Monthly Archives: October 2019

Taste the Treasures of the Forest with Taste Radol’ca 2019!

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, Begunje, Food, Okusi Radol'ce, Radol'ca, Radovljica, Slovenia blog, Slovenian food, Taste Radol'ca, Visit Radol'ca by

Yes, it’s that time of the year again, the tastiest time of the year in Radol’ca – the Taste Radol’ca Month of Local Cuisine!

Photo: Boris Pretnar, Source: http://www.radolca.si

As in the past, for the whole month of November you can visit any (or all!) of the nine participating Taste Radol’ca restaurants to try their special menus created using ingredients sourced and grown locally by local suppliers in the Radol’ca area.

The theme of the menus this year, of course in addition to local ingredients, is the forest, which offers an abundance of ingredients, some of them rather unusual. The talented Taste Radol’ca chefs have been hard at work coming up with new flavour combinations using the wealth of ingredients readily available in the forest during autumn. You can try dishes such as rosehip soup, fillet of white fish with spruce tip salt, venison occo bucco with juniper berry sauce, forest honey and spruce tip ice-cream…

Image may contain: 1 person, sitting, food and indoor

Every year the opening Taste Radol’ca event is held at one of the participating restaurants, and this year it was the turn of Gostišče Draga in the Draga valley in Begunje na Gorenjskem to host the event. It began with a market featuring local and guest suppliers and the chance to try their products…

…as well as the chance to meet the chefs and taste some of their creations.

And of course there was plenty of entertainment too!

The evening continued (or rather is continuing as I write!) late into the night with the opening dinner where diners were treated to a five-course feast.

Photo: Boris Pretnar, Source: http://www.radolca.si

Photo: Boris Pretnar, Source: http://www.radolca.si

There are two changes to the line-up of restaurants this year, with Jostov hram and Restavracija Lambergh exiting the fold, while Restavracija Center and Restavracija Tabor have joined the happy Taste Radol’ca family!

The other significant addition this year is supplier open days. On Fridays, Saturday and Sundays during the month of November you can visit some of the suppliers in the Radol’ca area where you will have an opportunity to meet the producers and taste their products.

Local Taste Radol’ca November menus will be available from 26th October to 30th November at a price of €19 for (a minimum of) three courses. So, don’t miss the ‘tastiest’ month of the Radol’ca year and the chance to treat your taste buds and support local suppliers too! And, in addition to treating yourself, you can now also treat your friends/loved ones by buying them a Taste Radol’ca gift voucher.

© Adele in Slovenia

When Adele in Slovenia Became Adele ‘Is’ a Slovene!

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, gluten-free food in Slovenia, hiking in Slovenia, Julian Alps, Radovljica, Slovenia blog, Slovenian food by

After a process that took almost 10 months and was, at times, exasperating to say the least, I finally became a citizen of the Republic of Slovenia on Tuesday 10th September 2019!

After such a lengthy and laborious process, which began with me passing the Slovenian language exam and was thereafter followed by a period of gathering documents, more documents and more documents, the actual official awarding of the citizenship was a simple and quick affair; just a case of reading the official oath, signing a few documents and that was that!

And since it’s said that every Slovene must make it to the summit of Triglav once in their life, four days later I did just that!

Since it’s not every day that one becomes a Slovene, I decided a good old knees-up was in order and invited those who have been, or rather are, an important part of my life here. After pondering where to hold it, I decided on Gostišče Tulipan in Lesce, as it is known for its great traditional Slovenian food, friendly service, spacious rooms and pleasant ambience.

Photo: http://www.Radol’ca.si

We had the area downstairs to ourselves and it definitely turned out to be the right choice as the organisation and service was exemplary and I was also delighted that I was able to enjoy a great meal in great company without having to worry about being ‘glutened’ as I had agreed the whole menu in advance and given strict instructions re gluten contamination.

So, I’d like to extend a huge thanks to the whole team at Gostišče Tulipan for their efforts and also thanks to all those who came and made it such a great evening.

And Gostišče Tulipan even took care of a (gluten-free) ‘Slovenka sem’ (I’m a Slovene) cake too, which we managed to polish off pretty quickly!

As befits such a gathering, I donned a Slovenian national costume to (re)read the oath, accompanied by the Slovenian national anthem…

Becoming a Slovene wasn’t easy, as with so many things in life, but I’m proud to be able to say I am and wouldn’t have it any other way!

© Adele in Slovenia

 

 

 

Autumn Hiking at the ‘Top’ of Radol’ca – Mount Begunščica!

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, Begunje, hiking in Slovenia, hiking trails, Karavanke, Karavanke mountains, Radovljica, Slovenia blog, Taste Radol'ca, Tourism Radol'ca, Visit Radol'ca by

At a height of 2,060 metres, Begunščica is the highest point of the Radol’ca area. It rises above the village of Begunje na Gorenjskem and can be reached from several directions; from Radovljica the Draga valley is the most convenient start point. From the parking area at the head of the valley, there is a choice of two trails to reach Veliki vrh (literally ‘big peak’) – the highest point of Begunščica.

The slightly longer but easier of the two routes leads first on the forest road then through the forest road to the Roblekov dom mountain hut and from there onwards to the peak. Nowhere is it overly steep.

The other trail, and the one I will describe below, is my preferred choice – especially since it makes the perfect circular route – but in places is most definitely steep! It leads first along the Shepherds’ Trail to the Preval mountain hut and mountain pasture, and from there onwards and upwards towards the top, followed by the less steep trail down to the Roblekov dom hut and back to the Draga valley – and all without a single retraced step!

