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Schnapps and Scenery in SloveniaEau de Vie, Bumblebees and Brilliance in Capital and CountrysideBy Marguerite Jordan"Have you ever killed anyone?" I asked. My handsome host was a talkative, middle-aged Slovene, seemingly indifferent to normal driving practices: he flew along a small country road, driving faster as it grew narrower. If there were chickens in the street, he aimed for them. In making an unexpected turn, he nearly knocked down a split rail fence. Mindlessly meandering, unaware of oncoming trucks, hay carts and donkeys, he would turn to face me to talk, politely risking our lives.
Alongside an orchard, he slowed down to wave at people bringing in fruit from the fields. Mostly they were apple-cheeked farmers' wives and daughters toting the baskets to the barn. They all knew Janez. We'd pull into their farmyards and they welcomed him with kisses and multiple glasses of slivovitz. Apple brandy, pear brandy, peach brandy, he loved them all -- maybe the wives too -- who knew? It was only after his eighth or ninth glass in as many stops that he admitted he was a terrible driver. "I just got my license last year. My friends all ask me not to drive. Say, would you like to stop here for dinner?" By the time I got out of his beat-up car and walked into the roadside tavern, my legs were quivering like Jell-O. Still, for all the world I wouldn't have missed the drive -- and the chance to talk to this fascinating man. Over homemade tomato and basil soup, spicy fennel sausages, and, a local favorite, stuffed peppers, he spoke of the history of this region. We sat under a grapevine-umbrella on the bistro s stone porch as a light rain wafted onto the dark green leaves. There was not enough damp to make us move inside to the cozy bar. Our waiter brought us a carafe of white wine, from the nearby Vipava district. Compared to the fortified eau de vie we had drunk on the farms, the wine tasted as light as water. Janez spoke of the forces that make this region unique. Long ago part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, today, Slovenia is a democratic republic, recognized by the UN and eager to join the EU. The Slovenes have always had a proud and rich culture and language, dating to prehistoric times. They were settled by the Celts, and later the Romans; over time, they were brought into the artificial union of disparate nationalities called Yugoslavia, held together in his day by President Tito. Slovenia had a strong national identity that predated the 50 + -year union with the other Balkan states. It has been successful in establishing an effective government once the inhabitants freed themselves from the tyranny of Slobodan Milosovec to become their own nation. Today, eleven years later, Slovenia s two million inhabitants have the highest per capita GNP of all the central and eastern European countries.
Janez is the manager of the Relais Chateau property Vila Bled -- on Lake Bled. The imposing building was once one of the Tito s eleven country houses. His hotel commands the premier site in all of the country. PREMIER CALENDAR SIGHT AND HEART OF THE COUNTRY
When Prince Charles visited not long ago, he tried to ring the church s heavy bell with just one pull on the rope, as legend dictates, but he was not able to make it ring the requisite three times. He then trekked to nearby farmhouses, and was luckier there: he drank several glasses of schnapps. Hospitality both in the Lake Bled region and throughout the country is legendary. What I found on a recent visit is extremely beautiful scenery in an old-fashioned place where it is easy to tour and safe to get around. Its capital, Ljubljana (LOO-blee-ahn-ah), is a showpiece of art and architecture. The buildings and texture of the small capital has not changed much in the last hundred years. I rented a car, but I could just as easily have gone on a package tour, or simply taken local buses from place to place. Hotels, country inns, B&B s and farmhouses were easy to find, the food is hearty and the wine plentiful. What s more, the people are very helpful, and, remarkably, the prices are much less than half what you would pay in Austria or Italy.
A very telling answer came from Thaddeus, a tour guide at Lipica, original home of the white Lipizzaner horses, bred for show throughout Europe, and the original horses of the Spanish and Austrian Riding Schools. He compared the number of visitors to this important stud farm tourist attraction in the early 1980 s -- 300,000 visitors a year, and, the present -- only 20,000. "It s the war. Although it is not going on here, it changes everyone s perceptions about what is safe," he said as he walked me around this beautiful farm, the only Lipizzaner horse farm in the world where the visitor can actually ride the horses. Sadly, he added, "Kosovo is closer to Greece than it is to Slovenia." I heard repeatedly from new friends in every village and town. "We are free! We are far from Kosovo! Our country is at peace!" And peaceful.
