The naked truth about Bled Castle
Discover ambience of Slovenian city Portoroz - The Economic Times
Lake Bled Slovenia Attractions - Suite 101.com
Hope to boost Slovenian tourists - BBC
Little Venice - Guardian.co.UK
Chronicles of a true fairyland - Daily Express
Five Best: Summer Alpine escapes - The Independent
Kanin - Last Call for Skiing - The Slovenia Times
Take a Wark on the wild side - The Scotsman
Buzz on Slovenia Honey - The Wallstreet Journal
Slovenia: Snow with everything - The Independent
Don't miss the boat in the city that's more than a mouthful - Guardian Unlimited
Sommerfrische zwischen Alpen und Adria - Berliner Morgenpost
Reach for the top and a birching - Guardian Unlimited
Slavko Avsenik http://www.youtube.com/user/steirharmoniko
Ansambel Slovenija http://www.youtube.com/user/polkasdu07
Loveable Ljubljana - Brisbane Times
Where on Earth? Week 34: Vintgar Gorge - Bled, Slovenia - Gadling
UST BACK FROM: Julian Alps, Slovenia - SF Gate.com
Cycling Holidays in Slovenia
A fairytale setting in Slovenia - The Sunday Times
Country Charms - The Slovenia Times
Willem-Alexander and Maxima take in the sights of Slovenia - Hallo
Enjoy the delights of spectacular Slovenia - The Star
Greetings from Slovenia - The Charlotte Observer
Is the Postojna Cave worth a visit? The Times
Fowl play - Guardian Unlimited
Slovenia's funky fusion of new and ancient - NEWS.com.au.
Out There: 'Shalom' in Slovenia - The Jerusalem Post
A spa treat for my body - and my purse - Guardian Unlimited
Out There: Quantity time - The Jerusalem Post
Slovenia: A Country that's now appearing in a Swiss role - Daily Press
Detour Worth Making: Predjama Castle - Gadling
Slovenia's ancient capital shelters many secrets - Toronto Star
Eastern Europe is fast becoming a wedding destination - The Independent
Regent adds Europe ports - Ohio.com
When can I walk the Iron Curtain route? - The London Times
Walk the Wall - National Geographic Travel
Tackling new heights in Slovenia - The Boston Globe
Outside favourite - The Guardian
Eastern Slovenia is worth a trip! - Sunday Herald
Slope off to Slovenia - The Times
Exploring Slovenia - Chicago Tribune
Slovenia a multi-faceted jem of Central Europe - The Boston Globe
The Complete Guide To Slovenia - The Independent

  
GOING SOLO

The naked truth about Bled Castle

The Star.com

Hotel's clothing-free sauna forces you to grin and bare it

Aug 21, 2008 04:30 AM
Carol Perehudoff


One of Slovenia’s most picturesque sights, the town of Bled, with its sapphire lake and tiny island, attracts tourists and pilgrims.

Lake Bled, Slovenia–The only better way to view Lake Bled than from the ramparts of a castle with a glass of champagne in your hand is to view it naked – but I'll get to that later.

The castle in question is Bled Castle, and, considering the heavy tourist traffic, its restaurant is surprisingly good.

When a bottle of champagne on the terrace is opened – on the second try – by a man wielding a sabre, it gets even better. (On his first attempt, the bottle exploded in a mass of glass and foam.)

The castle sits on a sheer cliff overlooking the foothills of the Julian Alps and one of Slovenia's most picturesque sights: small, sapphire Lake Bled, the Central European version of Lake Louise.

On the far shore, the town of Bled has a scattering of hotels, including the historic Grand Hotel Toplice where dignitaries such as Madeleine Albright have stayed.

Slightly more removed is the swank Hotel Vila Bled, once the holiday home of former Yugoslavian head of state Marshal Tito.

The main focus of Bled, however, is a tiny, spruce-covered island in the centre of the lake, where wooden gondolas called pletnas deposit a steady stream of tourists.

Once there, the tourists gamely climb the 99 steps to a 17th-century baroque church where, if they need some divine help or just enjoy pulling ropes, they can ring the wishing bell inside.

This tiny speck of land, Slovenia's only island, has attracted the mystic and devout for centuries.

Archaeologists unearthed an ancient ritual burial site with 124 graves here and, according to legend, the island once housed a temple to Ziva, Slavic goddess of fertility and love.

My homage to Ziva will follow a different route.

After my lunch at the castle, I head into town to visit the Ziva Wellness Centre for some indulgent pagan rites of my own.

