Christmas in Slovenia

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Since Father Christmas had heard that I and all the other residents of Radovljica have been so hard working and well-behaved this year, he came and paid us a visit on Friday, to coincide with the opening of the Advent Fair. The fair runs daily until 6pm on 24th December so there’s still time to pop along and have a glass (or two) of mulled wine, buy some handmade gifts and see Linhart Square in the medieval old town in all its festive glory.

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And the fun doesn’t end there! On the 26th December there will be a street performance by the Tobia Circus from Italy, taking place in Linhart Square at 5pm, which is free for all to watch and attend. Also, on the same day there will be a Christmas/New Year Concert by the Lesce Wind Orchestra taking place at 7.30pm in Linhart Hall (Linhartova dvorana) – this is a ticketed event. There are also other concerts and events taking place up until New Year, find out more here – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/events-1/advent-fair/83/110/

CIMG6959So, how is Christmas celebrated in Slovenia? What is/isn’t open? What is there to do, where to go? In the past, during the time of communism in the former Yugoslavia, Christmas, as we know it i.e. 25th December, wasn’t really celebrated or recognised. However, these days Slovenia is rapidly (too rapidly perhaps?) catching up on celebrating Christmas. As in many other countries in Europe, the evening of the 24th is when most families celebrate and get together for a special meal, exchange gifts and/or attend midnight mass. If you are visiting Slovenia at that time it is worth noting that many restaurants may be closed on this evening or close earlier than usual. Shops are usually open on the 24th but close a little earlier than usual. All shops are closed on the 25th and again this is a family day, often for some recreational activities perhaps skiing, hiking or visiting relatives. The 26th is also a public holiday, ‘Independence and Unity Day’ and therefore again many shops and business will be closed although some of the larger ones may open for a few hours in the morning. So in actual fact these days it isn’t far from the kind of Christmas I was used to in the UK other than the distinct lack of sprouts – thank heavens for that!

If you are looking for a festive event with a difference, every year, weather conditions permitting, there is a live ice nativity play held in the Mlačca Gorge in the village of Mojstrana. With the freezing temperatures we have had of late, this year’s event is going ahead and the performances are scheduled to begin on Christmas Day and then daily up to, and including, the 30th December and additionally on the 1st, 3rd and 4th of January. There are 3 shows per day; at 4pm, 5pm and 6pm. The entrance fee of 12 euros for adults and 8 euros for children also includes a walk through the ice kingdom, a gallery of nativity scenes and the nativity performance held in the frozen waterfall. Be sure to wrap up warmly but there are stalls selling hot drinks and food too. Reservations are not necessary. More information, available in Slovene and English,  can be found here – http://lednoplezanje.com/zive-jaslice-v-ledu/

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There’s no snow yet in the valley. We have had 2 weeks of very cold but mostly bright weather, followed by a period of slightly milder, cloudier, damp weather. It’s certainly different to last year’s winter when the snow came early and just kept on coming, and coming, and coming……… Who knows what the rest of this winter will bring – it’s anyone’s guess – but at least so far the ‘experts’ predictions that this year’s winter will be one of the coldest on record, doesn’t seem to be holding true.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!

The Radovljica Advent Fair / Lipnica Castle

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There’s a lot happening, and a lot to look forward to, in Radovljica and the surrounding areas in these coming days. The event that has got the town folk’s tongue wagging is the forthcoming concert by one of Slovenia’s most popular singers, Jan Plestenjak. The concert will take place this Saturday, 21st December, at 8pm in the Radovljica School of Hospitality and Tourism (Sredna gostinska in turistična šola). Tickets can be purchased from Tourism Radovljica or the Eventim.si ticket booking website.

