Churches galore and the Radovna Cycle Path

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, 24^th May and 15^th 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

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.

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

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

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

Saturday 22^nd 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 23^rd 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.

Vintgar Gorge and by bike around Gorenjska

Having had one of the snowiest winters ever, this was followed by the wettest May since 1975. So last week I decided to try to find a positive to the recent heavy rainfall by visiting Vintgar Gorge, which is at its most impressive following heavy rain.

Vintgar Gorge, in the vicinity of Gorje, 4kms from Bled and approximately 10kms from Radovljica, is one of the major tourist sights in the area. It is usually open from the end of April until October. During the summer months buses run regularly from Bled or it also makes a pleasant walk from Bled. Personally I prefer to walk from the village of Zasip up to the church at the Hom hill and take the path across its slopes, before following the road down into the gorge and returning up through the forest. It’s a  much longer route but its circular and I like circular routes! However, for those that don’t wish to walk so far and have their own transport, there is a large car park at the entrance to the gorge, which is also where the buses stop. The gorge is 1.6km in length and has a boardwalk throughout which ends at the Šum waterfall -
http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/natural-sights/the-vintgar-gorge

By mid-week the weather had improved and by the weekend it was positively summer-like, with the exception of a few torrential downpours and almighty thunderstorms. Sunday was forecast to be the best day of the week and so a friend and I embarked upon a rather ambitious cycle trip; ambitious in as much as she needed to be home by 12 o’clock and between here and there were a lot of kilometres and a lot of ups and downs! Our trip came about as a result of last week’s blog, where I wrote about my attempt at making Dražgoški kruhki. A friend then asked me if I had actually been to Dražgoše, to which I ashamedly replied ‘no’! So, it was time to rectify this and a visit by bike seemed the ideal way to see the best of it as one has more time to take in and appreciate the views whilst cycling.

We started from Radovljica and first travelled through the Lipnica Valley to the village of Kropa. This picturesque village is known as the cradle of Slovene iron-forging and has a centuries old tradition of ironworking and blacksmithing. It is one of the most important of Slovenia’s historic places due to its preserved architecture and technical heritage –
http://www.radolca.si/en/kropa/

Kropa is a small village but a pleasant place for a stroll, to see some of the ironworks on the buildings and get a glimpse into the history of the village at the Kropa Blacksmith Museum. The museum is located in the central part of the old square, in Klinar’s House, and among its  exhibits is the only preserved iron-forge in Slovenia as well as displays of authentic materials and tools ranging from the 14th to the 20th centuries –
http://www.muzeji-radovljica.si/_eng/KM-introduction.html

From Kropa we took the windy road, with seemingly countless hairpin bends, up to Jamnik (830m). The church of Saints Primus and Felician, which stands atop Jamnik, is a prominent feature of this area and can be seen from far and wide. From Jamnik we continued onwards to Dražgoše and from there down to the village of Železniki and through the beautiful Selška Valley to Škofja Loka. Then from Škofja Loka to Kranj, Naklo and back to Radovljica. The weather couldn’t have been more ideal for such a trip – hot but not scorching – with just a light breeze to keep things cool. It was a 4.5 hour ride in total with just a short stop at the war memorial in Dražgoše for a photo break as evidence that I was there (we didn’t quite make it by 12 o’clock but weren’t far behind).

 

Here are some forthcoming events for the week ahead in Radovljica and the surrounding areas:

•  Weds 12^th June – Concert by Podnart Choir – free entry, Radovljica Mansion House
•  Saturday 15^th June – Open Day at the Gorenjska Beekeeing Centre, Lesce
•  Saturday 15^th June – Forester’s Competition, Opposite the Sava Farm Co-operative (KGZ_, Lesce
• Saturday 15^th June – Summer Museums Night, 80 museums throughout Slovenia open for one night only from 6pm until midnight with free admission –
  http://www.tms.si/PMN/?page_id=91
  

My first attempt at Dražgoški kruhki!

With the weather being so awful all week (rain, rain and more rain), I don’t have any exciting trips or walks to report. However, I found an indoor activity to do instead and went on a course at the Biotechnical Centre in Naklo to learn how to make Dražgoški kruhki; handmade, ornamental honey breads, a speciality of the village of Dražgoše.