Attached to the 4-star Hotel Golf and open to day visitors, this modern complex of swimming pools, whirlpools, saunas and spa services taps into a 19th-century tradition, when Slovenia was part of the Hapsburg Empire and Bled's hot springs, mild climate and alpine air made it a popular health resort.

Inside the wellness centre, I stroll past several large indoor pools and a cool outdoor pool, but they're not quite what I'm after.

My aim is to combine Bled's spectacular scenery with some fresh air and hot mineral soaking. My best bet seems to be in the sauna complex, a separate "clothing-free" area (we're getting to the naked part) where a small outdoor terrace and hot pool overlook the lake.

I am used to saunas where clothes are "forbidden" – but there are ways around that.

The trick is to wrap yourself in a towel or a sheet, lie down on a sauna bench and then, if you get too hot – which is, after all, the point – discreetly let the wrap drop from the sides so no one can gauge the size of your thighs.

A pool within a sauna complex is trickier.

It's still clothing-free, but you can hardly go into the water wrapped in towels. Worse, this is an above-ground pool and requires a short climb –which is not going to feature my best view.

Get a grip, I tell myself. No doubt the Goddess Ziva bathed naked in the hot springs, and for all I know, Tito and Madeleine Albright did, too.

Save for two cleaning women, the terrace is empty, so I lose the sheet, scamper up the steps and – after a brief moment of panic at the top when I realize my body is higher than the privacy wall – I sink down and submerge into bliss.

Warm water envelops me, the air smells of pine and slices of sunshine burst through the clouds, dappling the castle in light.

I could stay here forever, I think, leaning my head back.

Come to think of it, I may have to, because if any more people wander out onto the terrace, I'll never have the guts to climb out of the pool.
  
Discover ambience of Slovenian city Portoroz
The Economic Times
17 Jul, 2008, 0000 hrs IST,Preeti Verma Lal, ET Bureau
Imagine this midsummer midnight in chic Slovenian city called Portoroz. In the bar there’s a bobbed Finn, a blithe Chinese, a long-haired brown Indian, a man with narrow eyes who even laughed in Mandarin, a charming Slovenian bartender, a Russian couple too fat to waltz and a singer with salt in his hair and marbles in his mouth singing Elvis Presley' Love Me Tender, Love me Sweet in a blatant Croatian brogue.

In the air was a whiff of roses and wine poured from exquisite decanters. It was a balmy night but the conversation bobbled. Thoughts got jumbled between Finnish, Mandarin, Croatian, Russian, Slovenian and English.

Forget risqué chatter, even angst could not handle so many languages! But then that's Portoroz, the coquettish neighbour of Slovenia’s capital city of Ljubljana that entices everyone.

Once upon a time even monks. It was in this “pot of roses” that Benedictine monks from the monastery of St Laurence healed obesity, dropsy and rheumatism with sea water and brine. That salted antidote was not a quirky concoction, as the city that lies in the deepest indentation in the Adriatic Sea. It is proud of its salt pans, and has been tagged as a health resort as early as the 13th century, by some accounts.

Portoroz subsists on that fame, adding international treatment regimens to its renown. In LifeClass Resorts' Terme & Wellness Centre, you can get slathered in salt mud, herbal oil, treated with stones or scrubbed clean in state-of-the-art machines. Portoroz is pretty as a postcard and flouts its health USP, people flocking to be wrapped in fango, the mud of Secolvje mud pans. Fango might be black and slithery, but this Istrian clay is so rich in brine that everybody loves to slip into the muddy bath.

If Portoroz touts health, in Ljubljana, France Preseren stands smitten. At the doorstep of a church. It was by the pew that Slovenia's most celebrated poet first saw what looked like an apparition sculpted in porcelain. So beautiful was she. Her name: Julia; she moneyed and gorgeous, he poor but with perfect pentameters.

The besotted poet dedicated hundreds of sonnets and poems to her, but, as most love stories go, Julia never reciprocated. She married a banker and died young. But at the Preseren Square, there still stands Preseren in green granite looking at Julia peeping from the house that she actually lived in. Julia's bust is embossed on her house and you can see the crease on Preseren's breeches. He stands there forever smitten and waiting.

But he is the not the only one, there are dragons everywhere in Ljubljana, green dragons that lend the famous Dragon Bridge its name. With their wings taut in air, they look menacing enough to keep all evil at bay. Funnily, nobody talks of dragons as male or female; there is just one man among all the dragons in Ljubljana - the wrought iron dragon that hangs up the cobbled corner of the Ljubljana Castle.