Another date for the diary is the Advent Fair which will take place in the old town centre of Radovljica, beginning on Friday 20th December and running daily until the 24th December. Various accompanying events will also take place including the arrival of Santa Claus on Friday at 5.30pm and other musical and theatrical street performances taking place throughout the five days. More about the Advent Fair, opening times and events can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/events-1/advent-fair/83/110/

I have never particularly enjoyed shopping but I had to do a bit of the dreaded and unavoidable Christmas shopping last weekend so I made a brief visit to Kranj, which is just 15 minutes by car or train, from Radovljica. Kranj is the capital of the Gorenjska region, the northwest part of Slovenia. There are several shopping centres there so you can pretty much find everything you need there these days without having to drive further into the capital, Ljubljana. I’m not a fan of big, soulless, out-of-town shopping centres and personally I much prefer wandering around old town centres, browsing the individual stores, interacting with their owners and savouring the atmosphere and the historic buildings. However, sadly the shops in the old town of Kranj, as like in so many town centres these days, and not just in Slovenia, are becoming fewer and fewer as businesses move out of town and/or close down due to lack of passing trade. It’s such a shame but a sign of the times. However, a wander through the old town of Kranj is still pleasant, as can be seen by this video which I saw this week, which shows just what the area has to offer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP44eAC5F10

Apart from shopping and working, I have of course found time for some recreation too. The first part of last week saw glorious sunny, dry weather only to be somewhat spoilt later in the week, and over the weekend, by the low cloud which lingered over the valley shrouding us in darkness and bone chilling cold. However, accustomed to this as I now am, I knew that I wouldn’t have to go far to get above the cloud and fog and be bathed in brilliant sunshine with that super smug feeling of being almost literally ‘on top of the world’, as can be seen in these pictures below taken on Saturday during my hike up to Dobrča.

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This week, I also went to Lipnica Castle, also known as ‘Pusti Grad’, which means ‘deserted castle’. I made a circular trip from home, first walking down to the Sava river and crossing it via the Fuxova brv suspension bridge, before walking through the forest on the Natural Science Trail to the ‘Galerija‘ area and onwards to the castle. I particularly like walking through the ‘Galerija‘ in summer as it remains cool, even on the hottest of days, so at this time of year it was certainly chilly to say the least, with icicles hanging from all the myriad rock formations. The area reminds me of something out of a Famous-Five or Secret-Seven book, books I enjoyed as a child – yikes, showing my age – as there are endless nooks and crannies ripe for exploration.

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Today, only the remains of Lipnica Castle are still standing but nevertheless it makes a pleasant and interesting trip and there are impressive views over the Lipnica Valley and the Jelovica plateau. The first written records of the castle date back as far as the early thirteenth century when it was in the posession of the Orthenburg family, who were at that time the most powerful noble family in the Upper Carniola and Carinthia area. There is a legend that says there is a hidden tunnel that links Lipnica Castle with the town of Radovljica under the Sava river, but this story has not yet been confirmed by archaeological research. Maybe one day on one of my many walks, I might discover it for myself – now that would be something to blog about!

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Festive Radovljica / A winter wonderland on Pokljuka

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Those who know me, will attest to the fact that I’m not a lover of winter, and certainly not a lover of snow. However, this past week at least has seen crisp, cold days with brilliant sunshine and, for a change, stable weather. These conditions have been perfect for winter hiking although one must now be very cautious as there is quite a lot of ice above 1000m, particularly in areas which are exposed to the sun during the day but then freeze overnight. However, at over 1500m there is enough snow to make hiking more pleasant. These are then the ideal conditions to head to Pokljuka, which I did on Saturday, and was rewarded with a real winter wonderland.

From Radovljica the drive to Pokljuka takes around 40 minutes, via Bled then up the long windy road to the top of the plateau. On this occasion I begun my walk from the Sport Hotel (1280m), first crossing the Zajavornik highland (Planina Zajavornik), then walking gradually up through the forest to reach the Lipanca highland (Planina Lipanca) and the mountain hut Blejska koča (1630m). From here I continued up to the peak of Mrežce (1965m). The walk to Blejska koča is easy but thereafter it becomes quite steep in places and also the snow is a lot deeper but the snow is well trodden and with the help of my crampons, presented no problems. I was richly rewarded for my efforts with cloudless skys, warm winter sunshine and far-reaching views across the Julian Alps, to Triglav and Rjavina and along the length of the Karavanke range and the valleys below. This area is also particularly popular for ski touring and I was fortunate that a skier arrived at the top just a few seconds before me so I was able to ask him to take my picture. However, you can no doubt imagine my angst when having walked all that way, after just a few snaps, I discovered my camera battery was empty – a mistake I won’t be repeating!