The recipe is really simple as there are only three ingredients (as seen in the photo below together with the prepared dough); flour, honey and ammonia carbonate (jelenova sol), available from the chemists, but which could also be substituted for bicarbonate of soda. After mixing and kneading the dough, then comes the decorating, for which a bit of patience and flair is required (that latter not being something I have in abundance!).

The finished product should look like this:

And this was my finished product – not bad for a first attempt don’t you think?!

The small village of Dražgoše (pictured below), after which these honey breads are named, lies on the south slopes of Jelovica, the plateau which dominates the view to the south of Radovljica. As well as being known for its honey breads, Dražgoše is also known for being the site of a second world war battle between Slovene partisans and Nazi German armed-forces. After suffering heavy losses the Nazi forces set fire to the village, shot 41 hostages and deported the remaining residents. In 1976 the Dražgoše war memorial was built just outside the village to commemorate this battle and the destruction of the village. There is now a traditional commemorative night walk from Pasja ravan to Dražgoše (Po poti Cankarjevega bataljona), which is not for the faint hearted since it takes place annually in January and takes on average around 10 – 12 hours to complete.

At the beginning of this year, (2^nd January 2013), I wrote about how I had met and enjoyed the company of two of Slovenia’s national treasures – Ivanka Kraševec and Ivan (Žan) Prešern.

As well as both having very successful music careers, Ivanka and Žan also devote their attention to painting these days and have both hosted exhibitions. I was therefore surprised and more than delighted when they gave me a painting last week, a belated birthday present, which Žan had painted especially for me, and similar to one his paintings that I had been previously been admiring. The painting is of the beautiful view looking out over the back of Radovljica, across the valley and towards Triglav.

To see this view at its best, there is a new viewing platform which can be reached by walking through the old town in Radovljica and turning right shortly before the church. There is an information board which details all the sights and a couple of benches, perfect for simply sitting and soaking up the views.

Thankfully the forecast looks more promising for the week ahead so I hope to be able to get out and about a lot more. In the meantime, here are a few things going on in Radovljica and the surrounding areas in the coming week:

• 2^nd – 8^th June: Country Week in Loka - A variety of events taking place in Škofja Loka and the surrounding villages including guided walks, cookery workshops, farmers markets and more
• 6^th – 9^th June: Radovljica Swimming Pool - 37^th Open Swimming Championships
• Thursday 6^th June: Radovljica Manor House - Gala Concert with Manca Izmajalova and others

More information about events in Radovljica, and about the villages in the surrounding areas, can be found here –
http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/

The Karavanke

On Wednesday last week, before the snow made a(nother) re-appearance, and for the first time this year, I walked one of my favourite paths in the Karavanke mountain range. Radovljica, where I live, is ideally situated for lovers of hiking since it is surrounded by the Karavanke to the north and the Julian Alps to the south – so we are spoilt for choice!

The Shepherd’s Trail (Pastirska pot) begins in the Draga Valley (689m), which is reached via the village of Begunje na Gorenjskem. The path then climbs steeply up, crossing a stream in several places and with one short section of climbing, to the Preval pasture and mountain hut Koča na planini Preval-a (1311m). From here there are a number of choices of route onwards – the Shepherd’s Trail follows the mountain road uphill until it meets another path (cez Roža) which traverses the slopes of Begunščica, passing the Roža brook, until finally reaching the Roblek Mountain hut – Koča na Robleku (1657m). The path is narrow and in places somewhat exposed in a few places when crosses gulleys, but otherwise presents no problems; but a good hiking boots and a pair of walking poles are needed. What I particularly like about this path is that a) its circular, b) the views when crossing Roža are fantastic and c) I seldom meet many other hikers (perhaps I should keep quiet about this path so it stays that way!).

At 2060m, Begunščica is the 2^nd highest mountain in the chain that forms part of the Karavanke. The Karavanke form a natural border between Slovenia and Austria and are 120km in length. Most hikers visiting Slovenia tend to head for the more Julian Alps, particularly the area around the 7 Triglav Lakes valley, and Triglav itself, Slovenia’s highest mountain. The Karavanke are in general less known and therefore less walked than the Julian Alps, which for me is an added bonus. There are numerous mountain huts and because they are often lower and more easily accessible, there is a wide choice of day walks or walks that can be combined to make a longer trip. Many parts of the Karavanke remain untouched and are free from commercialism – no huge ski resorts, no main roads and therefore no crowds.

