Tag Archives: radovljica

Jezersko, the Sava River and more…

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A perfect to visit in the height of summer, when the heat is on, is Jezersko. This tranquil and picturesque part of Slovenia can feel a little cut-off, due to its somewhat remote location at the end of a long winding road which leads to the border with Austria. However, in reality its only just over 40km from where I live in Radovljica and takes under an hour to reach by car.

Jezersko’s 700 residents are scattered across its two parts – Lower (Spodnje) and Upper (Zgornje) Jezersko. It lies at 906m and is surrounded by the high peaks of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. There area is a nature lovers dream with an abundance of outdoor things to do; hiking, cycling and climbing in the summer and skiing, sledging and skating in the winter. Lower Jezersko is predominantly residential whilst its upper part offers accommodation, tourist farms and other (limited) tourist facilities. The lake, Planšarsko jezero, is one of its most popular draws and is a popular place for family outings as well as being the start point for the numerous walks into the surrounding high peaks of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

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Having recently done some work in relation to the new Ravenska Kočna Theme Path (http://ravenska-kocna.si/en/), and always on the look out for new and interesting places to walk, I wanted to go and see and try it for myself. The 8km path, which is fairly level throughout, passes through some stunning scenery and even having been in Slovenia for over 6 years, I was still silenced by its beauty as it traverses meadows and the Jezernica stream, before heading slightly uphill to the viewpoint at ‘Na prodih’. And what a view it is. Here is a photo I took, but it really doesn’t do it justice, so you can also read more about the path and see more photos here – http://ravenska-kocna.si/wp-content/uploads/Tabla1.pdf

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Also, along the path is the new Davo Karničar Mountain Lodge. A true Jezersko local, Davo Karničar is a climber and extreme skiier, as well as being the first man to ski from the summit of Everest in the year 2000, as well as having skiied from the 7 summits, the 7 highest mountains on each of the 7 continents. In short he’s a (Slovene) living legend. Despite all that he has achieved he has remained entirely down-to-earth and will more than happily brew you a tea or cook up some local specialities and can also offer advice on what to see and do in the area that he knows like the back of his hand. Accommodation at the lodge and guided tours can also be arranged.

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At the far end of Jezersko, you reach the Seeberg mountain pass (1218m), and former border, which leads into the town of Bad Eisenkappel (Železna Kapla) in Austria, which is just one of the many ways of reaching Austria from Slovenia.

Every August the Sheep Ball (Ovčji Bal) is held in Jezersko, which is a festival of all things ovine. The celebration of the indigenous Jezersko-Solčava breed of sheep, this year in its 55th year, include demonstrations of sheep shearing and other sheep related traditions, woollen related activities and the opportunity to purchase local handicrafts and dairy products.

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Elsewhere, the Sava River is a popular place to take a dip and cool down at this time of year, though it’s way too cold for me! In total the Sava river extends to 990 kilometres and flows through  Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In Slovenia it comprises the Sava Dolinka and Sava Bohinjka which merge at the confluence in Radovljica. From Radovljica, there are many options for taking pleasant shady walks alongside the river or, for those brave enough, having a paddle in its shallower parts. A popular walk from Radovljica is to the Fux footbridge over the Sava river. More information can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/lipnica-castle-natural-science-trail/

The hugely popular Avsenik Festival kicks off this week and runs from the 23rd – 25th August. The festival of popular folk music, this year celebrating its 60th year, is held at the Avsenik Restaurant in Begunje na  Gorenjskem and attracts huge audiences – http://www.avsenik.com/festival/en.asp

Hop-on Hop-off Radovljica

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Tourism Radovljica have come up with a great idea for a new Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus which will travel between Bled, the Šobec campsite, Radovljica, Begunje and Kropa. The bus will make stops at places of interest along the route and will make four circular journeys every Tuesday and Friday during the period from 1st July to 23rd August 2013.  So now, even those without a car, will have the opportunity to visit some of the hidden delights in this area, get away from the usual tourist hotspots and see some of the places I have blogging about too!

The price for an all-day ticket will be just 4 euros for adults and children can ride for free – sounds like a bargain to me! You can get on and off the bus as desired and in addition there is an accompanying programme of interesting activities and guided tours, many of which are free, in the towns and villages that make up the Radol’ca region – Radovljica, Begunje na Gorenjskem, Podvin, Mošnje, Brezje, Kropa, Kamna Gorica, Spodnja Lipnica. Further details of the programme and the bus timetable can be found here – http://radolca.si/en/hop-on-hop-off-radolca/

The weather has been gorgeous all week; swelteringly hot and sunny – just as I like it! I have been hiking, riding my bike, or a combination of the two, most days. There’s no shortage of places to go when the weather is so great, the only difficulty is choosing where to go. If I’m short on time, a favourite bike trip is the slightly longer variation of the Sub-Alpine Cycling Route (http://www.radolca.si/en/podgorje-bicycle-path/) which in part follows the road from Begunje beneath Mt. Dobrča, and offers spectacular views across the valley, then leads downhill through the village of Leše before returning via Brezje to Radovljica. For a longer ride, I often continue on the road under Mt. Dobrča, which eventually leads down to Tržiška bistrica then return via Kovor, Podbrezje, Posavec, Črnivec and back to Radovljica.