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In these times of crisis and austerity it has, well at least for some of us, become necessary to be more inventive in finding ways of providing our own entertainment and sharing skills and knowledge with others. In this vain, last week I ‘shared’ my baking skills with some friends and we enjoyed an evening of English christmas cake baking. For those of you not familiar with this, the key to the cake begins with the soaking of dried fruit in alcohol for a few days prior to baking the cake, and more alcohol being added every few days after baking. This ensures the cake stays moist and can be kept for several months before covering with marzipan, icing, and of course eating. The cake is now safely tucked up enjoying its regular ‘feed’ of alcohol and not yet quite yet ready to make its appearance on the world stage, err I mean my blog……. photos to follow in due course! We aim to repeat such evenings as and when the occasions present themselves, the next such one being an evening of making soap.

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The festive season is now well under way in Radovljica and there are plenty of events happening and coming up soon including the Advent Fair in Linhart Square in the old town centre, numerous concerts and carol singing. More information about these and all the festive events taking place can be found here –  http://www.radolca.si/

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The Polhov Gradec Hills

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Many of Slovenia’s ski resorts opened this past weekend, at least in part, with others due to open during the course of this week. The main and largest ski resorts are at Kranjska Gora, Krvavec, Maribor Pohorje, Vogel and Cerkno, but there are also many others too such as Golte, Stari vrh and Soriška planina, to name but a few.

Sadly Kanin, Slovenia’s highest ski resort, remains closed and looks likely to be so for the foreseeable future. Personally, I cannot understand how this can be allowed to happen without the government, or someone, stepping in to offer assistance before it is too late; to allow what was the ‘crème’ of Slovene skiing to be left to rot taking with it the business and livelihoods of no doubt countless people in the town of Bovec, and the surrounding areas, where there is little work other than tourism. Let’s hope it won’t come to that and the resort will be revived to its former glory.

Sunday was a glorious day; very crisp and frosty but with brilliant winter sunshine, so I made the most of it with a trip to the Polhov Gradec hills, also known as the Polhov Dolomites (Polhograjski dolomiti), due to their rocky appearance. The area consists of a hilly region that extends from the southern side of Ljubljana to the northern side of the Škofja Loka area. The highest of the hills is Tošč (1021m) follow by Pasja Ravan at 1019m. It is interesting to note that Pasja Ravan was previously the highest however approximately 10 metres of its height was lost during the setting up of a rocket base there by the then Yugoslav Army. My favourite peak in the range is Grmada. At just 898m it is far from high but one really has the impression of being in the high mountains as the views from the top are simply stunning and far reaching in all directions.

There are a number of paths, leading from various directions, to reach the peaks. Many locals start from the visit of Topol, also known as Katarina due to the name of it church or from the village of Polhov Gradec. From either of these villages the walks are well marked and it takes only around an hour and 1.5 hours respectively, to reach Grmada. However, from where I live in Radovljica, it is closer and easier to access the area via Medvode, rather than having to drive up and over the hills or around Ljubljana. I therefore started my walk from Slavkov dom at Golo Brdo, making it a longer walk but then I would always rather walk further than drive! The path leads gradually uphill, never steeply, taking about an hour to reach Katarina, then a further good hour’s walk to Grmada.

Below are some photos of my walk beginning with the beautiful sunrise I was treated to as a reward for my early start and the view looking back towards Katarina.

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One of the signs I encountered en-route  – you’ve really got to know where you’re going here!

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Here you can see the final part of the ascent to Grmada, complete with a light dusting of snow, from the direction of Gonte, which can easily be avoided by taking the direct path up to Grmada; me at the top with Triglav in the far background and wonderful views all around as far as the eye can see.

