Radovljica, Škofja Loka and Ptuj are home to the three best-preserved medieval old town centres in Slovenia – and I am fortunate enough to live in one of them! Every year, on the first Sunday in August, Radovljica hosts a Medieval Day which celebrates its history and recreates some of its medieval crafts and traditions. When I visited at around 2pm I thought it seemed unusually quiet, no doubt due to the searing heat, but then I realised everyone was sitting in the shade with an ice-cream and/or cold beer in hand whilst the bulk of the visitors choose the early morning or evening hours to visit. The event attracts both visitors from Slovenia and tourists who come to watch the displays, browse the market stalls and buy handicrafts, taste the local food and enjoy the medieval atmosphere.

Apart from one short but destructive storm this week, the weather has been absolutely perfect again all week – no complaints here! But it was one hell of a storm. It was on Monday afternoon and only lasted about 30 minutes but in the short time it took to sweep through the country, it wreaked havoc and caused millions of euros worth of damage. On my balcony, 3 large plants pots and their contents were smashed to pieces but that’s insignificant compared to the damage others suffered with roofs being blown off, falling trees etc. Then followed the eerie calm after the storm and the next morning it was as if nothing had ever happened and back to the heatwave.

Needless to say I have once again been taking full advantage of the weather and have been busy hiking and cycling, interspersed with just a little work here and there! I try to always remember, though not always successfully, to take my camera with me these days so I can show where I’ve been and give readers of my blog some ideas and inspiration for those thinking of visiting Slovenia. This week however, I had a hard time choosing from all the pictures I’d taken!

Temperature records were being broken all over the country this past weekend including temperatures of 38.3 degrees in the capital Ljubljana and 39.4 in Novo Mesto. However, the overall highest ever recorded temperature of 40.6 degrees, recorded in 1950 in Črnomelj in the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia, hasn’t yet been exceeded. So with these high temperatures, I’ve been planning my hiking trips carefully, leaving early and where possible staying in the forest and the shade as much as possible.

On Monday I hiked up to Babji Zob (1128m). Babji zob, which means Hag’s Tooth, is an unusual tooth shaped rock formation at the far northwestern edge of the forested Jelovica plateau. There is also a cave under the rock, thought to be the second oldest cave in  Slovenia which can, upon prior arrangement, be explored with a guide – more information can be found here – http://bledbohinjskabela.wix.com/b  However, the walk up to the rock  can be done at any time but it is rather steep in places so good footwear is a must and I’d also suggest using walking poles.

On Tuesdsay I visited the Martuljek waterfalls and was also fortunate to stumble across the Charcoal Makers  Day being held there where a charcoal pit, as seen below, was being recreated.

There are two waterfalls, the lower and upper falls. The first waterfall can be reached in about 30 minutes from the parking area whilst the upper falls requires a further 1 hour walking from there. The falls are a very popular attraction and are reasonably easily accessed. However, good footwear is a must as the path rises steeply in places through the forest and then descends on a somewhat rocky and in places treacherous path – do not attempt it in sandals. The source of the Martuljek stream, which cascades in three stages down a 110 metre high cliff forms the Upper Martuljek waterfall. The stream follows its path through a 500 metre long ravine dropping again over the 50 metres high rock face as the Lower Martuljek waterfall.

On Wednesday I made another long trip, this time starting a little further on from the reservoir in Završnica and hiking up to the mountain hut Koča pri Izviru Završnice, onwards to the Zelenica Ski Centre, then towards Vrtača. I had been on a similar route during the winter but had somehow failed to notice how stunning the views across to Lake Bled were – perhaps because during the winter I am constantly worrying about falling through the snow covered scrub hence I’m unable to appreciate the views!

Incidentally, a new trim trail has recently been created which begins at the Završnica reservoir and leads pleasantly beside the Završnica stream, at all times in the shade so perfect for these hot days. There is also a new children’s play area and a  new bar, making a trip to Završnica now a worthwhile destination in itself.

The hugely popular Radovljica Music Festival begins this week and runs from the 10th – 25th August. The annual festival of old music, now in its 31st year, attracts musicians and audiences from far and wide and is notable for the high standard of music on offer performed by top-notch musicians from around the world and in the magnicient setting of the Radovljica Mansion. More information can be found here –– http://www.radolca.si/en/radovljica-festival/

Having had one of the snowiest winters ever, this was followed by the wettest May since 1975. So last week I decided to try to find a positive to the recent heavy rainfall by visiting Vintgar Gorge, which is at its most impressive following heavy rain.

Vintgar Gorge, in the vicinity of Gorje, 4kms from Bled and approximately 10kms from Radovljica, is one of the major tourist sights in the area. It is usually open from the end of April until October. During the summer months buses run regularly from Bled or it also makes a pleasant walk from Bled. Personally I prefer to walk from the village of Zasip up to the church at the Hom hill and take the path across its slopes, before following the road down into the gorge and returning up through the forest. It’s a  much longer route but its circular and I like circular routes! However, for those that don’t wish to walk so far and have their own transport, there is a large car park at the entrance to the gorge, which is also where the buses stop. The gorge is 1.6km in length and has a boardwalk throughout which ends at the Šum waterfall – http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/natural-sights/the-vintgar-gorge

By mid-week the weather had improved and by the weekend it was positively summer-like, with the exception of a few torrential downpours and almighty thunderstorms. Sunday was forecast to be the best day of the week and so a friend and I embarked upon a rather ambitious cycle trip; ambitious in as much as she needed to be home by 12 o’clock and between here and there were a lot of kilometres and a lot of ups and downs! Our trip came about as a result of last week’s blog, where I wrote about my attempt at making Dražgoški kruhki. A friend then asked me if I had actually been to Dražgoše, to which I ashamedly replied ‘no’! So, it was time to rectify this and a visit by bike seemed the ideal way to see the best of it as one has more time to take in and appreciate the views whilst cycling.