You know this one is a male, for not only is he anatomically correct, he is libidinous eternally. When you walk down the castle, there is the well of Narcissus in the Old City, narrow streets end in beautiful Art Nouveau buildings (one is even called Indian for its vibrant colours!), quaint cafes or marble fountains.

Accosting history:

While Ljubljana finds its first mention as Laibach in 1144, little drops of rainwater were trickling down Postojna cave to form a 20-km long breathtaking mounds and curtains of stalactites and stalagmites much before.

As the train chugs through dark caves that are said to be 3 million years old, a chill went down my spine, not only because of the temperature that is constantly maintained at 5o Celsius but also because of what I saw all around.

On the ceiling hung what looked like pointed sabres, thousands of them so delicate that I dreaded whether they would drop on my unfortunate head. Thankfully, the last one fell off the roof nearly 50,000 years ago, or so the guide says. There have been no witnesses perhaps, expect the pink salamanders that for generations have been blind because not a ray of sunshine has pierced through the Postojna caves in all these millennia!

I accosted history again in Slovenia, this time in Bled, known for its lake, rowers and a tony house that Marshal Tito lived. In the Museum in Castle Bled, there are clay models wearing sack cloth, their unkempt hair tied in ropes and crass threads. If you’re lucky you might bump into ancient knights and queens. The queens in such elaborate headgear that I wondered if she housed a neighbourhood in it.

What is more intriguing is the very socialist façade of Villa Bled, where Tito once cut two holes in an exquisite painting so that movies could be projected on the colossal wall opposite. But Bled is beautiful and in winter when the lake freezes engine of cars are revved and tyres burn white ice.

Of that night in Portoroz I remember nothing except the guttural Love me Tender....But Slovenia evokes so many thoughts - beefy castles, green lakes, bustling cafes, orange roofs, flaky strudels, soup in bread cups, exquisite lace, wine that even ambrosia can envy, salt mud that can turn a frog into a prince....And god's riffs with colour at every camber!
~~
  
Lake Bled Slovenia Attractions
Travel Guide to Bled Near Ljubljana Slovenia
Suite 101.com
by Sharon Cheung
June 22, 2008
Scenery, shopping and scrumptious desserts-- Bled is an ideal vacation spot and honeymooner's dream.
A fairy tale castle sits on a high bluff, the ideal backdrop to a tiny island in an emerald green mountain lake. Lake Bled is one of Slovenia’s most popular tourist spots for its breath-taking scenery and assortment of outdoor activities.

Location and Climate
The small town of Bled with a population of 6,000 is located in southwestern Slovenia at the foot of the Julian Alps. Bled has a mild sub-Alpine climate as the ridges of the Julian Alps protect it from the chilly northern winds. This Alpine resort is open year round and has numerous activities for both summer and winter.

Lake Bled
The lake itself is quite small. The circumference of the lake is four miles and a leisurely walk around the lake can be completed in a little over an hour. As you circle the lake – you’ll find quaint houses, swans, handsomely-colored ducks and lovely tree canopy overhead.
Bled Castle

Situated 100 metres above the lake perched on a rocky outcrop is Bled Castle. On the outside, Bled Castle is everything a castle should be with towers, turrets and a moat. On the inside is a museum with a collection of arms and armour, old coins and stories surrounding the history of the lake.

From the ground, there are clearly marked routes heading up to the castle. It’s quite a steep climb but the views of the lake from up top are well worth it.

The Church on the Island
Slovenia’s only island is in Lake Bled. A little white church with a wishing bell sits on this tiny island. The Church of Sv Marija Bozja is a 17th century Baroque church with an ornate altar and lots of intricate gold details.

You can reach the island by small motor boat, hand propelled gondola or take the traditional Bled Pletna boat.
Things to do in Bled

   * Shop in the little stores as well as the modern shopping centre on the main street, steps up from the eastern edge of the lake.
   * Try the Cream Cake. A must eat for anyone visiting Bled. This cake is a delicious combination of crispy butter crust, vanilla cream, whipping cream and a good dusting of icing sugar.
   * Take the Pletna to the island and ring the church wishing bell.
   * Relax in the thermal springs at Grand Hotel Toplice or take a swim in the lake during the summer months.