Before I moved to Slovenia, when I was just visiting for holidays, I bought myself a copy of the Cicerone book ‘The Julian Alps of Slovenia’. Now I’m pleased to say they have just launched a new book ‘Walking in Slovenia – The Karavanke’. I’ve walked many of the routes in the book but there are a few that I haven’t and so they have been added to the ‘To Do’ list and no doubt I’ll be writing about them some time in the not too distant future, when the sun puts its hat back on! –
http://www.cicerone.co.uk/search/?keyword=slovenia&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

The highest mountain in the Karavanke is Stol (2236m) and I’m fortunate enough to be able to see it every morning when I wake up and look out of my bedroom window. Stol is definitely up there too on my list of favourite walks, so as soon as the snow completely melts you can be sure I’ll be up there too. The route to Stol, both from the Slovene and Austrian side, is also described in the book.

The weather was fairly atrocious last weekend. It was even snowing in some of the higher lying places in the valley, above 800m. Fortunately Radovljica itself escaped the snow but it was back to winter clothes, including gloves and hat, for a chilly, wet weekend.

Unfortunately the weather meant the opening of the new ‘Path of Poljane Treats’ in Škofja Loka was cancelled and has been postponed until September. Still, that’s something to look forward to! However, the Radovljica Pottery Festival still went ahead as we are fortunate in Radovljica to have the beautiful Mansion House (pictured above) where events can be held if the weather is bad. The festival included exhibitions and demonstrations, a pottery craft fair, an international potter’s competition, culinary fare and children’s workshops.  A great feature was the offer to buy your own handmade bowl and then go into one of the restaurants or cafes in the old town and have it filled with a traditional stew or ice-cream. Under normal circumstances, I might have plumped for the ice-cream but it was so cold a hearty stew was the order of the day!

 

Upcoming events for this weekend include a flea market (boljšak), which takes place on the first Sunday of each month in the old town centre of Radovljica – outdoors if weather permits or in the Mansion House otherwise. More information about this, and other events in Radol’ca, can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/ Also on Friday this week it’s the final of the Na Zdravje programme on Slovenia’s TV1 and it will also be the final of the search to find the best song from each town and region in Slovenia. The heats took place some while ago and the Radovljica song is through to the final. So, if you’re in Slovenia make sure you vote for us and you can listen to the song here –
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/16938978/Radolca

A Celebratory Weekend

It was a busy but highly enjoyable weekend. My parents and brother arrived on Friday and joined me and some friends for a meal at the Lake House Inn (Jezerska hiša) at Bled Golf Course -
http://lake-house-bled.com/index.html
. I chose this venue as it is a beautiful setting and the food is always great too. It was a lovely evening with great food, cocktails and company – so thanks to those that came to help me celebrate and hope you enjoyed it!

After torrential downpours all day on Friday, fortunately the sun shone all day on Saturday and we made the most of it. My family were staying at the Lectar Inn in the old town centre of Radovljica –
http://www.lectar.com/_en/index.html
. Since Saturday was an open day for all museums in Slovenia, they took the opportunity to visit Šivec House (Šivceva hiša), which is directly opposite the Inn. Šivec House is a mid-sixteenth century building with its front dominated by a fresco portraying a Good Samaritan, and comprises a gallery and museum with a permanent collection and regular exhibitions by Slovene and foreign fine artists –
http://www.radolca.si/en/radovljica-sivec-house/

Following this we walked to the adjoining town of Lesce where a celebration of 130 years of the Radovljica Beekeeping Association was being held. There were stalls, a huge marquee, music and much merriment. The previous day a new honey beer (medeno pivo) had been launched, so in the interest of research we each had a little taster!

Next we drove to Škofja Loka for a stroll through the medieval old town centre and a walk up past the castle. We sat outside one of the many cafes enjoying the sun and people watching as there was a Slovene style stag night (fantovščina) taking place which made things lively, but pleasantly so. Next it was off to Kranj for a quick look in the museum and to the viewing platform at Pungart over the Kokra river and then for dinner.

