Loneliness with golden edges ;-)
Door: Iris
16 Oktober 2016 | Slovenië, Čelje
Loneliness with golden edges :-)
Sad to be leaving the coast and the Vipava wine region behind me, I drove to Cernika, which is about 40 km South of Ljubljana. It is surprisingly green, with a lake that comes and goes…Seriously, as it is a karst region, there is more or less water in the underground, making the lake almost completely disappear at certain times and making it a really big lake, that you can drive your boat or kayak on, in other times…Even though it was raining ,at this time, the lake had almost completely disappeared. The surroundings are great for hiking and (mountain) biking. It s quite of the beaten track, so close to the capital, yet not known to mass-tourim. Unfortunately, the tourist office was closed because they had "field work" to do it said on a paper, and all houses and farms were deserted,.. the wind was blowing hard and icy cold so I did not have much opportunity to find things out, nor to rent a bike.
In fact, this week I found many places like this, though I can imagine that if you would come any other month than October, some of them would be crowded. Therefor, I have decided to start moving faster, it has become really cold, pooring rain lots of times,... but that actually comes in handy as I have been moving every day to several places and so there is no time for laundry but walking in heavy rain may just be the best wash for your jeans :-).
It is mainly a problem that it has become impossible for me to see where the "special places" are as everything is closed in October, making me feel like the only person on earth in most places I visited this week. Summer is gone, and winter/ski season has not arrived yet…But if you like to be alone, and you don t mind the cold, this is perfect :-). Also, nature looks really nice this time of year with all the colorful leaves everywhere.
In Ljubljana I spoke to several people and organizations concerning bicycle routes throughout the country, green and sustainable tourism, dolphin/ sea turtle and whale protection, and volunteering/sponsering options combined with tourism, about "escape rooms" in the open forest in stead of inside in a room and much more…Also, I have met Australian people, willing to promote my offer/website in Australia, and I have even met people who called me courageous and inspirational…:-), which is always a nice boost for my ego.
I found, less known and more hidden, underground caves with so many underground lakes, which you can visit with max 4 persons, in a small rubber boat, during a 4 hour guided tour,
I found bear watching..though the bears were asleep already due to cold weather ( who can blame them..:-)?), I found survival camps in primary forests to go on…from 1 day to several days, and all that in very unpleasant circumstances: everything closed, difficult to find food and bed, freezing, rain, lonely everywhere, curly, tiny mountain roads to drive on which made me noxious, and which are the only place that you are happy you seem to be the only person on the planet as otherwise it would be impossible to drive on these narrow mountain roads in these weather circumstances...
…
But, I found golden edges since I started looking for them (thank you Anneke ;-)) :
I received a bottle of red wine in Metlika, from the tourist office, near the Croatian border, the prize winner of the year they said :-)!
The next day I received a bottle of white wine in Kamnika, from the place where I rented a very basic room at the local bus station (trying to keep costs down as I am not getting free rooms lately). So, I had not seen that one coming, so amazed they gave me a bottle when I checked-out in the morning.
Back up north, but more towards the East, I discovered authentic plains and mountains, as well as mountain huts from local farmers where they spent the summer while the cows are grazing up there, I met nice people that just walked up to me and said: "I don t speak much English, but you are a really nice lady" :-), leaving me completely surprised as I am not used to people doing that, and it was 9AM, an older local lady, not that she was drunk or anything…
I discovered a mountain plain which is a perfect example, and has won prices, for integrating tourism in a way that it does not hurt tradition and nature, it s a valley where just a few farms are located but they have joined forces and organized themselves so they can provide a room and food to tourists, trails are marked and still the valley has no significant impact of the tourist, people keep on farming, beds are limited to the farms, and the area is protected park. There are trails to waterfalls, caves, mountain huts, more difficult multiple day mountain trails, climbing possibilities, fishing on trout, etc etc
In winter you can go cross country skiing and skiing, ice-climbing, sledging (which is a big thing here in many places and sounds like lots of fun), and so on…I am sure it looks like something out of a fairy tail in winter...
I went to the highest spa resort in Slovenia and swam in 36 degrees thermal water for the price of 40 euro, got my own little house in the resort for 1 night, delicious meal and breakfast included :-)!, I drank the thermal water and had a 50 min anti stress massage,
I went to a holistic center with energy points (as I had no idea what to imagine it was, so I wanted to see), where they can take pictures of your aura and there I did not receive wine, but a bag full of expensive "living water" and a jar of clay to help me detox, should I ever be ready to start doing that ;-).
Luckily, they did not take a picture of my aura: They charge 60 euro for that, and then you get advise on which organs you need to look after better, what to eat, drink etc…They also provide several massages with mud and clay, they have an oxygen room which should be good for healing fractures etc, they do psychological guidance and have physiotherapists for all your physical problems, and, they are specialized in helping couples that have difficulties getting pregnant …I was happy it was normally closed when I went to visit so they could not examine me, I just got a complete private tour and explanations….fieuw! I am always scared they would keep me in those places when they see the state of my organs…can t be good with all that pizza and chocolate and things…
After all that healthy, to me a bit frightening, stuff, I went to a beer fountain in the park, just to keep some balance, and I must admit…: Slovenians know how to make beer :-)! Seriously, I must admit, it is pretty good, and by far the best I have drunk in years, outside of Belgium ;-). As far as I am concerned, they top Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and all the countries in Central and South America, but that is maybe because for the ones in Europe that I mention, I may not have tried their best beer yet, as I have not been to any breweries over there…. :-). And Latin American beer is quite day to top...
