i found these pictures when tidying up the mac – they’re from last summer, and make me really eager for the coming warm months… so looking forward to them! :)

20 minutes from ljubljana, krvavec is a ski resort by winter, and a pretty quiet place the rest of the year. on clear days, the views of the karavanke mountains are stunning.
the 8-min gondola ride that will take you up there still works during summer at certain hours, so we decided to take my parents there for some hiking when they came to visit last summer. walking on a ski resort in summer feels a bit like crossing an abandoned town in the desert, nobody in sight and the chairlifts waving eerily in the wind…
that day we walked and walked and walked, and then lost track of the trail and almost had to run downhill to catch the last gondola down :P

notranjska region is most famous for the postojna caves, which are some of best known caves in the karst region… but if the underground isn’t exactly your thing (like it isn’t mine), don’t worry, there’s plenty more to see!

start at the lovely snežnik castle, for instance, the best preserved in the region.

once every hour, someone will come and guide you through the stories of this residential castle. it’s in impeccable state of conservation, and best of all, it has all the 19th century furniture from its latest owners in display. walking those rooms will take you straight back into one of jane austen’s books :)

nearby you’ll find one of the most intriguing places in slovenia: the cerknica lake, which is an intermittent lake. when at full capacity in rainy periods, this is the biggest lake in slovenia. but in dry periods, the water goes away, and the lake can disappear completely!

the magic? it’s all in the ground. the karst landscape topography is shaped by the dissolution of limestone, often with sinkholes and underground systems of caves which can fill up with water, or drain it. wikipedia explains it better:

It lies in a depression of the limestone plateau known as the Karst, and exhibits some of the most remarkable features of Karst phenomena. The lake, which under ordinary conditions has an area of about 10 square miles (26 km2) and a mean depth of 20 feet (6.1 m), communicates through a number of openings with a series of subterranean reservoirs or caverns, some of which are above the lake level in the surrounding hills. In the autumn, when the rainfall is slight, the lake is completely drained into the reservoirs lying below its level, and its bed is speedily covered with rich vegetation. With the returning heavy rains, the surrounding higher reservoirs are filled and discharge suddenly through the subterranean passages into the lake, so that the latter very rapidly regains its ordinary volume and may even inundate the surrounding country. The changes in level are, however, very irregular. Sometimes the lake does not disappear for several years, and it can remain dry for over a year, as it did in 1834-35. It is rich in fish, which disappear and return with the water.

very near to the lake, there’s the perfect place to eat: a tourist farm called levar which we discovered on slovenia.info. tourist farms and mountain huts are some of the best things in slovenia: wherever you go, there’s one waiting to win you over with delicious traditional food.
and charmed we were! from bread with pancetta to homemade liquor and apple juice, chicken soup, pljescavica with all the sides, donuts… it was a banquet!

last recommendation for a day in the region goes to rakov škocjan, a park famous for its natural stone bridges. sadly, we didn’t have a lot of time to explore it, but from what we saw, it must be a spectacular place to walk and enjoy nature. next time, we’ll save a bigger part of the day to explore this park!

and there you go! notranjska might be an often understated region, being a bit tucked away from the bigger cities or other well-known tourist destinations, but it packs a lot of interesting sights! :)

cockta is one of those things that you have to try in slovenia. for a while we were curious about it… it looked a bit like a fake cola – would it taste the same?

so one day we brought some home from the supermarket to try. and whoa! i actually like it a lot! reminds me of the kind of syrups parents give to children when they’re sick: sweet and herbal, evocative of medicine but with bubbles! very nice. paulo disagrees and prefers to drink multisola :)

from wikipedia, i learnt it was invented in the 50s by emerik zelinka of slovenijavino, in his research for an original slovenian beverage. it’s made of rosehip, lemon, orange and lots of different local herbs. the design of the logo and unique bottle was made by architecture students.

all in all, a genuine slovenian drink!

almost a year ago, in march 2010 we went to planica, in the kranjska gora mountains, to see something we had only ever seen on tv: ski jumping!

according to wikipedia, it’s even called ski flying since the ramp line is at 185 meters (normal ramps are at 80-100m and large ones at 120-130m).

