Beyond Africa: Slovenia – Europe’s hidden corner

It’s not very often that South Africans travel to Slovenia. You won’t find special-deal flights to Ljubljana in our weekend papers, or people offering Slovenian lessons – or even a Slovenian consulate in Joburg or Cape Town. Narina Exelby did some research, discovered it was very possible to holiday there for a week for under R10 000, and hopped on a plane – to discover a tiny Central European country revelling in all its late-summer beauty.

In a far-flung nook of Central Europe, a graded blue sky holds together a landscape: it’s mirrored in a curvaceous body of turquoise water so clear you can watch the feet of mute swans as they ripple the surface. The sky is intense overhead and softens as it reaches beyond white-topped Alps. Stitched between these stark, ancient mountains and the lake, dark Alpine forest dapples a few hills and spills out to break the intense green of the flatlands, freckled with buildings. It’s the landscape of a fairy tale.

Rising out of the lake, from a forest, is a pale grey cliff topped by a magical castle, complete with turrets, a red-tiled roof and long, narrow windows. It’s brooded over this scene since the 17th century.

The focal point, however beautiful the castle, is an island just southeast of the lake’s centre. It’s small, about 120 by 50 metres, and almost drowned by trees. Breaking through the top branches is a Baroque church steeple. The surrounding landscape dwarfs any sign of people; the water seems to absorb most noise, not carry it, and the peace is exquisite. The constant ca-clung ca-clang ca-clung of the island’s church bell is the only intrusion.

This is Lake Bled in Slovenia, a country once part of Yugoslavia, balancing on the edge of Central Europe and fringed by the Adriatic Sea, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. It’s an almost unreal part of the world, tucked close into the base of the Julian Alps.

Nearly 1 000 years ago, Slavs came to Bled Island to worship iva, the goddess of love and fertility; in the early 20th century the lake boasted a health resort patronised by some of the wealthiest on the continent. Today, people gather at the lakeside town to chill out and indulge in a healthy life outdoors.

A few hundred metres off the island was a little red rowing boat – that was us, Marc and me. It was our last evening in Slovenia and we were drinking in our incredible surrounds (and the bottle of Slovenian red we’d bought), toasting our choice of holiday destination.

From the capital to a chilled-out lake
The trip didn’t quite turn out as planned. Most guidebooks say if you spend a week in Slovenia you should go to the capital city, Ljubljana (pronounced ‘lib-lee-ah-nuh’), take a trip to lakes Bled and Bohinj, head down to red-roofed Piran on the Adriatic coast and, on the way, take in the underground canyon of kocjan Caves and the dry-stone villages in the Karst Valley. So that was the plan.

First stop was Ljubljana, a city ubiquitously Western European. It’s very gentle, with orderly people waiting at bus stops, mulling over their coffee and pedalling, unhurried, on old-fashioned bicycles.

The pretty Old Town, which dates back to the Middle Ages, straddles the River Ljubljanica and is flanked with cafs spilling onto a tangle of cobbled streets. Caf culture is what the city is about, and it’s easy to pass a day wandering from one espresso to the next.

Bled, just over an hour away by bus, was a different story. The place was running on endorphins – people on mountain bikes, pushing baby strollers and walking their dogs around the lake, rowing, paddling, swimming, jogging; we were overwhelmed by the urge to get active. One look between Marc, me and a mountain biker, and the Piran plans were thrown out the bus window; we were going to get to know Bled intimately.

Sightseeing by bicycle
It was effortless – both falling for Bled’s charm and exploring the countryside. The best way to do it is by bike; cycling is big in Slovenia and you’ll feel left out if you don’t travel on two wheels for at least an hour.

A flat, leisurely ride on the path around the lake is a good introduction to the town. It’ll take you past designated swimming and fishing areas, artists selling their impressions of the lake, moored pletnas (picturesque boats powered by oarsmen) and manicured, open parks. You might, more than once, be tempted to climb off your bike, pull a book out your daypack and relax next to the clear, soothing water.

A cycle through town, on the northeastern shore, will introduce you to the tourist information centre, a few hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and the usual clothing and equipment stores. Head towards the lovely neogothic Parish Church of St Martin (you can’t miss it) and walk up one of the pathways marked ‘grad ‘ (castle). This will take you up and up to Bled Castle, perched atop grey cliffs and overlooking the lake (you could ride up through town, but the steep walk’s easier). It’ll cost 6 R55,56) to enter the castle – worth the price for the view. There’s also a restaurant and a post box for all your ‘wish you were here’ cards.

From the lake, head to Vintgar Gorge in the Triglav National Park, just four kays from town. Make a day of it by taking a walk or cycle there. We hired bikes, and there were more steep climbs than we’d anticipated, but the sheer prettiness of the countryside (tiny villages of steep-roofed houses cuddled by window boxes of pink and red pelargoniums, and free-range dairy cows with huge bells around their necks) distracted us.

