Blogs from Bled, Upper Carniola, Slovenia, Europe - page 10

The day has dawned overcast but the prospect for the day is improving weather as we cross the border into Slovenia. Gretchens wasp sting on her elbow from last night has made her arm swell up considerably and from hereon she will be nicknamed "Arnie" after the Governor of California as she could match him for the circumference of her arm at the moment. We had some concerns that we might not have hot water this morning as last night there didn't appear to be any coming through the tap no matter how long we left it running for and neither of us wanted a cold shower.However something magical happened in the night and there was plenty of hot water for showering. To get onto the island of Krk we had driven across a 1.4km bridge ... read more

Slovenia: 26th June - 8th August 2009 Here's my advice to anyone thinking about a vacation in Europe: run, do not walk...repeat: run, do not walk, to Slovenia. Here's why. First, it's beautiful. The place is covered with idyllic villages complete with onion domed churches nestled in misty valleys throughout the land. Second, the only place they speak more English in Europe is England. Third, when you buy 20 euros worth of groceries, you pay 20 euros, and this applies to restaurants and just about everything else as well. I honestly don't know how long things will remain this easy, cheap, and unspoiled in Slovenia. So, I recommend getting here quick. That's the high level summary. Now, let me break this down point by point. Part I - Eat your heart out, Frodo Slovenia is on ... read more

Today I decided to take of the pension bikes and head out to Triglavski National Park to take a look at Vingtar Gorge. The lady at the front desk had said that the bike ride out there was easy, but slightly uphill. I decided that she was a little mistaken about the slightly uphill park when I came to a hill that I had to go down into the second lowest gear to climb. However the ride out to the gorge was just lovely. I managed to get some great panoramas on the way there. You have to pay to enter the gorge, but the money is totally worth it. The Triglavski National Park and the Vingtar Gorge are just beautiful. Once you enter the gorge you walk 1600m down from the entrance along the ... read more

(Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA. AMAZON.COM) Big Ben is England, the Eiffel Tower is France, the Statue of Liberty is the United States, and so on for other countries. What about Slovenia? It is the Kazolec, Slovenia's unique hayrack. Seen everywhere Slovenian hayracks, Kazolecs, were taken for granted as a necessary part of farming life that occupied most of the country until recent years. It was only when artists began to paint pictures of them, that today they are seen as a national icon. They come in several varieties: single or double stacked, with or without small roofs, all wood or later versions of concrete pillars and wood slats. Some are hung with hay, others with hay and corn. They were developed over time and out of necessity. The damp Alpine regions are ... read more

When Elysee and I contemplate where in the world we might spend the summer, golf is consideration. Not that we are accomplished golfer, far from that. But we enjoy the pastime, and travel with our clubs. We look for a playable course at a reasonable price, and were delighted to find just such a combination minutes outside the village of Bled, that we were strongly considering for a summer-long stay. Bled Golf and Country Club is the oldest course in Slovenia, est. 1937, and the home of several annual tournaments.Even though it is surrounded by the Karavanke portion of the Alps, it is not a mountain course. There are several climbs of 100 feet to elevated greens, but mostly the fairways are undulating with only a few blind tee shots. The men's tees from the tips ... read more