With 2013 drawing to a rapid close, I find myself reflecting on the past year, my sixth full year in Slovenia and its many highlights. There were of course the inevitable few low points too but best not to dwell on those.

It’s now exactly a year since I started writing my blog and astonishingly yesterday it achieved it’s 10,000^th reader – yes, 10,000 – that isn’t a typo! It’s unbelievable that in such a short time, my humble blog has become so popular and is being read by people across the globe from Israel to India, Kuwait, Thailand, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Senegal, Iraq…….. I could go on but suffice to say I’m astonished, delighted and proud.

I have sometimes found it a difficult balancing act to write a blog that can be all things to all its (potential) readers:

• a means for friends and family to keep up-to-date with my news
• providing information for those interested in visiting Slovenia, particularly those keen on hiking and other outdoor activities
• providing relevant and up-to-date information about my home town of Radovljica and helping it to achieve the recognition it so merits
• providing a platform to showcase the best of what is on offer in and around Radovljica
• providing information about events, restaurants, accommodation, concerts etc. in the vicinity
• and last but not least, a way of me recording and communicating the myriad thoughts, ideas and experiences buzzing around in my head.

Since starting this blog I have been invited to openings, events and launches, been interviewed on the radio and in the local newspaper and met some great people, both locally and from abroad. I have received emails of thanks and support from across the globe and have helped numerous people with help and advice about planning their holidays in Slovenia, hiking routes, luggage storage,  reservations, guides and recommendations. It’s always lovely to put faces to names so getting to meet some of those I’ve helped has been a bonus too, among them Dorothy and Larry from Idaho, Ami, Carmi and Joni from Israel, Mike from Boston and Christie and Irene from California, some of whom now remain friends. I was initially worried if I would find enough to write about, but those thoughts were way-off the mark and in fact sometimes I have to curtail my writing in order to ensure each week’s blog remains succinct.

So, what have been the highlights of my year? Well, as probably the world’s biggest chocoholic one of the highlights would have to be the Radovljica Chocolate Festival, which took place in April. This event looks set to grow ever more popular and will now be a regular fixture on the event calendar. Read more about it here – http://wp.me/p3005k-2c

Another highlight was the launch of the Taste Radol’ca project. It was a super evening spent in good company and with a real feeling of community. Read more about it here – http://wp.me/p3005k-8s

And of course how can I possibly choose a favourite among all the amazing hikes and views I’ve encountered during the year. Here are but a few;

• the first snowy walk of winter in December 2013 on Pokljuka, to Mrežce was a memorable one with perfect blue skies, sunshine and just the right amount of snow – http://wp.me/p3005k-9n
• A summer walk in the Bohinj highlands and the Tourist Cheese Route – http://wp.me/p3005k-4S
• Snowshoeing in the Vrata Valley in January 2013 – http://wp.me/s3005k-50
• Visiting, walking and meeting a local legend in Jezersko – http://wp.me/s3005k-50

I certainly hope I have achieved at least some, if not all, of the aims I set out to achieve through writing my blog in 2013 and will continue to do so in 2014. I will continue to try to respond as quickly as possible to visitor enquiries. A good example is a recent email I received late on a Friday evening from an Argentinian, who, at that time was in Italy and considering a trip to Slovenia. After a couple of emails back and forth he arrived in Radovljica the very next day!

As always, I am also open to ideas from the local community, a (free) opportunity to present what you offer to potential visitors from across the globe, to inform readers, from both home and abroad, about upcoming events and more. Almost 50%  over the readers of my blog come from Slovenia with the remainder coming from across the globe so it provides a perfect opportunity to reach a nearer and wider audience.

So, do get in touch in 2014. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting more new people. I approach the new year with a pinch of trepidation but mostly with optimism and energy.

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!

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.

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 30^th November at 4.30-6.30pm and again on Sunday 1^st December at 8.30-11.30am. The celebration of St. Nicholas (Miklavž) on the 6^th 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 26^th, 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 28^th, 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.

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 9^th year, will this year run from the 26^th to the 30^th 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