Slovenia

Some trips from place to place are easy, some are a bear!  Although our travel plans fell into place nearly perfectly, the day was very long.  Two days ago, we arrived in our new apartment exhausted and hungry at about midnight after having made a 2-hour train ride from Brasov to Bucharest, another train to the airport, a flight from Bucharest to Belgrade, a three-hour layover plus another for a plane delay then the flight to Zagreb.  We were wired and far too tired to even fall asleep. 

Still feeling groggy we spent the next day in a daze becoming oriented to the city.  The moment we walked outside our apartment, I told Stan, oh, I like this place.  It is stately, pretty, and welcoming. Coffee cafes, newstands, and flower shops greeted us.

We spent the day figuring out the tram system, buying some transportation tickets, visiting the Tourist Info office, buying food for the apartment and having lunch. Our very first stop was the huge Dolac outdoor market. Tables and tables were piled high with every sort of fruit and vegetable imaginable. Some were locally sourced and some from Italy and Turkey. Shopping here was fun but deciding to buy from this table or that was difficult. Downstairs under the outdoor market is where meats and fresh cheeses are sold. We tasted several Croation cheeses and settled on chunks of delicious smoked cheese and a soft sheep’s cheese that will be great crumbled on a salad.

Our apartment is in the old town and just minutes from town center and all the major museums, historical landmarks, parks and of course, good restaurants.  Normally we try to stick with the city’s or country’s typical or traditional foods when we visit but we had grilled calamari that first day. Not so much because it is a typical local dish; it certainly is not since we are nowhere near the sea here in Zagreb. But it looked good, and we were more than needing to eat.  The calamari was served atop sauteed greens mixed with lots of garlic and well-cooked potato slices . . . which could possibly be the Croation influence to the dish.  It was delicious! We felt renewed. 

As chance would have it, we saw the countryside and capital of Slovenia before we even began our explorations of Zagreb.  In determining what we might do while here, I discovered a tour from Zagreb to Slovenia’s capital. The popular day trip was nearly sold out. I signed up for the only date available, just our second day here.  

We met our guide at 8 am. There were only seven of us on the trip.  Because Slovenia’s border is 90 miles away, we had time to get to know our fellow tourists. The Iranian foursome was from Albany, New York.  One is a geneticist practicing in Albany, his wife is a nurse, and the lady of the other couple is a dietician in a Kyzer hospital.  Her husband is an IT specialist at Alcatel. The physician began our conversations together by saying, “I am an old man, much older than you.” Stan said, “I bet not. When were you born?” And he was right. Stan is nearly nine months older than the doc but I have to say, the doctor did look and walk a little older. Stan still looks younger than his age. We were among some very amiable but brainy powerhouses! A young man, a COPA pilot from Panama City, Panama, was also with us.  Our chats brought back many wonderful memories of our nearly 5-month stay there in 2021. 

The two-hour drive to Ljubljana, Slovenia was on major highspeed superhighways through brilliant green hills and farmlands dotted with colorful stone houses and flocks of sheep.  Every village in the distance had a castle on a hill and a church with a tall steeple. 

Slovenia has been populated with people since prehistoric times.  Ljubljana (pronounced Lube-lyah-nah) developed into Slovenia’s largest city and now capital because of its location on an important trade route between the Adriatico Sea and the Danube. 

In extreme brevity, Slovenia like many countries in this Eastern European region has a complicated early history that I never really understood. Here’s what I’ve recently learned: Slovenia was under foreign rule until recent times, primarily under the Hapsburg Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Leaping forward, after the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War I, the republics of Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina-Macedonia, joined together to become Yugoslavia. Germany invaded Yugoslavia in 1942.  Southern Slovenia including Ljubljana was given to Italy and Germany annexed the north.   Leaping forward again, under Tito’s encouragement and unique economic system, “socialist self-management.” Slovenia gained prosperity under communism but as they progressed, a number of autonomy movements began to develop. In 1991 savvy, smarter people of Slovenia instituted a two-party system and elected a non-Communist government. With an endorsement by 90% of the voters, the people demanded a sovereign, independent Slovenia. The Ten-Day War ensued with the defeat of the Serbian-led Yugoslav People’s Army in October 1991. The Slovenian Constitution was adopted later that year in December. I repeat, 1991. It’s independence is incredibly new.

The country has continued to prosper. Ljubljana has 10 museums, a philharmonic orchestra, and three public universities. Like most European countries. Slovenia has free healthcare that they are proud of, and it boasts free universities with some classified as among the best in Europe. The small mostly rural country has a literacy rate of 98% compared to Germany which ranks number one in the world, with a literacy rate is 99%. Little Slovenia with a constitution only 32 years old has a population of educated people. What a natural resource!!! 

Ljubljana is an exquisite small city. With a university population of 30,000 out of 270,000, the vibe is young and happy. The Ljubljanica River with its picturesque bridges provides a romantic setting for outdoor dining and coffees in cafes and walks. The pace is easy, and the attitudes are friendly. The city is very green; 75% of the city is devoted to green space. It’s Tivoli Park is big. How big? It is 30% larger than NYC’s Central Park.  

A short funicular ride took us to the entrance of the Ljubljana Castle. Of course, it was built on a tall stone hill overlooking the city. Where else? The sky was hazy the morning of our visit but on a clear day, visitors can see land in neighboring countries. Still, the mountains in the distance, white buildings, and red roofs below made a very pretty sight. 

On our drive back to Zagreb we made a stop in the town of Bled . . . . another castle is there, yes, but this one has a beautiful lake below it. Images of this place are popular as bucket-list destinations. The photo features a pretty church built on a tiny island in the middle of a blue lake. That is indeed Lake Bled. 

In the late 1800s, Arnold Rikii developed a lung condition from chemical pollution he encountered in his family’s leather-dying factory in Austria. He was the first to endorse and promote natural healing. He came to Bled to rest and found that he thrived there. He developed and promoted therapies based on the body’s exposure to water, air, and sun. —–Oh, that is my kind of therapy. —–He and many of his rich guests walked around naked, enjoying the air, the sun, and the pure glacial waters in the lake. Bled’s townspeople were appalled, even outraged. But Rikii’s guests continue to come. Rikii created baths, walking paths, hiking paths, and housing in Bled. The town too began to thrive, and the people recognized the opportunity. They built hotels, entertainment venues, and restaurants. The town flourished.  

The spa operated until World War I.  After a gap in time, today, this town continues the spa tradition. Bled is a haven for those seeking peace, tranquility, sun, fresh air, water, beautiful scenery, and quite expensive hotels and restaurants. 

One such Bled hotel, Hotel Park, has made a name for itself with its cream cakes. The thing started in 1953 when the pastry chef created the luscious thing, the Cream Cake. It has a crispy and firm puff pastry bottom and tops dusted in confectioners’ sugar. The two pastries sandwich a thick layer of fluffy yellow custard and another thick layer of pure sweetened whipped cream. It giggles a little. The clever hotel launched a marketing campaign based on Cream Cake. It worked. Everyone who visits here has a square. It is crazy good.