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Beer shops @ Ljubljana

6/3/2018

Let me tell you about my three favorite beer shops. There are more specialized beer shops in the city, but the one mentioned here are the one I enjoy visiting.

The pioneer in beer shops in Ljubljana is Pivoljub, roughly translated as Beerophile, and is still an important dot on a beer-lovers map. They are the biggest shop and, as they like to say, sell beers at affordable price. I would most certainly add knowledgeable sellers, like the one at my last visit, when I witnessed short lecture on which beer should be served in which glass.

Not sure about that? You might visit Pivoljub or, what we heard at the end of the lecture, no matter the glass, the objective is to enjoy your beer.

Že v redu, Primož is what I call the funkiest beer shop at one of the best streets in central Ljubljana, Trubarjeva cesta Street or Trubar Street if you prefer. Mr. Trubar, Primož Trubar is author of first printed book in Slovenian, that was published long ago in year 1550. As you might have guessed until now, the name of the shop refers to namesake of the street.

Apart from an amazing location, this beer shop does have a refrigerator. This means, that when it is not freezing outside, summer should do, you can buy cold beer here and continue exploring streets of Ljubljana or just sit down outside, like by the river or in the park or wherever excites you.

A bit away from the main tourist track lies beer shop Craft Pivo, or Craft Beer in English. Their focus is mainly on foreign craft beer offer and often get an exclusive barrel or two for the next door pub Godec. They host smaller events, like some new Slovenian or foreign craft brewery presentation, education on beer and similar.
Last but not least, there is a BIT coin ATM at the entrance of the shop.

Museum of Illusions @ Ljubljana

26/2/2018

Are you cold out there, wandering on the streets of Ljubljana? Go inside and warm up. We decided to visit Museum of Illusions where we most certainly did warm up...floating under the ceiling, wandering who is bigger,

or whose face is in the mirror, trying to count ourselves in the infinity room...

Our heads were spinning, mind was dared, eyes challenged, motion doubted and many more in the Museum of Illusions in Ljubljana.

It is located very centrally at the Congress Square and offers quite some fun time, of course it all depends how much time you want to spend there and if your company is any fun. Mine was.

Tektonik Brewery

7/2/2018

Very serious beer. At least so are the guys from Brewery Tektonik claiming. And when we visited them the other day we got sure about how serious they really are. They are.

For now still the most centrally positioned brewery is situated in an ex print shop of one of the biggest Slovenian daily newspapers named Delo.

Their most recognizable beers are Iggy (IPA), Dizzy (IPA Amerikana), Hercule (Witbier) and Normal (Pale Ale, the only one that is in 0.5 l bottles). But they are also playing around with some used wooden barrels, from wine and even whiskey.

As brewery itself is not a place for visitors, Tektonic is preparing to open a new tap room in the coming months. But until then you can purchase their beer in food shops, grocery stores and in many bars across Ljubljana

Tower above Lendava

25/1/2018

We had a wonderful sunset on a warm autumn day on the top of the highest Slovenian tower named Vinarium Lendava. A clear day, such as it was when we were there, enables you to see into 4 countries, of course Slovenia than Hungary, Croatia and even Austria.

But the real beauty, at least on my opinion, lies below, around the tower. Endless vineyards, little houses, some trees and curvy roads.

On the ground flour I recommend pampering your taste buds with some delicious and exquisite wines from the area. You'd be surprised.

When designing the tower, architects were - and that is quite obvious - thinking of legendary Mikado, a pick-up sticks game.

Plum brandy

10/1/2018

Among brandy lovers slivovitz enjoys its special admiration. It is one of the most appreciated at least in this parts of the World. And the best one to find in Slovenia is the Brkinski slivovec or Brkini slivovitz.

It has the mark of geographical origin and for this it has to be prepared in the traditional way. The secret lies in a special Brkini cauldron distillation, which has to be done only once.

Hills of Brkini home to numerous plum plantations are located in south-west of the country, not so far from the Adriatic coast.

They are quite sunny and warm, not crowded and offer some great farm stays with a few cultural sites to explore (like Prem castle) or you can enjoy in outdoor activities, like hiking, cycling and even swimming in the summer.

Good move

14/12/2017

I love board games. Analog board games that requires good old analog company. If you like them as well, you should check out Slovenia's first #BoardGameCafe.

Dobra poteza, board game cafe, is just behind the main train station in Ljubljana and offers hours of fun

On my first visit there Jure, game guru, introduced us a few easy games to get warmed up. I had a little wish, probably not the most typical wish there, for board games to be as photogenic as possible. I liked his choice, The most photogenic of them all was Hamster's wheel, that you can see on the upper pictures. It was also nice warm up game.

