Slovenia, Europe’s Best Kept Secret.

By

Ian Middleton

‘Where are you from?’ I asked two girls I’d just met.

‘Slovenia,’ replied one of them.

‘Ah yes.’

‘Do you know where it is?’ she asked.

‘Of course, it’s the country next to the Czech Republic.’

They both glared at me and said in stereo, ‘No it’s not! It’s between Italy and Austria!’

It was on that day many years ago that helped put my ignorance in check and also helped me to impress a beautiful Slovenian girl I met in Spain who asked me the same thing. That beautiful girl is now my girlfriend, and she too gets very upset at people who confuse the two, and who think it is a poor, eastern-block country. Slovenia is none of the above, and is truly one of Europe’s best-kept secrets.

As always Ryanair is one of the best options when it comes to cheap flights around Europe, and in this case I found a flight to Trieste in Italy, which borders Slovenia, and was picked up by my girlfriend, Nika.

This was my second trip here, and I was looking forward to exploring more of this wonderful little country; although I also had the slightly more concerning prospect of meeting my girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Nika and I were about to embark on a six-month trip to New Zealand, and felt they should at least get to know the man who was about to whisk their daughter away to the other side of the world.

We drove across the border, which is now just a formality since Slovenia joined the EU in May 2004, and headed northwards along the border to the little village of Pliskovica.
Pliskovica is one of many villages lying in Slovenia’s Karst region. With such an abundance of limestone it’s no wonder the locals used it to build their homes. This traditional style of building is now being protected by the government as a cultural monument.

The village lies in the region of Primorska, stretching from the Adriatic to a 19th century historical division of Slovenia in the Triglav National Park, made when the region was under the rule of the Austrian Monarchy. Southerly winds mean that the region is distinctly sub-Mediterranean, and even in winter the temperature can be very mild.

We spent the night at the Pliskovica Youth Hostel, which is located in a lovely old karst farmstead. Part of the building has been modernised, but many sections remain as it has been for decades, namely the old Karst log fire which was where the family would gather during the chilly evenings. The fireplace lies just inside the entrance, where the original stone floor remains and is now the dining room. An old wooden staircase leads to the rooms, and slippers are provided so you won’t damage the upstairs with your heavy boots.

Pliskovica Youth Hostel

After a stormy night the morning air was crisp. Before hitting the road, we took a walk around the farmstead and then on to the outskirts of the village. The Mediterranean climate also provides ideal conditions for winemaking. The surroundings were covered with vineyards. The region’s soil is known as Terra Rosa, and from it the ruby red Teran and Refošk wines are produced. The soil here is a lovely deep red, and the reason for this is the amount of iron, released when the limestone dissolves. Slovenian wines are rarely exported. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Along with their delicious pizzas (said to be even better than pizzas in Italy) to sample these unique wines is just one of many reasons to visit this area.

The next stop was the town of Stanjel, or more importantly, Stanjel Castle. This little charismatic town is described as the jewel of the Karst region, and they could well be right. After winding through narrow country lanes that sweep past picturesque vineyards and wide open landscapes, you arrive to the imposing sight of the gothic St Danijel’s Church, and it’s tall tower. The church itself was built in the 15th century, but the tower was added 200 years later.

Stanjel Castle

The church and the remains of the castle sit side by side on a small hill, and make a lovely backdrop to the red-tiled roofed houses lining the street. We wandered up the hill and entered the remains through an archway. Much of the original castle has been restored after being damaged during World War 2. The oldest remaining part stems back to the Middle Ages when it was owned by the Counts of Gorica. We passed the church and followed a path that circles the inner part of the castle and takes you high up on the hill with a lovely view of the dividing range to the north. The trail also took us past more typical Karst housing. This area is renowned for a ferocious wind, known locally as the Burja. It’s because of this that the houses are built with heavy stone roofs, and chimneys are supported with limestone slabs. This is yet another unique feature of the Karst region.

We also wandered past the odd remnant of the old ways. Old farm machinery dotted the landscape, and a medieval wooden cart sat atop the hill decorated with flowers. We passed a couple rusting Lada cars, leftover from the socialist era. Slovenia has been independent from the former Yugoslavia since 1991, and even back then it managed to remain on the outskirts of extreme Communism.

After a lovely meal in a restaurant on the outskirts of town, we headed out onto the A10, which is the main motorway from the west to the capital, Ljubljana.

With a population of just under 2 million, driving in Slovenia is relatively stress-free. It’s also the best way to get around, as the country is so small.

With only 280,000 inhabitants, Ljubljana is one of the smallest capitals in Europe. In fact, the whole country is just a mere 20,256 sq kms in size. That being said, there is no shortage of fascinating places to see and things to do.

Sitting astride the Ljubljanica River, Ljubljana was first listed as a city in 1144 under the name, Laibach. However, the area was inhabited well before that. Even the Celts settled here around 400BC, when the city was known by its Roman name, Emona. Ljubljana only became the capital in 1918. The last time we were here was Christmas week, when the whole of the city was out along the river celebrating in the dead of winter. It was a wonderful atmosphere. This time the weather was a bit warmer, though. We made our way along the river to the old town, whose dominant feature is the castle on the hill overlooking the old town.

The castle is 1000 years old. Its most visited feature is the pentagonal tall tower. After winding our way up the narrow spiral staircase, we emerged at the top to a panoramic, breathtaking view of not only the city, but the surrounding mountains. Many cities look great from above, but Ljubljana is possibly the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The red-brick tiles that adorn nearly all the roofs dominate the view, and you can clearly see the river, the city’s wonderful ornate churches and university.

As we sat on the wall taking in the view, I realised that Slovenia had so much to offer. I looked forward to returning here one day soon. Mind you, if I didn’t make a good impression on Nika’s parents this evening, I might not be going anywhere.