Last full day in Slovenia

 5 May 2024

I must have been crazy tired from yesterday’s activity, excitement, fresh air…you name it.  I slept the sleep of the dead again, waking only to use the bathroom.  

I hit the breakfast room around 8:15 and shook up the breakfast selection this morning, instead choosing the traditional sweet (not savory) struklji.  I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting myself into but enough people had told me how good it was that I was game.  I waited while it was prepared by having some granola and yogurt with OJ and my daily cappuccino.  When the struklji arrived, I realized I should have been eating it all along!  It was a pastry dough with cottage cheese rolled up like a jelly roll and the sliced and fried (I think!) then topped with butter and brown sugar.  Oh my goodness.  That was pretty darn good!  I took another cappuccino to go and got ready to head out for the day.

It looked to be another warm start to the day so I went out without a coat, a choice I did not regret.  I would not end up getting as hot as I did yesterday because both a strong breeze and some clouds kept it a tad cooler today, but it was nice and comfortable to walk around.

My first stop was the Plecnik house, the home of Joze Plecnik, the architect who redesigned Ljubljana as well as other cities like Vienna, Prague and Belgrade.  I’d heard on a couple of tours that he was not just a genius but also a character.  A loner, Plecnik made no bones about not wanting guests or visitors.  His waiting area had benches with seats that slanted forward under a roof that was missing.  If visitors stuck around through discomfort and rain, they weren’t getting his message.  It’s always interesting for me to be in a historic house and especially one where artists live.  His was meager and simple.  He took elements from other sites and integrated them into his home design, from a perspective of being frugal as well as not wanting to see things go to waste.  He worked for free on all of his projects and was a harsh self-critic.  He is now one of the two most celebrated names here in Ljubljana (along with poet Preseren).  I also took in two exhibitions on about him while at the house.  It was an interesting stop and one I’m glad I made.

I then headed back toward the city center and just strolled around a bit until I came across a road race.  I was curious what it was all about and looked it up on the web.  From what I could gather, there is a course but no finish line. Runners start and a half hour after they start a chaser car sets out after them, increasing speed every 30 minutes. When the chaser car catches you, you’re done. Last person to be caught by the chaser car wins. Interesting concept.  I stood and watched the race unfold on the big tv screens in Congress Square.  I then went and had lunch and returned closer to when the chaser cars were going to be setting off.  I was hooked but also trying to mentally calculated how far I’d get at my current race pace before the chaser car caught me.  Hmmmm.  The female winner of the race ran 33 miles before she was caught, the male 42 miles. That’s crazy.  I can’t times or paces for them but I am curious.

Lunch was at a riverside cafe.  I had a Beefeater G&T and a bowl of stew with fregola sarda pasta and spring veg (peas, carrots, zucchini, onion).  It was really filling and tasty.  Also I think I needed the liquid to rehydrate from yesterday.

With the Chicago ladies last night, we’d stopped by a place where they had learned had the best struklji in town.  It looked so good that I decided to go get a piece after I’d checked in on the race again.  It was at Moji Strukjli over by the market. It was a nice sunny seat with a slice of triple chocolate struklji and a cappuccino.  Delicious.  I could get used to this….

I ran back to the hotel for a bit before heading out to join the 3 p.m. Old Town tour given by Ljubljana Free Tours.  I was psyched to see Helena was doing it, as I had done the classic tour with her Thursday and really liked her.  This tour focused only on the Old Town and covered different subject matter and time periods than the first tour.  As I expected, it was a very fast 2 1/2 hours and I learned a lot.  It also included a climb back up to the castle but a much less steep route than I found on my first day here.  She took us through the castle complex, most of which is open for free to all since the city owns it now.

I was still full from my earlier lunch and dessert, so I just popped into a riverside cafe for a Bloom G&T and a mozzarella and tomato panini.  The sandwich was passable but the G&T was excellent.  Funny enough I looked it up and I can get the Bloom gin at home!  Here I was savoring it as if it was novel.

Damiejn had recommended Zvezda (meaning Star) ice cream parlor near my hotel, and having accidentally on purpose stumbled on it walking around today, I stopped there for a small dish of chocolate and pistachio, and it really was quite good.  I’ve certainly done my share of eating the good stuff on this trip!

I was back at the hotel by 7:00 and fully packed by 7:30.  I ordered the taxi to the airport for tomorrow and am calling it an early night.  I’m ready for the UK!  The Elbow fans who went to last night’s warm up show are ecstatic but keeping lips sealed on the setlist.  I can’t wait to get to Brighton for Tuesday!

