Our Local Guide in Slovenia; Part 3/5 – Pit stop in Ljubljana; onwards to Piran

After studying together for two years, my Slovenian friend Anja invited me and two of our friends on a five day road-trip across her beautiful country. Not only did we get to see the landscapes of Europe (mountains, lakes, beaches), but had a unique opportunity to receive a crash course in all things Slovenian, learning about the language and culture, and eating ourselves silly in the hot summer sun.

It was Friday, which meant the time had come to say goodbye to Anja’s family and head to Piran on the Slovenian seaside. Our 7am departure time came and went, but in hindsight we were lucky to have run a little late. About thirty minutes into our drive, we hit a wall of traffic. An accident had happened further ahead. It didn’t take long to file us off, but the poor people stuck between the junction and the accident had to wait for the road ahead to be cleared. We escaped hours of delays.

Thankfully, Anja’s friend, whom we were due to rendezvous with in Ljubljana to get the keys to his apartment for the weekend, was stuck in the same traffic, allowing our schedules to almost tie up.

Anja dove out the car and asked JP to park as her friend was in a hurry. JP got behind the wheel of an alien car, having only just woken up from a nap, and within seconds was confronted with aggressive beeping as we were blocking the road. I’ve never seen someone wake up so fast! We went for coffee to let JP recover and were soon back on the road.

JP after his wake-up call...

...then coffee (awesome cups)...

...and JP is ready to rumble!

Our first taste of the sea came as we drove through the city of Izola, where the road skirted the edge of land and water. Soon after came Piran. We turned down ever narrower roads into a small car-park, which over-looked a band of trees and pretty red-bricked roofs with the ever-reaching sea below.

The owner of the B+B greeted Anja warmly; she and her family have been coming here for years. In our sizeable room, it was cooler to keep the shutters closed at all times as any inch of sun and it was sure to boil. I dug out my sun-cream and lathered up.

It felt like Venice as we descended stairs to a series of narrow passages squashed between snuggly fit houses. Mopeds sped past as diners ate at cafés and residents hung laundry to dry. An open space appeared on our left, the Central Square. The Bell Tower stood proudly above red and yellow houses, opposite were the white pillars of the Municipal hall, and in the centre was the statue of the composer Giuseppe Tartini.

The square followed round to a tucked away harbour, where a local bus beeped a van out of its way. I wandered aimlessly, capturing sights with my camera. I browsed hats on a stall and passed numerous fish restaurants on the promenade as half naked bathers climbed over rocks to the sea. There isn’t a beach in Piran, leaving the prom dotted with deck chairs and umbrellas. We skirted the lighthouse and found an empty patch of street to lay down our towels. An umbrella cost 4 euros. 

I read my book as I watched our bags, until it was my turn to swim. I went down to where the prom met the water and hobbled over slippery rocks into the cold water, which was welcome once adjusted. It was salty and easy to float in. Across the bay, I could see Trieste, Italy. It once belonged to Slovenia but was given to Italy during the Second World War, leaving Slovenia with a measly 47km of coastline. But as Piran proves, it's not the quantity but the quality that counts.

Aware of my own stench, I braved the climb back up to the room for a proper shower. JP came too, but the girls went for another swim and would meet us shortly. I felt refreshed, but by the time I was back in the square, I’d already grown sticky. We walked back to the restaurants and tried to find some with vegetarian options for JP and Pirjo. It was a bit pricey, which I suppose was to be expected in a touristy region, but I was quite happy when my plate of calamari and chips arrived. Sure, it wasn’t as big a portion as I was growing used to, but the free round of Schnapps was great!

Our group walked up to the Bell Tower, and me and Pirjo decided to pay the one euro fee to climb it. It was a harrowing climb. The steps were made of thin wood which bowed under foot, but it was worth it for the view of the market below. Within a few minutes, the bell rang, and scared us nearly to death. I checked my watch and made sure we had gone down before the next ring at half past.

The girls wanted to go for another swim, so me and JP found a bar on the main square and enjoyed a dark larger whilst people watching. It was busier now, with cyclists and an elderly man having a fantastic time on roller-blades, to which a group of passing children applauded. Lots of people had glow-in-the-dark toys which they shot into the air and watched as they glided back down to earth. It was very relaxing. We had another drink when the girls arrived and got a photo of us together.

Before we retired, we went to grab some food from the late night bakery; much cuter appeal than a kebab shop! We took our food and sat on a wall overlooking the harbour and listened to the distant concert. It was hilarious when a policeman came and told us we had to move on. We looked and realised we were outside the police station and sitting on the wall wasn’t allowed. Such rebels! We wandered back to the room, but not before sitting on the grass and talking for a while. I was relaxed and in one of those natural highs that only come after a happy night with friends.

Note the police boat in the foreground!

