Slovenia

Left Peschiera del Garda this morning and it took us about 4 1/2 hours ( including a couple of stops) to get to Lake Bled in Slovenia. The autostrada moved well, we averaged 140 km's an hour just keeping up with traffic. Lots of large trucks on the road. On the way here, even went through a bit of Austria and probably about thirty or so tunnels through the mountains, with the longest beng 8 km's. The avtocestas (expressway) in Slovenia do not have tolls, but you need to have a toll sticker called a vignette which costs 15€ for a week. If you are caught without having one of these you will be fined 150€. Found a sign indicating that the vignettes were on sale at a rest stop in Italy, so that made life easy. Glad I read about this, wouldn't want to have to pay that kind of penalty!

 

As an aside, have to say that we returned to our favourite restaurant in Peschiera del Garda last night, the same one where we saw the argument between the husband and wife, owners of the gelato shop across the street from the restaurant. The young waitress recognized us and we told her we came back because we thought we might see another disagreement, she thought that was funny. Wonderful dinner and we were given a complimentary desert (melted white chocolate soufflé) and a glass of limoncello. The waiters insisted on getting a picture with us.... had to post as I thought it was so funny.

 

It was while we were reading up on Croatia while planning this holiday, that we made the decision to spend some time in Slovenia. All the guide books say that people are always in too much of a hurry to get to Croatia and miss out on the beauty of Slovenia. Well so far, only after one afternoon here, I can certainly attest to its beauty and the people so far have been very friendly.

 

Following is a quick recap of Slovenia based on reading I have done. With the re-establishment of Yugoslavia during World War II, Slovenia became part of Federal Yugoslavia. A socialist state was established, but because of the Tito–Stalin split in 1948, economic and personal freedoms were broader than in the rest of the Eastern Bloc. In 1987 a group of intellectuals demanded Slovenian independence and a mass democratic movement pushed the Communists in the direction of democratic reforms. In April 1990, the first democratic election were held in Slovenia and they joined the European Union in May 2004. They have adopted the Euro.

In 2004-2006, the economy grew on average by nearly 5% a year in Slovenia. The growth surge was fuelled by debt, particularly among firms, and especially in construction. After the financial crisis of 2007-2010 the price for the boom is now being paid. From a recent article I read, sounds like manufacturing has come back, however construction still suffering, as a lot of overbuilding took place.

Slovenia ranks low among the European countries in population density and only has a population of two million people. Similarly to other modern societies, the country has been facing demographic issues, such as ageing, and low birth rate. It's population has only grown in recent years due to immigration. 50% of the country is covered in forest and is mainly a mountainous country. It covers about 20,000 square km's, about half the size of Switzerland

Before WWII, 97% of Slovenes considered themselves Catholic, that is now down to 57%. One still sees signs of Christianity everywhere.....religious grottos along the roadside, restaurants and hotels. Hope I haven't bored the readers too much, but I always enjoy finding out about the socio-economics of a country.

BLED

Lake Bled is Slovenia's leading mountain resort and is surrounded by the Julian Alps. The lake is only 1.6 km's. long, but what a magical setting with beautiful villas dotting the lakeside. Some big modern hotels catering to tour groups, but we chose a small hotel with only 15 rooms built in the tyrollean style, which is prevalent in this area. We are about a 5 minute walk into the town and down to the lake. View from our balcony follows. Sitting here enjoying a glass of wine and the beautiful sun.

We were told by the owner of the hotel that there were certain things we had to do while in Lake Bled....walk around the lake, pathway all around......go to the island, clImb the steps and ring the bell at the church....walk up to the castle.....and if we have time, go visit the gorge, only about 15 minutes by car. Picture of the hotel follows.

 

We head out along the path, our intention is to walk around the lake and get our bearings. Well, we see row boats at a pier and decide to rent one and row to the island. Most tourists take a "pletna" to get to the island. The pletna's date back to the 17th century and are still hand made to this day. They do not have a keel and are flat bottomed, so it takes some expertise to to steer these boats. The boatsman are classified as gondoliers. Well, I had my own gondolier fighting the wind to get us to the island, Blejski Otok.

According to a folk legend the island was once part of the mainland where farmers raised their sheep. The sheep would at times venture into the church. Despite Divine warnings that the sheep were desecrating a place of worship, the farmers did nothing. Finally, God flooded the pastures to protect the sacred place...no more farmers....no more sheep.....we now have an island!

Top picture above, see the steeple in the background, that is the island. Robin did a great job getting us there. We get to the island and have to climb 99 steps to get to the church and another 50 to clImb the tower. Inside I ring the bell, a long rope hanging down from the middle of the church. Legend has it, if you ring the bell, your wishes will be fulfilled. I had to pull the rope quite hard, about three times, before I got the bell to ring.

Below are pictures of a pletna.

