Coastal Slovenia - small but perfectly formed

I seem to have spent a lot of time talking about Slovenia recently. But, as I said in my last post, it is a country that gets under your skin. The last few weeks have been busy ones, with a work trip to Rome, a lot of networking, and a whole lots of shining up the CV. We have even gone as far as to start up our own teaching websites in order to best sell ourselves to the European market. We must get back there, and the closer to Slovenia the better.

So, why the obsession? We have been to beautiful places before and not had a desperate need to up sticks and move there. Rather than one big draw, it seems like there are a whole lots of small things that add up to something rather unique in Slovenia.

To get to Slovenia from Morocco we flew into Milan Bergamo and rented a car. It is about 400km along highways which should make it easier than it is. Driving in Italy, where everyone thinks they are a racing driver makes highways more stressful even than back home in Morocco. A four hour journey takes it out of you, especially when you get lost in Trieste's remarkably ugly industrial zone, in the dark, just 20 km away from your destination. Leaving the hulking shapes of factories and warehouses behind, it is calming to cross a barely noticeable border into Slovenia, where you are instantly in peaceful, rural surroundings and small spread-out, dimly-lit villages.

For our first night we were staying in Marezige, a tiny town in the hills overlooking the industrial port of Koper. Arriving late on a Sunday, very tired and somewhat irritable, we were dreading the prospect of having to make the inevitable journey down the hill and into Koper to find somewhere to eat. There was little sign of life in any of the villages we had passed through on the way up. We got to Marezige and passed a vineyard, instantly making things look more positive. Then, rounding a bend we came upon a small restaurant, twinkling with fairy lights and looking very much open.

For our first experience of Slovenian hospitality, we probably couldn't have done much better. We were met by a broadly smiling waitress who led us to a cosy table. We sipped cold beers while studying the enormous menu. European cuisine is always a pleasure after living in Morocco, but this menu was fabulous. Nick opted for the highly taboo ham cooked in red wine sauce, and I went for the lighter option of pork on pork with the mixed grill. 

 

Slovenia produces up to 90 million litres of wine a year, yet exports very little of it. Slovenians love wine and drink nearly all of it before it can leave the country. They sell it by the litre. We ordered a litre of white produced just down the road. This arrived with a free aperitif for me. This was not going to be a quick meal.

The food arrived. One thing I have learned from this trip, the Slovenians have big appetites. The portions are enormous. From main meals to cream cakes, you will not be finishing your plate. When in doubt share.

A whole lot of pork and a portion of profiteroles later, we were just about ready to roll ourselves down the hill to Casa Oasa where we were staying, but not before trying one of the many digestifs at the back of the menu. The aperitif had been lovely, so we had high hopes. If there is one thing I would recommend avoiding when visiting Slovenia, it is the tasting of random spirits. Instead, just spray a can of hairspray quite liberally into the air and then walk through the resulting cloud. This way you at least avoid the extreme chemical burn going all the way down to the stomach. We found we needed to leave quite quickly after that, so paid the remarkably cheap 40 Euro bill and stumbled home.

http://www.karjola.si/

http://www.casaoasa.com/

Taking a break from stumbling home.

  The next day started somewhat delicately. The hangover a lot bigger than we had intended. The plan for the day was to go and have brunch in Piran, Slovenia's prettiest town, before driving up the country to Lake Bled. Dating back to the Napoleonic Wars, Piran has a distinctly Venetian feel. Beautiful cobbled alleyways, colourful and ornate architecture, and a wonderful Café culture. However, unlike it's grander more touristy counterpart across the Adriatic, Piran has crystal clear water, is free from stagnant lagoon smells, and has coffee that doesn't cost 6 Euros. 
 

Hairspray spirits the night before aren't the most motivational ingredient to add to a day, so we explored a lot less than planned, and spent a large part of the morning eating. Just in case we didn't reach our P.I.G (pork intake goal) the day before, we started the day with a ham and cheese sandwich and coffee on the waterfront. We took a short walk along the promenade, round a church or two and then down a few narrow alleys. It was here that we stumbled across our next hidden gem of a restaurant.