The next morning, I visited the hop museum, where I received beer..so I now have a big dilemma:
or I need to start drinking a lot, by myself in my room every night, urgently,
or,
I have to risk getting fined for exporting too much alcohol…As they are all presents I don't want to loose them and I do not see myself drinking a bottle of wine alone, inside in my room every night from now on…
so, I hope I will arrive home with all these nice souvenirs….I am especially afraid of the Germans, as I managed to, accidentally, forget to pay for gasoline on my way here…They have sent me a police report for that already according to my dad, and I hope my dad paid the fine…as they don't see it as a little mistake but as a serious crime…and most of the 1 200 km on my way back are in Germany, which means I will have to tank again at least twice in Germany with my 35 liter tank (and not forget to pay this time!)…
But that's a worry for in a week or so, as I still have the Lasko brewery/spa resort to visit (can you imagine that there would be a health spa next to the Stella Artois brewery :-))),
also cities like Celje, Ptuj and Maribor and its wine region are on my list, and then there are smaller places like Jeruzalem I want to see. But also I need to stay somewhere longer then 1 night to be able to do laundry because last time I tried to do it quickly, it was 3,5 euro for the laundry machine, but for drying it was 1 euro for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes all my clothes were still dripping wet, as if nothing happened during the last 20 minutes…..so I put another euro in, still completely wet, so another euro….and after so many euro's and a whole afternoon in the laundry shop, I packed all my clothes still not completely dry, which makes that I have to wash everything all over again because when you pack it when it s not completely dry, it smells;;;but untill today I have not been able to do so as I have been moving every single day, which means: out at latest by 10 am, and only a new room by evening…Also, I forgot all my toiletries about two weeks ago in a room, and it took me a week to find a comb, in a hair saloon as they do not sell that here in the supermarket….All this moving every day, looking for places, talking with people on a professional level, seeing as much as possible, trying to behave as a serious person all the time….has made me really tired so I guess I would be good to combine laundry with staying 2 or 3 days in 1 place, incognito, a place where I do not want to do business but just can be a lazy tourist for 2 days :-)))...so let's say, I ll be coming back by the end of the month….And actually, you won't believe this, but…I could really use a holiday then ;-)
Sad to be leaving the coast and the Vipava wine region behind me, I drove to Cernika, which is about 40 km South of Ljubljana. It is surprisingly green, with a lake that comes and goes…Seriously, as it is a karst region, there is more or less water in the underground, making the lake almost completely disappear at certain times and making it a really big lake, that you can drive your boat or kayak on, in other times…Even though it was raining ,at this time, the lake had almost completely disappeared. The surroundings are great for hiking and (mountain) biking. It s quite of the beaten track, so close to the capital, yet not known to mass-tourim. Unfortunately, the tourist office was closed because they had "field work" to do it said on a paper, and all houses and farms were deserted,.. the wind was blowing hard and icy cold so I did not have much opportunity to find things out, nor to rent a bike.
In fact, this week I found many places like this, though I can imagine that if you would come any other month than October, some of them would be crowded. Therefor, I have decided to start moving faster, it has become really cold, pooring rain lots of times,... but that actually comes in handy as I have been moving every day to several places and so there is no time for laundry but walking in heavy rain may just be the best wash for your jeans :-).
It is mainly a problem that it has become impossible for me to see where the "special places" are as everything is closed in October, making me feel like the only person on earth in most places I visited this week. Summer is gone, and winter/ski season has not arrived yet…But if you like to be alone, and you don t mind the cold, this is perfect :-). Also, nature looks really nice this time of year with all the colorful leaves everywhere.
In Ljubljana I spoke to several people and organizations concerning bicycle routes throughout the country, green and sustainable tourism, dolphin/ sea turtle and whale protection, and volunteering/sponsering options combined with tourism, about "escape rooms" in the open forest in stead of inside in a room and much more…Also, I have met Australian people, willing to promote my offer/website in Australia, and I have even met people who called me courageous and inspirational…:-), which is always a nice boost for my ego.
I found, less known and more hidden, underground caves with so many underground lakes, which you can visit with max 4 persons, in a small rubber boat, during a 4 hour guided tour,
I found bear watching..though the bears were asleep already due to cold weather ( who can blame them..:-)?), I found survival camps in primary forests to go on…from 1 day to several days, and all that in very unpleasant circumstances: everything closed, difficult to find food and bed, freezing, rain, lonely everywhere, curly, tiny mountain roads to drive on which made me noxious, and which are the only place that you are happy you seem to be the only person on the planet as otherwise it would be impossible to drive on these narrow mountain roads in these weather circumstances...