 

Out for dinner tonight to a restaurant recommended by the owner of the hotel. The wine was a Slovenian cabernet, very smooth. We had mixed grill, they eat a lot of meat here and are especially known for their sausages, both mild and spicy. Love it, the first thing the waiter asked us, is if we wanted water....yes...is tap water o.k.......YES! Very reasonable prices here and one is not charged for bread. In Slovenia it is appropriate to tip for good service, unlike Italy where they charge you a service fee on your bill.

This morning (Saturday, May 30th) beautiful skies and lots of sunshine and we head out for our walk around the lake. A lot more people around today. We are only about 45 minutes from the capital city, Ljubljana, and many tour buses here. As we start our walk around the lake, the first thing we notice is many scuba divers. We soon realize that the scuba divers are doing a lake clean up, taking garbage out that has found its' way into the lake.

 

 

Lots of one man and two man rowing skulls on the lake. Seems this is a centre for rowing, there are even a couple of areas with stands for watching rowing competitions. Also, lots and lots of fishermen. I note that it must be mandated that if one wants to fish on Lake Bled, you need to wear "camo". Also you must have a fishing pole stand which usually holds 2 fishing rods, so one can lay back and snooze in one's lounge chair. Not sure why the camouflage clothing....is it to hide from the fish or the wife? Did actually see lots of fish in the lake.

One can walk around the lake(5.6 km's) cycle even take a horse and buggy which are called fijakers. As I mentioned, lots of villas around the lake, but the most historical (be that good or bad) is the former residence of Marshall Tito. A communist looking monolithic structure, with little ornamentation, which today is a hotel.

Then head off by car to hike into the Vintgar Gorge, just north of Bled. Only took a little over one hour, but wonderful scenery, almost reminiscent of Johnston's Canyon near Banff. When we arrive, see a few fly-fishermen.....now these are the serious guys. They had all the latest gear and were actually fishing, unlike those lazing in their lawn chairs along Lake Bled. Lots of fish in the river leading into the gorge.

 

 

Near the end of our hike it starts to rain. We stop at the restaurant at the head of the Gorge for lunch and have fish. You know the fish are fresh when you see the chef bringing a net full of live fish up from the river. We had noticed some cages in the river on our way out to hike, which we had assumed were to hold fish. A young French couple were next to us, so I started talking to them, love to keep up my French. They were from Lyon and were on a two month honeymoon with a camper van, very delightful young couple. By the way, the grilled fish (brown trout) was absolutely delicious.

What's in the news in Slovenia......

The Bank Asset Management Company announced on Friday a takeover of several major Slovenian hotel operators, including Sava Turizem, via a debt-to-equity conversion that marks "a new strategic approach through which we will develop our assets in the sector". Sounds like they are in trouble! One of their hotels is here in Lake Bled.

Like to keep my new best friend, Pope Francis in the news......Prime Minister Miro Cerar started his official visit to the Vatican on Friday by meeting Pope Francis. The PM tweeted after the meeting that the talks confirmed the friendly relations between Slovenia and the Holy See. Good to hear!

Local television had an ad that Bob Dylan is having a concert in Ljubljana this coming month. Is he still alive?

Financial news for the country looks good.....I guess except for the hotel sector. Powered by a spurt in manufacturing, the Slovenian economy again picked up its pace in the first quarter of this year.

Speaking to the owner if the hotel this evening, he was telling us that sports are huge in this country. He indictated that things were well funded under the communist regime, but people weren't really given a choice of what they wanted to do. One was chosen to be a skier, cyclist, etc. He also said that hockey is very popular here, but only 8 arenas in all of Slovenia and some 1,600 people registered to play hockey. Skiing was very popular at one time, but has become too expensive for a lot of people and the country has suffered from a lack of snow. Funny enough he told us that he had been to Rossland, B.C. to do some cat/heli skiing about six years ago. He referred to the snow there as "champagne powder". He was at one time on the National Ski Team in Slovenia.

I had to write about our dinner tonight. Robin had mountain goat ragout and I had wild boar and we shared fresh asparagus. Oh my gosh....so yummy, I would say the best meal we have had on this trip so far. We are going back on Sunday night, our last night in Bled.

Sunday arrives and pouring rain. Would say that our rain jackets and umbrellas have certainly come in handy. We had planned on walking up to Blejski Grad (Bled Castle), but drove due to the rain. It is one of the oldest castles in Slovenia and dates back to 1011. The castle is perched on a cliff above the lake and great views of the surrounding areas. A museum covers the history of Bled.

Then into town for tea/coffee and the very famous Kremna Rezina. I had read about this desert in a guide book and although I am not really a sweet eater, must say this cake was delicious, not too sweet. It's a layer of cream and a thick layer of vanilla custard, sandwiched between sheets of a delicate crust. Apparently, Slovenes travel from all over the country to sample this desert in Bled.