On Saturday, I visited Škofja Loka where the annual Festival of History was taking place.  The beautiful old town centre was transformed into a medieval wonderland for the day with locals dressed in traditional clothing, stalls selling various wares and numerous workshops and performances. After that I took a walk up past Loka Castle and followed part of the Three Castles Path (Pot treh gradov), which I wrote more about in a previous blog ‘A rude awakening’ (March 2013).

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On the way back home, I stopped to visit the Potato and Sausage Festival in Šenčur. The village of Šenčur is synonymous with the potato and both potatoes and sausages, eaten alone or in a number of hearty stews and other dishes, form a staple of the Slovene diet. There were stalls offering, of course, a variety of potato and sausage dishes as well as some selling handicrafts. However, the event really comes to life in the evening when the live music and merriment begins, with just a glug or two of schnapps to make it even merrier!

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It’s hard to believe, but yesterday was already Midsummer’s Day and therefore it was the annual Midsummer’s Eve bonfire which is held at Kamen Castle in Begunje. It doesn’t feel like 5 minutes since it was winter – can it really be mid-summer already? However, at least the occasion is always celebrated in style here. The ruins of Kamen Castle provide a magical setting for the event, which is held in a medieval style. The gothic and renaissance castle, which stands at the entrance to the Draga Valley, was originally built in the 12th century by the Counts of Ortenburg. Today only the remains of the tower and keep are preserved and can be visited anytime.

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It’s summertime and tourist season is now in full swing so there are plenty of events, concerts, festivals etc. happening all over the country. Here are just some of the events for this week in Radovljica and the surrounding areas:

25th June at 9.00am – Guided tour of the Path of Peace in Brezje (more about Brezje can be read in my last blog).

28th June at 8.00pm – Haileybury School Choir and Big Band, St. Peter’s Church Radovljica

28th & 29th June – Music Festival ‘Ko Radovljica zaživi’ – Some of the biggest names on the Slovene Music Scene will appear at this 2 day event.  More information and ticket purchase can be found here (in Slovene only) – http://www.krz.si/

Churches galore and the Radovna Cycle Path

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There are a lot of churches in Slovenia, over 3,000 of them. They can be found everywhere – in cities, towns, villages and even atop remote hills and mountains. I’m far from religious and certainly not an expert in sacral architecture, but I do like to stop at churches when passing by on a walk, to admire the frescoes, artwork and intricate interior fittings.

Radovljica and it’s surrounding villages (collectively known as Radol’ca) has 18 churches. One of the most known churches in Slovenia, a national sanctuary and the Slovene pilgrimage centre, is the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Brezje, just a few kilometres from Radovljica. Pilgrims flock here in their thousands from all over Slovenia and elsewhere in Europe on the main pilgrimage days, 24th May and 15th August. The church even has its own Pilgrimage Office (Romarski urad), for those requiring further information – Brezje 72, BrezjeTel:+3864/5370700 E:info@romar.si www.romar.si

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Last weekend I went for a walk to the village of Crngrob, near Škofja Loka, which is home to the pilgrimage church, dedicated to the Annunciation of Maria. The church, one of the most beautiful medieval churches in Slovenia, is adorned with frescoes and has gothic and baroque features. I began my walk from the centre of Škofja Loka and continued through Stara Loka passing by the villages of Papirnica and Pevno before arriving in Crngrob. A leaflet entitled ‘Path to Crngrob’ is available which has further detailed information about the walk and the sights of interest along the way.

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On Sunday I did another long bike ride – though not as long or as far as last weekend’s epic adventure! This time it was on the bike path through the Radovna Valley. There are lots of great places to cycle in Slovenia but unfortunately, in this area at least, not a huge number of traffic-free dedicated cycle paths so the Radovna Cycle Path is among my favourite rides.

The Radovna Valley is between the Mežakla and Pokljuka plateaus and is part of Triglav National Park. Though I usually encounter a few cars along the 16km cycle path, they are fortunately fairly few and far between as the road is mostly unmade and best explored by bike. I certainly hope it remains this way as cars travelling along the road create a lot of dust which is most unpleasant for cyclists and besides, there are more than enough roads elsewhere, leave this path to us cyclists! Along the route there are a number of places to stop, information boards and sights of interest such as the Psnak Mill, the burnout ruins of Radovna and the Napoleon Stone. According to tradition, the Emperor Napoleon’s initials were carved into the stone when his army was said to have marched though the valley at the beginning of the 19th century. I cycled from home and made it a circular route by continuing to Mojstrana and back through Jesenice.