On Sunday morning the sun was still just about shining so we went for a walk around Radovljica and by the Sava river. The heavens opened in the afternoon and then it was already time to drive my family back to the airport. So it was a short visit but lovely for us all to be together as my brother is so busy, it’s rare that we all get together so I appreciated him taking the time out of his hectic schedule to come and visit his little sis!

I have a feeling the next weekend could be equally busy too as there is lots happening. On Saturday its the Radovljica Pottery Festival, where there will be various ceramic exhibitions, a sales fair, pottery display, a concert and more –
http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/events-1/pottery-festival-radovljica/83/132/

Also on Saturday it’s the Moon Festival (Lunin Festival) in Visoko in Škofja Loka -
http://www.skofja-loka.com/domov/luninfestivalnavisokem.aspx
. The main theme of this children’s festival is the playing of traditional games, that some of us who are slightly older may remember from childhood. In addition to the festival, and what for me will be the main attraction, is the opening of the new Path of Poljane Treats. This is a food trail which leads through the Poljane Valley, with the emphasis on the valley’s farms where a wide variety of home-grown and home-produced products can be bought direct from the farms.

There was rather more than a dusting of snow on the mountain tops again this morning and sounds like there’s more to come later this week too. Let’s hope it doesn’t dent my plans for the weekend. So much for my statement a few weeks back about summer having arrived – think I had better leave the forecasting to the experts!

Appreciating Radovljica and Mozirje in bloom

After a cold and wet weekend, there’s a light dusting of snow on the mountain tops this morning. However, the sky is blue and the sun is now shining once again, which is a promising start to the week.

Last weekend I went to visit some English friends who recently moved to Slovenia. I actually met this couple at the Roblek mountain hut (Roblekov dom), where I often walk, whilst they were here on holiday some years back and we have since then kept in touch. They had long dreamt about moving to Slovenia but it has taken some years for them to be able to realise that dream and finally make the move.

They have moved to a tiny village where there is little other than a handful of houses and a church. The nearest town is Mozirje, which is the largest town in the Upper Savinja valley and most known for the Mozirski gaj Flower Park, which is at its best at this time of year when the flowers are in full bloom. The park, which is open daily from the middle of April to October, is crammed full of interesting sights and exhibitions – not only flowers but also traditional Slovene beehives, a watermill, a blacksmith’s forge and the oldest house in Mozirje, which was moved to the park last year. Here’s a link to the website, although it’s currently only in Slovene but I’m on the case and hope to have that rectified very soon! I will then post the English link (and some more photos) as soon as its available –
http://www.mozirskigaj.com/

 

Whilst in Mozirje, I took the opportunity to have a walk (of course) and followed a short part of the Benedikt Path (Benediktova pot) alongside the Savinja river. On returning home I discovered that this is a pilgrimage path which is 90km long in total. Pilgrims used to walk the path in three stages – starting in Austria (St. Paul – Lavam) on Fridays then walking to the Slovene town of Slovenj Gradec for mass. The second day they continued to Mozirje, where they visited the Mozirski gaj and attended another mass. On Sunday they continued their journey ending in Gornji Grad.

Anyway, back to my friends which I mentioned above. The problem is, he is fine but she is feeling very isolated there in the middle of nowhere and finding life difficult with no friends or outside interests. She doesn’t speak any Slovene either which of course doesn’t help. I’m writing about this because being with them reminded me how lucky I am to live here in Radovljica where there is always something happening, here or nearby, and where everything is to hand – cinema, swimming pool, doctors surgery, shops, museums, restaurants etc.

This weekend was the 41^st International Day of Minerals, Fossils and Environment (MINFOS) in nearby Trzič. This event, which is one of the main mineral exhibitions of its kind in Europe, features over 70 exhibitors from around the world. It attracts over 5,000 visitors who come to view the exhibits, join in discussions, exchange opinions and meet experts – http://www.minfos.si/index_eng.php

The next event to look forward to here in Radovljica is the new and much anticipated Pottery Festival taking place on the weekend of 25th May. Also, on Saturday 18th May in Lesce (at the Gorenjska Beekeeping Centre), there’s a Beekeepers celebration taking place with the introduction of a new ‘honey beer’ plus music and a host of other bee related things.

