Intoxicating charms that put the love in Slovenia
WE’VE all enjoyed the charms of a night or two in a boutique hotel but what of the boutique country? Slovenia is a land that doles out its pleasures in small but intoxicating doses, not least in the capital Ljubljana where medieval allure meets a very 21st century world view.
The city’s eco-friendliness saw it awarded the title of Europe’s green capital for 2016 and its policy of pedestrianising a new street annually allows tourists and locals to walk unharassed beside the Ljubljanica river and along the streets filtering off its signature triple bridge.
Crucially, Ljubljana has also remained largely unpolluted by the stag-and-hen hordes who’ve diluted the appeal of some European capitals and the tourist board walks a fine line between encouraging visitors and tempering the numbers who descend.
I first strolled these streets when passing through on my way home from a football writing assignment in the west of the country last summer and instantly resolved to return in winter for the promise of mulled wine, Christmas markets and the town’s famously quirky light display.
It all sounded very romantic – quite fitting for the only nation in the world to incorporate the word love in its name – and booked up for a short and sweet pre-Christmas visit with my partner-in-crime Gill.
Perhaps Ljubljana’s greatest magic trick is to offer a portal to so many contrasting day-trip destinations.
The country’s peculiar geography of lakes, valleys, mountains and beaches accommodates winter-sport fanatics, beach dwellers and wine connoisseurs alike. From the capital it takes just over an hour to drive to the Adriatic Coast and the coastal resorts of Koper and Piran.
A similar journey time south brings you to the lush and prodigious fields of the Vipava Valley (more of which later).
North lies Austria and a host of skiing possibilities but we never got as far as the border – not when the fairytale setting of Lake Bled lay waiting to seduce us instead.
Bled looks like something out of a Disney movie. Even on the foggy day of our trip the wispy vapours provided an ethereal backdrop to our trip short trip to the church on the island by Pletna boat, a traditional craft captained by a lone rower.
The Church of the Assumption is a popular wedding venue – even if the 99-step climb from the jetty would offer a test to even the most muscular of grooms willing
to tackle the tradition of carrying his bride up to the chapel.
When not in wedding mode, the church is open to tourists who are openly invited to tug on the roped wishing bell.
All manner of hopes and dreams have been conjured during the 500 years witnessed by the church on the island, including the post-war reign of Josip Tito, the former Yugoslavian figurehead whose former holiday home is now functioning as the Villa Bled resort on the shores of the lake.
It’s not hard to see why Tito chose this spot for retreat but for a loftier view it’s worth driving to the other end of the lake to Castle Bled which offers the most stunning views across the water.
While the photogenic Bled tends to steal the limelight, Lake Bohinj is the locals’ favourite with its stunning views both from and of the Julian Alps.
A cable car ride to Vogel took us up through the fog and into a valley apparently lined with cotton wool.
Had I possessed either the bravery or balance, I’d have relished a shot at the ski run back down through the clouds to the shores of the lake.
CONSTELLATIONS, equations and even a foetus suspended 20 feet in the air were all depicted in a backdrop to an explosion in street population after dark. Slovenians, you see, are outdoor types. So, even when the mercury dips below zero you’ll still find them huddled round their gas heaters cupping their hot drinks and enjoying the fresh air. The city’s licensed premises provide blankets and even heaters placed strategically next to the patrons’ feet to ward off festive frostbite.
Our second full day involved another change of scene and emphasis as we headed for the Vipava Valley. Slovenians are proud of their vineyards and would argue that the quality of their output could rival the best from their nearest neighbours.
The issue is quantity. A large Slovenian winery might expect to produce 30,000 bottles per annum, a low yield when it comes to impacting on the international markets.
Our guide Jani drove us to the village of Goce where Davorin Mesesnel and his wife Jelka treated us to a tour of their Cejkotova homestead.
Now this was a truly traditional experience to savour. Davorin invited us in, sat us at a table and uncorked a few of the 11,000 bottles he produces annually, the tasting accompanied by cured meat sourced from the pigs farmed on the adjacent land.
We tried his fruity pinela, a white native to Vipava, and a rich cabernet sauvignon before Davorin led us underground to his cellar, a candle-lit haven that has nurtured 700 years of juicy history. After doling out more red from the barrel, he treated us to an encore of his delicious home-made brandy which, mercifully, our driver declined.
With a sober Jani at the wheel we visited Vipava Town and were hosted for a wine tasting at the Vinoteka where we sampled a few more of the 25 grape varieties grown in the valley, including some of the indigenous orange wine – a Slovenian speciality which obtains its dark colour and sharp taste from leaving the white grape skins in to steep.
AFTER a day of lazily sampling the juice we headed back to the city and prepared for the crowning glory of our break – dinner at the Strelec restaurant perched high in the Archer’s Tower of Ljubljana Castle.
Our traditional platter comprised the Slovenian staples of veal tongue, beef cheeks and a buckwheat dessert, all savoured while gazing down on a warren of cobbled streets decorated in electric blue light.
In truth it didn’t matter if one was tucking into a banquet at the castle or plunging a fork (wooden, of course) into the local speciality of kranjska klobasa sausage at the night market.
Winter time in Ljubljana provides delights sufficient to make anyone feel like royalty.