This was part 3 of a five part post. Click here to check out parts one and two. Next time we leave the seaside to see a swarm of bats in the Škocjan Caves and try out local drink and night life in Ljubljana.

Our Local Guide in Slovenia; Part 2/5 – A Steep Climb followed by Refreshing Wine!

Today we were feeling brave and decided to take a climb up the Maribor Pohorje, part of the Pohorje Massif mountain range, and a ski resort in winter, made apparent by the many chairlifts and the cable car, which today was being used by hikers and cyclists for a mountain bike race.

Winding up the wide, yet relatively steep woodland track at the base of the mountain, we could hear the trickle of a stream of fresh water, and stopped to have a taste. We wondered if we should take a more adventurous track through dense trees, and stopped to ask a hiker, who pointed to the main path and shrugged it off, and I knew before Anja could translate that to him it would be a walk in the park. We stuck with main path, but even that had us huffing and puffing; we certainly weren’t locals!

JP found a furry friend when we stopped at a touristy café for some refreshments, and despite his cat allergies, couldn’t resist petting it for the duration of our stop. There was a really great view of the town below, which got even better as we assaulted the steep hill that emerged from the café plateau. The bike race crossed our path and we had to dive across before cyclists could speed past.

The rest of the climb had me sweating buckets. There was a second stop, which we used to refill our water bottles and have a final rest before a last push to the top, where the bike track went right past us, treating us with intermittent whoosh of speeding cyclists. Finally, at the top, we had a passer-by take a group photo then bought our cable car ticket for five euros. It seemed odd that we’d struggled so hard and for so long to reach the top, yet were down in a matter of minutes.

After a quick change, we were back in the car and bound for Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest city. Once again, we parked on the outskirts in a shopping centre to make the most of the free parking, and walked across the Tito bridge into the main part of town. The first thing that struck me was the contrast of new and old, with old buildings squashed between tall towers. It was very beautiful.

We picked up some leaflets from the tourist information office about a self-guided wine walk, took a few pictures of the towering, red-bricked Franciscan church next to it, then headed into a lovely little square of shops to find some lunch. The restaurant, Stajerc, which had a great terrace right on the square, brew a selection of beers, including a green lager! It had a high novelty factor, but did taste like any other lager, so I made sure I had a temno pivo before I left. I ate a Balkan meat patty in tasty bread, which I think was called pljeskavica. It was yum, and replaced the energy I’d lost on the hike.

For desert, we went for ice-cream, and I tried berry flavour this time. On one street, I spied a load of shoes slung on a telegraph cable. We passed the cathedral and then lay down on the green outside of the university building. One man was paddling away in the fountain to cool down from the heat. It was nice to have a snooze, but then I made use of the free city Wi-Fi (what a great idea!) to research the Vintgar Gorge for later.

The church is in the background

Central Square

The Cathedral

University Building

Chilling in the park

After some further walking, passing the Dveri Pax wine cellar (which apparently reaches out widely beneath the city), the odd looking WWII monument, some random umbrellas, and loosing JP when we slipped into a shop for postcards, we went for tea, and met one of Anja’s friends. This café, located off the main square near the church, had just about every tea imaginable on the menu. I had gun-powder green tea (which was served with a sand-timer to tell you when it was brewed) and a slice of house-cake, which was quite like the hazelnut cake in Ptuj, but made to a secret recipe.

Our next stop took us down to the water front for views of Maribor’s bridges shimmering in the sun. Not too far along, we found Old Vine House, home of Old Vine Wines. The vine, which still grows today on the front of the building, has a really interesting history. Its grapes produce only a few bottles of wine each year, which are given to important people, as shown in this blurry photo of a letter of thanks from Bill Clinton. The vine almost died, as shown in the museum in a photo of a muddy, dilapidated shack with the vine still clinging on, but was restored, and now its harvest is a huge festival where locals get involved.

We bought our wine tasting coupons for €3.50, a real bargain considering you’re meant to get a snack and two good size samples of wine. I say meant, as when we arrived at the water tower, we were told the kitchen was shut, so unfortunately we’d have to have three samples of wine instead… what a pity! The water tower is a fantastic place, a 16th century defence post come trendy wine cellar. The barman was great too, and came out to tell us a bit about the wines as he poured for us. I’ve never really been a fan of white wine or rosé, but these wines were enough to change my mind!

 Finally, after another long yet fantastic day, we stopped at Interspa to grab a few snacks for our next day’s adventure, and then Anja drove us a scenic route home to give us some nice views. On arrival at home, I was already feeling quite full, but Anja’s sister had prepared us a three course meal! We had well and truly been spoiled, and I was sad that our time with her parents was over, but the other part of me was desperately excited about our upcoming trip to the seaside in Piran.

This was part 2/5 of my road trip in Slovenia. Read part one here. Next time, we hit the beach!