Culinary Radol’ca & a Festival(ful) Weekend

Posted in Beekeeping, Festivals in Slovenia, Food, Mosnje, Taste Radol'ca, Tourism Radol'ca by adeleinslovenia

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, there were a lot of events going on this past weekend, and I had some difficulty choosing which to attend. In the end I managed to fit in 3 in one day, such is the benefit of living in a small country. The weather also contributed to my decision as when I awoke early on Saturday morning the skies were looking ominously gloomy and so I decided that a day out to the coast to visit the Sweet Istra Festival and to see some sunshine and sea would make a change. It was like mid-summer there, so I certainly achieved what I set out too and I even managed to also squeeze in visiting the Festival of Honey in Lesce, and Mošnje Days in Mošnje.

The Sweet Istra Festival (Sladka istra) takes place in Koper every September, and for lovers of all things sweet i.e. me, it makes a great day out. It’s held right next to the sea in the old town of Koper, home to Slovenia’s only port. There were cakes, chocolates and sweets of all shapes and sizes. Even, as seen below, a giant fish made out of chocolate being sculpted by Blaž Habjan in the Land of Chocolate, where I recognised many of the chocolatiers from Radovljica’s Chocolate Festival.

There were typical Istran dishes such as this koruzni šmorn – a kind of shredded pancake made from corn flour.

On my way back I stopped off at the Festival of Honey at the Beekeeping Centre in Lesce where there were stalls selling honey and beekeeping products, workshops for children, honey drinks, ice-cream and other dishes, and a chance to look around the centre and see the various equipment available for beekeepers for processing wax, bottling etc.

I was particularly taken by these cute honey pots!

My final port of call was to Mošnje where the Mošnje Days event was taking place. There was an open-day at the village museum, locally produced food, stilt walkers, and much merriment. I arrived rather late after my long day out but fortunately there was still a little food left in the pot!

Tourism Radol’ca have produced a new culinary guide to the Radol’ca area which includes details of all the restaurants that are part of Taste Radol’ca, and since the focus is on local food, the guide also include details of local suppliers. Additionally, the chefs have divulged recipes for some of their favourites dishes so you can try making them at home.

Take a look at the brochure here – http://issuu.com/turizemradovljica/docs/kulinaricna_brosura_radolca

14Sep2015

Grajska gostilnica – A New Era

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

In late spring this year the restaurant Grajska gostilnica in Radovljica was given a new lease of life when it was taken over by Borut Salmič, who previously worked as Head Chef at several prestigious restaurants in the Gorenjska region, including Lambergh Chateau and Hotel.

It’s great to have a new (albeit old) restaurant in the centre of Radovljica, with a view over the town park. It offers top-quality food at affordable prices – classic Slovene dishes as well as more modern cuisine ‘ all with an added twist from Borut.

I have visited quite a few times in the past couple of months and have been working my way through the menu. In addition to the main menu, there is a snack menu, daily lunch specials and a wine cellar where special events can be held.

Starters include cold-cut boards and soups.

Main courses include steaks, pasta, risottos, fish, salad plates and more.

And my personal favourite, stuffed dough parcels (kruhki), served on a board with dips:

Home-made desserts are a particularly speciality, and for someone like me with a very sweet tooth they are heavenly.

Grajska gostilnica will be (re)joining the other Taste Radol’ca restaurants, and preparations are well-underway for this year’s opening event next month. More on that soon – watch this space!

More information about Grajska gostilnica can be found here – http://en.grajska-gostilnica.si/home.html

These days I spend quite a significant amount of time scouring the internet and other media to find out what events are going on in the local, and wider, area and have discovered that next weekend, 18 – 20 September, there is an awful lot going on. In fact, almost too much!

It’s a shame as, inevitably, with so many things going on, it will be impossible to get to all of them. Should any of the event organisers happen to be reading this, perhaps for the future it would be worth considering some kind of co-ordination ‘date-wise’ as it would mean higher attendance numbers at events and more opportunities for us i.e. Joe Public’ to attend them, since this past weekend, there were no such events.

Anyway, that’s just my two-pennies worth, though, I suppose its better to have too many events than not enough! So, here are just some of the larger events taking place next weekend. Now I must just decide which to attend!

