A Scrumptious Slice of Slovenia
Mar 27th, 2017, 11:37 PM
#1
A Scrumptious Slice of Slovenia
Plans to connect with friends for the weekend went awry, but seeing as our hotel in Ljubljana was already booked we decided, “What the hey,” and took an overnight anyway.
Driving from Vienna toward Slovenia is largely, well, boring. There are glimpses of the alps once past Graz, but the most photographic moments always seem to be obscured by either a passing truck or a group of trees. I keep maps of the castles and ruins in our neighboring countries; whenever possible we would rather take a picnic break on the grounds of a castle or dine in the local restaurant than along an autobahn roadside stop. On this trip we settled on Sevnica, the childhood home of Melania Trump and reachable via some passes that are identified as “roads," though that was debatable at times. At several points I was certain a logging truck would appear from around one of the tight curves, and that would be the end of things. (A word about Slovenian drivers, if I may. The posted limit of 130 kph is a joke to these wacky Slovenes.)
The little village of about 5,000 is discreetly proud of the former Melanija Knavs. There is no tacky tchotchke to be found, just bottles of their local and award-winning Blaufrankisch wine and a few other local products with the label, "First Lady." The reason for most of this has to do with copyright issues filed on behalf of Melania Trump, and I think it’s splendid. In Vienna there is Klimt junk overload, from the lighters to the magnets to the whisky glasses and tote bags, so we found it refreshing that the souvenir offers are limited. The village also has a castle overlooking the River Sava that we toured, and its post-Communist era restorations are as impressive as the view from the balcony of the River Sava. Just below the castle is a pleasant Gostilna (Gasthof) where we shared a satisfying board of salami and accoutrements. Sevnica is noted for its salami production, even hosting an allegedly, “Men Only” festival for the sausages. Interesting.
Sevnica is also the home of Kopitarna brand shoes. My Slovenian friend introduced me to their house shoe some time ago and I was excited to purchase a couple new pairs from the factory store. The company even created a special edition, "White House" slipper for Melania that they sent her: dark gray with a fluffy white pom on each!
From Sevnica we motored to the capital, Ljubljana; we have visited the capital twice before, but never in gorgeous spring weather. On Fridays the main square hosts an “Open Kitchen” with stalls featuring numerous city restaurants. It being near dinner the crowds were crushing, and the queues to purchase food were as long as any at a typical Women’s WC, so DH and I wandered away from the scene along the river in search of a, “more civilized” dining experience, finding the last streetside table at a restaurant whose menu board drew me like a moth to a flame with its offer of fresh caught Branzino served with truffle-garnished whipped potatoes. The waiter tried to tempt me with, “The coast is only 45 minutes away, so the fish are fresh daily,” but I was already hooked. DH opted for traditional roast pork knee. Thanks to my Slovenian friend sharing wine knowledge with me, I confidently selected a wine from the Goriška brda region that stretches into Italy, and it complemented our heavenly and slightly extravagant dinner beautifully. A shared dessert of warm apple strudel was followed by a leisurely stroll to the hotel.
The following morning dawned bright and blue, and we hurried through (a delicious) breakfast to explore the Central Market, giving a nod to the stately dragons on the bridge that serve sentry to the city en route. To say that I am a fan of farmer’s markets might be an understatement (DH would likely call me obsessed). When we lived in the U.S. our weekly market was a more chicy-mhicy social event than an actual place at which to gather provisions; plus, it was not dog-friendly. I find the markets overseas to be equally as social, but without the pretentions and of course being dog friendly. Having the luxury of shopping at the markets every day while walking DDog if I so desire almost makes up for leaving a career I loved and the after work rush to the Trader Joe’s for dinner fixings.
But I digress. As we approached the square I was a little let down, spying perhaps twenty stalls and two food trucks. Then, as we walked closer it felt like Christmas morning: dozens more stalls with the brightest flowers and freshest fruits and vegetables spilling into the adjacent square, each of them beckoning me with my camera and my pocketbook. The spring greens, many of which are not easily found in Vienna (like the variety of radicchios) were stunning; so stunning, in fact, that I bought enough to enjoy salads for four straight dinners. Spring has sprung in Central Europe, so a host of Barlauch (wild garlic) products, along with edible flowers and other treats, cozied up in the cooler bag I had remembered to bring for the drive home. For entertainment there were dancers and musicians in national costume, a nice addition.