IF VIENNA AND TRIESTE MARRIED, LJUBLJANA WOULD BE THEIR BABYThe capital, Ljubljana is a rich showcase of cultural life, home to cafes, theatres, performance parks, museums, and colleges. Located on a huge bluff overlooking the town is an ancient castle, presently being restored, which serves as a venue for medieval plays, rock concerts and family outings. Small bridges cross the Ljubljana River, which winds through cobbled streets and stucco and granite buildings. Since it is on the road between Venice and Vienna, Ljubljana has often found itself coveted by all its neighbors, especially the Italians and Austrians. "It s the poor man s Prague," said local guide Tomasz as he led the way through the village-like Old Town, punctuated by numerous parks and statues honoring poets and writers. The town s architecture reflects the influences of artisans from all the neighboring countries. But the genius touch, what makes it a marvelous city to explore, was provided of by J. Plecnik, an architect, who went around and added rich details to an already beautiful city. He saw the need to create a Slovenian distinction, on buildings and bridges, including the Shoemaker s Bridge and The Three Bridges. Like a Hausmann in Paris, Plecnik gave the people a legacy of very individualistic nooks and buildings. If you look closely in the downtown, you can see his work everywhere: a door handle in the shape of a horse, windows that mirror the snaking river, and textural walls of sandstone and brick. Some of the most vital precincts of the city surround a large bronze statue of one of Slovenia s heroes, the lawyer and poet, France Preseren. Through his sensitive poetry, he gave his countrymen a sense of national consciousness which undoubtedly helped them in 1990 in their move to break away from the cluster of nationalities that was Yugoslavia. In any case, today his very bold statue sits atop a mounted base that serves as a central meeting point for the city s young people, who may or may not be reading poetry and/or drinking vodka here at any time of the day or night. Late one evening when I couldn't sleep and wanted to see who was out in the middle of the night, I left my hotel, The Union, and walked a few hundred feet down to square in the heart of town. Seven or eight young men and a couple of young women were standing by the statue, waving their arms, speaking animatedly and singing what had to be Slovenian love songs. When I came along, they switched to English and huddled around me. Between telling me they were medical students who had just finished finals, and asking if I had daughters at home of marriageable age, they wanted very much to test their knowledge of American culture. They knew a little rock music, movie stars, New York glitter but they were really hungry for the every day details of U.S. life. We also talked a lot about sports, as every Slovene leads a physically active life, hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, etc. They are proud of their top athletes, two of whom brought home medals at the Olympics last summer.
Most unusual are the Art Nouveau buildings that pepper the surrounding streets, built following an earthquake in 1895. Several unusual buildings on Miklosiceva Street stand out, including the peach-colored stucco People s Loans Bank. Its oriel windows are surrounded by tiles of red, white and blue, the colors of the Slovene flag. The city s oldest department store has an attractive art nouveau interior and a stone façade of carved eagles and feathers. GET THEE TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
On a tour of the Slovenian countryside, one of my goals was to track down the chamois, a wild deerlike animal with curved horns that embodies the spirit of the land, the most heavily forested country in Europe, after Finland. Its wildlife bears, deer, lynx, ibex, boar, pheasant, foxes, and, of course, chamois -- is abundant, heavily protected, and elusive. Whenever I pulled my car into a trailhead parking spot to hike along marked trails, I ran into others enjoying the countryside, local families hunting for mushrooms, fishermen enjoying aquamarine streams, and college-aged kids marching along singing the latest pop songs. Maneuvering on winding, heavily forested mountain routes in the northwestern side of the country, at times I had everything I could do to stay on the road, never mind spot the abundant wildlife. Sad to say, I never once saw a chamois, unless you count the pretty bronze statues in the parks.
ZIGZAGGING UP AND DOWN MOUNTAINSSlovenia s Julian Alps provided one of the most exhilarating rides I've ever taken. I drove the Vrsic (VEHR-seetch) Pass, a labyrinthine course that included 52 switchbacks, and the Soca (SEW-schah) Valley. Throughout this northwestern corner of the country, it is possible to go to wild, and often unexplored places to bike, hike, kayak, canoe and swim. Mountain guides and alpine clubs exist in all the valley towns for the purposes of escorting newcomers to this pristine region. Twenty-eight of the country s mountains are more than 2500 meters high, and even in its pre-Alps region, the effect of the great blocks of granite is magical.
