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SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
SL OVE NI A
STORY BY SCOTT ALEXANDER YOUNG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGA KAPUN
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BELOW
Piran Harbour at sunset
combining its mediaeval
town form with the natural
beauty of the Adriatic
coastline
Location: Slovenia
Best lamb cutlets Ive had since I left New Zealand I said
between mouthfuls of Pinot Noir at Valvasor, the Gault Millau
listed restaurant where we were enjoying lunch. But this
wasnt Paris the waiters were far too polite for that it was
in fact the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.
Lovely Slovenia: what a bonny wee place it is, nestled between
Italy and Croatia, Austria and Hungary. To give some idea of its
compact nature, the capital Ljubljana is home to a mere 280,000
people and the Slovenian coastline runs for just 46 kilometres. It
is possible to drive from one side of the country to the other in
three or four hours and even though there may be smaller
countries in the world (Liechtenstein and Tuvalu spring to mind),
few feel so delightfully cosy.
As bets this air of fairytale Europe, Slovenia is rich in folklore and
legend. Indeed the story goes that Ljubljana was founded by
those Ancient Greek superheroes, Jason and the Argonauts. They
did battle with dragons in Ljubljana, one of whom survived and
is, to this day, still guarding the dragon bridge across the river of
Ljubljana. Or so its said. The dragon bridge with its gorgeous
sheet-copper dragons is one of the must-sees of Ljubljana, and,
like practically everything else within town, its in walking
distance. In this capital city, the centre of town is the railway
station, dragon bridge, shops and restaurants; all are just a few
minutes away from each other. There are plenty of hotels to
choose from too, but we parked our toothbrushes at the City
Hotel, a contemporary sort of place with a touch of the business
traveller about it, but with obliging and helpful staf who could
not be faulted.
Even the castle on the hill overlooking Ljubljana is accessible by
foot, if trudging uphill is ones idea of fun its not mine.
Fortunately, theres also a childrens railway and a funicular,
which for the princely sum of four Euros (return), provides a
quick trip up to the 15th century stronghold, renovated in the
1960s. Well, more restored than renovated there are no lava
lamps, shag pile carpets or beanbags in any of the chambers that
we saw. Though it must be said, the wheel room laser light show
is mildly psychedelic. Its an installation that pays tribute to the
fact that the oldest wooden wheel and axle ever discovered,
(carbon dated 5200 years) were found nearby in the Ljubljana
marshes. The castle is a cultural centre these days, where for
instance, classic movies are screened on warm summer
evenings. Its also home to more conventional attractions such as
a caf and a wine bar, a far cry from its usage as a prison during
World War Two.
That dragon bridge mentioned before spans the Ljubljana River,
which runs through the city like a Venetian canal. Flanked on
both sides by restaurants and cafes and bars, when night falls, it
makes for a highly picturesque stroll before or after dinner. There
is any number of arts and crafts shops around, and appealing
handicrafts seem to be another thing at which Slovenians excel.
Not for them the retro kitsch found, for instance, in Prague, or the
repetitious folkloric tat of Hungary.
The Slovenes strike me as quite outdoorsy types, and while
Ljubljana is active enough on a Friday night for example, it tends
to clear out on the weekends, as people head for the hills, or the
coast; to the mountain hut or summer cottage - or just the seat of
a ten speed bike. So we decided to join the masses with a day trip
to Lake Bled, courtesy of Slovenia Explorer. Bled is such a scenic
spot that its picture perfect mittel-European imagery will seem all
too familiar from travel brochures. Its an Alpine resort, built
around a placid lake of cobalt blue. A 1000 year old hilltop castle
overlooks Lake Bled and in its centre is a small island, home of
the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church about which more
anon. A Gatsby style mansion also overlooks the lake. Now a
hotel, this is the villa where Yugoslav strongman Marshall Tito
used to party with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor - among
many others.
After an amble around the hilltop castle and a peek at Titos villa,
we took a at-bottomed wooden boat from the villa over the
sweet, clear waters to the island. Having arrived, there was a
pilgrimage to complete. In the church itself, there hangs hope on
a rope. Well, right in front of the nave, visitors can pull the rope,
which rings the bell in the tower, and make a wish.