Vintgar was ‘discovered’ back in 1891 by a mayor and a cartographer who thought the gorge too lovely not to share with others. So they set about building wooden bridges and walkways that span the length of the secluded

1,6-kilometre-long, 150-metre-high gorge that carves through Hom and Bort hills. The rocks are covered with moss, beech trees break direct sunlight and the crystal water of the Radovna River tumbles over short drops and between boulders until it slips over the um Waterfall at the end of the gorge.

Back down in town, and not to be missed if you’re up for an active time, is the 3Glav Adventures office, which we stumbled across on our second-last evening. The company offers guided canyoning, mountain-biking, kayaking, paragliding, quad-biking, horse-riding, climbing and hiking trips in the area. If you’re keen to get active, make sure you drop in at the office.

Marc and I hired Trek mountain bikes from 3Glav and, with a topographical map, spent an awesome day riding up and up through pretty villages and farms. We passed the bones of a farmhouse bombed during the Second World War, crossed over a delicate mountain stream and were enveloped by Alpine forests while we rode up into the Alps – and we think maybe into Austria. The crisp mountain air and challenge of the hills was invigorating (and for hill-climbing inspiration, we were Lance and Floyd riding the Tour de France).

A wild, moody lake
While Lake Bled’s charm lies in the island’s church, the castle and the buildings and parks that line its waters, the lure of Lake Bohinj is just the opposite. There is no development creeping into the edge of this still, brooding body of water; it’s fringed wild by fir and beech trees, grassy banks and steep mountains.

Bohinj is a half-hour bus ride from Bled (get off at Bohinj Jezero) and an absolute must-visit. There are various places from where you can hire kayaks, rafts, take a boat ride or hire a bike. We were drawn to a tandem outside Alpin Sport, got an amused look from the shop assistant when we hired it, and tried to pedal in unison. (“C’mon Nuns, you’re not pedalling hard enough back there.” Well I was, until we got to the hill – which I couldn’t see because your head’s in the way. And I’ve got to carry this heavy camera bag and tripod and our water.)

We returned the bike after an hour; anyway, the guidebook said Bohinj is best explored on foot. Walking quietly really is a lovely way to get to know the lake. There is a road along the southern edge and the wilder northern stretch is accessible only on foot or by bike. Every now and then there are jetties that invite you to sit, watch the fish swimming through rippled mountains, and to just be.

Row, row, row your boat
Although Bled and Bohinj are almost tucked into the Julian Alps, they really are about water. In winter, Bohinj freezes over and it’s possible to skate on the lake. During summer, Bled hosts rowing regattas, people tan on the banks and swim out in clear, tepid water.

While the grey-haired, package-holiday busloads get to grips with the lakes on pletnas and motorised cruise boats, those with a little more independence row themselves out into the reflected landscape. That’s how Marc and I ended up there, in a jigsaw-puzzle picture, sipping Slovenian red on our last evening in Central Europe. We’d become rather adept at picnicking on a rowing boat, and over four outings I’d watched my husband transform from rookie paddler into master oarsman (and discovered that flattery will get me anywhere – including to the centre of the lake and back).

Only on our first boat ride did we set foot on Bled Island, protected by a moat forest of beech and oak trees. A grand collection of 99 steps, dating back to 1655, looms from the water and pulls visitors up to the Church of the Assumption, where a bell tolls across the lake every time a visitor tugs the rope.

And so it was to this sound, and the gentle splash of oars, that the evening’s sun slipped away and the castle fell into dusk. It was an almost unreal place to be, floating there between land and sky, castle and church island, as the graded blue faded this far-flung nook of Slavic Europe into night.

What to do in Ljubljana
– Keep an eye out for the buildings of master architect Joe Plecnik.
– Take a stroll through the lovely Tivoli Park.
– Wander through the cobbled streets of the Old Town.
– Walk up to Ljubljana Castle.
– Buy a Ljubljana Card (5/R46,30) and you’ll get discounts on entrance fees to museums and galleries, bike hire, restaurants and so on (see http://www.ljubljana.si).

The budget
When we travelled in September 2006, 1 = R9,26, 1 = R13,72 and SIT1 = R0,04. Accommodation and boat hire rates have been split between two people.

Return flight to London: R5 500
Visa fee: 25 – R343
Return flight to Ljubljana: 50 – R686
Return bus transfer: 10 – R92
Accommodation – two nights in
Ljubljana: 50 – R463
Five nights in Bled: 130 – R1 205
Seven dinners (including drinks and tips): 52 – R482,50
Seven lunches: 33 – R305,60
Return bus ticket from Ljubljana to Bled: SIT2 400 – R96
Return bus ticket from Bled to Bohinj: SIT1 700 – R68
Entrance to Triglav National Park: 3 – R27,80
Bike hire (2,5 days): 16 – R148,16
Boat hire (10 a boat an hour): 20 – R185,20
Grand total: R9 574,76