Festival of Honey at the Beekeeping Centre of Gorenjska in Lesce – Saturday 19th Sept from 10am – 6pm (http://www.cricg.si/seznam/dogodek/dan-medu-v-kulinariki-festival-medu/)
Celebration of Cheese and Wine – Saturday 19th Sept 12pm – 12am – Camp Danica, Bohinjska Bistrica – http://www.bohinj.si/en/experiencing_bohinj/cows_ball_bohinj
The Cow Ball (Kravji bal) in Bohinj – Sunday 20th Sept – (as per link above)
Mošnje Days (Mošenjski dnevi) in Mosnje – Fri 18 & Sat 19 Sept – http://radolca.si/kaj-poceti/dogodki/mosenjski-dnevi/83/555/
Sweet Istra (Sladka Istra) – Sat 19th & Sun 20 Sept – Koper – http://www.sladka-istra.si/sl/
435th Anniversary of the Lipica Stud Farm and Stud Farm Open Day – Sun 20 Sept 10am – 6pm – http://www.lipica.org/en/events/2015/09/14/115-435th-anniversary-of-the-Lipica-Stud-Farm-The-Day-of-the-Lipica-Stud-Farm

7Sep2015

Food, Glorious Slovene Food!

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

In the 8+ years I’ve been living in Slovenia the food scene has certainly come on in leaps and bounds. There’s still plenty of the traditional Slovene food which we all (including me) love, but there is also no shortage of variety with a plethora of international restaurants opening, particularly in the capital Ljubljana which is now right up there with other capital cities in terms of its variety of restaurants serving food from across the world.

Just last week there was an article published in the local media (in English) entitled ‘Top 10 delicious Slovenian dishes’ which you can read here – http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/top-10-delicious-slovenian-dishes/372078

Many places, including Radovljica where I live, have also begun initiatives such as Taste Radol’ca whereby local restaurants unite to arrange special events and offer dedicated menus using local produce. More information here – http://www.radolca.si/en/taste-radolca/

There are also some great food events taking place such throughout the country, particularly the weekly ‘Odprta Kuhinja’ (Open Kitchen) street food market, which this year has also been successfully expanded to Celje and Koper. This is a hugely popular event with both locals and tourists and allows visitors to try out all kinds of different foods, with restaurants taking part on a rotational basis so there’s always something new on offer. More information here – http://www.odprtakuhna.si/

Despite living less than 45 minutes away, I don’t find myself often in Ljubljana, and when I do its for work and I’m usually in a rush and am left wishing I had more time to look around and have a chance to try out some of the goodies on offer. So, I decided to address this and, having read so much about her and her Food Walks, I contacted Iva Gruden, founder of Ljubljananjam Food Walks. What Iva doesn’t know about food in Ljubljana isn’t worth knowing!

A Ljubljananjam Food Walk offers the chance to take a walk around the city to see some of the great sights near the Ljubljanica river and Ljubljana Castle, and also a little further afield, and enjoy some of the best food and drink the city has to offer too.

The philosophy of Eva’s Food Walks is based around showing the best local producers, restaurants, pubs, cafes – those offering something slightly different from the normal Slovene fare, or Slovene food ‘with a twist’. The Food Walks cater for small groups and can therefore be entirely personalised to your and your group’s wishes.

One such example is the deconstructed apple strudel I enjoyed on the walk. Strudel is found pretty much everywhere throughout the country, so finding a new way to serve it is refreshing. Savouring it in a small Italian restaurant, just metres from the main tourist area in a peaceful courtyard, which I would never have otherwise known about, made it all the more enjoyable.

I also had a chance to sample delicious cupcakes and jams, bought some bread from a small craft bakery, where the bread is a million miles from that sold in supermarkets, and sampled some craft beer.

For more information about Iva’s Food Walks visit her great website which labels itself as Ljubljana Foodies’ Hub and also has a complete listing of all things ‘foodie’ happening in the capital – http://www.ljubljananjam.si/

24Aug2015

A new old face in town / A facelift for Lake Jasna

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

There’s a new old face in Radovljica’s old town in the form of a new bronze statue of Dr. Cene Avguštin (1923 – 2010), created by the academic sculptor Tatjana Kostanjevič. The statue stands in the square between St. Peter’s Church and the Radovljica Mansion – home to the Museum of Apiculture, the Municipal Museum, a music school and the venue for numerous concerts, weddings, exhibitions and other events.

Dr. Cene Avguštin was an art historian and conservator and an honoured citizen of Radovljica who strived to popularise cultural heritage through his work which included museum and gallery activities (director, custodian), architectural and urbanistic development of Gorenjska’s medieval towns and squares, and professional lecturing.