How to get to Bled
Bled is about 55 kilometres from Slovenia’s capital of Ljubljana and is easily accessible by train, bus, or car. Once in Bled, this small town can be navigated on foot.
~~
  
Hope to boost Slovenian tourists
BBC
14 July 2008
Highland Perthshire has been chosen as the perfect place to try to open up Scotland to a potential new tourism market in Slovenia.

Slovenian officials will visit Pitlochry, along with Dunkeld and Aberfeldy

A group, including a mayor, the Slovenian consul to Scotland and Ambassador Iztok Mirosic, will tour the area over the next two days.

They will visit places such as Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Aberfeldy.

It is hoped that links between the two countries can be formed and joint marketing campaigns undertaken.

Some of the highlights on the two-day tour include Dunkeld Cathedral, Blair Athol Distillery, Blair Castle, Pitlochry's Festival Theatre and the Crannog Centre on Loch Tay.

The visit was arranged after officials in the Slovenian town of Bled decided to look worldwide for an international partner.

They chose Highland Perthshire as the best candidate.

Ian Brown, from the Pitlochry Partnership, said: "Bled is featured in the National Geographic as one of the top tourist spots in the world. "They did a search for somewhere in the world that they could most appropriately build links with and Pitlochry came top of the list because it's got adventure holidays, because it's got cultural holidays, because it's got beautiful scenery - all these links were there.

"I don't think we always give credit to our own features but we were delighted, and having talked with everyone in Aberfeldy and other towns in Highland Perthshire, they're all delighted to be part of what could be a really exciting adventure."

Janez Fajfar, the mayor of Bled, added: "It felt like home immediately here, it's very green and it's ancient and there's a lot of water, so we thought it would be a nice thing to co-operate a little bit more, especially on tourism, culture and sport.

"Lots of Scots already come to Slovenia to our own Highlands.

"They call us the 'Scots of Slovenia' because they think that we are stingy, but we are not, as you are not," he added.
~~
  
Little Venice
The Slovenian coastline is tiny, but it boasts one of the undiscovered gems of the Adriatic

Guardian.co.uk
Benji Lanyado
June 21, 2008

Piran pickings... a view over. Photograph: Benji Lanyado

In the corner of a tiny courtyard surrounded by peeling baroque facades, under a veranda sparsely clad with vines, a handful of fishermen were being about as noisy as people get in Piran. Wine was being tapped from a wooden barrel, ferried out to the tables, and poured down gullets at 80 cents a pop. As they drank into the night, their morning catch was being steamed and guzzled. A few weeks before, I had never heard of Piran; now it was charming the hell out of me.

All this because of a lost afternoon whizzing around Google Maps. Looking longingly at the Adriatic coast, I'd noticed a blip where Italy stops and Croatia starts. Zooming in, I discovered that this blip is Slovenian. A tiny chunk of prime coastal real estate. It's as if Italy and Croatia were once minding their own business on the European couch, and, when they weren't paying attention, a tiny morsel of Slovenia snuggled in between them.

The Slovenian coast is 46km long. At Koper in the north, the road from Ljubljana bends towards the sea, flanked by lush countryside. Driving south, pine trees form tunnels over the road and the sea rises occasionally over the rolling hinterland to our right. Descending towards the tip of the peninsula on which Piran sits, the ancient ramparts and terraced hills stacked with cypress and olive trees wouldn't look out of place in Tuscany.

A more direct comparison lies on Italy's Adriatic seaboard. Piran, the jewel of the Slovenian coast, is nicknamed "piccola Venezia", largely due to its 500 years under Venetian rule. Say it quietly, but there's a decent case for Venice being called the "grande Piran" as almost 70% of the city is moulded from Istrian limestone and marble.

People have been pinching from poor old Piran for years. Venetian princes developed a taste for the local wine and salt, and ferried it back home by the shipload. Napoleon nabbed a handful of masterpieces from the town's largest church, some of which currently reside in the Louvre. Perhaps the drunken fishermen were lambasting their pesky Croatian kin south of the border, who frequently try to muscle in on the fish-rich waters of Piran's bay.

But in tourist terms at least Piran has remained unplundered - most visitors to Slovenia spend a few days in the capital, followed by a few days up in the Alpine lakes. In doing so, they are missing the best bit. If you're looking for an undiscovered gem on your way down the Adriatic coast, or a couple of days' diversion from the city, Piran is perfect.

To get our bearings, we climbed through cobbled streets towards the vast Church of St George which peers over the town from one of the two hills that mark its bounds. The view is superb. Piran cascades towards the sea in glorious non-uniformity; a barely organised muddle of white stone and terracotta roofs in which no two houses are the same.