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As I wrote in a previous blog a few weeks ago (October 2013, Christmas comes early to Radovljica), Christmas came early this year to Radovljica, but only for one day, when a commercial, for a well-known Italian product was being filmed in the old town centre. Thn town was transformed into a magical, fairytale Christmas scene. Now the advert is available on YouTube, so you too can get a glimpse, an all too short glimpse, of the beautiful town where I live – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t78uVV50pdY

A cleaner, greener Radovljica

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Judging by the amount of snow I can see from my window, it seems winter has well and truly arrived. The snow, fortunately, is not (yet) at ground level but there has certainly been a lot of precipitation in the past week; rain here, snow above 800-1000 metres.

I haven’t been able to do much in the way of hiking because of the poor weather but I did at least manage one trip this week, to Dobrča, at 1478m. I took the route up from the hamlet of Slatna, which is located on the road which runs along the foot of Dobrča, from Begunje to Trzič, a mere 10 minute drive from Radovljica. The path goes up steeply through the forest, taking approximately 1.5 hours, to reach the mountain hut, Koca na Dobrči. The actual top of Dobrča, 1634m, is a further 30 minute walk and a further 10 minutes from the top is the Šentanski vrh viewpoint, which is certainly worth making the effort to reach. On this occasion I didn’t continue to the top as there was already snow beyond the hut, as can be seen in the pictures below.

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On the whole I love living in Radovljica. I love its location, the close proximity to the Karavanke and Julian Alps, Bled, Bohinj and direct access to the motorway making it easy to reach pretty much anywhere in Slovenia. I also love the wide choice of hiking and cycling routes, the good infrastructure, the medieval old town, the olympic size swimming pool and that fact that the town offers most of my needs right on my doorstop. There is, or rather ‘was’, however something that had been bothering me, something detracting from the beauty of Radovljica and its surroundings, and something, as I saw it, as a needless eyesore. I’m referring to the numerous advertising banners that were hanging from the street lights advertising the likes of Lidl 200m, Hofer 400m, Mercator 1km etc. In fact on the road from the start of Lesce to the end of Radovljica, and on some side streets too, there was almost 40 of them, bombarding us with pointless and unecessary advertising. I saw them as pointless because in the UK, where I’m from, there are millions of people and thousands of shops yet nowhere are there signs like here advertising each shop, yet people still manage to find the shops. Members of my family and several friends who had visited Radovljica, had also commented on what an eyesore they were and they really had a negative effect on the environment. Of course they provide a source of revenue for the municipality therefore in my letter to the Mayor of Radovljica, I suggested that, if advertising is really necessary, perhaps a better, less obvious, method could be sought. Imagine my delight then when last week the Mayor personally told me that since the contract had expired, he had now ordered the removal of all the banners forthright. Wow, what a result and what a huge improvement. I would once again like to say ‘Thank You’ to our Mayor. It is so good to know he listens and takes on board comments from residents and we now have an even more beautiful, cleaner, greener town. Perhaps this might inspire other areas in Slovenia to follow suit, leading to an even cleaner, greener Slovenia too.

The Christmas lights have now gone up in the old town centre and the festive season is now slowly starting to begin. The first event will be the St. Nicholas Fair (Miklavž sejem) which will take place in the atrium of St. Paul’s rectory, on Saturday 30th November at 4.30-6.30pm and again on Sunday 1st December at 8.30-11.30am. The celebration of St. Nicholas (Miklavž) on the 6th December, marks the name day of this most known of saints and is especially celebrated by children all around Slovenia who eagerly wait to see if St. Nicholas has bought them gifts to reward them for being good.

On Tuesday this week, the 26th, there will be a ceremony to officially open the new sculpture dedicated to the music of Avsenik. This traditional folk music was started by the Avsenik brothers in the village of Begunje na Gorenjskem in 1953. Their music is hugely popular worldwide, but particularly in neighbouring Austria, Italy and Croatia, as well as elsewhere in Europe, and people come from all over the world to listen to the three current house ensembles, visit the Avsenik museum and enjoy food and entertainment at the family run Avsenik restaurant. The ceremony will take place in the parking area near the Lidl store at 12 noon and is free to attend.