There are 700 steps which lead to the church, so we felt we had
earned ourselves a little, how shall we say, indulgence? Stopping
at the town, it was time for a Muscat wine and a kremnita, a
suitably sinful vanilla and cream pastry. Interesting to note this
little country is home to 24 gastronomic regions? It certainly puts
most of central Europe in the shade when it comes to fresh
produce. And even that ne Pinot Noir mentioned at the top was
Slovenian.
The second leg of our journey took in the Slovenian coastline,
and Piran, one of the most charming coastal towns on the
Adriatic, or anywhere for that matter. This seaside town is
undoubtedly the main attraction on Slovenias 46 kilometre long
shoreline. Picture a quaint coastal town of considerable antiquity;
terracotta roofed, limestone houses surrounded by cypress trees
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Imagine boats tied up at a
jetty that nishes just where the market square of Piazza Tartini
begins, and a seafront promenade where people swim and
sunbathe, lined with seafood restaurants - ranging in quality
from serviceable, to really rather good indeed. Think seafood
platters and carafes of white wine, ice creams and beers. Think
too of a place where every second building tells a story see that
pink coloured house on the main market square: its a delightful
example of Venetian Gothic architecture, and was built in the
15th century by a merchant of Venice, for a beautiful Piranese
maiden. The trader cared not that it caused scandal: the
inscription above the Venetian lion relief, reads Lassa pur dir
Let them all talk in Latin. Note the bell tower of the church on
the hill above: its a replica of the famous and slightly larger one
in Venices Saint Marks Square. And on Pirans main market
square, Piazza Tartini, its only right we should nd a statue of the
violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini, with Stradivarius and
bow in hand. Its a nice change from the usual conqueror on
horseback wearing plate armour and wielding a sword.
IMAGINE BOATS TIED UP AT A JETTY THAT FINISHES JUST WHERE
THE MARKET SQUARE OF PIAZZA TARTINI BEGINS, AND A SEAFRONT
PROMENADE WHERE PEOPLE SWIM AND SUNBATHE, LINED WITH
SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS - RANGING IN QUALITY FROM SERVICEABLE,
TO REALLY RATHER GOOD INDEED.
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RIGHT
Lake Bled is a lake
in the Julian Alps in
northwestern Slovenia.
The lake is of mixed
glacial and tectonic
origins
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BELOW
Piran is one of the
three major towns
of Slovenian Istria.
The town has much
medieval architecture,
with narrowstreets and
compact houses
Yet, the impish looking Tartini had his
dark side too. His best known
composition is the Devils Trill Sonata
which he claimed came to him in a
dream, a dream where he competed with
Lucifer to see who was the better violinist!
If that story sounds familiar, its because
the tale has travelled down to us over the
years and even wound up as a country
song called The Devil Went Down to
Georgia, or more recently the Tenacious D
track, Tribute Song. But I digress.
There are plenty of places to stay in Piran,
as well as next door in the glitzier, but less
authentic feeling, town of Portoroz. But
for those wanting to impress, theres really
only a choice of two places to stay: either
Hotel Piran or the Hotel Tartini. We chose
the latter, just as we have in the past. Its a
bright, cheerful sort of spot and its terrace
bar has great views of the old town. As for
dining, there are restaurants and cafes all
along the seaside promenade, but we
chose to go a little further inland, winding
up more than once in the May 1 Piazza,
Pirans second largest square. Its
picturesque too, in a slightly more
understated way than Tartini. I glugged
beers at the Cutty Sark pub and we dined
at the Fortuna Trattoria, where I gorged
myself on calamari and vermicelli frutti de
mare. Robust but efective, like the shot of
grappa which came at the end of the
meal. We were following the one inviolate
rule of Slovenian/Croatian travel: nd out
which restaurants the Italians are eating
at, and go to them.
But all good things must come to an end.
After a few days sunning ourselves,
admiring the architecture and views and
exploring Pirans maze of shady back
streets, plus making the odd excursion to
a nearby attraction and drinking too much
wine at lunch, it was time to end our
ramble through Slovenia. With all these
reminders of Venice Piran was once a
Venetian outpost after all we decided to
take the ferry crossing from Piran to
Venice with Topline Cruises, before
departing from Venices Treviso airport.