Down on the main square, the polished marble was providing an excellent surface for scooter races and three-and-in. On its fringes, old men crowded around chess boards. Mums sipped cappuccinos in front of a handful of cafes, as their kids zoomed around the square. The small marina is cluttered with old fishing boats and the occasional yacht.

Piran is buffered on all sides by rich pickings, so eating and drinking is a satisfying local affair. Over the course of two days, we gorged. In Ivo (Gregorciceva 31), one of a row of restaurants lining the southern strip of the peninsula, the highlight is creamy tagliatelle with a respectable serving of white truffle shavings sprinkled on top (15). For the record, that's another thing that was pilfered from the region in days gone by. The grey, clayish soil of the Slovenian interior is chocker with truffles, and the Austro-Hungarian aristocrats couldn't cart it back to Vienna quick enough.

At Stara Gostilna (Savudrijska 2), a steaming bowl of fish soup teeming with mussels, langoustines and octopus costs 3. Piran has a microclimate that can yield 285 days of sunshine a year, granting local vineyards the occasional treat of two harvests annually. The local wine is organic and small-batch, and incredibly cheap. At almost all the restaurants, a half litre of local wine won't cost more than 5. And it's not to be sniffed at. Swish restaurants in the capital snap up as much of the coastal wine as they can, serving MonteMoro Refosk (a robust red) for 20 a bottle. This is the same wine that flows from the taps in the tiny cellar where we found the tipsy fishermen (Klet, on Trg 1 Maja square) - the MonteMore vintners are friends of the cellar's owners.

The local "beach" - like Croatia's "beaches" - isn't really a beach, but we swiftly got over it. On the northern side of the peninsula, with Trieste visible across the water, four or five cafes spill on to the concrete bathing area on the seafront. As the sun set on our second day, we ordered drinks, and went for a quick swim as the ice in our apricot juice melted. Boats began chugging past from the harbour, dropping nets for tomorrow morning's catch. We dried ourselves, weaved back into the centre through a succession of alleys, and ordered two plates of today's haul.

Related articles: Koper is more than a port
A Balkan Border Dispute Is Nonviolent but Nettlesome - New York Times    
Croats want half of the Bay of Piran
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CHRONICLES OF A TRUE FAIRYLAND
Daily Express
June 15,2008

BREATHTAKING: Bovec Valley, Slovenia

WITH the new Narnia film having its London premiere this week, ANDREW EAMES pays a visit to its magical location in Slovenia...

This summer’s movie blockbuster has been well travelled before it even reaches the screen.

Like its predecessor The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy), The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian was filmed partly in New Zealand for its magnificent scenery, but the final battle scene takes place in a remote but wonderful valley closer to hand, beside a river of otherworldly blue, the Soca in Slovenia.

For once, there is no digital trickery at work.

The Soca really is that luminescent colour, the valley it runs through really is that glorious green and it really is walled
with those dramatic mountains. It is also virtually undeveloped and has a habitually sunny climate, being on the southern side of the Alps.

Narnia's characters found a natural home in Slovenia

For an outsider, entering this Eden via mountain passes to the north feels like clambering through the back of the European wardrobe.

The best route entails driving out of Slovenia via one valley and then doubling back on yourself to return through a little bit of Italy. You don’t need a password or to pull any hidden levers but it still feels as if you’re entering a secret place.

The Soca itself comes bounding enthusiastically out of the mountains near the point where Slovenia, Italy and Austria meet.

Having picked up its colour in underground limestone caverns, it completes its first few kilometres at some speed, scouring through deep canyons, until the valley opens out and it can relax into langorous pools lined with silky white sand and stones and filled with rare marble trout.

It was here that the filming was done, with plenty of residents as extras. It is here, too, that the Soca valley’s tourism begins and as with New Zealand’s dramatic landscapes, it’s the kind of tourism that is mostly about invigorating fresh air and a wide range of outdoor activities, from hiking to hydrospeeding, biking to paragliding.

These activities are considerably cheaper than in better known Alpine resorts further north. Most of this tourism is centred on the small town of Bovec, just selected to represent Slovenia in Europe’s Destination of Excellence awards.

As a destination it is not particularly pretty, regular earthquakes in the valley have ensured that few old buildings survive, but it is intimate, well supplied with good value restaurants and bars and the small main square has an enthusiastic vibe during the holiday season.