Just when DH thought "we" had finished, I spied people coming and going from a nearby covered market, more like a store. We ventured forth to discover the Central Market’s butchers and cheese vendors. Jackpot! A few kilograms of Kranska Kolbasa and blocks of a cheese we like in Shopska salads were crammed into the tote. There’s “safety in numbers,” the saying goes, and the number of items in my cooler tote could not have been any safer.
We dragged our goodies back to the hotel, emptying the mini ‘fridge and refilling with the perishables, then returned to the old city to add to our collection of Slovenian wines, with a walk past a sight that would be an epic win in a game of Yugoslavian Trivial Pursuit: the former country’s tallest skyscraper, reaching an incredible eight stories! Too funny.
With the hotel check-out time fast approaching, we loaded the wagon and hurried home to Vienna with our bounty. As a final epicurean adventures on this overnight, our lunch on the road was at a steakhouse. The Golden Arch Steakhouse.
Thank you for reading.
Driving from Vienna toward Slovenia is largely, well, boring. There are glimpses of the alps once past Graz, but the most photographic moments always seem to be obscured by either a passing truck or a group of trees. I keep maps of the castles and ruins in our neighboring countries; whenever possible we would rather take a picnic break on the grounds of a castle or dine in the local restaurant than along an autobahn roadside stop. On this trip we settled on Sevnica, the childhood home of Melania Trump and reachable via some passes that are identified as “roads," though that was debatable at times. At several points I was certain a logging truck would appear from around one of the tight curves, and that would be the end of things. (A word about Slovenian drivers, if I may. The posted limit of 130 kph is a joke to these wacky Slovenes.)
The little village of about 5,000 is discreetly proud of the former Melanija Knavs. There is no tacky tchotchke to be found, just bottles of their local and award-winning Blaufrankisch wine and a few other local products with the label, "First Lady." The reason for most of this has to do with copyright issues filed on behalf of Melania Trump, and I think it’s splendid. In Vienna there is Klimt junk overload, from the lighters to the magnets to the whisky glasses and tote bags, so we found it refreshing that the souvenir offers are limited. The village also has a castle overlooking the River Sava that we toured, and its post-Communist era restorations are as impressive as the view from the balcony of the River Sava. Just below the castle is a pleasant Gostilna (Gasthof) where we shared a satisfying board of salami and accoutrements. Sevnica is noted for its salami production, even hosting an allegedly, “Men Only” festival for the sausages. Interesting.
Sevnica is also the home of Kopitarna brand shoes. My Slovenian friend introduced me to their house shoe some time ago and I was excited to purchase a couple new pairs from the factory store. The company even created a special edition, "White House" slipper for Melania that they sent her: dark gray with a fluffy white pom on each!
From Sevnica we motored to the capital, Ljubljana; we have visited the capital twice before, but never in gorgeous spring weather. On Fridays the main square hosts an “Open Kitchen” with stalls featuring numerous city restaurants. It being near dinner the crowds were crushing, and the queues to purchase food were as long as any at a typical Women’s WC, so DH and I wandered away from the scene along the river in search of a, “more civilized” dining experience, finding the last streetside table at a restaurant whose menu board drew me like a moth to a flame with its offer of fresh caught Branzino served with truffle-garnished whipped potatoes. The waiter tried to tempt me with, “The coast is only 45 minutes away, so the fish are fresh daily,” but I was already hooked. DH opted for traditional roast pork knee. Thanks to my Slovenian friend sharing wine knowledge with me, I confidently selected a wine from the Goriška brda region that stretches into Italy, and it complemented our heavenly and slightly extravagant dinner beautifully. A shared dessert of warm apple strudel was followed by a leisurely stroll to the hotel.
The following morning dawned bright and blue, and we hurried through (a delicious) breakfast to explore the Central Market, giving a nod to the stately dragons on the bridge that serve sentry to the city en route. To say that I am a fan of farmer’s markets might be an understatement (DH would likely call me obsessed). When we lived in the U.S. our weekly market was a more chicy-mhicy social event than an actual place at which to gather provisions; plus, it was not dog-friendly. I find the markets overseas to be equally as social, but without the pretentions and of course being dog friendly. Having the luxury of shopping at the markets every day while walking DDog if I so desire almost makes up for leaving a career I loved and the after work rush to the Trader Joe’s for dinner fixings.