This week I revisited Lake Jasna in Kranjska Gora as I had read about its recent facelift. The small lake has always been a popular spot with its backdrop of the Julian Alps, crystal clear water and en-route to the Vršic pass. However, it had long felt somewhat neglected, so its new appearance, complete with wooden chairs, bridges and a small tower is most definitely a welcome and well-received improvement.

And finally there’s somewhere to get an ice-cream and a drink and to sit and soak up the scenery.

Radol’ca introduced the Tourist Hop-on- Hop-off bus two years ago and, as far as I’m aware, was the first town in Slovenia to do so. It has been a definite success and set a shining example. So, this year, for the first time, Kranjska gora has also begun operating a Hop-on Hop-Off tour bus which visits the area’s 10 most attractive sights, including Lake Jasna

Useful Links:

Radovljica Hop-On Hop-Off Tourist Bus – http://www.radolca.si/en/hop-on-hop-off-radolca/

Radovljica Mansion – http://www.radolca.si/en/art-history-overview/

St. Peter’s Church – http://www.radolca.si/en/radovljica-church/

Kranjska Gora Hop-On Hop-Off Tour Bus – http://www.kranjska-gora.si/en/activities/summer-activities/tour-bus

10Aug2015

The Radovljica Festival / Završnica Recreation Park

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

The Radovljica Early Music Festival began on Saturday 8th August and runs until Sunday 23rd August. There is a rich programme of concerts, workshops and masterclasses which take place in Radovljica Mansion and St. Peter’s Church. More details can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/events-1/radovljica-festival/83/260/ and also here – http://www.festival-radovljica.si/en/

Leila Schayegh

0808-Ensemble-Phoenix-Munich-photo-Ivan-Maly

Phoenix Munich Ensemble

As much as I love hiking and cycling in the hilly and mountainous surroundings of Radovljica, there are the occasional times – such as when I’ve already hiked for 5 hours and am tired but don’t want to be at home when the weather is so beautiful – when a nice leisurely bike ride is called for. Fortunately, we have that here too!

So, on Friday, after the aforementioned 5 hour hike (more about that another time), I cycled to the Završnica Recreation Park in the Završnica Valley which, from home, takes less than 45 minutes, taking the route Radovljica – Lesce – Hraše – Rodine – Zabreznica – Žirovnica – Moste – Završnica, and then to the Zavrh bar which has lately become one of my favourites places to sit and enjoy a drink beside the cool of the Završnica stream.

Chilling by the stream!

The reservoir is also the start point of the 2km-long Završnica Trim Trail which leads beside the stream to the Zavrh bar and onwards, making it perfect for these sultry hot days when the cool of the forest offers some respite from the heat.

The Zavrsnica reservoir (and me!)

The Recreation Park also comprises a football field, a natural climbing wall and beach volleyball courts. The Završnica Valley is also an excellent starting point for mountain biking, and for hikes in the Karavanke mountains, such as to Stol, the highest mountain in the Karavanke, or to the ski slopes and the spring of the Završnica stream at Zelenica. Fishing and horse-riding are also popular activities in the valley.

The new bridge connecting the trim trail

In winter there is a cross-country skiing area and, if the snow conditions are right, the road which leads up to the Valvasor mountain hut is turned into a sledging track. More information about the valley can be found here – http://www.zavrsnica.si/?id=50 (Slovene) or http://en.zirovnica.eu/home/ (English)

But it’s not time to be thinking about winter yet. Still more good weather ahead this week to enjoy….

27Jul2015

Highland Hiking and Lakeside Chillin’ in Bohinj

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

Another fantastic week of high temperatures is behind us, though the rain on Saturday has now cooled things down quite significantly. Needless to say, I’ve been making the most of the fine weather with plenty of hiking and cycling trips.

The highlight of my week was a day spent in the Bohinj area, which never fails to impress. Here I will share the details to hopefully provide some ideas and inspiration and, just a reminder, that at weekends you can also travel to Bohinj on the Hop-On Hop-Off Tourist bus which costs just 5 euros per person for the whole day. More information here – http://www.radolca.si/en/hop-on-hop-off-radolca/

My day began with a 7am departure from Radovljica – in order to beat the traffic, the heat, and find a parking space – arriving in the village of Stara Fužina at 7.45 from where I began my hike. From there, less than an hour’s hike leads to a wonderful viewpoint overlooking the lake, the Julian Alps and the Vogel ski centre. This can be a destination in itself, as the views are more than just reward for the effort. For an added reward, just a further 5 minutes from the viewpoint, you can enjoy some mountain refreshment at the Vogar mountain hut (Koča na Vogarju) – 1054m.