Not everyone is here for the white-water rafting or the fishing, though. There is a dark edge to the Soca valley, just as there is to Narnia and The Lord Of The Rings, and it’s not just the occasional earthquake. For much of the past century the valley has been at the epicentre of Central European power struggles, swapping hands regularly, which is why it is comparatively undeveloped.

NATURAL BEAUTY: Soca Valley

Its darkest moment came during the First World War when it was the front line between the Italians and the Austro- Hungarians, latterly reinforced by the Germans.

Both sides were entrenched high up on opposing mountains, making minimal progress in murderous terrain. More than a million soldiers died there, many  as a result of the merciless winter conditions.

It is also where the Germans, with one regiment lend by a young Lieutenant Rommel, pioneered the blitzkrieg techniques that they used so effectively in the Second World War.

As a result, there are monuments to the fallen, military roads, trenches, machine gun posts and decaying fortresses all along the valley tops, with museums and private collections in Bovec and nearby Kobarid.

They tell a story of savagery hard to believe of what seems such a benevolent land. Any doubters can read Ernest Hemingway’s anti-war classic A Farewell To Arms, a partly fictionalised account of the writer’s experiences as an ambulance driver for the Italian army at Kobarid.

Certainly, the valley is full of stories. Whether you spend your time walking the Soca trail, climbing the military roads to find evidence of man’s inhumanity to man or just peering over hanging bridges at the river’s marble trout, this is clearly a place where legends live on.

It is easy to imagine bumping into the Zlatorog, a golden-horned mountain goat that is supposed to haunt the mountain passes, and the arrival of the Narnia cast and crew must have seemed a natural fit.

Hopefully, the resulting film has managed to capture some of the Soca’s magic.

Even if it hasn’t, you can always go see yourself.

Related Articles:
Just back from: Julian Alps, Slovenia
Five best summer escapes

Science and Literature
Dr. Julius Kugy - Poet and Explorer of the Julian Alps
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The Independent
Five Best: Summer Alpine escapes

By Rhiannon Batten
Saturday, 3 May 2008

When the heat is on, stay cool in these mountain retreats
(One of them is:)

Kekceva Domacija - Slovenia


Open from May to September, this picturesque farmhouse has four cosy, wooden-beamed rooms. Wholesome, traditional meals are also part of the draw, with hearty, country-style breakfasts and mainly locally-sourced dinners also available on request. Set in the Trenta Valley region of the Julian Alps, it's an ideal base for gentle hiking in the surrounding hills, or for more active pursuits; kayaking, mountain biking and canyoning are all popular within the local area.

View from the nearby Vrsic Pass

Kekceva Domacija, Trenta 76, Soca, Slovenia (00 386 41 413 087; www.kekceva-domacija.si). Doubles start at 59 (£49), including breakfast.
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Kanin
Last Call for Skiing!
The Slovenia Times
04.04.2008
By Jaka Terpinc; photos: Jaka Terpinc, Claudio Costerini, Simon Cernuta, Samo Vidic

In the far west of the country lies Slovenia’s only high-mountain slope, which, being more than 2,000 metres above sea level, offers both superb views and stays open until May. The skiing is always accompanied by a great atmosphere and, in the near future, it will become our first transnational ski resort when it links up with the Italian Sella Nevea resort.
Easter came early this year… or was Christmas just a little late? The recent holidays were strange and depressing… bad weather and nowhere to go. Max was staring through the window watching the giant snowflakes melt instantly as they hit the ground. He wanted to be somewhere else. Somewhere he could definitely be now that the Easter snowfalls had breathed new life into the ski season. Given the weather conditions, there would be very few resorts able to offer the joys of skiing for another couple of weeks, but there was one place that definitely could. Kanin! The only ‘high-mountain’ ski field in Slovenia and a place where the season wouldn’t end before the May holidays.
As Max began planning how to get there, the hypnotic effect of the snowflakes floating down in front of his eyes, gently transported him back in time to a wonderful two-day skiing trip he had there years ago. It was time when life was a little less stressful, a time when he and his wife were still a couple and could enjoy the cosiness of the one-room apartment they rented in Bovec. It was also a time they probably became a family…, but moving on from all the romance and fun they had in Bovec, the reason they were there for that memorable weekend – the skiing – began on the Saturday morning in a queue in front of the lower cable car station.

The Kanin view of the neighbouring Sella Nevea resort and the cable car which would link the two areas in the next season.