I have already previously blogged about the Shepherds’ Trail, so won’t go into too much detail here, other than to say that, should you decide to follow it as per the details in my previous blog, you should only do so up until the point where you reach the Preval mountain hut and pasture; from there on the trail to Begunščica leads off in a different direction.

From the mountain pasture take the path that leads directly upwards across a steep grassy slope before entering the forest.

It can seem like a bit of a slog at times, but once you gain some height and in places emerge from the forest, you can forget the more ‘sloggy’ parts and begin enjoying the views!

Once you emerge from the forest there are a couple of metres of scrambling here and there but nothing too demanding.

Once the ground begins to level out you turn left and start heading towards the highest point of Begunščica, but it’s still around half-an-hour to get there yet, even though the sign says 20 minutes!

Then a short section of the walk leads along a ridge – don’t look down if you have a fear of heights!

The views, however, divert your attention and make it all worthwhile!

Until the end of the grazing season you will be ‘greeted’ near the top by a flock of sheep. And even when they have been transported back down to the valley, you will certainly know they have been there!

At the top there is an orientation table and a visitors’ book and you can rest for a while before beginning the descent.

To make an entirely circular route, descend from Veliki vrh towards the west. It takes around an hour to reach the ever-popular Roblekov dom mountain hut, where you can get some sustenance and enjoy more of the stunning views before returning back to the Draga valley – a further cca. 1.5 hours.

Since October is a great month for hiking and enjoying the fruits of the forest, Tourism Radol’ca has launched a prize game entitled ‘The Wealth of the Forest with Taste Radol’ca‘. To enter all you have to do is head off into the forest and share your experience to be in with the chance to win a Taste Radol’ca meal for 2!

More about hiking in Radol’ca can be found here.

© Adele in Slovenia

Gourmet Fare at Gostilna pri Bajdu and Merriment in Medieval Žiganja vas

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, coeliac disease, restaurants in Tržič, Slovenia blog, Slovenian food, Tržič, Visit Tržić by

Last weekend in Tržič was a busy one, with, among others, a medieval day in the village of Žiganja vas, and Tržič Trail Days – a weekend of guided mountain bike rides. It was a toss up between the two, but I opted to first visit the former – perhaps I have a secret penchant for medieval torture, or perhaps because it meant there was then time to go on to a nearby inn I had heard good things about!

Though only small, the village of Žiganja vas has a number of interesting attractions; the village church, the Three Bells Trail (which I wrote about in a previous blog post here), and the giant village linden tree, which is so huge – and partly hollow – that you can actually go inside it.

The recently renovated St. Ulrich’s church stands in the centre of the village. The first written mention of the church dates back to 1327; its present day appearance dates largely from extensive rebuilding work in 1693, as well as recent renovations to both the exterior and interior.

The medieval day featured plenty for visitors to see and do; guided tours of the renovated church, archery, the chance to dress up in medieval costume, theatrical and musical performances, and more.

It was very well attended and its nice to see such events in small villages; it helps to bring the community closer as well as attracting visitors from further afield. Next year Tržič will be celebrating a special anniversary and many more such events are planned, so, keep your eyes peeled for more!

From Žiganja vas we drove the short distance to the village of Senično and the Gostilna pri Bajdu inn. Since being diagnosed with coeliac disease going to restaurants isn’t the experience it used to be, and in fact can be quite stressful never knowing exactly how a dish has been prepared and if it could have been ‘contaminated’ during preparation. I had been told that they do things “somewhat differently” at Gostilna pri Bajdu, so I decided it was time to boldly go and check it out for myself!

The family-run inn dates back to 1871, as is attested to by the year above the main entrance. It originally served as a stopping point for wagon drivers on long journeys, where their horses could rest for a while and the drivers could get some sustenance. The inn has remained in the hands of the same family since its establishment and throughout the years has become increasingly popular for its excellent home-cooked food, service and hospitality.

It is now being run by the fourth generation of the family, Jani Ribnikar, who, time permitting, is more than happy to take time to talk about the history of the inn and to recommend which of its many dishes to try.

The bar area is reminiscent of an English pub, complete with various humorous pub-like signs too!

And almost every detail in the restaurant has a story behind it, from the pictures and wood carvings to the trophies and other quaint touches.

The huge pork and veal shanks are also a favourite among diners – though do call to order in advance to avoid disappointment!

When Jani said we wouldn’t leave hungry, he wasn’t wrong! We were first treated to pumpkin soup and beef soup.

Followed by two huge platters – one meat-based, the other with vegetables and side dishes made from buckwheat flour, which I can eat, yippee! The  meat-based platter was packed with pork ribs, roast pork and venison – that latter is a popular choice, and at Gostilna pri Bajdu where they serve game with prunes rather than the usual cranberries, thus giving a nod to the tradition of plum-growing in the area.

With so much choice it was hard to know where to start – but we managed…and found room for dessert too!

It’s satisfying to know that not only are you eating a meal made with from scratch and with passion, but also you are eating in a restaurant full of pride and tradition. From the outside Gostilna pri Bajdu is nothing to look at, and it would be easy to pass by the inn without even noticing it, however, now I have discovered it, I shan’t be in any hurry to pass by without stopping, and, if/when you are in the area, recommend that you drop in too! Dober tek!

© Adele in Slovenia