Another one of those days…

 4 May 2024

As I’ve gotten older and gained more travel experience, I have learned to truly appreciate in the moment those days that are just pretty special from start to finish. As in, I realize they’re special as they’re happening and savor them then and there, but also tuck them away as day-long memories to savor later.  Today was one of them.

The day started as those before it did, same breakfast, same morning routine, just a couple hours earlier.  I was to meet the To Do Slovenia van at 8:10 at the Napoleon monument just outside the hotel.  The van pulled up just as I walked up with two guys from New Hampshire (go figure!) already in it.  We had a misfire with an Asian couple who also got in the van with us, nodding and agreeing to everything the guide asked them, then the two women from Chicago on my Thursday tour arrived, and it turns out they were meant to be with us instead, so we swapped the most and off we went.  It was 5 of us from the US and Damiejn our guide.  He was a cutie and very chill.  

We drove first to Vintgar Gorge, another place I’d already “run” on my treadmill. I knew what to expect from the treadmill workout, but even that could not prepare me for how awesome this actually is.  It was by far one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.  As gorges go, water from upstream or up mountain has been flowing repetitively through this crack for thousands of years, forcing its way and carving up the landscape as it sees fit.  We tourists are allowed to walk along narrow footbridges suspended along the side wall of the gorge for the length of about a mile of the gorge, experiencing rushing rapids and waterfalls along the way.  The power of Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me, and this was no exception.  I was truly blown away.  It was over way too fast.  I’d go back and do it again and do it longer, if I had the choice.  It was truly beautiful and an overall very positive experience.

Next stop was Lake Bohinj.  I’d read it was much less visited due to its somewhat out of the way location.  We arrived just as I was starting to feel hungry and were given about an hour and 15 minutes there.  Which was great, except that other than taking in the view of the lake and the mountains and the overcast and threatening sky, there wasn’t much to do.  And I was hungry.  So the Chicago ladies and I hit the single very small restaurant and had Beyond Burgers and fries with an Aperol spritz right on the edge of the lake.  We were still enjoying the lake, just multitasking.  Due to excessive chatting we did run a bit late but Damiejn was fine with that.

Interestingly, yesterday’s rain finally stopped around 7:30 am and it got progressively clearer and sunnier and warmer as the day wore on.  Except at Bohinj, was seems to be permanently sacked in with clouds.  Other than that, I could not have asked for a more picture perfect day.

We back-tracked a bit to Lake Bled.  This is probably what people think of when they think of Slovenia (if anything…so many people still don’t know it well).  Lake Bled is the iconic lake with the island with the little church on it.  It also has a castle high up on a hill over the lake and a cute little lakeside church and a gorgeous mountain backdrop.  There’s also more restaurant, shops and hotels around the lake, meaning far more people.  Not crowded to the point of uncomfortable but also not nearly alone as we were at Lake Bohinj.

I was glad to have eaten already because that was not something I wanted to waste precious time doing at Lake Bled.  But, Bled is also home to the world famous cream cake and we just so happened to be standing in front of the restaurant that invented it, so Chicago ladies and I went into have a slice and a cappuccino to fuel our next efforts.  The cream cake was quite good and I’m glad I got a slice before setting out.

We had just over 3 hours here, and my options were: climb to the castle (where another iFit run on my treadmill had started), boat out to the little island, or walk the circumference of the lake (another iFit run).  Damiejn strongly suggested the boat out to the island, but it was 20 minutes each way, plus an hour on the very small island with a bunch of other people to do what? Entering the church was another 12E, on top of 18E to get on the boat.  Nah.  So off I went up to the castle.  The sign at the base said it is a 20 minute walk and I did in 8!  (Don’t forget, I’ve technically done it before a few times!). There were three plazas over the lake within the castle grounds but I had to pay entry fee into the castle itself, which was fine.  By now though, it was hot both from the climb and being in full sun at 3 pm.  I sucked it up though and just figured out how best to take photos on a blindingly sunny day.

I was snapping away when I heard a Slovene voice talking about me and I realized it was Luka, our guide from Thursday.  We chatted a bit and I told him how I’d love to come back and hike.  He showed me some photos of a climb he did of Triglav Mountain last fall.  It looked tough but also pretty special. He slept at the top and woke for sunrise where an antelope was waiting to watch the sunrise with him from the peak.  It was fun chatting with him.  He is a good guy.  As is Damiejn.

I had just over an hour left at this point so decided to walk around as much of the lake as I could.  Damiejn said it’s about 3 miles, which I can easily do in an hour, but a part of it is closed to pedestrians.  So I decided to walk a half hour or directly opposite where I started, whichever came first.  My goal was to get closer to the island for potentially better photos that weren’t shooting directly into the sun.  Turns out the other side of the lake was just over a mile away, so I walked there and back and still had a half hour to myself, so I sat in a lakeside cafe and had an Aperol spritz.  It is vacation after all.