I resisted the temptation and continued to Planina pri jezeru – 1453m (literally – highland by the lake), from where there are paths branching off in various directions. From here, it is just a further 2.5 hours (approx.) on foot to reach one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Julian Alps, the 7 Triglav Lakes Valley. However, I instead turned left to reach Planina Viševnik, then Vodićni vrh – 1486m, before descending back to the road which, eventually, returns to just near the Vogar hut and then back to Stara Fužina.

Those who would rather hike less but still reach the highlands and get some great views, can drive up to Planina Blato on the toll road (10 euros) – 1147m, from where the are numerous onward options on foot.

Now, I must admit that I’m a self-confessed wimp when it comes to cold water and, until last week, I had always declared any water I had dipped my big toe into as ‘too cold’. But last week, finally, after five-and-a-half hours of hiking, the cool water of Bohinj lake was calling my name. With the temperatures being so high for so long, the water in the lake was actually warm enough – even for me – and dare I say I actually enjoyed it!

If you’re looking for something to do this coming weekend on Sunday 2nd August it’s the annual Medieval Day in Linhart Square in Radovljica’s old town centre. It’s always a firm date in my diary and there’s something for all the family including market stalls selling local handicrafts and food, medieval dances, street performances and archery. More information here – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/events-1/medieval-day-in-linhart-square/83/310/

20Jul2015

All About Mošnje

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

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,

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

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

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/

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.

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.

10Jul2015

Keeping cool in Hell! + Bistra Castle and Technical Museum

Posted in adeleinslovenia, Castles in Slovenia, ifeelsLOVEnia, Museums, Slovenia by adeleinslovenia

One wouldn’t immediately think of going to Hell to keep cool, so, let me explain.

It was stiflingly hot last weekend, not that I’m complaining, and so I got to thinking where I could go to see some new sights and to also keep cool and the Hell Gorge (Soteska Pekel) was just the ticket – especially as it’s been on my personal list of places to go in Slovenia for a while.

Near the entrance to the Hell Gorge. ‘Pekel’ in Slovene means Hell! Photo: Adele in Slovenia

From where I live in Radovljica it took me about an hour – from Ljubljana it’s just 23km – to reach the small town of Borovnica, where the last solitary column of the Borovnica railway viaduct can be seen. The first train travelled across the viaduct in 1856 and, at that time, the 561 metre-long viaduct was considered a technical and architectural masterpiece.

The solitary remaining column of the Borovnica viaduct. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

From Borovnica its a further 4kms to reach Hell Gorge, just near the village of Ohonica. The gorge was formed due to subsidence of the Ljubljana Marshes (Ljubljansko Barje). The steep gorge was carved out by the rushing waters of the Otavščica, which springs from the Bloke plateau and falls over the walls and rocks of the gorge. On the flat plains near Dražica it then joins with the Prušnica and flows towards the Ljubljana Marshes and onwards into the Ljubljanica river.

The highlight of Hell Gorge is its five waterfalls, four of which fall over 15 metres and the highest over 22 metres. The first two waterfalls are easily accessible and its only takes about 15 minutes from the car park to reach the 2nd waterfall. The path is a little rough in places so good footwear is a must. To access the 3rd, 4th, and 5th waterfalls, however, the path is more rigorous, ascends from 335m to 650m and, in places, pegs, ladders and steel ropes are in place to assist and it is advisable only for those used to hiking and with good hiking shoes – a walk in the park it is not!

The first waterfall – a mere 4m. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

The 2nd waterfall.

The first of the ladders. This one leads from the 2nd waterfall up towards the 3rd.

On the way back I also stopped at Bistra Castle, since the road travels, literally, through the middle of the castle. These days the castle houses the Technical Museum of Slovenia – one of Slovenia’s most important and visited museums.

The Technical Museum of Slovenia in Bistra. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

The castle, built in the 13th century, was originally a Carthusian monastery during the period from 1260 – 1782 until the Carthusian order was dissolved. It was later purchased by the businessman, Franc Galle, who changed the building into a manor house. Since 1953 it has been open to the public in its current form as the Technical Museum of Slovenia.

The park which is part of the grounds of the Technical Museum. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

A few minutes uphill for great views – worth the climb! Photo: Adele in Slovenia

The museum houses an eclectic mix of exhibitions with departments of forestry, woodworking, fishing, electrical engineering, textiles, printing, traffic, and agriculture, as well as the Slovenian Hunting Museum and a collection of ex-President Tito’s cars.