in a nutshell, it was amazing!! i don’t think pictures can really convey how huge the ramp is, but anyway, i tried! you can click the images for bigger versions, and i’ve added some arrows to help locate the jumpers :)

planica is known for having the perfect conditions for really long ski jumps: the current world record was set here in 2005 by bjørn-einar romøren from norway, an incredible 239m! unfortunately, it is also known for making jumpers walk stairs almost all the way to the top – thought i’ve read on several sites that the government has plans to modernise the place by 2013.

we were there on the qualifiers for last years world cup, and despite the cold, the atmosphere was really vibrant! lots of flag waving, songs shouted around according to the jumper’s nationality, and just general enthusiasm in each jump! another day well spent :)

we’ve picked our new destination and if things go as planed, we should move countries in a few months time… until then, i’m making an effort to post as much as possible about what we like in slovenia and the things we saw here. first up: the town of piran!

i think when god created slovenia, it must have gone something like this: well, we got tall mountains, we got the bluest/greenest rivers and lakes, we got caves, now if only we could squeeze in a bit of sea it would be perfect. all countries should have a sea view, right? and then he pushed croatia and italy a bit to the side and voilá! 46 kms of slovenian coast facing the adriatic sea. perfect. :)

slovenian’s coast is a succession of 4 towns, connected by a road by the sea: koper, izola, piran and portorož. we don’t know the others very well, but we ♥ piran!
there’s old medieval houses in narrow cobbled streets, with lots of lovely details on the walls. there’s a church with a campanário that resembles the one from piazza s. marco in venice and from which you see the whole peninsula. there’s a cute little harbour with ice-cream stands and one of those machines that turns 5 cent coins into a mini-panorama of the city. and there’s fish restaurants, fresh sea air, plenty of sun… what’s not to like?

there’s a saying in portuguese “those who don’t have dogs, hunt with cats” and this is a bit the spirit around here. no sandy beaches? no problem! we’ll lay our towels right here in the cement or over there in the pebbles and we’ll be ok! it’s a bit strange for us portuguese: the concept of a beach without sand… is not a beach! but hey… i guess it’s better than nothing, and besides, the water is not that cold so you would be spending most of your time there anyway! :)

we must have been there half a dozen times now, and it hasn’t lost its charm yet :)

hello! happy new year!
it’s been quiet here, but like always on the first day of the year, there’s new energy to do the things we’ve kept postponing… like blogging :)

we’ve spent christmas in portugal with our families, like we always do. travelling here in mid-december involved a late plane and a missed connecting flight in london, with a consequent pricey flight purchase for the next day and the inevitable overnight stay in an airport. but hey, after years of changing planes in london and never visiting the city, i finally stepped out of an airport and took the subway – to another airport, but still! i can say i’ve used london’s metro! :)
all in all, we were rather lucky, considering all the stories we’ve been reading!

before we left for portugal, we made sure to enjoy the christmas market in ljubljana. the light decorations take a less christian theme there, focusing on stars and planets instead. there are stalls selling things like winter gloves, sweets, honey or christmas decorations and others with lots of food… and of course, gluhwein and hot chocolate. yum!
the whole concept of a christmas market is something i really like: it gives people enough incentive to brave the snow and come out on the streets in these cold december nights. here’s what it looked like this year:

next post: christmas night in portugal!

a few days ago we celebrated another year of this cultural immersion adventure, the fourth so far (1 in netherlands, 2 in china and now 1 in slovenia) and i don’t think we’ll stop our mission around the world any time soon… although slovenia has managed to charm us thoroughly! in fact, i can picture us settling down here, on a big house (all houses are gigantic around here) by the mountains, spending our days hiking, eating sausages and mushrooms and breathing in the fresh air with a mug of planinski tea or bela kava on our hands.

i’m almost wary of singing slovenia’s praises for fear that the country will be invaded by tourists, spoiling its magic. i’m not the only one thinking so – we’re like a league of secret slovenian admirers, speaking of the country as if it’s mythical (a bit like bielefeld conspiracy, I’ve heard…). seriously, when was the last time you heard of slovenia in the news? never? i rest my case. :P

right now, the first snows have fallen, and we’re eager to start enjoying the winter before packing the tent again and moving somewhere… north. after shanghai we craved quietness, pure air, nature. after slovenia, we’re craving a bustling city, events, cafés with internet. we’ll see. :)