 

Then by car to Stara Fuzina, a small town located on Lake Bohinj. Picturesque drive there going through very small villages and farmland, always surrounded by the mountains. While in this area, we have noticed these racks in the middle and side of farmers fields. Finally figured out today, that they use these to dry their crops. Also lots of stacked firewood everywhere, they use the wood to supplement electrical and gas heat, due to high costs of energy. Lake Bohinj was surrounded in low lying clouds and in all honesty not much to see here, although still picturesque. Back to Bled, sunshine came out, so we took a final walk around the Lake.

 

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is smoking. Seems in Italy and here so far in Slovenia, Europeans still smoking in abundance. Had noticed in France in the last couple of years that less people smoking and a lot using the electronic cigarettes. Here seems to be more people smoking and mainly cigarettes; they are allowed to smoke in outdoor cafes. Grrrrrrrr!

 

On the subject of food and drink Robin had a Slovenian beer (Lasko) this afternoon, and he said he preferred it to the Italian beers.

Very noticeable in our travels to date, that Chinese are travelling. We have seen them everywhere in very large groups.

At our dinner last night we were served a complimentary blueberry liqueur, a specialty made in Slovenia. This sweet fruit liqueur is made from forest blueberries, using an old recipe. They call it "black liqueur" due to its dark blue, almost black colour. In the old days, every household used to store some for its guests. It was very smooth and not too sweet, a nice nightcap.

 

LJUBLJANA

On Monday, June 1st, we leave Bled for Ljubljana, only 50 minutes away.

Must say that the Slovenan language is not easy. We have learnt a few key words as we like to whenever we travel to a foreign country. Having said this, most Slovenians speak English, as they learn basic English in school. When you see something spelt, it just isn't easy. For example the word "tea".....it is spelt "Caja", but how you pronounce it Is "chai". So, to be on the safe side, we use the basics....Dober Dan "hello or good day", hvala "thank you" and prosim "please". Can't say enough about the welcome we have received from he SloveniaIn people. Every time they find out we come from Canada, they are so pleased we have travelled such a long distance to come to their country and are so welcoming.

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its population is 270,000. There is a castle perched on a hill above the old town and the Ljubljana river flows through the City. It is lined with cafes, restaurants and an outdoor market. Narrow cobbled lanes, crumbling buildings (getting facelifts), many churches, graffiti and many pedestrian areas and bridges. City is very clean and recycling and garbage bins everywhere and is very walkable.

 

 

The locals here talk about the Mayor, Zoran Jankovic, who has been the catalyst behind the recent changes and improvements in the City. They also say probably some corruption involved (he owns a construction company), but as far as they are concerned, that is ok, within limits. They say the previous Mayor's did a lot of talking about how to improve the City, but took no action. Jankovic has brought in project after project on time and under budget. A funicular up to the castle, several new bridges including a pedestrian bridge by the market and cobbled traffic free zones throughout the entire town centre and along the river. Some pushback by locals living in the inner core, but the Mayor put small shuttles in service to bring these people to their homes. This guy finds solutions. The Mayor wants Ljubljana to be able to compete for tourists with the likes of Prague and other smaller European cities.

 

This is also a very bike friendly city with hundreds of kilometres of bike lanes, even well into their suburbs. You not only see young people riding bikes, you see tradespeople, white collar workers, older women on their way to market and young children. You just have to be careful when you get off a bus, we almost got run over! Amazingly, they have a bike sharing system which is really quite something considering the size of the city.

We decided to stay in the outskirts of the City and have taken the bus into the centre of town, very efficient. Staying at a historic B & B along the river, very nice. During the day and a half that we have spent here, have managed to visit most of the sites that the city has to offer. Other travellers we have run across have said the same thing, that one to two days in Ljubljana is enough to see everything and a get a good feel of the vibe of the city.

Saw the following signs at a pub....just great!

 

The city is known for its pedestrian bridges, and we crossed all of them. The Triple Bridge which is a merger of a 19th century bridge and two pedestrian bridges built on either side in the 1930's ( all three now pedestrian) all have lamps and stone balustrades. Next the Dragon Bridge is said to be one of the most photographed sights in the city. The dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana, ever since Jason (of Argonauts and the Golden Fleece) supposedly slew a dragon near here. A third bridge is a very simple wooden and is referred to as the "Ugly Bridge" as it sits between the other more picturesque bridges. As in other countries, the fad of putting love locks on bridges, has hit here as well.....good thing they chose the ugly bridge to put on their locks! The Mayor has said the locks will be cut off.

While here we visited the Ljubljana Grad (castle - underwhelming) the town square, the Riverside Market (sells produce, clothing, goods and tourist trinkets), the Stoinica Cathedral (St.Nicholas), the pink Franciscan Church, Congress Square and did a lot of walking around and people watching. The doors on the Cathedral are made of wood and were carved for Pope John Paul's visit here in 1966. They are really remarkable as is the interior of the church.

 

Lots of art around the city, a lot of it is brass, very interesting.

 

Tomorrow morning we drive to Trieste, Italy to return our rental car to the airport. We have arranged for a private transfer to pick us up there and drive us to Rovinj, Croatia......next chapter awaits!

 

 

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