Tag Archives: jesenice

All About Mošnje

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After last year’s record washout of a summer, this year couldn’t be more different. Records are again being broken but this time for the number of consecutive day where the temperature is above 30 degrees. Currently, it looks like more of the same to come for the next week too.

If you are thinking of seeking water-based refreshment then currently the ever cool Sava river is a mere 15 degrees. the Soča river slightly warmer at 17 degrees and the Adriatic Sea at the Slovene coast a balmy 30 degrees.

I prefer to seek shade in the forest so, when I paid a visit yesterday to the newly renovated and remodelled Village Museum in Mošnje, I went via the Radovljica Forest Nature Trail – http://www.radolca.si/en/radovljica-forest-educational-trail/

For its size, the village of Mošnje packs in quite a number of sights of interest and things to do. The first place reached on entering the village is Vila Podvin where one of Slovenia’s top chefs, Uroš Štefelin, works his culinary magic. In addition to the usual culinary delights on offer, every Thursday during the summer Vila Podvin hold a Summer Steak and Chocolate evening, where, in the tranquil garden with a view of Podvin Castle, you can eat the finest steak and accompaniments, followed by chef Uroš’ heavenly signature chocolate dessert,

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Vila Podvin also hosts a local market on the first Saturday of each month where the focus is on local products and produce.

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Continuing through the village, passing Podvin Castle – which has sadly been abandoned for quite some time now – you pass the fire station and a pizzeria, before reaching the Church of St. Andrew, one of the oldest churches in Slovenia. http://www.radolca.si/en/mosnje-church/

Opposite the church is the Mošnje Village Museum which contains an ethnological collection and was recently refurbished. The museum can be visited by prior arrangement or, every Thursday during the summer, as part of the programme of the Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus. For further information contact – tdmosnje@gmail.com or damjanapangerc@gmail.com

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The best way to see the village and the sights of interest is to walk around the Mošnje Archeological Trail which leads around the village and to the Villa Rustica Archeological Site – http://www.radolca.si/en/mosnje-archaeological-trail/

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After leaving Mosnje, the next village reached is Globoko, home to the Barbana Lipizzaner Stud Farm, (http://www.barbana.si/en) where Lipizzaner horses are bred, and the Globočnik Excursion Farm, a traditional farmhouse – also a member of Taste Radol’ca – that offers home cooking which can be enjoyed in the authentic black kitchen.

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By prior arrangement, you can also arrive in Globoko by train, as the station is on the main line between Ljubljana and Jesenice, and be met by a horse and carriage from the stud farm for a ride to Mošnje and around the local area.

There are also several events that take place throughout the year in the village including the Midsummer’s Eve celebration, Mošnje Days Fete in September and Easter Games and Exhibition.

© AdeleinSlovenia 2015

The Blacksmiths Festival + Hiking, Cycling and Mushrooms galore!

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Summer is well and truly here – hooray! And with it come numerous fairs, festivals and other outdoors events, as well as myriad opportunities for hiking, cycling, swimming and enjoying the great outdoors.

I had a pretty active weekend myself. On Saturday I went by bike from Radovljica to Bohinjska Bela, the other side of Bled, from where I then hiked up to Galetovec, beginning at the climbing area by the Iglica waterfall. You can read more about hiking to Galetovec in this previous post – http://bit.ly/1HHmigK

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On Sunday I went by bike through the Radovna valley, which is always the place I head to bike when the heat is on as the cycle path leads mostly alongside the Radovna river and in the cool of the forest beneath the Mežakla and Pokljuka plateaus. I returned on the D2 cycle path from Mojstrana to Jesenice, and then by road back to Radovljica. You can read more about cycling in Radovna in this previous post –  http://bit.ly/1NL6B9f

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Other than that I was keeping cool in the shade of the forest, which isn’t hard to do when Slovenia is 60% covered by forest. I even got lucky and found my first mushrooms of the year which were delicious cooked up with chard from my vegetable plot!

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On Saturday it was also the annual Blacksmiths Festival (Kovaški smaren) in the village of Kropa, the cradle of Slovene iron-forging. The village, which sits snugly at the far eastern edge of the Jelovica plateau, is crammed with interesting sights and architecture and preserved technical heritage which is showcased during the annual festival. There were demonstrations of hand forging of nails in the Vigenjc Vice Blacksmiths Museum, a small handicraft market, old-time bikes, open days at the Blacksmiths Museum and the Fovšaritnica Museum House, as well as at the headquarters of UKO Kropa, which is keeping the iron-forging tradition alive in Kropa and specialise in all manner of wrought iron furnishings and fittings.

