, we were a little ho-hum about the capital only nine years into shaping its regrowth. Today's Ljubljana is very different.

Now a vibrant university city, as you can see (above) restaurant menus reflect worldwide dining trends.  

Kerb-side farm produce is not new to Slovenia, but it is more accessible, right in the city centre...

....and pavement bars are much appreciated by local students as well as visitors to the city.

There is still plenty of the city's heritage on offer too. The 18th-century Cathedral of St Nicholas was built on the site of other, much earlier, churches.

Its Baroque interior is lavishly gilded and decorated. Piped a capella choral music makes the effect even more mesmerising.

The early 18th-century frescoes are stunning, especially those on the ceiling, painted by Italian artist Giulio Quaglio.

Tourists everywhere love to be photographed with a monument or famous landmark, and in this case it's a replica of the 18th-century baroque Robba Fountain in Ljubljana's Town Square.

Here it is sans tourists but, to see the original, head for the city's National Gallery. 

~~~

An impromptu cookery demonstration

The Ljubljana riverfront is lined with every sort of  food offering from all over the world, but it was impossible to bypass this one.

The only problem was deciding just which icy bobo to choose.

You can't make this at home, so watch and see what happens.....

Ice cream is mixed with frozen fruit or berries then flattened on a freezing sheet, before forming short rolls. 

These rolls are arranged in a cup....

...and topped with more fruit and tiny biscuits. Verdict? SENSATIONAL.

~~~

The Ljubljana River rises south of the town of Vrhnika and flows into the Sava River about 10 kilometres downstream from Ljubljana. A river cruise is a good way to see the city from another angle.

Along the waterfront there is a relaxed 'Left Bank' atmosphere, worth taking time to enjoy.

In the centre of the city, near the Information Centre, there is a complex Triple Bridge, here seen with Presernov Square and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation behind.

It is always a delight to find souvenirs that are not crudely mass-produced elsewhere. I have seen these before (and you will again, as you read on) but can you guess what they are, and the meaning of the pictures?

~~~

Maribor's secret

Leaving Ljubljana, we headed east to the city of Maribor, Slovenia's second-largest city on the Drava River, and dating from the Bronze and Iron Age. With history stretching back to the 12th century, modernising (as seen above near the Old Bridge) is a very important part of this city's planning.

Our visit, however, was planned primarily to see a grapevine. Not just any old vine, though. According to vine genetics experts this one was planted over 400 years ago and has been producing grapes for winemaking ever since.

Modestly called Old Vine, this is a little of an understatement as it is believed to be the oldest vine in the world. It is noted in the Guinness Book of Records as a world attraction.

Even its situation, outside the Old Vine House museum, is on view to any who pass by.

The vine only produces enough grapes for 25 litres of wine annually, and it cannot be bought, but wine from the Old Vine's 'daughter' that is planted nearby, is for sale, but only from the Museum. 

The vine also symbolises the rich wine culture of the local Styrian region. Each autumn the Old Vine Festival, invites wine-lovers worldwide to attend and enjoy the many wines on offer. Naturally the event also includes food, and local inn-keepers compete to offer the best food to match particular wines.

The interior of the museum is quiet and cloistered, yet it is full of information on the wines of the region, as well as the important vine for which it is named.

Of great interest is this: wine made from the grapes of the Old Vine itself. Look closely and you will see on the right-hand bottle, a small Australian flag. This is because Maribor generously offered around 135 grafts of the Old Vine to vineyards throughout Slovenia and overseas.

In 2001 cuttings were sent to McWilliams Lilydale Vineyards in the Yarra Valley in Victoria, Australia, one of 49 grafts offered to other countries around the world. The winery now produces wines from vines that are a descendant of the Old Vine.

So valuable and unique is this wine that it is housed in a glass case. To match its rarity, renowned Slovenian designer, Oskar Kojog creates unique bottles testified to by the city seal and the mayor's signature. Many distinguished people worldwide have received an Old Vine bottle.

See more...

~~~

Bled the Beautiful

Lake Bled, the centrepiece of Bled, has long been a tourist destination. A century  and more ago, people making a Grand Tour of Europe would come here and gasp at the serene beauty of this relatively small lake placed like a mirror in the Julian Alps.

