Tag Archives: Kralov med

Hop-On Hop-On 2018 is Here – This Year Even Bigger and Better!

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, adeleinslovenia, Avsenik, Bee Our Guest, Beekeeping, Beekeeping in Slovenia, Begunje, Castles in Slovenia, France Prešeren, golf in Slovenia, Hop-on Hop-On Bus, ifeelsLOVEnia, ironworking, Kropa, Mošnje, museums in Slovenia, Radol'ca, Radovljica, Slovenia, Slovenia blog, Slovenian honey, Tourism Radol'ca, Visit Radol'ca, Visit Žirovnica, Žirovnica by

The Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus made its first journey(s) of the season this week and this year there’s even more to see and do with two extra days added to the timetable and entirely new destinations to discover! Take a ride and discover the hidden corners of the Radol’ca countryside.

The Hop-On Hop-Off bus is a great way to discover more of Radol’ca and the surrounding areas. For those who do not have a car or those who want to simply leave the car behind and be chauffeur-driven for a change, without having to worry about reading maps, finding parking places etc.

On Tuesdays you can take the ‘Charming Towns and Villages‘ route, which includes visits to Radovljica, Posavec, Ljubno and Kropa. Among the highlights of this route are the Iron Forging Museum and the Vigenc Vice foundry in Kropa, where at the latter you can see a demonstration of hand nail forging, and the Museum of Apiculture and Lectar Honeybread Museum and Workshop in Radovljica.

A demonstration of hand nail forging, Vigenc Vice Foundry, Kropa

Lectar Inn Honeybread Museum and Workshop, Radovljica

On Wednesdays the ‘Bee Our Guest‘ bus provides a fascinating insight into Slovenian beekeeping and includes visits to the Museum of Apiculture in Radovljica, the Beekeeping Education Centre of Gorenjska in Lesce, Anton Janša’s apiary in Breznica, Bee Paradise in Selo pri Žirovnici and Kralov med beekeeping in Selo pri Bledu.

Kralov med, Selo pri Bledu

Anton Janša’s apiary, Breznica pri Žirovnici

Thursday’s ‘Tales from the Countryside‘ route takes passengers to places such as Vrba, Žirovnica, Begunje na Gorenjskem, Brezje and Podvin. Among the highlights of the route are the ruins of Kamen Castle, the Avsenik Museum and the Museum of Hostages in Begunje, Adventure Mini Golf in Gorica, the Villa Rustica archaelogical site in Mošnje, and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Brezje.

Adventure Mini Golf in Gorica

Završnica Valley, Žirovnica

And on Fridays, the bus runs to Begunje na Gorenjskem and then along the ‘Panoramic Road to Tržič‘. Highlights include the ruins of Kamen Castle, the old town centre of Tržič, the Mebron foundry and the Dovžan Gorge.

Ruins of Kamen Castle, Begunje na Gorenjskem

Dovžan Gorge, Tržič

So, as you can see, there’s plenty to choose from; in fact the toughest decision could be choosing which of the routes to take!

Click here for more information and the full timetable.

© Adele in Slovenia

 

Like Beekeeping? Love Radovljica!

Posted in adeleinslovenia, Beekeeping, Beekeeping in Slovenia, ifeelsLOVEnia, Jelovica, Julian Alps, Ljubljana, Radol'ca, Radovljica, Restaurants, Rivers in Slovenia, Sava river, Slovenia, Taste Radol'ca, Tourism Radol'ca by

Those interested in beekeeping should definitely make a beeline for Radovljica!

The Radovljica area has a wealth of beekeeping-related sights of interest, all within close proximity, thus making it ideal place to visit for beekeepers or those with an interest in beekeeping.

One such example is the group of 38 beekeepers from Estonia who I helped with their plans to visit Radovljica.

Whilst the main purpose of their trip was beekeeping-related activities, they also managed to find time to do some sightseeing in Ljubljana, took a traditional pletna boat to the island on Lake Bled, and visited Vintgar Gorge.

The main beekeeping day began with a visit to Kralov med in the hamlet of Selo near Bled, where owner Blaž Ambrožič told them everything, and more, that they could possibly want to know about beekeeping in Slovenia. I wrote more extensively about my visit to Kralov med in a previous blog, also about World Bee Day, which you can read here – https://adeleinslovenia.com/2016/05/17/world-bee-day-the-anton-jansa-honey-route/

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The undoubted highlight, whether a beekeeper or not, is the chance to see and experience up close the hive found on a nearby tree trunk and transported to its current home. The fact you can get so close is testament to the calm nature of Slovenia’s Carniolan grey bee.

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Next the group came to Radovljica, beginning at the Tourist Information Centre where they tasted local honey and chocolate, and had the chance to buy some gifts to take home. They even brought us some of their own Estonian honey, which, as you can see, the staff enjoyed tasting!

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We then took a stroll through the medieval old town to see the main sights of interest – the Šivec House Gallery, the Radovljica Mansion, St. Peter’s Church, and the other wonderful frescoed buildings.

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Then it was on to the viewpoint for wonderful views of the Julian Alps, the Jelovica plateau and the Sava river.

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The next stop was to Lectar Inn to watch the process of making and decorating the traditional ‘lectar’ gingerbread’ hearts, made with honey, of course!

