These are so called gingerbread harts. Traditional gifts in Slovenia. On the upper one it says: Happiness is the only thing that doubles if we split it among others! HAPPY LUCK SPLITTING in 2018!
 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!  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!
 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.
 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.
 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.;)
 Does it sound amazing that they pulled out of the river beds around 2200 year old dugout canoe? Yes, it does sound amazing, because that is absolutely amazing. They found it a few decades ago but you can't just pull out such an old wooden object. It would be soon destroyed in changed environment. They managed to do so in 2015 and I got to see it last year, well, one third of it, one day before they dipped it into last stage of conservation process, that lasts for about three years.
When they will finish with conservation processes it is going to be exhibited at Cultural Home Vrhnika. Until then all you can see are pictures. Canoe is broken twice, but put together it measures approx. 15 meters. For now archaeologist believe that it could be both, of Celts or Roman origin.
Whoever made it used magnificent oak tree, that had been 200 years old and had 1.5 m diameter. And in case you are wondering, yes, those metal clips you see on the photographs are original.
 If you ever had a glass of wine you should be able to differ Cviček from any other wine. Simply by its colour. It is not white, nor red, not even orange or rosé. It is Cviček. There are many mean stories about this bright red wine from Dolenjska region (Lower Carniola region) and sometimes they might be close to the truth. But, to show you otherwise, I am presenting Cviček od fare, wine created by House of Wines Frelih (Hisa vina Frelih) that received Award Commended in London. This is the first time Cviček got any sort of recognition outside Slovenia.
Cviček is protected in Slovenia, but when we joined European Union this wine was not recognized as wine because it has low level of alcohol, only about 8%. Now this has changed, Cviček is indeed wine. It is also appreciated by diabetics, since it has low sugar level, which is of course because of low alcohol level. Still wondering the secret of such bright red? Or unsure if you would see the difference in colour?
I posted two pictures above, left being Cviček and right Modra Frankinja.I think you can spot the difference from far away. And, as you might have guessed, right one consists of only red grapes and left one is made of red and white grapes, which is not very common in the world. But as I told you at the beginning, Cviček is the most different of them all....
 Slovenian smallest international airport is the one on the coast, Aerodrome Portorož. In case you are wandering how small is that, let me tell you it has 11 employee, counting everyone from cleaning personnel to director. But you are used to small things in Slovenia, aren't you? So this might not come as a surprise to you. How about receiving a welcome drink after you have landed?
When flying directly to the coast, visitors are greeted in a traditional way for this parts of Europe with a shot of home made brandy!
 One of the most common questions I get from foreign visitors is whether it is more beautiful Postojna Cave or Škocjan Caves.
More than 30 years ago Skocjan Caves were listed under UNESCOs natural heritage and have been, until recently, the only site in Slovenia with such protection. When visiting Škocjan cave you can choose among three trails. The most known and popular and probably the most essential is Through the underground. This is guided tour with entrance fee. Another option is the Škocjan Education Trail which doesn't take you to the underground but is is absolutely free and almost equally beautiful than the first one.
But of course, the best is to do at least this two. I assure you that the third option is very beautiful as well, but I can't ask you to see all in one day. Pictures in this post are from the first mentioned option, i.e. from a guided tour to the underground, which, please do keep that in mind, can be challenging for people that are not used to walk much. But it is doable.
,In case you are still wondering which cave to choose, I won't give you an answer. Postojna cave is much older and for that reason quite different from younger Škocjan caves, but both are very impressive.
Besides, there are more than 12000 registered caves at the moment in Slovenia. Why limiting your choice only among the two? |
TjašaAfter writing a blog in Slovenian language for 10 years I have finally come to my sense and started writing one in English as well. Categories
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