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- The Slovene population is around 1,900,000+ with almost an equal amount of cell phones. Guide told us if we that if we ever get lost, stop someone and ask them to make cell call for us. They will.
- Only about 270,000 persons live in Ljubljana.
- 70% of high school graduates go on to a University.
- Slovenia has an extensive network of buses and trains making it very easy to get around the country. If you choose to rent a car, the road system is excellent. Eurail Austria/Slovenia/Croatia Pass
Continue reading "Thoughts About Slovenia" »
Every hotel had enormous buffets for breakfast and dinner included in our rate. We take half-board (breakfast and dinner) if available because it's usually less expensive than going out and eating ala carte. We did eat out in Lubljana and Piran where there were lots of restaurants (including a McDonald's - they are everywhere) to choose from. Karanjska Gora, Bled and Bohinj areas cater to so many tourists that buffets make it easier for hotels to quickly serve meals.
Breakfast Buffets: cooked eggs and sausages (or bacon); cold meats; hard cheeses; assorted rolls and breads (my favorite dark bread had nuts, seeds and grains); jams, jellies and honey; cereals; yoghurt; fruit; sometimes sardines; soft cheeses; juice, coffee, tea. Have I forgotten anything else a person could possibly want for breakfast?
Dinner Buffets had a multitude of choices (to cover every taste): always a vegetarian cooked dish; pasta; cooked meats (pork, veal or beef); fish; vegetables (hot and cold); rice or potatoes prepared in different styles; salad bars; bread and butter; assorted desserts including ice cream. We lost no weight in Slovenia.
On to the wine: The Istrian Peninsula is known for Refosk (a full-bodied red) and Malvazija (a dry white). There are different wine-growing areas in Slovenia and the local Information Offices will be delighted to give you a large brochure detailing wine routes through the Peninsula and Slovenia to follow.
Continue reading "Eating and Drinking in Slovenia" »
We took the local bus to Izola//Isola where there is a wonderful Tourist Information Office. In all towns throughout Europe (or the Balkans), just look for the big "I" which is usually the local Information Office. Tina, tic.izola@izola.si, gave us tons of information on the entire Istrian Peninsula as well as other parts of Slovenia. There's so much to see and too little time to do everything.
With maps and information from Tina in hand, we walked around the Marina (there is a walking path that extends for miles and goes from town to town)...
Continue reading "Izola/Isola" »
We started the day by touring the town walls before hordes of tourists descended on Piran. The walls encircled the oldest part of the own in the 7th century. As the town grew, more walls were built. The final walls were completed between 1470-1534 encircling all of Piran. View image
There were eight towers with battlements of which seven gates are still preserved. Piran is a member of the "Friendly Circle of Walled Towns" which is dedicated to preserving what few walled towns are left in the world.
Continue reading "More Sights in Piran" »
Around the Istrian Peninsula, most towns have a Slovenian name (Piran), and Italian name( Pirano). This area is part of Slovene Istria and is extremely Mediterranean even though the tip of the peninsula juts out into the Adriatic Sea. The climate is mild, and land fertile which accounts for the vineyards, olive groves and fruits grown here. (The groves and vineyards were the first thing to catch my eye driving toward Piran.)
On a clear day, you can see: the Italian and Austrian Alps as well as Trieste in the North; Croatia across the bay to the South; and on an extremely clear day, Venice, across the sea.
Driving into Piran, it looked like a movie set in the distance. These little towns are drop-dead beautiful...the sea...medieval buildings...clear blue sky...against a backdrop of rolling hills. And when we walked into the Piazza Tartini, I could have sworn we were in Venice. I want a villa in Tuscany, one in Mallorca and another in this area! Come on Illinois Lottery...
Continue reading "Piran/Pirano, Slovenia" »
Slovenia has one of the best-marked biking networks that we have ever seen. During our two weeks, we saw Mountain Bikers, casual riders with upright handle bars, pelatons of racers (especially on weekends), and riders with dogs in their straw baskets...just taking their time, enjoying the day.