We started from Radovljica and first travelled through the Lipnica Valley to the village of Kropa. This picturesque village is known as the cradle of Slovene iron-forging and has a centuries old tradition of ironworking and blacksmithing. It is one of the most important of Slovenia’s historic places due to its preserved architecture and technical heritage – http://www.radolca.si/en/kropa/

Kropa is a small village but a pleasant place for a stroll, to see some of the ironworks on the buildings and get a glimpse into the history of the village at the Kropa Blacksmith Museum. The museum is located in the central part of the old square, in Klinar’s House, and among its  exhibits is the only preserved iron-forge in Slovenia as well as displays of authentic materials and tools ranging from the 14th to the 20th centuries – http://www.muzeji-radovljica.si/_eng/KM-introduction.html

From Kropa we took the windy road, with seemingly countless hairpin bends, up to Jamnik (830m). The church of Saints Primus and Felician, which stands atop Jamnik, is a prominent feature of this area and can be seen from far and wide. From Jamnik we continued onwards to Dražgoše and from there down to the village of Železniki and through the beautiful Selška Valley to Škofja Loka. Then from Škofja Loka to Kranj, Naklo and back to Radovljica. The weather couldn’t have been more ideal for such a trip – hot but not scorching – with just a light breeze to keep things cool. It was a 4.5 hour ride in total with just a short stop at the war memorial in Dražgoše for a photo break as evidence that I was there (we didn’t quite make it by 12 o’clock but weren’t far behind).

Here are some forthcoming events for the week ahead in Radovljica and the surrounding areas:

•  Weds 12^th June – Concert by Podnart Choir – free entry, Radovljica Mansion House
•  Saturday 15^th June – Open Day at the Gorenjska Beekeeing Centre, Lesce
•  Saturday 15^th June – Forester’s Competition, Opposite the Sava Farm Co-operative (KGZ_, Lesce
• Saturday 15^th June – Summer Museums Night, 80 museums throughout Slovenia open for one night only from 6pm until midnight with free admission – http://www.tms.si/PMN/?page_id=91

With the weather being so awful all week (rain, rain and more rain), I don’t have any exciting trips or walks to report. However, I found an indoor activity to do instead and went on a course at the Biotechnical Centre in Naklo to learn how to make Dražgoški kruhki; handmade, ornamental honey breads, a speciality of the village of Dražgoše.

The recipe is really simple as there are only three ingredients (as seen in the photo below together with the prepared dough); flour, honey and ammonia carbonate (jelenova sol), available from the chemists, but which could also be substituted for bicarbonate of soda. After mixing and kneading the dough, then comes the decorating, for which a bit of patience and flair is required (that latter not being something I have in abundance!).

The finished product should look like this:

And this was my finished product – not bad for a first attempt don’t you think?!

The small village of Dražgoše (pictured below), after which these honey breads are named, lies on the south slopes of Jelovica, the plateau which dominates the view to the south of Radovljica. As well as being known for its honey breads, Dražgoše is also known for being the site of a second world war battle between Slovene partisans and Nazi German armed-forces. After suffering heavy losses the Nazi forces set fire to the village, shot 41 hostages and deported the remaining residents. In 1976 the Dražgoše war memorial was built just outside the village to commemorate this battle and the destruction of the village. There is now a traditional commemorative night walk from Pasja ravan to Dražgoše (Po poti Cankarjevega bataljona), which is not for the faint hearted since it takes place annually in January and takes on average around 10 – 12 hours to complete.

At the beginning of this year, (2^nd January 2013), I wrote about how I had met and enjoyed the company of two of Slovenia’s national treasures – Ivanka Kraševec and Ivan (Žan) Prešern.

As well as both having very successful music careers, Ivanka and Žan also devote their attention to painting these days and have both hosted exhibitions. I was therefore surprised and more than delighted when they gave me a painting last week, a belated birthday present, which Žan had painted especially for me, and similar to one his paintings that I had been previously been admiring. The painting is of the beautiful view looking out over the back of Radovljica, across the valley and towards Triglav.

To see this view at its best, there is a new viewing platform which can be reached by walking through the old town in Radovljica and turning right shortly before the church. There is an information board which details all the sights and a couple of benches, perfect for simply sitting and soaking up the views.

Thankfully the forecast looks more promising for the week ahead so I hope to be able to get out and about a lot more. In the meantime, here are a few things going on in Radovljica and the surrounding areas in the coming week:

• 2^nd – 8^th June: Country Week in Loka – A variety of events taking place in Škofja Loka and the surrounding villages including guided walks, cookery workshops, farmers markets and more
• 6^th – 9^th June: Radovljica Swimming Pool – 37^th Open Swimming Championships
• Thursday 6^th June: Radovljica Manor House – Gala Concert with Manca Izmajalova and others

More information about events in Radovljica, and about the villages in the surrounding areas, can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/