But I digress. As we approached the square I was a little let down, spying perhaps twenty stalls and two food trucks. Then, as we walked closer it felt like Christmas morning: dozens more stalls with the brightest flowers and freshest fruits and vegetables spilling into the adjacent square, each of them beckoning me with my camera and my pocketbook. The spring greens, many of which are not easily found in Vienna (like the variety of radicchios) were stunning; so stunning, in fact, that I bought enough to enjoy salads for four straight dinners. Spring has sprung in Central Europe, so a host of Barlauch (wild garlic) products, along with edible flowers and other treats, cozied up in the cooler bag I had remembered to bring for the drive home. For entertainment there were dancers and musicians in national costume, a nice addition.
Just when DH thought "we" had finished, I spied people coming and going from a nearby covered market, more like a store. We ventured forth to discover the Central Market’s butchers and cheese vendors. Jackpot! A few kilograms of Kranska Kolbasa and blocks of a cheese we like in Shopska salads were crammed into the tote. There’s “safety in numbers,” the saying goes, and the number of items in my cooler tote could not have been any safer.
We dragged our goodies back to the hotel, emptying the mini ‘fridge and refilling with the perishables, then returned to the old city to add to our collection of Slovenian wines, with a walk past a sight that would be an epic win in a game of Yugoslavian Trivial Pursuit: the former country’s tallest skyscraper, reaching an incredible eight stories! Too funny.
With the hotel check-out time fast approaching, we loaded the wagon and hurried home to Vienna with our bounty. As a final epicurean adventures on this overnight, our lunch on the road was at a steakhouse. The Golden Arch Steakhouse.
Thank you for reading.
Mar 29th, 2017, 10:36 AM
#3
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We missed the open kitchen a couple of years ago due to Assumption Day celebration/closures. However, we did get to experience the terrific Saturday morning market; thanks for bringing back the memories. Ljubljana, Lake Bled and all of Slovenia is well worth a visit.
Mar 29th, 2017, 12:06 PM
#4
What a great report. I really enjoyed reading about your impressions of Melania's childhood home. It had not sounded that interesting to me before, but it really does now. That is the mark of a great writer. Thanks.
Mar 29th, 2017, 09:48 PM
#6
Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments. Food markets are to me what art museums are to others. 
Sevnica is taking a balanced approach to their "fame;" the city is way too small and off-the-beaten-path for the tour buses, should there be any, to start rolling in, and the main shopping street could use some modernization, but it was a perfect stopover to see the castle and have some lunch. There seems to be opportunity for hiking in the area, and I've read that the city is looking to expand on that for a tourism boost.
I have to admit that our first impressions of Slovenia when we moved to Austria were that it was just a "drive through" country on our way to points elsewhere. Having friends in Slovenia, we have had occasion to explore a good portion of the north and northeast part of the country (Bled, Maribor, Celje, and so forth), and our opinion has changed for the positive.
Sevnica is taking a balanced approach to their "fame;" the city is way too small and off-the-beaten-path for the tour buses, should there be any, to start rolling in, and the main shopping street could use some modernization, but it was a perfect stopover to see the castle and have some lunch. There seems to be opportunity for hiking in the area, and I've read that the city is looking to expand on that for a tourism boost.
I have to admit that our first impressions of Slovenia when we moved to Austria were that it was just a "drive through" country on our way to points elsewhere. Having friends in Slovenia, we have had occasion to explore a good portion of the north and northeast part of the country (Bled, Maribor, Celje, and so forth), and our opinion has changed for the positive.
Mar 30th, 2017, 08:34 AM
#7
Hi Four4 - I always enjoy reading about your trips and this one, though short, was no exception. I'm sure that Slovenia has changed since our first and only trip there nearly 40 years ago for our honeymoon but in any event we never visited the parts you reached on this trip; we stayed by Lake Bled in a Titoesque high rise hotel [better than it sounds to be honest], and then in Dubrovnik [which i know is now Croatia but at the time was part of Yugoslavia like Slovenia].
anyway, as someone who also enjoys markets as much as anything I ever do on holiday, [apart from eating of course] thanks for the description. I think that we would have done just as you did and after finding the mobs at the open kitchen, we too would have gone to find somewhere less crowded.
one day perhaps we'll have the chance to see for ourselves.
anyway, as someone who also enjoys markets as much as anything I ever do on holiday, [apart from eating of course] thanks for the description. I think that we would have done just as you did and after finding the mobs at the open kitchen, we too would have gone to find somewhere less crowded.
one day perhaps we'll have the chance to see for ourselves.