Before the Wheel we tried Eureka! I loved it, it seems very easy, but it is quite challenging as it requires players to be very quick.

Mikado 2.0, or Cuckoo's nest, both are my favorite names for the game that you can see bellow, none of it is the official name, though. It requires some steady hands, which might be hard as in Dobra poteza (that translates as Good Move) have very nice beer offer, about 60 of them and Slovenian craft beer Pelicon on tap!

They have a treatment for coffee lovers as well as they have the fair trade coffee that is now, luckily, spreading in Ljubljana cafes. Thank you Buna.

For playing games you pay 2 € (per person) and you can play any game that day for as long as you like. And you can choose among 350 games!

Loo-blah-nah aka Lublana

1/12/2017

The capital beer, as they like to call themselves, shares it's name and a symbol with a city Ljubljana. Loo-blah-nah is a phonetic transcription of Ljubljana in a slang of Ljubljana residents, for English speakers. And of course, dragon is the symbol.

I visited them on the outskirts of Ljubljana, in Črnuče area, while main brewer Domen was making magic.

I learned many things on beer brewing and of course tasted a few of their beers. Their parade horse is English Pale Ale, which is very drinkable, light and fresh. Next are IPA, Amber Ale, Golden Ale and brewers favorite Belgian style.

Like the dragon is omnipresent in Ljubljana, almost the same is with Loo-blah-nah beer as it can be found in many bars, like: Lepa Žoga, Biljardna hiša, Old Scottish pub, Guinness pub, Forum, Prulček, Platana, Kavarna SEM, Sputnik, Dvorni bar, Gas Station, Irish pub...

Looblahnah is not present only in liquid state but also on T-shirts and sweaters. Cheers!

Unknown Plečnik's work

23/11/2017

It might seem that this will be a post about museum shop. But don't be fooled, what I am sharing with you it is almost unknown Plečnik's work, The ultimate architect of Ljubljana. And you can see it absolutely free.

Since he was a big fan of tradition, it is not difficult to understand that he responded to the request in 1939 to draw the plans for the interior of the shop that was going to sell traditional arts. Its original position was at Kongresni trg Square.

After 2nd World War Lectarija had its highs and lows and was later restored and now has a new permanent address at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum.

And it still kept it's original purpose as it sells handmade traditional products like Idrija lace, wooden and clay products, hand woven goods and hand painted beehive panels among others. There is also some unique jewelry from traditional materials from Slovene designers.

The shop is open the same as Slovene Ethnographic Museum is and you can enter without paying (museum) entrance ticket. Just let people at the counter know where you are going.

Bearlog hostel

8/11/2017

All of you bear lovers, let me present you Bearlog hostel. Don't worry, your love of bears is not relevant for liking this hostel. It is beautifully and stylishly designed and situated in an old house at Kočevje. It is in it's first year, so everything still smells of new.

Kočevje region is totally unknown to 99% of travelers going to Slovenia. Strictly my personal statistic. So in case you are intrigued I am positive you'll have fun. Apart from bears, endless forests, there is even virgin forest protected by UNESCO, many hiking and biking trails etc. you can also uncover the secrets of the Cold War.

And while exploring the unknown Kočevsko, you might need to stay in hostel, the first and for the moment the only one in here.

Deadly Walk

30/10/2017

Let's face it, cemetery has it's own feel, not necessarily pleasant to everyone. But nevertheless, it truly can be a great revelation of understanding the country better. And not to forget a beautiful, peaceful walk through outdoor gallery.

Ljubljana's cemetery, called Žale, is a remarkable piece of work, not only there is a breathtaking Garden of All Saints designed by Jože Plečnik also the rest of the cemetery is special to see.

There are a few possibilities how to see the cemetery, of course you can go there by yourself or self-guided with a book or an app, but the best is to go with a guide. I was surprised how much more did I not only understand, but even how much more did I see. Little details you would never noticed when visiting for the first time.

But be aware, cemetery is endless. Literally! You could spent hours there listening to all the stories. Apart from many Plečnik-connected stories there are historically interesting people buried there, many memorial statues and even cemeteries dedicated to first and /or second world war. And so much more!

Luckily the guide sees visitors limits, so the walk doesn't become deadly.;)

Tjaša

After writing a blog in Slovenian language for 10 years I have finally come to my sense and started writing one in English as well. I'll share with you beautiful places worth visiting in Slovenia and around it. I'll also talk about general things tourist should know and of course I'll write about food, drinks and accommodation, essentials for any visitor. I am writing about my personal recommendations that are not influenced by any sponsors.

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