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Kropa is one of the destinations that can be visited on the Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus which is now operating. The bus visits Kropa on Tuesdays on the route which also includes Bled, Radovljica and Kamna Gorica. As the name implies, you can get on and off the bus at the various place along the route and either wander at your own leisure or participate in one of the guided tours. The bus also runs on Thursdays additionally to Begunje and Brezje, and at weekends to Triglav National Park. More information can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/hop-on-hop-off-radolca/

The nation was saddened by the news of the death last week of the legendary Slavko Avsenik, the founder of Slovene national folk music. The music of the Avsenik brothers is popular worldwide, particularly in neighbouring European countries, but also farther afield. The family home, and venue for the Avsenik Festival, regular concerts, gallery and museum, is at Pr’Jožovcu in Begunje na Gorenjskem. To date they have produced over 1000 songs, which are now being performed by younger generations of the family, so there is no doubt that his music will live on forever.

© AdeleinSlovenia 2015

The Kokra Canyon / Summer Highlights in Radovljica

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The old town of Kranj, the capital of the Gorenjska region, sits on a terrace above the 30-metre deep Kokra canyon, which was formed by the Kokra river carving its way into the conglomerate terrace dating back to the Ice Age.

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The recently constructed Educational Trail runs for about 2km beside the Kokra river and is best accessed down the long flight of stairs beneath the bridge over the river in the centre of the old town. It makes a great addition to the old town centre which sadly, like so many other town centres these days, is in decline due to the many out-of-town shopping centres that have sprung up here, there and everywhere. The trail means a walk through the old town can now be extended somewhat before returning to enjoy a cuppa and a cake at one of the many cafes which, together with the town’s museums and a meagre sprinkling of shops, are largely all that remain in the old town centre.

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After descending down to the river you can walk along either bank of the river and make a circular route. However, unfortunately at present its not possible to walk the circular route as some weeks back a lorry travelling over the narrow bridge, unsuitable for lorries, at the far end of the canyon, managed to reduce it to a twisted wreck of metal and concrete. It is hoped they will repair the bridge as soon as possible but nevertheless its still a nice enough place for a short stroll whilst visiting Kranj.

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Its still possible to make an almost, albeit very short, circular route by descending the stairs and staying on the same side of the river i.e. don’t cross the bridge, and continue until just short of the mangled bridge, then take the road uphill which leads back to the old town centre.

Its interesting to note that in Dol, on the right bank of the river, there was once a public bathing resort. The resort, which opened in 1900, was open from June to September and was divided into sections for men and women. It was in use until 1916 and then again for the short time after the First World War. Today, just the remains of the foundations of the changing rooms, and the stairs on the riverbank serve as reminders.

Kranj is well served by public transport, so reaching the town from Radovljica, which also has excellent transport links, is easy. Regular buses and (slightly less regular) trains run from Ljubljana – Jesenice, stopping at, amongst others, Kranj, Radovljica, and Lesce-Bled stations.

The Radovljica Summer Events Programme is now available and there’s plenty for everyone. Some of the highlights include:

* Fresh Thursdays – Live Music every Thursday evening in Linhart Square – the heart of the old town centre

* The 33 Radovljica Music Festival – 8th to 23rd August – Part of the European Early Music Network. More information here: http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/events-1/radovljica-festival/83/260/

* Theatre Festival in Kropa – 19th June to 3rd July – More information here (in Slovene): http://www.radolca.si/kaj-poceti/dogodki/festival-gledalisca-kropa-2015/83/785/

* Flea Markets – Every first Sunday in the month (throughout the year) from 9am – 1pm

* Free Guided Tours of Radovljica – Every Tuesday – More information here: http://www.radolca.si/en/guided-tour-of-radovljica/

The entire programme can be found here: http://www.radolca.si/en/db/radolca/file/zgibanka%20prevodi_web.pdf

© AdeleinSlovenia 2015

Hiking, cycling and strolling in sunny Slovenia!

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After the excesses of the Easter weekend (see last week’s post), this weekend was devoted to my number one passion i.e. being outdoors, and as a bonus the whole weekend the country was bathed in fabulous warm sunshine. It was certainly a far cry from last weekend’s snowy/windy/cold and very changeable weather and, as you will see below, I managed to squeeze in quite a lot!

  • A stroll amongst the spring flowers in Ljubljana’s Botanic Gardens where even the terrapins were basking in the sun.

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  • A walk up to Ljubljana Castle.