Also this week, on Thursday 28th, there will be a concert by the only Citar orchestra in Slovenia, from Brežice. The concert will take place in the Radovljica Mansion House, beginning at 7pm and tickets can be purchased at the Radovljica Tourist Information Centre.

Radol’ca – Taste the Best!

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In my opinion the term ‘a sense of community’ is often overused these days, or used flippantly, without real regard to its true meaning. The new ‘Taste Radol’ca’ project however truly does justice to the term and is an exemplary example of how to bring a community together. In these tough economic times when many business are struggling for survival and competing with their rivals just to stay afloat, the ‘Taste Radol’ca’ project offers a fresh approach and more than a glimmer of hope to residents, business owners and visitors to Radovljica and its surrounding areas – collectively known as Radol’ca.

‘Taste Radol’ca’ was created with the aim of uniting local restaurants and producers of local food to showcase the best of what Radol’ca has to offer. In doing so the project is also suporting the local community by using only food sourced locally. Eight restaurants are included in the project and, during the month of November, each is offering a specially prepared 3 course meal for a fixed price of just 13 euros. Although this is the first year of the project, the response so far has been so positive, it is hoped it will become an annual event on the Radol’ca calendar.

So on a chilly, drizzly Wednesday evening last week, myself and a group of others invited guests, including national and local media and the Mayor, were treated to an evening of food, wine and entertainment. I must say it was one of the most memorable evenings I have experienced since moving to Slovenia. Throughout the evening I sat beaming with pride at being able to be part of such an event and in the recognition that Radol’ca has so much to offer; the historic old town centre, unspoilt nature, endless hiking and cycling routes, great restaurants with talented chefs and a wide cultural programme including concerts, festivals and other events.

The event was held at Gostilna Kunstelj, one of the participating restaurants, which is located just before the entrance to the old town centre. The photos below (apologies about the quality, admittedly not my best effort – can I blame the fine wine?!) illustrate the evening’s events. The menu comprised a combination of some of the menus available at the different participating restaurants. More information about the project and the menus can be found here – http://radolca.si/okusi-radolce/?utm_source=Turizem+Radovjlica+newsletter&utm_campaign=cab59b0d31-Newsletter_Radolca&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4ed8fe76d2-cab59b0d31-24187013

We started in the wine cellar where schnapps and the new honey beer, Zlati Ol, was available together with canapes.

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We then moved upstairs to the restaurant for the first course – smoked tongue, smoked trout, beetroot, horseradish and wild garlic sauce – produced by Joštov Hram.

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This was followed by a clear soup served with a trio of filled pasta – produced by Gostišče Tulipan.

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The next course comprised sulec, a kind of salmon, filled with caviar and krvavica, akin to black pudding in a filo parcel – produced by Vila Podvin and Gostilna Kovač.

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There followed a dish of capon with red cabbage, cream of corn, barley with vegetables and a curd cheese and pear roulade – again produced by Vila Podvin and Gostilna Kovač.

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And now to my favourite part – dessert! Linhartov cukr, tarragon icecream (believe me, it works!) served in a brandy snap basket and chocolate cream – produced by Gostilna Lectar and Hotel Lambergh. And to finish chocolate orange cake pops – produced by Gostilna Kunstelj – at which point I too was ready to pop!

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Each course was accompanied by a specially chosen wine from the Dolc vineyard in the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia. I’m not usually much of a wine drinker and far from a conoisseur, but on this occasion I must say their Chardonnay and the Laški rizling were right up my street being a tad on the sweet side. The other wines were the Metliška črnina and Pankrt.

The owner of Lectar, Jože, was also on hand, together with the other musicians, to provide entertainment on the harmonica and double bass. All in all it was a fantastic evening and if you live in the area, or are visiting, I would thoroughly recommend visiting a least one of the participating restaurants and supporting this worthwhile project.