…
But, I found golden edges since I started looking for them (thank you Anneke ;-)) :
I received a bottle of red wine in Metlika, from the tourist office, near the Croatian border, the prize winner of the year they said :-)!
The next day I received a bottle of white wine in Kamnika, from the place where I rented a very basic room at the local bus station (trying to keep costs down as I am not getting free rooms lately). So, I had not seen that one coming, so amazed they gave me a bottle when I checked-out in the morning.
Back up north, but more towards the East, I discovered authentic plains and mountains, as well as mountain huts from local farmers where they spent the summer while the cows are grazing up there, I met nice people that just walked up to me and said: "I don t speak much English, but you are a really nice lady" :-), leaving me completely surprised as I am not used to people doing that, and it was 9AM, an older local lady, not that she was drunk or anything…
I discovered a mountain plain which is a perfect example, and has won prices, for integrating tourism in a way that it does not hurt tradition and nature, it s a valley where just a few farms are located but they have joined forces and organized themselves so they can provide a room and food to tourists, trails are marked and still the valley has no significant impact of the tourist, people keep on farming, beds are limited to the farms, and the area is protected park. There are trails to waterfalls, caves, mountain huts, more difficult multiple day mountain trails, climbing possibilities, fishing on trout, etc etc
In winter you can go cross country skiing and skiing, ice-climbing, sledging (which is a big thing here in many places and sounds like lots of fun), and so on…I am sure it looks like something out of a fairy tail in winter...
I went to the highest spa resort in Slovenia and swam in 36 degrees thermal water for the price of 40 euro, got my own little house in the resort for 1 night, delicious meal and breakfast included :-)!, I drank the thermal water and had a 50 min anti stress massage,
I went to a holistic center with energy points (as I had no idea what to imagine it was, so I wanted to see), where they can take pictures of your aura and there I did not receive wine, but a bag full of expensive "living water" and a jar of clay to help me detox, should I ever be ready to start doing that ;-).
Luckily, they did not take a picture of my aura: They charge 60 euro for that, and then you get advise on which organs you need to look after better, what to eat, drink etc…They also provide several massages with mud and clay, they have an oxygen room which should be good for healing fractures etc, they do psychological guidance and have physiotherapists for all your physical problems, and, they are specialized in helping couples that have difficulties getting pregnant …I was happy it was normally closed when I went to visit so they could not examine me, I just got a complete private tour and explanations….fieuw! I am always scared they would keep me in those places when they see the state of my organs…can t be good with all that pizza and chocolate and things…
After all that healthy, to me a bit frightening, stuff, I went to a beer fountain in the park, just to keep some balance, and I must admit…: Slovenians know how to make beer :-)! Seriously, I must admit, it is pretty good, and by far the best I have drunk in years, outside of Belgium ;-). As far as I am concerned, they top Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and all the countries in Central and South America, but that is maybe because for the ones in Europe that I mention, I may not have tried their best beer yet, as I have not been to any breweries over there…. :-). And Latin American beer is quite day to top...
The next morning, I visited the hop museum, where I received beer..so I now have a big dilemma:
or I need to start drinking a lot, by myself in my room every night, urgently,
or,
I have to risk getting fined for exporting too much alcohol…As they are all presents I don't want to loose them and I do not see myself drinking a bottle of wine alone, inside in my room every night from now on…
so, I hope I will arrive home with all these nice souvenirs….I am especially afraid of the Germans, as I managed to, accidentally, forget to pay for gasoline on my way here…They have sent me a police report for that already according to my dad, and I hope my dad paid the fine…as they don't see it as a little mistake but as a serious crime…and most of the 1 200 km on my way back are in Germany, which means I will have to tank again at least twice in Germany with my 35 liter tank (and not forget to pay this time!)…
But that's a worry for in a week or so, as I still have the Lasko brewery/spa resort to visit (can you imagine that there would be a health spa next to the Stella Artois brewery :-))),
also cities like Celje, Ptuj and Maribor and its wine region are on my list, and then there are smaller places like Jeruzalem I want to see. But also I need to stay somewhere longer then 1 night to be able to do laundry because last time I tried to do it quickly, it was 3,5 euro for the laundry machine, but for drying it was 1 euro for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes all my clothes were still dripping wet, as if nothing happened during the last 20 minutes…..so I put another euro in, still completely wet, so another euro….and after so many euro's and a whole afternoon in the laundry shop, I packed all my clothes still not completely dry, which makes that I have to wash everything all over again because when you pack it when it s not completely dry, it smells;;;but untill today I have not been able to do so as I have been moving every single day, which means: out at latest by 10 am, and only a new room by evening…Also, I forgot all my toiletries about two weeks ago in a room, and it took me a week to find a comb, in a hair saloon as they do not sell that here in the supermarket….All this moving every day, looking for places, talking with people on a professional level, seeing as much as possible, trying to behave as a serious person all the time….has made me really tired so I guess I would be good to combine laundry with staying 2 or 3 days in 1 place, incognito, a place where I do not want to do business but just can be a lazy tourist for 2 days :-)))...so let's say, I ll be coming back by the end of the month….And actually, you won't believe this, but…I could really use a holiday then ;-)
Reageer op dit reisverslag
Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