Tempted by the seafood but still a little full, we decided to share the seafood platter for one, washed down with delicious grapefruit beer. When the food arrived I had to suppress a gasp of surprise and with a hint of panic at the bill, and confirmed what we had ordered. The 11 Euro seafood platter for one. This thing was enormous. Fried potatoes, fried fish, deep fried calamari rings, grilled calamari, and our personal favourite, and something of a revelation to us, calamari stuffed with cheese and ham. We shared one and were still unable to finish. Something a little unheard of when it comes to seafood. The couple on the next table ordered two, after having appetizers. I did mention people in Slovenia have big appetites.


 

Very full and somewhat over indulged, we had completed our coastal stage of the Slovenia trip. Now for the 173km journey that would take us from the bottom to the top of the small but beautiful country.

The Slovenian Dream

Slovenia. A country of warmth and hospitality. A country where the size of your host's smile is dwarfed only by that of the plates of food they are serving. A country of endless green forests and spectacular mountain vistas.

We have been waiting to visit Slovenia for a very long time. Six years ago Nick and I visited the small French village of Praz de Lys, and fell in love with the alpine life style. Small villages full of quaint chalets, and tiny bistros serving local wine. This was the life we wanted. Someday, somehow, we would make it happen. We would become the clichés; buy the run down shack in the hills, renovate it slowly and haphazardly, and find some way of scraping together a living. Heck, I might even have tried writing about it.

It was not long after, that some clever soul convinced us to go back to uni and get our teaching certificates. We had never really intended on becoming 'real' teachers, but with a quick search of available jobs showing us just how much we could make in the Middle East, we thought, 'this is it, this is our way to the chalet. Five years of working hard in the desert and we could be living the dream'.

The plan was simple. We would find that run down wreck of a home, for a fraction of what it was worth. We would do those haphazard renovations, that would cost us next to nothing as we would cunningly source our materials and skilfully do everything ourselves (even though we have no hint of such necessary skills). We would then open our doors to guests who would return year after year for our effortlessly warm hospitality, expert ski guiding skills and summer photography courses. Simple.

We searched high and low in the French Alps for that perfect place. We were nowhere near ready to buy anything, but it never hurts to look and dream. It quickly became apparent that all those run down wrecks in France had already been snapped up. That was not, after all, the place for us. The search expanded. Our search technique consisted of looking at Google images and real estate websites. It was this that lead us to the small central European country of Slovenia.

I defy anyone to Google Slovenia, and not want to live there. Don't take my word for it, go have a look. Stunning, isn't it? To top this off Slovenia does have lots of affordable properties. Affordable properties with all the mountain views and quaint features you could ask for. So this was it, we had a plan. Slovenia it was.

Now those who know us well, know that we do little without extensive research. We had never been to Slovenia, but this was a small issue. We would go at some point. However, while I have worked in hospitality a reasonable amount, we had very little understanding of how to run a hotel. To rectify this we started watching as many reality programs as we could. It soon became apparent that there are few jobs that are more demanding or likely to fail. Dependent on the seasons, and taking near constant work, the hours are long and the market fickle. Being teachers we are used to over three months' holiday a year, this was possibly more of a commitment than we were able for. As teaching became more enjoyable, and the long holidays more appreciated, it dawned on us that perhaps we would be better sticking with what we know, and instead of taking care of people when they go on holiday, we just get to go on more holidays and have people take care of us. The dream of a Slovenian chalet is still out there, just on a distinctly smaller scale.

So as you can understand, Slovenia had a lot to live up to during our visit last month. Six years of longing and anticipation. While I’ll save details for a later blog, I will happily share that it not just lived up to expectations, it surpassed them with ease. The outstanding food and wine, the colourful streets of Piran, and the hauntingly beautiful Lake Bohinj all added up to something rather special. Never have I left a place and so strongly felt I need to go back. This feeling being so strong that for a while all plans for our next holiday were put into jeopardy.

With all this in mind, we returned to Morocco, and after a little thought realized that holidays there are not quite enough. We do need to live there after all, or as close as we possibly can. The time has come to dust off that portfolio and spruce up the CV.