We had our fair share of inclement weather this week. On Monday there were hurricane force winds which ripped through the valley causing significant destruction, particularly in the forests and villages along the length of the Karavanke range, from the villages of Begunje to Žirovnica. Locals recall it as being the worst such occurences since 1985. The following day, when I attempted to walk up to the peak Smokuški vrh, above the village of Smokuč, it was sad to see so many beautiful, old trees torn down, some of which had literally been ripped up by their roots, and I had to abandon my walk as the path was simply impassable due to the sheer number of fallen trees. We also saw the first glimpse of snow this week, though thankfully it didn’t quite reach Radovljica as had been predicted. All week the forecasts had been saying the snow line would be at around 400m above sea level, Radovljica is just under 500m, but in the event it turned out to be at around the 700-800m level. A lucky escape – though I’m sure all the snow lovers in Slovenia wouldn’t agree with me about that!

Musical Radovljica

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As I mentioned last week, my parents came to visit from the UK for the weekend. They have visited Slovenia on numerous occasions since my move here over 6 years ago. They are both still very ‘young-at-heart’, active and enjoy cycling and walking. Unfortunately, this past weekend the weather was not conducive for either of those activities as it rained pretty much non-stop all weekend, torrentially at times, and was even snowing on higher ground. A few years back my parents even cycled from the UK to Slovenia on their tandem, as seen in the photo below. This photo was taken when I went and met them on their arrival from Italy into Kranjska Gora and we then all cycled back together via Mojstrana and Jesenice to Radovljica. The D2 cycle path from Mojstrana to Kranjska Gora runs along the route of the old railway line and is hugely popular with cyclists and roller skaters during the summer months. It is particularly popular with young families as it offers a safe, traffic-free route. The route also continues into Tarvisio (Trbiž) in Italy and can be combined with other routes to expand the possibilities. Just recently work has been progressing on extending the cycle route from Jesenice to Mojstrana. Until now the route has only been accessible by mountain bike as it goes somewhat up and down and off-road. However, once the new extension is complete, it is hoped it will be as good and as accessible to all as the remainder of the route.

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Since the weather wasn’t suitable for much in the way of outdoors activities this weekend, we took advantage of some of the other things on offer in Radovljica and on Friday we attended the (free) concert in the Baroque Hall in the Radovljica Mansion House (Graščina). The concert was performed by three different choirs – Vox Carniola from Jesenice, Grudnov Šmikle from Železniki and MePZ from the coastal town of Koper – and was a very enjoyable evening with a mixed variety of music and something to suit all tastes.

The Radovljica Mansion House, seen below, really is a hub of activities, concerts, exhibitions etc. and the residents of Radovljica, myself included, are lucky to be able to attend the regular events held there, many of which are free, and in such a beautiful building, both inside and out, in the old town centre.

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Next weekend there will be another such (free) event taking place in the Radovljica Mansion; on Sunday 17th the Regional Adults Choir Competition will begin with the first concert at 1pm, the second at 3.30pm, the third at 6pm and the results will be announced at 8.30pm.

On Saturday we went to Ljubljana to the Perpetuum Jazzile concert in the Stožice arena. This was the 4th time that I have been to see this fantastic Slovene vocal group who, on this occasion, were celebrating their 30th anniversary with a special celebration concert attended by 10,000 people.

I’m excited to have received an invitation to a presentation and tasting of the ‘Taste Radol’ca‘ (Okusi Radol’ca) project this week. I will therefore be writing a lot more about that next week! In the meantime here is a link to the project website for more information – http://radolca.si/okusi-radolce/?utm_source=Turizem+Radovjlica+newsletter&utm_campaign=cab59b0d31-Newsletter_Radolca&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4ed8fe76d2-cab59b0d31-24187013

Taste Radol’ca

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For lovers of good food, and supporters of local food, Tourism Radovljica have prepared a new, special project entitled ‘Taste Radol’ca‘ (Okusi Radol’ca). The project includes eight restaurants in the Radol’ca area which will be offering a special menu, where the emphasis is on food sourced from the local area. The set price for each menu is 13 euros per person and the project will last the month of November. More about the participating restaurants and the menus can be found using the link below. However, this information, plus the restaurant menus, are currently only in Slovene so if you are planning to visit the area and are interested in this event, just get in touch and I’ll be happy to provide a translation for you – http://radolca.si/okusi-radolce/?utm_source=Turizem+Radovjlica+newsletter&utm_campaign=cab59b0d31-Newsletter_Radolca&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4ed8fe76d2-cab59b0d31-24187013