Getting high
The upper Soca Valley was awakening from its winter hibernation and the view towards the faraway ski slope of Kanin was awash with verdant greens, rich reds and browns and, of course, the pure white snowfields. The 20-minute, three-stage, cable-car ride is travel at its best. It takes you from 436 to 2,200 metres above sea level and you can see how the vegetation changes, how the snow cover thickens and how beautiful the Bovec
basin looks from above. Yes, Kanin offers a marvellous view, which in clear conditions extends all the way to the Adriatic Sea and, in exceptionally ideal conditions, even to Venice.
Finally, they reached the top station and the time had come to get to get down to business. Unfortunately, Max and his crew had missed the best of the conditions, but it was not too difficult adjusting to the slightly wetter snow; the price you have to pay for the privilege of skiing in a T-shirt.
Kanin boasts 17 kilometres of ski slopes of varying degrees of difficulty, thus being appropriate for both beginners and experienced skiers. The top area itself offers four lifts, three of which are chair lifts. Interestingly, due to the location of the ski field, it is possible that over a metre of fresh snow can fall within 24 hours, which increases the risk of avalanches. However, Kanin is equipped with an advanced system for triggering avalanches in a controlled manner, so there is no need to worry. The resort also prides itself on being a Mecca for off-piste skiers, but this is not something we are going to recommend here; the more adventurous should consult the local guides, who will gladly lead you down into the Krnica Valley if the conditions are suitable.
Max did well that day. His partner (as he had been advised to call his girlfriend by a politically correct British fellow) was also excited. She was a complete beginner and, therefore, stuck close to the short, gentle lift next to the cable-car station. Such runs were perfect for her to put theory into practise and build up her confidence. So Max occasionally glanced over in her direction to check on her progress and even dropped by for a kiss. His preferred choice was the Prevala run, which has a new lift and is intended to link the Italian Sella Nevea resort with Kanin from next season. From Prevala, you can clearly see the Italian slopes, which are similar in size but at a lower altitude. In April, there are spring flowers bursting out, while Kanin is still covered in snow. The union will mean a larger area, which will be ideal for late spring skiing on both sides of the border.

Ski-field under Kanin
But some skiers from the Italian side just don’t seem to care if there are no lifts to take them to Kanin. Max met a group of Italian enthusiasts – ‘uphill skiers’ – who had used ski touring equipment to climb from nearby Sella Nevea to Kanin, proving that the attractive international connection is already functioning. Yes, you can see many things at this height and if you’re tempted by what’s on offer on the surrounding slopes, there’s good news: anyone who purchases a six-day ticket for Kanin can use two days at any of the surrounding slopes for free. The options include Sella Nevea, Travisio in Italy and Arnoldstein in Austria.
After a couple of enthusiastic runs down Prevala, or to be precise, the ungroomed sections beneath the lift, Max began to feel his legs. The heavy snow had done its job and it was a time to take a rest. But after moving over to the bar next to the cable car station, he realised that he was not alone in his thoughts and the ‘snow beach’ was almost as busy as the slopes themselves. He spent the next few hours mastering the Skripi run, but eventually the temptation of the beach party was too strong. The music, a love of beer and the smell of herbal tea lured him away from the slopes and into position to watch the sun slowly assume its nightly role.
Eventually, Max packed their gear and they headed back down to carry on partying in the many bars and restaurants in Bovec; but that’s a story for another time.

Verdict
Kanin is the most remote resort from a central Slovenian perspective. It rarely pays to go there for a day skiing, since it is a two hour drive from Ljubljana through mountain passes. Its high altitude means it is also the most snowy place and skiing is usually guaranteed until May.
The resort cannot be regarded as large, but nevertheless it has an equal share of easy, medium and difficult runs, meaning there are runs that everyone can enjoy. The overall length of tracks spreading across the 20-hectare site is 15 km. No essentials are missing: there’s a restaurant with home-made food on offer, a ski school, a kindergarten and ski hire. It is also worth mentioning the 9-km sledding track. Bovec, which is situated a few kilometres from the lower cable car station, has all the other ingredients – bars, hotels, etc.– to make this a trip to remember. April is a terrific time to visit Bovec, as you can both ski at Kanin as well as enjoy trekking in the lush valley.