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And a chance to buy souvenirs and/or gifts for loved ones.

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Having seen Radovljica, it was then time to Taste Radol’ca, with a traditional Slovene lunch, also at Lectar Inn, one of the participating Taste Radol’ca restaurants. During lunch, the owner Jože entertained us with a few of his favourite songs played on the harmonica – never something to be missed!

The final stop in Radovljica was to the Museum of Apiculture, housed in the Radovljica Mansion, where visitors can learn all about the history of beekeeping in Slovenia, watch a video (narrated in English by me!), and in summer watch the bees hard work diligently in the hive.

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The group’s very last stop on the jam-packed, or should I say honey-packed, day, was to the Gorenjska Beekeeping Development and Education Centre in Lesce. You can read more about the centre and its wide-ranging activities here – http://www.radolca.si/en/gorenjska-region-beekeeping-development-and-education-centre/

So, as you can see, the Radovljica area really is a beekeeper’s paradise!

If you’d like any more information about Slovenian beekeeping, or are interested in taking a tour of the town and/or visiting some of the above-mentioned sights, feel free to get in touch or contact Tourism Radol’ca – http://www.radolca.si/en/

© Adele in Slovenia

World Bee Day: The Anton Janša Honey Route

Posted in Beekeeping, Beekeeping in Slovenia, Radovljica, Slovenia by

Much of the history of beekeeping in Slovenia can be attributed to Anton Janša (1734-1733) and still today barely a word is said about Slovenian beekeeping without his name being mentioned. Perhaps it was fate then that I moved to Slovenia, and particularly to the Gorenjska region, from where more than 150 prominent beekeepers hail, including Anton Janša, with whom I also share a birthday – 20th May – which is now (hopefully) to become World Bee Day! I live in Radovljica, home to the Museum of Apiculture and close to the village of Breznica where Anton Janša, was born.

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Slovenia is the only EU member state that has protected its indigenous bee, the Carniolan bee, which means that no other bee can be bred here. The Carniolan bee is the 2nd most widely used breed of bee in the world and originated in this region of the country.

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The initiative for a World Bee Day was started by the Slovene Beekeeping Association, who, rightly so, believe there should be a World Day in recognition of something that is of such vital importance to the world. I whole-heartedly support this movement, after all, there are World Days for pretty much everything these days, so bees more than deserve to be recognised.

To mark this, I went on my own little ‘bee adventure’, following part of the Anton Janša Honey Route, which takes in Radovljica, Bled, Vrba, and Škofja Loka.

I began by visiting Janša’s beehive in Breznica which is part of the Žirovnica Path of Cultural Heritage that connects the birth places of many notable Slovenes including Dr. France Prešeren, Matija Čop, Franc Saleški Finžgar and Janez Jalen. More information here – http://bit.ly/1T26zxe

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As with the majority of hives in Slovenia, Jansa’s features original painted beehive panels, unique to Slovenia, each of which depicts a humorous or satirical story – this one shows animals taking over the role of humans.

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I also visited the Kralov med hives in the hamlet of Selo, near Bled, where beekeeper Blaž Ambrožič oozed enthusiasm when showing and telling me about the wonders of bees.

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I thought I knew a reasonable amount about beekeeping, however, Blaž told me so many astonishing facts about beekeeping that I can but recommend that you go and find out more for yourself! After all, it seems that barely a day passes when there isn’t more astonishing evidence about the importance of bees and the benefits of honey. It really is one of the best foods of nature as well as being credited with alleviating a range of medical conditions and lately has also become the latest trend in beauty products. You can also read about my recent experience of a bee sting facial here – http://bit.ly/1Spm1o2

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The star of the show at Kralov med is undoubtedly the hive that was painstakingly transplanted from a tree trunk and transported, bees and all, to where it sits today, and where the bees are still working diligently.

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As a measure of the calm characteristics of the Carniolan bee, Blaž encouraged me to put my hand inside the hive and the bees were completely unperturbed by my presence.

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I had a chance to try some of the honey and learn about the various characteristics and properties of the different kinds of honey and propolis.

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At the time of my visit a brand new hive had just been built which will also be available for apitherapy and visitors will even be able to sleep there, all the while inhaling the intoxicating scents of the bees, which is known to have beneficial effects, particularly for those suffering from respiratory diseases.

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Can you find out more about Kralov med here – http://www.kralov-med.si/en/home/

The Anton Janša route also includes:

  •  The Carniolan queen mating station in the Završnica valley
  • The Museum of Apiculture in Radovljica, which features, amongst other exhibits, hundreds of beehive front panels including the world’s oldest – http://www.radolca.si/en/radovljica-apiculture-museum/
  • The hamlets of Combe and Bitnje in Bohinj, where the internationally renowned bee merchant Jan Strgar kept his bees and who, together with Mihael Ambrožič, was responsible for the spread in popularity of the Carniolan bee

You can also visit the Beekeeping Education Centre of Gorenjska in Lesce – http://www.cricg.si/angleski-jezik/ and follow developments regarding the World Bee Day Initiative here – https://www.facebook.com/worldbeeday/?fref=ts

So, come on, let’s unite to support World Bee Day and Save the Bees!

© Adele in Slovenia