Last week was school holidays so I had a bit more free time than usual and used one day for a trip to Villach in Austria. I don’t go often but like to go occasionally for a change of scenery, a bit of shopping, and, well just because I can! So this week, before the snow arrives making the drive often impossible without passing through the Karavanke Tunnel, where a toll is payable, I set off. I stopped first in Kranjska Gora for a walk to Podkoren then drove over the Korenjsko sedlo pass and into Villach. There are several ways of reaching Austria from Slovenia, depending on which part of the country you are in. From me, taking the Korenjsko sedlo into Villach or the Ljubelj pass into Klagenfurt are the nearest, each taking approximately an hour and with no tolls to pay. Even after over six years living here I still get a kick out of being able to just drive so easily to another country – strange but true! During the winter, both of these passes may be closed, or driveable only with snow chains.

Also this week a friend and I walked to Lubnik in the Škofja Loka hills. There are well-marked paths up from all directions but the nearest, and for me the most beautiful, is to start from Škofja Loka Castle and walk up via the ruins of the Old Loka Castle (Stari grad) to the mountain hut on Lubnik (Koča na Lubniku) at 1025m. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to reach the top and we made the return trip via a different route which eventually rejoined the other route and returned to the castle. On a clear day, which sadly it wasn’t on this occasion, the views from Lubnik are far-reaching in all directions; the Julian Alps, the Škofja Loka and Polhograd hills and the Selca and Poljane valleys. Although the weather was fine at the start of our trip, it soon clouded over and was very windy at the top. Fortunately we were able to seek shelter and a warming cup of mountain tea in the hut where I can also confirm that they have excellent home baked tarragon loaf. Due to the clouds, I wasn’t able to take any photos from the top this time but here are a couple of pictures taken on the return trip, once we had emerged from the clouds, with views towards Old Loka and the red roofs of the old town centre.

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On Friday 8th November, a concert will be held in the Baroque Hall in Radovljica Mansion (Graščina). The concert, is a meeting of three choirs – Vox Carniola from Jesenice, Grudnov Šmikle from Železniki and MePZ from the coastal town of Koper. The concert begins at 8pm and entry is free.

Friday 8th November is also an important day for another reason – my parents are arriving for the weekend – looking forward to that!

Christmas comes early to Radovljica!

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Some while ago I visited, or attempted to, the Path of Peace (Pot Miru) in Brezje. However, although I walked on parts of the path, I didn’t actually find the entire path from start to finish so this weekend that was rectified. Actually, since I seem to know most of the paths and hiking routes better than a lot of the locals, the thinking behind the trip, thanks to a friend, was to take me somewhere where I hadn’t yet been; that for a change someone local would be guiding ‘the foreigner’ instead of vice-versa! Well, they partly succeeded as I had been there before but had failed to find the path in its entirely, so thanks! It was a lovely walk complete with warm temperatures and the autumn fallen leaves crunching underfoot.

The village of Brezje is known for its Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, one of the most known churches in Slovenia, a national sanctuary and pilgrimage centre. It is one of the 18 churches in the villages and town that comprise the area of Radol’ca (among them Radovljica, Lesce, Kropa, Begunje, Kamna Gorica, Brezje).

The path passes the Peračica waterfall. At just 4 metres in height, it isn’t the most spectacular of falls but still makes a pleasant place to stop, rest and comtemplate, among an oasis of calm in the forest in the midst of the Path of Peace. More about the path and how to find it can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/brezje-peace-trail/

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Christmas time arrived early in Radovljica this week, and what an amazing sight it was, as can be seen in the pictures below. I must admit to thinking to myself ‘Are you kidding – it’s only October’ when I saw the HUGE Christmas tree being assembled. However, when this was shortly followed by artificial snow, fir tree clad houses, hundreds of fairly lights and more, I realised something must be afoot. The reason was that a commercial was being filmed for a world renowned Italian sweet pastry.  It certainly captured everyone’s interest though, locals and tourists alike were enchanted by the scene. However, 2 days later it had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving us to wait and look forward to the ‘real’ Christmas and the host of ‘Merry December‘ events, including the Christmas Market, that will be taking place in Radovljica throughout the Christmas period.