And around 300 other people had the
same idea. The day before had been a bit
choppy out at sea, so perhaps some of
them had decided to wait 24 hours before
sailing. There was still a bit of waterborne
turbulence the day we crossed, but it only
lasted 20 minutes of the 2 hour 45 minute
trip, and the crew and cabin staf were
unfailingly helpful and good tempered
throughout.
Soon we were sailing into Venezia, past
Saint Marks Square and breathing in the
immense splendour of the place, as
Evelyn Waugh put it. Venice was a
memorable end to a great trip and, not
just because Ryan Air double-charged us
for the bus to Treviso Airport. (Sorry; had
to get that one in there.)
Yet the real highlight of it all was a
not-at-all slovenly and really rather lovely
Slovenia. Take my advice and visit it soon,
including Piran although I must, at this
point, confess a particular interest in that
wonderful coastal retreat. On my rst trip
to Piran, observing some cats scurrying
around beneath the outdoor tables of a
waterfront restaurant, I had one of those
eureka moments that only come a few
times in a writers lifetime. As a result, I
have since written two chronicles of a
childrens book series called The Wild Cats
of Piran, available now as an eBook and
paperback on Amazon that is beautifully
illustrated by Moreno Chist. Hopefully, I
can get that plug past editorial (Only just
Ed). However, as a result of these books,
I have met a number of Pirans personages
and authentic personalities. Among these
is the towns Mayor, Peter Bossman - the
Ghanaian-born Slovenian doctor who
some now call "the Obama of Slovenia". It
was my privilege to give him a paperback
copy of the book.
Oddly enough though, we saw no cats at
all on this visit until late on the last
afternoon, when the kitchen door of a
restaurant we were passing ew open and
an orange tabby come scuttling out,
chased by an irate chef. Magyar! I
laughed hes the Hungarian tabby in my
book.
MIRAMARE - ITALIAN Seaside Palace
with a Kiwi Connection
There are quite a few half day or day trips
from Piran worth considering. An obvious
one is Trieste, the Italian shipping town
just across the border, where James Joyce
once famously lived and which was
considered the frontier between Western
Europe and the Soviet Bloc. Trieste itself is
an often-overlooked Italian city that might
just be better of that way. Overlooked, I
mean. Once a city of quite some
importance in the Hapsburg Empire, it has
lost its might but none of its grandeur. But
its just up the road from Trieste that one
nds the Miramare about 25 kilometres
from Piran incidentally. Miramare is a
palace, which has a rather romantic
historical connection for New Zealanders,
or at least it should have. Its this pundits
denition of a dream home anyway, a
palace on a clif, overlooking the sea.
Finished in 1860 and built for Emperor
Maximilian Hapsburg the one who was
assassinated in Mexico Miramare was
later used as a command centre at the end
of World War Two by General Freyberg,
commander of the New Zealand 2nd
Division which had liberated Trieste (and
other Italian cities before it, including
Venice).
The old rogue even held a ball there, for
the New Zealand ofcers and Italian
debutantes. It must have been quite an
evening, and sounds like it might make a
good subject for a lm. Get the Italian and
New Zealand Film Commissions on the
line pronto! These historical
connections aside, Miramare is also just a
beautiful point to take a stroll and admire
the house and gardens, the rose beds, the
swans and the views.
Things we love about Slovenia
Often overlooked as a travel destination, the magic of Slovenia is a
historical and visual journey with something for everyone at any
time of year.
Getting here
Slovenia borders Italy, Hungary, Austria and Croatia, which means
ease of access by road, train and plane there are three
international airports, one of which is 25kmoutside of the capital,
Ljubljana.
Transport
Buses, trains and taxis are all available. Travellers hiring a car need
to display pre-paid toll stickers for many of the major roads.
Language
Slovene, with Italian and Hungarian also listed as ofcial
languages.
Currency
Euro.
Climate
Temperate with a sub-Mediterranean climate in coastal areas,
Slovenia ofers everything fromskiing, hiking and swimming to
wine regions, castles and caves.
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