It was about 45 minutes back to Ljubljana.  We said our goodbyes to Damiejn and as it was only 5:30 we decided to hit the wine bar and have some Slovenian wine and cheese before dinner.  That ended up being a 4 hour affair as we really enjoyed chatting and laughing and sharing travel stories and wine and cheese became wine and dinner (shrimp salad for me — vegetables here are wonderfully fresh).  It was a great time.  It was fun to laugh like that again.  As one has relatives near me, I’d love to see them again.

I will sleep well tonight, from fresh air, robust exercise and meeting good people.  Another one of those days, I recognize that.

Rainy days mean back-up plans

 3 May 2024

Rain means backup plans.  I slept so soundly, again, that I had no idea it was even raining, but not so bad that I’d want to stay in entirely.  After the same breakfast as yesterday, I slowly made my way out of the hotel, leaving around 10 this morning.  I borrowed a hotel umbrella and headed toward the two churches I saw on the walking tour yesterday.  I paid the small fee to enter both just to see what the insides looked like.  Each was also quiet and empty, and dry, so it was nice to get in out of the rain.

After that I made my way up a street next to the church in Preseren Square and took in the Banksy exhibit going on there.  I’m not a huge fan, but it is always good to see art however I can find it.  It was a good sized exhibit and included a Picasso and a few Warhols (as those who influenced him).

After that I stopped in a supermarket (finally, shops are open!) and picked up some bottled water and a yogurt for lunch.

Around 1:30 I headed back to the hotel because the rain was really coming down and I didn’t want to get me or my sneakers soaked.  I read and wrote my blog and otherwise relaxed. I headed out again around 3:30.  I was going to walk to a couple of other museums further afield but decided instead to take in the Ljubljana City Museum which is about 500 feet down from the hotel.  It was wonderful!  I passed it several times and saw they have an exhibition on about how Ljubljana’s citizens dressed through time, and it was really excellent.  I liked how they offered stories about the wearers of the clothing.  And they did an excellent job with engagement activities for little kids (I wanted to do them too!)

In the basement of the museum there is an archeological exhibit of what was unearthed on the site of the museum that was actually quite interesting too.  A lot of Roman artifacts as well as foundations of previous buildings on the spot of the palace.

After the museum I headed to a nearby wine bar where I asked the bar man if he could put together a few Slovenian wines for me to try.  I had a Buffalo mozzarella with bread and tomatoes as a small plate with them.  By then the rain had really lightened up so I was good walking around a bit.  So I strolled through the Old Town again looking for where to have dinner.  I settled on a place right on the river called Vender.  I had parmesan ravioli with black walnuts and pickled cherries and a slice of apple streusel, along with a glass of orange wine (orange because of the maceration process, not the fruit used).  That was quite tasty.  

Since I’m up early tomorrow for the day tour, I headed back to the hotel by 7:00 to get ready for the trip.  I’m excited to see Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj and Vintgar Gorge tomorrow.  Weather looks to be excellent!

New Year, nearly there!

The holidays did well to kill the time for me as I await safari.  Tasks are getting ticked off the list as I get closer to leaving:  I got my anti-malarial without having to make an appointment since I was just at the travel clinic under a year ago!  Lined up airport parking and got my visa (three day turnaround, not bad!).  And this weekend I’ve started packing.  Woot!

No near-departure time would be normal without a crisis or two to worry about.  Miss Maisie had a health crisis as it turns out she’s losing weight unintentionally.  Fear not, it’s “just” IBD, and treatable, but we found that out only after consulting with a specialist.  And Mom had a turn in the ER over the weekend which turned out ok, I think.  I worry as a full time job so it’ll be hard for me to turn that off and get out of dodge so to speak.  But I’m in the single-digits now and really just need to get on that plane.

My April trip took a bit of a turn when I couldn’t find flights home that weren’t over 20 hours and three stops.  I’m already barking at the work limit of 10 business days off, I can’t take two to get home.  So I scrapped the tour and decided to do a week in Slovenia on my own.  I’ve been walking/running a lot with iFit on my treadmill and see that there’s so much more to Slovenia than the tour was going to cover.  I can leave Croatia for another time.  And as a bonus, I’m stopping in London on the way home for 2 nights to see my favorite band Elbow…finally!  They announced their tour after I’d booked the Adriatic tour and I couldn’t finagle it, but now I can.  All’s well in the end.  So I’ve booked all the flights and hotels for that and will have it to look forward to when I get back from Kenya.