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In a previous blog, I wrote about the success of the Radol’ca song, which had made it through to the finals of a competition of TV1 Slovenia to find the best song in Slovenia. Unfortunately the song, sung by Simona Vodopivec Franko, didn’t win, but has nonetheless become popular among locals. During a discussion with the song’s writer, it was suggested I could translate the song into English so that an English version could be recorded and added to the Radol’ca website so tourists can also enjoy listening to ‘our’ song. So, I did it, Simona recorded it, and I will put a link to it here soon. In the meantime here is the Slovene version again, this time with a new video to accompany it – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSVg9FMNh2s

Radovljica – small but perfectly formed!

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This week we have been treated to sunshine, warmth and a riot of spectacular autumn colours. Deservedly so I’d say, after the abysmal start to October. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to take full advantage of the glorious weather as I’ve been a bit under the weather myself and resigned to looking longingly out of the window wishing I were elsewhere. So this week, rather than a trip report, I will write about other subjects. However, if you are looking at this blog in the hope of getting some ideas and inspiration for what to see and do, where to walk, where to eat etc. in Slovenia, and particularly in my home town of Radovljica, and its surroundings, then take a look through some of my previous posts  – there should be more than enough – or if not, just ask!

When I moved to Slovenia in 2007 the country, and it’s economy, was flourishing. It had joined the EU and had just adopted the euro. They were prosperous times. House prices were rising rapidly, business was booming and there was a general air of optimism. However, today sadly, it is a very different picture. The economy is ailing and successive governments seem to be making, quite frankly in my humble opinion, a pig’s ear out of pulling the country, and its citizens, out of ever increasing despair. Since the aim of my blog is primarily to write about my life and travels in Radovljica, with the aim of increasing its awareness and helping potential tourists and visitors, it’s not my intention to make my blog a place to air such issues but sometimes one just needs to vent a little. So I will from time to time, but not too often, I promise!

The tourism section however is still booming and this past year has seen visitors numbers grow in Radovljica and also throughout Slovenia. Judging by the number of readers of my blog, from all corners of the world, and the positive comments I have received, there is ever increasing interest in Slovenia as a holiday destination and I hope I may, and continue to, play a small part in helping to raise awareness about Radovljica and its surroundings – the beautiful place I call home.

Though not a big town, Radovljica is blessed with good infrastructure and services for residents and tourists alike, as well as being ideally located for lovers of outdoor activities, with the Julian Alps to the south and the Karavanke range to the north, Bled just a few kilometres away and Bohinj lake a little further. In town there is the olympic-size swimming pool, open-air during the summer and covered during the winter, the cinema (Linhartova dvorana), bowling, a medical centre, library, several good-quality restaurants, numerous cafes and bars, shops, and the compact medieval old town centre which is home to museums, a gallery, church and the imposing Mansion House.

It can be so easy to take forgranted what we have around us so I try to get the best out of living here; hiking in the surrounding mountains, cycling, walking or running beside the Sava river, going to concerts, attending and supporting local events such as the Chocolate Festival, the Festival of Honey as well as the regular talks, presentations, discussions etc. held in the library. This week I also went to the cinema to watch the film ‘More than Honey’, which I wrote about in a previous blog (September 2013 – Radovljica and Beekeeping). The cinema was packed; proof that beekeeping is one of Slovenia’s national passions, and especially now when bees and their habitats are so under threat. The film was followed by a discussion with beekeeping experts and tastings of honey and honey schnapps – in my case drunk purely for medicinal purposes!

This week on Saturday in the Radovljica Mansion House is the start of the Chopin Golden Ring competition. The international competition, which takes place annually at the end of October and is now in its 9th year, will this year run from the 26th to the 30th October. In addition to the piano competition, there are concerts and events which can be attended by the public. More about the events and tickets, can be found here – http://www.chopin-goldenring.si/koncerti.html