One of ex-President Tito’s many cars. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

More information about the museum can be found here – http://www.tms.si/

There is also another gorge around the Ljubljana Marshes area – the Iški Vintgar gorge. You can read more about that here – http://bit.ly/1UJjnd5 and about the Ljubljana Marshes here – http://bit.ly/1HjYn5I

6Jul2015

The Blacksmiths Festival + Hiking, Cycling and Mushrooms galore!

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

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

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

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!

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.

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.

29Jun2015

Mystery Shopping in Radovljica!

Posted in Uncategorized by adeleinslovenia

The Slovene daily newspaper, Dnevnik, is currently running a kind of ‘Mystery Shopper’ project whereby foreigners living in Slovenia are sent to various locations across the country to assess things such as accessibility, information received at the local tourist office, restaurants and cafes, accommodation and activities in the area. As can be seen from the article below, which is all in Slovene hence my precis here, last week two Czech girls visited Radovljica and gave it rave reviews, well except for the accommodation which was slated. In fairness, however, Grajski Dvor hotel is currently undergoing refurbishment after a long period of closure and is most certainly ‘a work in progress’. Personally I think its promising and encouraging that a local businessman has been willing to undertake this big renovation project to ensure that the hotel will, eventually, be returned to its former glory and will stay in local hands. I actually went to see the newly refurbished rooms for myself last week and what struck me most was how clean the place was. For a 3 star hotel, which doesn’t pretend to be anything more, offers reasonable rates and is very centrally located, I think it’s worthy of a bit more than the 3 out of 10 awarded. Other than that, they gave everything 10 out of 10 meaning Radovljica currently leads the list of places visited and assessed so far! https://www.dnevnik.si/1042715656/magazin/prosti-cas/dnevnikova-izvidnica-radovljiska-pravljica-a-le-s-polno-denarnico What struck me as most surprising was that despite having lived in Slovenia for several years, the girls had never heard of Radovljica. Surely almost everyone who lives in, and visits, Slovenia knows Bled – of course – well Radovljica is just 7km from Bled! So, whether you live here or are on holiday, next time, just turn off the motorway one junction before the exit for Bled and come and see it and sample it for yourselves – don’t miss out! This is a summary of what the pair did, saw, ate, drank etc. On day one they arrived by car, just a 30 minute drive from Ljubljana. They first went to the Tourist Information Centre, which is ‘very easy to find’ – its the first building on the right on entering the old town centre – http://www.radolca.si/en/tic/ The welcome and information they were given in the tourist office was excellent, even though they tried hard to play the role of ‘annoying tourists’! They were given maps of local walking trails, suggestions for what to see and do including rafting, canyoning and kayaking, and ideas for places to eat and drink. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t conducive to outdoors activities so, following the suggestions given in the Tourist Information Centre, they first visited the Museum of Apiculture, which is housed in the magnificent Radovljica Manor, where they were given a short guided tour to learn about the history of beekeeping in Slovenia and where there is an actual hive you can watch bees come and go. They bought some honey-related gifts and souvenirs and then continued into the adjoining Municipal Museum. Next up was a visit to the well-known Lectar Inn. This restaurant with rooms and gingerbread-making workshop is much favoured amongst Slovenes and visitors from far and wide. It is run by husband and wife Lili and Jože, assisted by their family and a loyal staff, dressed in Slovene national attire. The ground floor houses a restaurant, the upper floor has accommodation, and downstairs is the gingerbread heart workshop where visitors can watch, and upon prior reservation also try for themselves, the art of making these traditional souvenirs. In the evening they went to the Academia bar and were surprised at how lively it was, having thought of Radovljca as being ‘a bit of a sleepy town’. In fact Radovljica has a lot of restaurants, cafes and bars – a surprising amount for a town of its size where you can try out some specialities from the Taste Radol’ca restaurants too – http://www.radolca.si/en/inns-and-restaurants/ The next day they walked on the new Sava River Trail – http://www.radolca.si/en/the-sava-river-trail/ Enjoying the walk so much they ended up continuing to the ruins of Lipnica Castle (Pusti grad) and the Natural Science Trail – http://www.radolca.si/en/lipnica-castle-natural-science-trail/ This is just the tip of the iceberg of things to see and do in the area but I hope it at least provides some ideas and inspiration. © AdeleinSlovenia 2015