2023 was a tough year with work and other stresses.  I’m mentally spent and really tired.  I’m long overdue for a break.  I don’t write this for attention or sympathy, but only to remind myself when I get back how rough I felt before I left home.  I know that this safari is a cure for all that ails me.  It always has been.  6 more days of work.  Nearly there….

Resurfacing…8 months later!

How is it possible that I have not posted anything that has gone on in the last 8 months?  No, I’ve not traveled anywhere spectacular, but I do have grand plans.  Some are tremendously close too!

I was home from Kenya for about a month before I realized I really, really need to go back.  This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows me.  It was back in my blood and fresh in my head, and try as I might, nothing would shake it free.  I first looked at flights to see what timing would result in cheaper fares, had a couple of blocks in January and February 2024 sketched out and I reached out to Richard again at Expert Africa.  I told him only that I wanted to go to Lewa Wilderness and return to Kicheche Valley Camp (where I’d ended my February safari).  I want to see rhinos this time as I’ve only really had good luck with them in Nairobi National Park.  And Lewa is one of the best places to see them, as well as Lewa Wilderness being where Anthony Bourdain stayed in Kenya just before his death.  That resonates with me, to be where he was, experiencing what he did.  And I know from research it is an outstanding camp.

Richard was quick to book 3 nights each in those camps and suggested Kicheche Laikipia in Ol Pejeta Conservancy.  Ol Pejeta was actually the first place I ever stayed in Kenya back in 2014, but at another family of camps.  Given how much I loved Kicheche last time, I’m good with going to experience their version of Ol Pejeta.  Richard included time to see the last two remaining northern white rhinos there (literally, the last of their species) which I did not do the first time I visited Ol P.  Not sure how I missed that!  But I think now that I know so much more about both Kenya and wildlife conservation, it will be a much more meaningful visit.

Through some fancy internet tools (ok, Google Flights) I also managed to find Business Class fares all the way around, with my preferred routing via Amsterdam going over, and a less fun routing via Paris on Kenya Airways coming home.  BC is still good no matter how you go, so I bought it.  This was all signed, sealed and delivered in April.  And the wait began.  And then just last week, I got a surprise of the good sort, and was notified that the less desirable routing via Paris was changed to via Amsterdam, so now all is right in my world.  And I cannot hide the fact that I’m most excited about getting two little Delft houses now that I’ll be on KLM for two BC flights!  Woot!

Sis and I managed a quick jaunt to Amsterdam late March to see the Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, which was epic and thoroughly enjoyable.  We walked our feet down to the ground and enjoyed a lovely new gin bar I discovered.  It was a lovely long weekend.

The rest of the summer saw me embroiled in a massive project at work, so time away was hard to find.  I managed a stay-cation of sorts the week of my birthday in July.  It wasn’t until October that I got away again, and only for two nights to enjoy Morrissey at the United Palace Theater on the upper west side of NYC.  While that was fun, it was a lot of driving for me, and not quite the vacation I needed after the summer I had with work.

My original “next-up” list of places to go included both Turkey (twice postponed now due to covid concerns), Jordan and Egypt, but not on one trip.  But when war broke out in Israel, I decided to press pause there and look for another destination in Europe.  I wanted some place I’ve not been yet.  After browsing more than a few Internet forums and travel specialists, I signed on to a small group tour to the Adriatic coast with just one spot remaining on the April departure that works for my schedule.  It will start in Ljubljana, Slovenia and go through Bosnia-Herzegovina, ending in Dubrovnik, Croatia.  If I needed validation that it was the right choice, the current season of Amazing Race just landed there in last week’s episode, so I went with it.  It’s more than I wanted to pay for a second vacation next year, but my cheaper options dried up with the war.  Maybe I’ll get to Turkey in the fall next year, who knows.  But for now, I’m working to find convenient, affordable and efficient airfare to the Dalmatian coast in April.  My treadmill has a few different series in this part of the world, so I’ve been walking and running at some of these sights too!

Once I nail the airfare and trip insurance for the April trip, I need to work in earnest on packing for Kenya, getting the visa and learning my new camera (oh yeah, there’s that too!).  My Sony RX10 that died last January was replaced by a Canon mirrorless with interchangeable lenses!  Gulp!  It’s a learning curve but I’m starting to feel like I have a handle on it.  I already have a lot of my toiletries set aside for safari, buying sunblock is a joy in the post-summer months!) and I carefully folded and stored my summer clothes when the season ended.  With Thanksgiving and Christmas to kill the next month or so, I know the time will fly and I’ll be boarding that plane before I know it.