Walking to Bled from Rudovna, we passed by a large sign detailing a cycle route in that area, and the various stages of it. It seemed as if there was no limit to the amount of biking a person could do.
Kranjska Gora has over 150 km's of marked cycling trails, and there is a cycling tour through all three countries. For a truly compulsive athlete, think of joining the Race to Vrsic on the first Saturday in September. This race attracts more than 1,000 cyclists who race up the steep slopes that lead to the top of the mountain pass. Sound like fun?
Continue reading "Bicycling Around Slovenia" »
Today would have been a beautiful hike with a start on a Plateau where there is skiing in the Winter, through forests and small towns BUT the weather deteriorated as the forecasters predicted and it was foggy and rainy the entire day. The good part - we actually managed to find our way to the Hotel Bohinj**** without any problem! (Something had to go right today!)
Hotel Bohinj was one of our favorite places. The best hotel food of the trip including excellent desserts (I am a major, finicky, picky, dessert hog), and wonderful people. They let me use their Internet and were just downright nice!
Continue reading "Hiking Around The Bohinj Area" »
Bled Castle is an important cultural monument in Slovenia, perched on a cliff, 300 feet above the Lake. View image It was first mentioned in 1011 and now houses a restaurant and museum. We just enjoyed the view from the bottom of Bled Lake and relaxed by taking the path around the Lake. The footpath measures about a 7 km and, since it was a weekend, there were many families roller blading, biking, feeding the ducks, swimming and tanning, enjoying the beautiful day..
The other Bled landmark is The Church of The Assumption on the middle of the Island. There is a legend that a temple of the Slavic goddess, Ziva, stood on this island. It disappeared during battles between pagans and Christians who destroyed the pagan temple, and built a church. Archaeologists have discovered traces of prehistoric and Slavic settlements, dating from 11th B.C The bell tower has been renovated several times due to damage by earthquakes.
another view of The Church
Continue reading "Enjoying Bled" »
Potato salad, cold cuts, breads, butter, homemade honey, marmalade, eggs, fruit - another gigantic breakfast with a diverse assortment of food just in case one of the "Psnak's" guests didn't care for something. This breakfast definitely filled up the hollow places in our bellies and gave plenty of reserve calories as off we went....on an absolutely gorgeous sunny day...
On the trail through Triglav National Park through the Radovna valley, making frequent stops to admire different wildflowers, look at an old sawmill and enjoy the scenery.
Past the little town of Radovna where a memorial shrine has been erected.
Continue reading "On to Bled, Slovenia" »
Tanya, Pension owner, immediately came out with glasses of Schnapps for us...that dulled the foot pain...and we plopped down on a bench with some of the people and carried on an English/Slovenian/German-type of conversation, using lots of gestures and charades.
They were a group of "pensioners" (retirees) day-hiking as a group in Triglav National Park and were astounded, not only to see two Americans out in this remote valley, but that we had walked so far! Perhaps, we've helped erase a perception of Americans as "wimps."
Continue reading "The Pension Inn Psnak" »
Today is SUNNY! Hooray! Ready to go but first have to find our way OUT of Kranjska Gora. Even with explicit directions, we almost always get lost coming out of a town and today was no exception. You would think sign posts like this would make it a no-brainer....not. And then, the two of us start shouting at each other - "it's your fault we're lost"..."I told you we should have turned here" - and on and on.
Even though the directions included a little book from Helia with photos showing details of where to turn, we ended up walking extra before turning back and trying another direction. If I ever learn how to enter "waymarks" in my little Garmin GPS, this won't be an issue.
But we finally got on the right path out of town, and chose the harder option for today's hike. Through forests, across meadows View image, with more views of the snow capped mountains, past the Gozd Martuljek waterfall.
The village of Gozd Martuljek is named after one of the mountain ranges in the Julian Alp.
