I hate to wish time away, especially as I’m always saying how life is so short and we must enjoy it to the full, however, I must admit I am wishing the next few weeks go by quickly until I can get out of this shoulder immobiliser which, as the name implies, is leaving me rather ‘immobile’ (see last’s weeks blog for an explanation as to how I came to be like this).

As I also mentioned in last week’s blog, not being one to be able to sit around doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself, I’ve been racking my brains where I could go for a walk that doesn’t involve snow, ice, using crampons, hiking poles etc. – none of which are currently feasible for me. Then I had my ‘eureka’ moment when I remembered some years back having driven up the road to the hut (though it is far from a hut, more a large home) ‘Dom Pristava‘, from where, at that time, I then made an onwards hike into the surrounding mountains of the Karavanke range – the most popular of which is Golica famed for its annual carpet of white daffodils every Spring and many buildings and other objects in this part bear the symbol of a daffodil – including the Dom (as seen below).

So, since I’m currently unable to drive, I took a bus from Radovljica early one morning, which arrived on time to-the-minute, alighting at Koroška Bela, then proceeded to walk up the road, first through the village itself, then to Javorniški rovt, before reaching the Dom situated at 975m. It only took a little over an hour but it sure felt good to get the calves working and heart pumping fast again! From the Dom there are numerous paths in all directions, however, tempted as I may have been, I was sensible and returned the way I had come, especially since all the routes ahead were snow- and/or ice-covered. There is, however, an alternative, more scenic, way to reach Dom Pristava, by taking the path ‘Gajškova pot’ which begins in the village of Koroška bela and leads 4km up through the forest taking 1-1.5 hours.

Dom Pristava can be either a destination in itself; you can walk up and enjoy a look around the Zois Park and surroundings and enjoy some traditional hearty Slovene food such as štruklji, stews, and farmer’s feast, or it can be a start point for walks higher into the surrounding Karavanke range such as Golica, Stol, Vajnež and Dovška baba.

The Zois Park was formerly the botanical garden of the amateur botanist, Karel Zois (1756-1799). Today, the Park is part of the Natural and Mining Educational Trail that which also leads past Dom Trilobit, to where I made a detour to on my return, which serves as a centre for school trips and extra-curricular activities, nature excursions etc. and is right next to a small, emerald-green artificial lake.

On returning to the village, I had a little time to kill before the return bus so I took the opportunity to look around the village. Koroška Bela, unfortunately, doesn’t occupy the most favourable position as the village is directly opposite the Acroni steel factory which is constantly pumping out smoke from its large chimneys and is a bit of an eyesore. Thus, it is easy to dismiss and overlook the village, as I admit to having done until now. However, having recently translated a part of the new Transnational Church Route – the part featuring 11 selected churches in Gorenjska – one of them being the church in Koroška Bela, I had an added interest in going for a closer look.

The Gothic Church of St. Ingenuim and Albuin dates from at least the middle of the 14th century and is the only church in Slovenia, and indeed the only church outside of the Tyrol, which is dedicated to Saints Ingenuin and Albuin. It’s hidden away in the upper-part of the village which I didn’t know even existed until now so I’m pleased I got the opportunity to see it and discover that, actually, once away from the factory and plumes of smoke, there is more to Koroška Bela than first meets the eye, including a small memorial park.

So, almost 2 weeks into my recovery time, I’m managing to stay relatively sane and at least a little fit. The weather too has been on my side as it’s been almost spring like this past week with temperatures above the seasonal norm and a few little spring flowers starting to pop up from the undergrowth. However, I’m not fooled and not being lulled into believing winter is over yet as the past couple of years the bulk of the snow has come in February so I’m sure winter still has a sting in its tail to come, in fact, snow is forecast for later this week…..

Finally, a little light reading (in Slovene) as published yesterday on PLANETsiol – http://www.siol.net/novice/svet/2015/01/adele_gray_anglezinja.aspx

 © AdeleinSlovenia 2015