The most beautiful river
The Soca River’s source lies in the Trenta valley. Regarded by many as the most beautiful river in Europe, it flows through the narrowest of gorges in some places and over broad gravel beds in others. Foaming violently one moment, flowing gently the next, the river holds many surprises and delights. The river’s characteristic turquoise hue and the wild beauty of its rapids, ravines and cascades, offer the breathtaking image of natural perfection. Local people regard it as a timeless wonder. Many visitors choose to explore the river along the Soca Trail. It runs from the river’s source to the lower end of the Soca Valley and exhibits the valley’s natural curiosities, including the old Trenta trader routes. Organised tours along the trail, guided by locals employed by the Triglav National Park Authority, show visitors what life is like in the valley and reveal the priceless heritage which lies within the Slovenia’s only national park. Also, do not miss Trenta museum, which offer an attractive insight of many elements, from the ethnology to geology.

Soca River
Soca Tales
At the end of April, the opening of this year’s season in Klue Fortress will happen with a two-day event Zgodbe iz Soce (Soca Tales). The event will start with a literary evening and performance of a choir. On the next day, visitors will be guided through a part of the Pot Miru (Path of Peace) by guides in World War I military uniforms. Afterwards, there will be the main social event at Klue Fortress where the group 1313 will demonstrate customs and life in the time of Soca Front in a short interactive performance. Furthermore, the local tradesmen, farmers and associations will present authentic Bovec products (e.g. products from Soca stone, wool and wax) and culinary specialties (Bovec cheese and cottage cheese, “compe” (potatoes), polenta and “frika” (made of crunchy potatoes and alpine cheese on the open fire).
The 16th of May is the day when beauties of Soca River will be revealed in front of the global audience as The Chronicles or Narnia: Prince Caspian will hit the big screens.
Last June, Bovec and its surroundings saw something quite unusual: an 800-person film crew took over the area of the upper Soca Ricer to shoot some scenes for the upcoming blockbuster. The Walt Disney Studios have kept the story in secrecy, so Narnia fans in Slovenia are really curious to find out what the heroes and villains were doing in the familiar land.
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Take a Wark on the wild side
The Scotsman
Tales From Europe

16 September 2004
Robert McNeil
IF YOU have to send a Scot abroad, it might as well be Kirsty Wark. She’s the only Scot in the last 20 years who’s been any good at anything, the only one we can present to the world without feeling thoroughly ashamed.

**Tales From Europe** offered her the chance to visit eight eastern European countries and not make an arse of herself. I’m not sure because I’m not that interested, but I think these countries were all part of the mob that recently joined the European Union in the hope of finding sanity. (Honestly, sometimes you don’t know whether to snigger or weep.)

Kirsty’s first stop in the series was Slovenia, about which she professed to know little. Here, for once, we had the advantage of the silly girl. For was Slovenia not the country that Scotland recently played at footer, winning nil-nil? Sloppy back-four, as I recall. Or was that Slovakia? Slovsomething at any rate.

As usual, with countries we’d hitherto thought backward, it looked happier and more prosperous than Scotland. Pretty mountains, fashionably dressed people, sunshine, clean snow.

The capital, which began with L, looked lovely and, here, we saw Kirsty sitting beside statues, in a café, getting on a bus, writing in her journal, and buying fish. There was even a bit where she spoke what sounded like Spanish. Maybe she thought she was on her holidays.

But no. She had to visit a wine-farm, all in the line of duty. "I know," she quipped, "it’s a difficult assignment."

Her host was a bald man, who said of northern Slovenians: "They don’t like to spend money. They’re maybe like Scottish people, huh?" Kirsty fumed: "Excuse me!" I was hoping she’d add: "At least we don’t have slapheads in Scotland. And yir wine’s pish, by the way." But she forgave the sod.

There was more unpleasantness in Slovenia. No sooner have they learned to use cutlery than they’re fearing immigrants might want a slice of the pie. There was, too, a shot of a man in unhappy shorts jogging: classic sign of western-style degeneracy.

But what did wir Kirsty make of it all? "I warmed to Slovenia and was sad to leave this small country," she declared. Small? Was that the best adjective such a well-educated wummin could come up with?
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Buzz on Slovenia Honey
By JENNIFER DORROH
SPECIAL TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
March 14, 2008

Bled, Slovenia



Artists use the front panels of bee hives as their canvases. Here, the devil sharpens a gossipy woman's tongue.
In Slovenia, where one in every 250 residents keeps bees, the hills are alive with the buzz of honey making. On a hot summer afternoon at a sidewalk café here, it is often a bee, rather than a fly, that alights on the rim of your coffee cup or beer glass.

The indigenous Carnio