In the 1500 s, when buckwheat was introduced to the region, honeybees came as well, to fertilize the plants. Farmers quickly discovered an efficient way to house the bees, the kranjic hive. Often painted yellow, lime green and a saucy salmon pink, it resembles a child s painted chest of drawers. Soon, decorating the front boards of the hives became popular, and today it has become such an honored art form that one museum, in Radovlijica, has an extraordinary collection of beehive panels. Some resemble religious pictures, others have military themes and some are just downright cute. One evening, from my window at a cozy farmhouse I watched the sun turn the distant hills first pink, then rose, then a deep bluish purple. After dark, I walked around the nearby stone village, stopping at a tavern for supper. In the larger of two pine-paneled dining rooms, each the size of a small living room, about ten men were gathered for a meal. Every few minutes one of them would raise his wine glass in a toast, the others would repeat it and then they would slug it down. They ate with gusto and finished the meal with a rousing cheer. Then, they all stood up ramrod straight and sang their national anthem. They (and I) had tears in their eyes. Come soon and see Slovenia before someone decides to change it. It s a honey of a country. PLAN YOUR TRIPContact the Slovenian Tourist Board ( http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/eindex.htm ) for information on planning a vacation in this very special country. You can choose an active, romantic, culinary, adventure, or sports-oriented trip. E-mail Darja Gacnik, the tourist board s New York-based manager for brochures, maps and information about hotels, restaurants, car rentals, the stud farm, wine-growing regions, etc. info@sloveniatravel.com ABC Rent-a-Car is located at the Ljubljana Airport; all their employees, who are very friendly, speak English and can give you hints about driving and getting around. E-mail: infoabc@siol.net Text and images by Marguerite Jordan |
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TM
His
cheerfulness was abetted by the "good cheer" that we were accumulating on
our stops at the many attractive farms in the neighborhood. He had taken
it upon himself to give me a tour of 18th century rococo churches,
teaching me as well a lot about Slovenia, this little-known beautiful
country tucked between eastern boot-top of Italy, and bits of Austria,
Hungary and Croatia. In time, though, he seemed to grow a little bored
with all of the pastel murals in the churches and the recitation of the
lives of the saints.
It is a
remarkably diverse country, about the size of Massachusetts. Forty
kilometers of its western coastline touch the Adriatic Sea, and the
villages that dot that area resemble Italian coastal towns. The Julian
Alps run along the top part of the country and look like some of the
beautiful vistas I have seen in Austria. Still other mountain and hill
regions cover the largely rural territory and make me think of Hungary,
its neighbor to the east.
It overlooks the
Slovenia s only island, a petite scrap of land that has been photographed
for hundreds of calendars. A baroque church with a "bell of wishes" stands
proudly on the island amidst trees and flowers on the intensely green Lake
Bled, and snow-capped mountains in the distance provide a perfect picture
frame. 
Of the more
than 10 million Americans visiting all of Europe last year, only 25,000
found their way to this heavily forested region. "Why is this beautiful
and interesting little country so little known?" was a question I asked of
Janez and everyone else I met in this friendly country. 
I drove almost
1500 kilometers to find places to hike and to view the country s sparkling
countryside and its fascinating medieval cities and villages. For the most
part, roads were good and signage was excellent. Although I speak no
Slovenian, I found people everywhere who could speak a little English,
Italian or German, and I was always able to communicate.
Nearby
in the square is an inviting array of vistas and structures. The beautiful
rose-colored Baroque Franciscan monastery overlooks the statue and a
cobbled roundabout, the river, several footbridges, coffeehouses and
pedestrian walkways along the river. 
The country's
other important attraction is its wonderful natural scenery, both in
winter or summer. You can travel around and stay at farmhouses in little
wine villages. It might not be haute cuisine, but it is very satisfying:
fresh vegetables, salads, hams, turkey and full-bodied wines. 
What I did see
left me breathless: the Julian Alps, Lakes Bled and Bohinj, a mountain
region called the Karst (limestone), waterfalls, lush vineyards, pretty
villages and pristine, heavily forested regions that hide the elusive
chamois. Small resort hotels offer the sports lover a chance to ski, hike,
cycle, kayak, ride horses, or simply relax at mineral spring spas. 
Throughout the
countryside are many examples of the country's rich agricultural heritage,
including the colorful beeboxes, whose history is at least 500 years old,
a testimony to a simple but important way of life.