WildArt | Adele in Slovenia

This new promotional video for Radol’ca has just been released. Watching it makes me so proud to be able to call Radovljica my home. Oh, and by the way, just to make it clear, as I know it can be somewhat confusing, Radovljica is the name of the town; Radol’ca is the marketing name for the destination which includes Radovljica and the surrounding villages, such as Begunje na Gorenjskem, Kropa, Brezje, Kamna Gorica, and the smaller settlements in-between.

So, as another year of my life in Radovljica draws to a close, here’s a look back at just some of my personal highlights of 2017, which I hope will also provide inspiration for you to visit, or re-visit, the area next year!

In winter 2017 I celebrated an amazing 10 years in Slovenia – gosh how time flies! Here I am celebrating with the very talented duo WildArt. More here – https://adeleinslovenia.com/2017/02/12/celebrating-10-years-in-slovenia-in-a-wildart-style/

On the occasion, I was particularly proud to receive an award from the mayor of Radovljica for my contribution to tourism.

Spring is chocolate time in Radovljica – time for the Radovljica Chocolate Festival, the biggest of its kind in Slovenia. Note the date for the next festival in your diaries now: 20th – 22nd April 2018!

In spring I also, for the first time, tried parkour archery in the Draga valley with Robert (Robi) Levstek, and discovered what fun it is. More here – https://adeleinslovenia.com/2017/04/10/archery-adventures-and-delicious-draga-delights/

In summer I tried out the new Adventure Mini Golf Panorama in Gorica, near Radovljica. I was might impressed by its wonderful panoramic, shady location and well-arranged, modern course. More here – https://adeleinslovenia.com/2017/07/30/adventure-mini-golf-panorama-the-name-says-it-all/

The Grabnarca Waterside Trail is also a great place to seek some ‘cool’ during summer. Read more about this path’s many bridges here – https://adeleinslovenia.com/2017/08/28/the-grabnarca-waterside-nature-trail/

Late autumn was time for very tasty, very tempting, and very popular Taste Radol’ca!

And that brings us to winter, which started earlier this year (boohoo!) and, to me at least, already seems too long! But it does have its pluses, too, such as the joyous festive atmosphere on the occasion of the switching of of the Christmas lights in Linhart Square – the heart of Radovljica’s old town. Here you can check out the whole Festive December in Linhart Square programme.

And I even really enjoyed my somewhat snowy visit to Brezje’s Nativity Museum – despite my dislike of the white stuff! Find out more about Slovenia’s national sanctuary, the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, and my visit to the museum – https://adeleinslovenia.com/2017/12/10/feel-the-festive-spirit-at-the-nativity-museum-at-slovenias-national-shrine-in-brezje/

And that brings me to the end of another Radovljica year, though, of course, it’s not the end of the journey! I hope you will continue to be inspired by my Adele in Slovenia blog posts, will continue to read, and you, too, might ‘Find your Inspiration’ in Radovljica!

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

© Adele in Slovenia

Yesterday marked exactly 10 years to the day since I moved to Slovenia!

On the one hand I can say that the time has flown by, though, on the other, when I look back over the past 10 years I’ve packed so much in and am proud of all that I’ve achieved. Yes, there are still, and probably will always be, a few challenges of living alone in a foreign country, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses. So I decided a celebration was in order, and arranged a get-together with some of those who I’ve met along the way and have been, and I hope will continue to be, an important part of Adele in Slovenia!

I must first thank Staša and Jože from Jansa Apartments in Radovljica, for allowing me to use their breakfast room to hold my celebration, and even gave me this heart-shaped cake too. I can thoroughly recommend their apartments and hospitality if you are considering visiting Radovljica and looking for self-catering apartments. And I’m not just saying that, I have first-hand experience of the excellently-equipped apartments, since my parents stay there every time they visit Slovenia, which, as you might imagine, is quite often! http://apartmaji-jansa.net/

I must also thank Mišo (ably assisted by Erik!) from Joštov Hram restaurant in Podnart, one of the participating Taste Radol’ca restaurants. Mišo is the go-to man for catering around here! Regular readers will recall that I also turned to him for my father’s surprise 70th birthday last year. They provide excellent home-cooked food for all kinds of private events, parties, weddings, celebrations etc.

Guests were welcomed with the (almost!) obligatory Slovenian blueberry schnapps and warm home-made pogača bread topped with minced bacon and onion, then later we tucked into bograč, cold deli platters and for dessert, one of my favourites, šmorn, with Miso’s extra little touch – a trio of sauces.

After my short speech – yes, in Slovene – we watched a short slide show of just a few of my favourite adventures from the last 10 years. Thanks Dad!

Then it was time for the ‘surprise’ and the highlight of the evening, a performance by the winners of the 2016 Slovenia’s Got Talent. These two young lads, Timotej Willewaldt and Lenart Prek – both aged 14 and collectively WILDART, have exceptional talent and surely a very bright future ahead of them.

You can see their amazing performance here.

Another one of the many highlights of the evening for me was being presented with a special gift from the Mayor of Radovljica in recognition of my efforts in promoting Radovljica through my blog. I was truly honoured.

Thanks also to my neighbour and photographer Tomaž Sedej for all the photos. On this occasion I decided it would be nice for me to be able to enjoy socialising without having to worry about taking photos too, so I turned to Tomaž, safe in the knowledge that he would do a good job. His website sums it up – ‘Photography has a powerful message. It ensures that we remember the stories and the people that would otherwise be forgotten.’ Find out more here – http://www.sedejtomaz.com/

And thanks to all of those of you that came for being part of my celebration and for the wonderful array of thoughtful and imaginative gifts. Too numerous are they to show them all, but here are a few! 10 cheers for Adele says Anja!