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  • A hike up to the Potoška highland (Potoška planina).

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As you can see, in places there was still some snow. In fact, it is quite difficult at the moment to choose where to hike because the sunny slopes, up to around 1200-1300m, are now free of snow, however, any higher, and particularly in shaded areas, there is still a lot of snow and ice to contend with, so hikes into the higher mountains will have to wait a while yet. These past couple of days though, due to the high temperatures, it is beginning to melt fast so hopefully it won’t be too much longer until I can begin to start venturing further and higher.

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I began from the reservoir in Žirovnica, which I had cycled to from home, then followed the path up towards the Valvasor mountain hut (Valvasorjev dom). On reaching the road forest road, which is crossed in order to continue towards the hut, there is a sign for Ajdna and Potoška planina to the left. I had actually intended to go to Ajdna but there was a training course for mountain guides taking place there all weekend so I instead continued on the forest road up to the Potoška highland (1270m) from where there are far-reaching views across the Julian Alps and along the Upper-Sava valley towards Kranjska Gora, however, it was rather hazy sunshine so the photos don’t really do the views justice on this occasion. From the highland I turned right to continue towards the Valvasor hut but, rather than going to the hut itself, I continued on to the next highland, Žirovniška planina. There are several such mountain highlands that lie on the slopes beneath Stol, the highest mountain in the Karavanke range.

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  • A ride on the new bike path in Jesenice. I love this new path as its traffic-free and now joins up with the bike path from Mojstrana towards Kranjska Gora and onwards into Italy.

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Next weekend, of course, its the Radovljica Chocolate Festival so will once again be dedicated to my other passion i.e. chocolate! All the chocolately fun kicks off on Friday 17th April at 3pm and continues all weekend. The full festival programme is now available here – http://www.festival-cokolade.si/en/programme/

© AdeleinSlovenia 2015

Slovenian Woodenware (suha roba)

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I was pleased to read this week that Adria, Slovenia’s national airline, is launching new flights from Maribor, Slovenia’s 2nd biggest city and 2nd largest airport, to Southend in the east of the UK. It’s not terribly helpful for me as my friends and family are scattered far from Southend, though, if the price is right it might be an option and hopefully for some – both in Slovenia and the UK – it will be a boon.

Southend might seem something of an odd choice – the airport is named ‘London Southend’ but a quick look at the map will reveal that it isn’t actually ‘London and isn’t actually even that close, being in the county of Essex. However, Central London can be reached in less than an hour and it will at least hopefully bring some much needed regeneration to Maribor and the Štajerska region as a whole. It also offers an alternative to the so-called ‘low cost’ airlines which, apart from the few months a year over the summer that Adria fly to Gatwick and Manchester, are currently the only choice to/from the UK. It looks the prices should be competitive too, which is even better. You can read more here (in Slovene)  -https://www.adria.si/sl/novice/2015/nova-redna-letalska-povezava-adrie-airways-iz-maribora-v-london/

On Saturday I visited the Stara Sava area of Jesenice, 20 mins by car from Radovljica or just a few stops on the train, to look around the museum area and the St. Jožef’s Fair, held annually to celebrate the municipal holiday and the patron saint. Granted, from the outside Jesenice really doesn’t appear to have much going for it, dominated as it is by the chimneys and pluming smoke from the Akroni steel factory, however, the town is surrounded by some wonderful nature and the Stara sava area in particular has been nicely restored and exhibits the technical heritage of the area. The area comprises the 16th century Ruard Manor, the 17th century Church of St. Mary’s Assumption and typical worker’s houses from the 18th century, as well as being the museum, cultural and tourist centre of the town.

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There was a small market selling a range of typical Slovene goods including ‘suha roba’, meaning ‘woodenware’, which are traditional handmade wooden products, originally made in Ribnica in the southeast of Slovenia, where the tradition dates back as far as the 14th century. These days suha roba products can be found on sale from mobile vans, stalls, and even hawkers who walk around selling the various products hanging from their every limb, at many markets and other larger events throughout the country. If you are looking for a gift to take home for friends or family, you will surely find something; kitchen implements, garden tools, toys, small items of furniture, and myriad other useful household objects.

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It’s now only 24 days until the 4th Radovljica Chocolate Festival – not that I’m counting or anything! If you share my love of all-things chocolate, take a look at this short video of last year’s event to see why its become so popular. Hope to see you there – but you’d better get there quick before I eat ALL the chocolate! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHheIefC_-g

© AdeleinSlovenia 2015