On our first morning, we decided to see the castle - one of Bled's two most prominent landmarks - planning to leave the other one (Bled Island) until the afternoon. We were relieved to learn that we did not need to scale those sheer limestone cliffs, but could drive virtually all the way to the top.

Bled Castle is one of the oldest in Slovenia, mentioned as early as 1011AD. The castle has two courtyards, and the upper one has a 16th-century chapel and museum telling the history of Bled from the Bronze Age to modern day.

The lower courtyard offers the Castle Beehive, selling the castle's honey products, as well as a cafe. It was at the latter we found this Bled specialty - kremna rezina or Bled cream cake - a sort of custard slice with cream that, once begun, has to be finished!

Nearby is the Castle Printshop when you print your own souvenir on an hand-operated press.

Late in the afternoon we took what I called 'the five o'clock ferry to fairyland'.

These small 18-seater wooden boats, called pletna, ply back and forth across the lake to the island.

Sonja was waiting for us so we went aboard.

These boats are rowed by the local boatmen and the trip takes only a few minutes...

...but that is plenty of time for photographs of the castle and the island as we come closer.

As we arrive, I look around and something is missing! I realise it is the island that is seen from almost everywhere around the lake. 

Instead, now we are on it, and need only to take the 99 stone steps up to the church.

The Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary, also known as The Church of Mary the Queen was built towards the end of the 17th century. The tower is 52 metres high and it is understandable that this romantic spot is a popular place for weddings. 

In fact it is considered good luck for the groom to carry his bride up those many steps on their wedding day, before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church.

A more recent addition to the town is Vila Bled, built in 1947, and now a luxury hotel. It was originally owned by President Josep Broz Tito who used it as his lakeside guesthouse, welcoming prominent leaders from around the world. It was constructed from the same marble as the White House in Washington. 

Read more here...

The front entrance is at street level, but many people arriving by boat find the stairs from the waterfront easier.

There is also the option of horse-drawn transport in Bled.

Lake Bled is not the only lake in the area. 

It is worth travelling around - hiking or by car - to see the others nearby.

Each is slightly different, but there is a tranquillity in them all.

~~~

A unique way to reach the vineyards

When we told Janez, our good friend in Bled that we were next heading to Trieste, he said to us 'Well, you should take the train'. He already knew that we were self-driving, so we almost laughed at him, until he explained about this great shortcut. 

Drawing us a mudmap, he told us to drive to the railway station at Bohinjska Bistrica and join the train there.

We couldn't quite imagine how it would work, but we were up for the adventure. Apart from anything else it was going to save us time driving on steep and winding alpine roads and he had promised that the wine country we would see at the other end was well worth a visit.

It was actually very easy. A flat plate of metal allowed us to drive from the platform straight onto the flatbed truck.

A couple of locos pulled the rolling stock and we sat back and enjoyed a great view of countryside we would never have seen otherwise.

There were many tunnels (we were heading right through the Julian Alps) and the darkness was absolute. It was the strangest feeling - 'like riding a rollercoaster with a blindfold on' I wrote in my notes.

This 40-minute trip had saved us hours and cost just 16 euros.

Janez was right. He is the mayor of Bled, after all, so he should know! We emerged into another softer, gentler landscape of vineyards and little villages, and the Soca river in the town of Most with its unbelievably coloured water seeming as if the locals had emptied turquoise paint into it.

This is the countryside of the Lower Sava river, the alps still bordering the horizon. It's a small region with about fifty growers, but the wines are highly regarded.

There would hardly be any vineyards greener and more lush than in this wine region, one of three in Slovenia. Here the wines are predominately red with some whites and interesting mixtures as well.

Read more here....

~~~~

And now - the answer to the 'souvenir mystery' mentioned earlier

Finally, just as we were leaving Slovenia, we came across something we had seen on another visit and had been hoping to catch sight of again.

Do you remember the brightly painted wooden souvenirs we had come across in Ljubljana? Here they are in their true context as decorations for beehives. The pictures depict Slovenian legends and for centuries have been placed on the hives for good luck and to attract the bees.

...and it seems that here, those bees are still buzzing with success!

~~~

Slovenia - as we said at the beginning - is more than just a pretty place.

In just a few days we rediscovered its magical mix of beauty, energy and style, with a pinch of whimsy, making this country one of Europe's brightest stars.