This year in September, Slovenia is hosting the Eurobasket Championships, and now with less than 100 days to go, the countdown has begun. Tickets for the final have already sold out but tickets are still available for other games. Matches will be held at four venues across Slovenia – Jesenice, Ljubljana, Celje and Koper – http://www.eurobasket2013.org/en/default.asp

There are a lot of events coming up in the forthcoming week in Radovljica and the surrounding areas. It will be dificult to choose which ones to go to but I will certainly be going to some of the ones on the list below:

Fri 21st & Sat 22nd June – Potato and Sausage Festival – Sports Park, Šencur

Fri 21st June – Concert by the Triglav Lesce Choir, Radovljica Mansion House (entry free) – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/

Sat 22nd June – 11am Presentation of the new Memorial Park and opening of a memorial dedicated to the writer Mimi Malenšek, with guest speaker, Borut Pahor (President of Slovenia) – Podbrezje Memorial Park. For more information contact daca.perne@gmail.com

Sat 22nd June –3pm  Literary Gathering with the writer Boris Pahor – Pircev dom, Podbrezje.

Saturday 22nd June – Škofja Loka, Festival of History – A range of events, workshops, presentations, performances, culinary fair and more. For the full programme see – http://www.historial-skofjaloka.si/home.aspx

23-30 June – Kekec Days in Kranjska Gora – A festival based on the childrens book character Kekec with events for all the family including creative workshops, sports, concerts, theatre shows and more –http://www.kranjska-gora.si/The-Kekec-festival

Sunday 23rd June – Midsummer Eve Bonfire at Kamen Castle, Begunje. This tradition medieval event is held annually to celebrate midsummer’s eve and includes childrens activities, traditional food, music and an accompanying cultural programme.

From Radovljica to Kamnik and Beyond…

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After the excesses of last weekend’s Festival of Chocolate in Radovljica, I was planning to be virtuous this week, and on the whole I was but I’ve never professed to be a saint and never intend to – I like my food too much! Fortunately I also love hiking, running and cycling – activities which allow me some indulgences!

It was a rather soggy start to last week, but since Tuesday afternoon it’s been beautifully warm and sunny. I’ve been taking full advantage of this and have been on my bike a few times and have also done a couple of walks – once to Valvazor and also to Smokuški vrh.

At the weekend I did another walk, which I have been meaning to do for a while, and can now finally say that I’ve done it. After driving to Kamnik, about 40 minutes from Radovljica, the path (Koželjeva pot) starts from Iverje (although I failed to locate this on my map and therefore parked a little further away and walked to the start) and continues to the source of the Kamniška bistrica river and the mountain hut Dom v Kamniški bistrici (600m). The path undulates through the forest, at times right at the water’s edge and occasionally climbing higher into the forest. It is pleasantly shady and cool by the water so would probably be an ideal walk on a hot summer’s day when shade is sought. In places some of the bridges have certainly seen better days and it was a little precarious however I’m told plans are afoot to repair these.

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The most fascinating part of the walk is at the bridge, less than a kilometre before the mountain hut, where the Veliki (big) and Mali (little) Predaselj gorges are found at the narrowest section of the Kamniška bistrica riverbed. My photos don’t really do it justice as the depth and narrowness of the gorge made it difficult to photograph – so best you go and see it for yourselves!

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I couldn’t believe my luck when I discovered the Kamnikbus, which would return me to the car, was due in 5 minutes – what luck – although it left little time for taking photos and exploring – but rather that than a 3 hour wait for the next bus or a long walk back again! The source of the Kamniška bistrica river is a typical karst spring and is springs to the surface from beneath moss covered rocks creating the stunning, clean colour of the small lake opposite the mountain hut.

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The Kamnikbus runs along the length of the valley, is such a great idea, it’s a shame there aren’t more services like this in the beautiful mountains valleys in this area. It would be great to encourage people to leave their car behind and take the bus, which would result in less traffic, less pollution to the environment and a more pleasant experience all-round.

On the way back, I stopped at the Arboretum in Volčji potok. I didn’t actually go into the park on this occasion, but stopped for a look around the garden centre which is huge and well stocked. It took me back to many a rainy Sunday in England spent wandering around Garden Centres for want of something to do!

Now is the perfect time to visit the Arboretum as its spring flower show means it is even more awash with colour – http://www.arboretum-vp.si/lang/index.php/en

To compensate for all that activity, a good dinner was in order and I certainly found it at the Lake House Inn (Jezerska hiša) at Bled Golf Course. There are 2 restaurants at the golf course and the Lake House Inn is the less formal of the two. The meal was delicious and in fact I enjoyed it so much, I’ve just booked to have my birthday celebration there later this month!

© Adele in Slovenia