Continue reading "Hiking to Zgornja Radovna" »
The Hotel Alpina refuses to serve ordinary tap water with our dinner. This is a major source of irritation to me because you know that they are just trying to generate extra income by making you buy water. The tap water in Slovenia is pure and drinkable (Saso told us that their bottled water is nothing more than regular spring water put into bottles and sealed.) It is extremely annoying and such nonsense.
There are buckets of rain coming down today in a steady downpour, but we are here to hike and are going out no matter what. When the going gets tough, the tough get going...yadda, yadda. A fast purchase of waterproof rain pants helped a lot!
Continue reading "Another Hike in Kranjska" »
Saso, from Helia, had given us vouchers, maps (large and small), and directions for our inn-to-inn hike through Slovenia.
(A hint on telephone calls: you don't want to even think of making a phone call from your hotel room. One telephone call to Saso cost $3.00 for about two minutes!)
We took a public bus to Kranjska Gora. The bus station personnel speak English and will print out schedules for you. The drivers even load your bags on and off the bus (that was a shock)! It was about a two-hour drive and cost $10/person. Cheap Holidays - Click Here!
Kranjska Gora is in the foothills of the Julian Alps, close to the southern borders of Austria and Italy, and at the crossroads of three cultures - Slovene, German and Roman. World Cup alpine skiing events are held here every year: Men's Slalom and Giant Slalom. A very attractive alpine resort.
Continue reading "Hiking in Kranjska Gora" »
You can rent bicycles to get around, take the tourist train which travels between the center and Ljubljana Castle via the Triple Bridge and the Stritarjeva ulica, Poljanska ulica and Ulica Janeza Pavla II streets or walk around. (Try to say those street names!) The tourist train departs from the Presernov trg square (the main square) every hour on the hour, and from Castle Hill every hour at 20 minutes past the hour.
There is a daily market with flowers... View image
-- you could smell the incredibly fragrant Lilies of the Valley a block away, before you even saw them...
fruits...
Continue reading "More Sights to See in Ljubljana" »
The old town is so fascinating with narrow cobblestone streets, the river canal, a daily market with fresh fruits and flowers. Too many sidewalk cafes to even mention, with people sitting everywhere in the sun, walking, and eating ice cream. View image
Go to the Ljubljana website for extremely detailed information on all the things to see.
We enoyed going in and out of City Hall... View image...
wandering around the streets by the river...
and around the historic center.
Continue reading "A Tourist in Ljubljana" »
(Please refer back to the previous two articles on Planning a Trip to Slovenia and Our Itinerary.)
The Slovenia language is not easy - never sure if a "c" is pronounced as "ch" or "s" or "z" and not all the letters are articulated. We finally settled on LUBE-EE-ANA. (That was the best we could do.)
It is so easy to include Slovenia into your travel plans if you are going to Europe this year. Croatia, Austria and Italy all border Slovenia. Train, fly, boat or drive in.
Brnik airport is small, and we sped through customs. Everyone speaks English and Information told us that the most inexpensive way into town was by public bus - 890 SIT's per person. (The $ was trading around 187 SIT's. ) Or, there are plenty of Taxis available.
Continue reading "Arriving in Slovenia" »
Helia has come up with a customized itinerary that sounds great!
15-Days exploring Ljubljana; hiking inn-to-inn through the Julian Alps and Triglav National Park; Lake Bohinj; and Piran (on the Mediterranean).
They made the walks more difficult (at our request), built in some days for rest - or not -, and gave input regarding the weather, etc.
Continue reading "Our Itinerary for Slovenia" »
Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe (formerly part of Yugoslavia). The only information I had came from two people we met in Ladakh last year. Two physicians (with teen-age son in tow) were traveling for two months on a Sabbatical and had just come from Slovenia. They raved about the scenerary, sights and people, how easy it was to get around....I thought "hmm...something to keep in mind for next year".
It's now next year, and time to plan a trip there.
The first step was to "Google" which came up with Slovenia and their unbelievably comprehensive website with links to everything that you could possibly need. They also sent a huge packet of information, including the map below.
Continue reading "Planning a Trip to Slovenia" »
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