From now on, I’m going to endeavour to write not only about where I’ve been and recommendations for where to go, but also about forthcoming events so here are couple of other events taking place this weekend elsewhere:

• 18th May – Museum Open Day (free entrance to museums throughout Slovenia)
• 18/19th May – Zelefest in Zali Log – The Suša Run, Oopening of the new Suša Path, Live Music….
• 19th May – Magic Day in Bled – family event

Meanwhile, my parents and brother are arriving this Friday for the weekend so I’m looking forward to taking them out and about exploring – more about that next week!

Rainy day activities in Radovljica

It seems I have finally found a silver lining to the long, ghastly (well at least for me!) winter. As it went on so long, spring lasted all of 2 weeks and the past week it felt like summer was here already, yippee, shorts and t-shirts all round! However, one mustn’t get too carried away as the view out of my window today is distinctly more spring-like than summer (hopefully it’s just a temporary hiccup), but who cares, as long as its not snowing!!

This past week there were two public holidays – the 1^st and 2^nd of May. On the eve before the 1^st of May Labour Holiday, it is a tradition in Slovenia to hold bonfire parties (kresovanje). Most towns and some villages have a bonfire – either somewhere in the town or many are also held atop a hill or at mountain huts and people gather in their masses to socialise and raise a glass (or two) beside the bonfires. In Radovljica, the bonfire party is always held next to the SPAR supermarket, at the entrance to the town, and there was live music to accompany the festivities. One of the biggest events is held on the Rožnik hill in Ljubljana (which I wrote about in the post entitled ‘A change of scenery’), where up to 40,000 people attend. On the 1^st May numerous other events, such as organised walks, also take place across the country. Today’s weather got me thinking about the problem of what to do on rainy days when on holiday. Therefore, I thought I might add a new section to my blog entitled ‘Rainy Day Activities’. If you are visiting the Radovljica area, from abroad or from elsewhere in Slovenia, there are still things to do even on wet days and therefore through the course of my blog, I will aim to provide some ideas for rainy day activities as well as of course ideas for hiking and other outdoor activities. By the way, if anyone in the local area has any activities, ideas etc. to add to this list, please do get in touch. I’m open to ideas and willing to add additional links to my blog.

So let’s begin with museums – they are always a good rainy day activity aren’t they?! Although not a large town, Radovljica and its surroundings, have more than their fair share of museums. In Radovljica itself, in the old town centre, there is the Museum of Beekeeping (Čebelarski muzej), the Town Museum (Mestni muzej) and Šivec House (Šivčeva hiša). In nearby Begunje there is the Museum of Hostages (Muzej Talcev) and in Kropa the Blacksmith’s Museum. (Kovaški muzej). I have added links to all these museums in the Tourist Information section of this blog.

If you are fortunate enough to be in or near Radovljica on Saturday 18^th May, you could visit any of these museums (and also elsewhere throughout Slovenia) for free to mark International Museum Day.

As the snow gradually melts, I’ve been able to start to walk a little further and higher. This week I made my first trip of the year to the Preval mountain pasture (Planina preval). From home I cycled to the start of the walk from the Draga valley. However, Preval can also be reached from other directions too. Although I didn’t visit it on this occasion, the mountain hut Koča na planini Preval-a, reopened this week after the winter closure. The Preval pasture lies on the 1311m high Preval saddle between the Draga and Šentanska valleys and was originally the property of the Lords of Kamen. The hut serves delicious food (try the štrukli!) and is always very popular during the summer months.

 

Here’s a bit of interesting history about the Preval hut. According to the first written sources, the first herdsmen’s hut on the Preval pasture was built in 1808 and stood on the sunny side of the slope, approximately 300 metres from the current hut. Due to the ever present danger of avalanches, the co-owners of the pasture built a new hut during the period from 1936-1938. This new hut was subsequently burnt down just before the end of World War II and in 1952 the hut was restored to its original design.

There are a number of options for walking onwards from Preval, especially to Begunjščica (2060m). However, on this occasion I didn’t go any further because at this time due to the snow, it is sensible to wait a little longer before making trips higher into the mountains (unless you are very experienced and well-equipped for winter hiking conditions).