It was time to return to Europe, primarily to Italy. And we were in the mode for a slow paced visit. Hence we booked one week in each of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Trieste (in Italy, 2 hours drive from Ljubljana), Naples, Capri and the Amalfi Coast; Plus 3 weeks in Rome. On our return to Mexico, we planned to stop in California for Pat's 40th Business School Reunion. It was to be a relaxing trip with more casual focus on sightseeing than usual, along with picking restaurants a bit more at random to feel more like locals. We were also hoping for reasonable daytime temperatures. They have been getting some insanely hot weather there in recent years. Spoiler alert. It all worked out.
We stayed overnight in Coyoacán (Mexico City) with Alejandra and then departed Mexico for Ljubljana. We arrived in the evening a day later. After a nights rest, we began our day with breakfast at Cafe Capri (fabulous coffee, pastries were nice too) followed by a trip to the supermarket for supplies.
We deposited our purchases in the apartment and crossed the Dragon Bridge to visit the Central Market. Not impressive on a Wednesday, but market day is Friday and we'll check it out again then. We continued along Ciril-Metodov trg (yes, the street names are hard to get used to), stopped in to see the Saint Nicholas' Cathedral (elaborate interior with baroque painting and lots of gold) and continued along Mestni trg toward Stari trg, a street lined with shops and restaurants.
We had a nice lunch at Julija. Pat's' Slovenian pinot noir wine went well with her noodles & porcinis, as did Bill's Slovenian Merlot wine and goulash. We finished with a sweet wine (Pikolit from the Slovenian Goriska Brda Wine Valley) for dessert.
After lunch we wandered back to the apartment along the other side of the Ljubljanica River. We passed through the main square, Preseren Square, where the Triple Bridge (a19C bridge with 2 adjacent 20C footbridges) connects the castle side of the river to 4 main streets. In the center is a nice cooling fountain (disguised as a simple wet circle with folks old and young standing in it). We had to join them and discovered ourselves in a light mist coming from a sprinkler suspended by overhead cables. With Temps at 34C / mid-nineties F, it was delightful.
For an evening snack we went to nearby Viniski Bar Most. The sea bass ceviche (with Chive oil, ponzu, cream cheese, orange zest and panko crumbs) was unusual, and great. Instead of tasting lemony and tart, it was mellow and very wine friendly. It went very nicely with the white blend we had for wine. We followed this with "Upper Savinja dumplings filled with quark. Quark is a soft, curd-like creamy dairy product with a mild, slightly tangy taste. The wild garlic, seasonal mushroom sauce, leeks, and chives completed a very tasty dish.
Slovenia has been overrun and governed by many "empires". The Romans in 14 AD, the Huns (led by Attila in 452 AD). Waves of Ostrogoths and Lombards were followed by Slavs and Franks. Then the Hapsburgs, French, Austro Hungarians, Nazi Germany and finally Yugoslavia before becoming Independent Slovenia in 1991. Which is to say there is a Castle, one that is more of a fortress that protected the villagers who lived within. No palace. The Castle is, of course, on a hill top with fine views in all directions. So the next morning we were off to see Ljubljana Castle. We encountered a statue at the base of the funicular (what is a kangaroo doing in Slovenia?).
Lots of steps around the castle but great views over the city. Because of the heat, we headed up to the castle early to arrive around 10am. It was well-planned. There were few people waiting for the funicular and exploring the grounds. It was darn hot in the sun though fortunately there were only small stretches that weren't shaded or inside. But following our return funicular trip we found literally hundreds of folks waiting for the uphill ride. Access is also available by bus and walking.
There are lots of exhibits including wall murals, a church, a floral heart, historical displays, animation and puppet exhibits.
The temperature was 35-36C / 95-97F but on the walk to lunch we stayed pretty much in the shade and it was fine.
We were looking for Gostilna AS only to realize it didn't open until later. We choose to dine at neighboring Pops Aperitivo which turns out to be part of the AS family. Very fine food and wine. Pop's was very pleasant and the waiters took good care of us. Choosing the finest wines by the glass. We shared carpaccio for our starter followed by Pasta Amatriciana with tomato onion and crispy thick guanciale (basically bacon). With these we had two local Cabernets, Zaro 1348 Bacchus vineyard cabernet sauvignon 2022 (aged in oak, quite robust) and a Brda Rdece - Rosso Epoca 2021 (merlot & cabernet, much more mellow). Both worked well with the food.
We went to Vinoteca Movia for our evening snack. The wine bar features Movia's wine. Movia has been a family operation for 9 generations. The sister of the current wine maker manages the Vinoteca. We started with burrata and a mix of flavorful fresh tomatoes paired with two white wine blends, and then moved on to foie gras with two contrasting chardonnays. For "dessert" we chose a sparkling rose and a blanc de blanc. Quite pleasant and good conversation about wines.
Friday is market day. So we returned to explore the Central Market. There were maybe 2x the fruit & vegetable dealers than on Thursday. Great selection of veggies but we expected a wider selection of products. We purchased some fruit for breakfast and some shell beans … because we like them and cannot get them in San Miguel. Next we visited a couple pastry shops and a small super market for supplies and walked home prepared for a few more breakfasts.
Later we went to lunch at Landerik, a Michelin rated spot. Excellent. We shared a fine chicken pate. Pat followed up with pasta with pancetta and an egg yolk. Bill had risotto with veal cheek. These paired well with a fine Slovenian red, a Reddo 2019 blend of Schioppettino 50%, Blaufrankisch 30%, and Refosco d'Istria 20%.
Another day we took a wine tour to the Vipava Valley wine region (on the Italian border, north of Trieste). Along the way, our guide happened to mention the Slovenian National Anthem. Our interest perked because during the World Cup series we noted that many National Anthems are either rallying cries or celebrations of victory. But the Slovenian national anthem, Zdravljica (“A Toast”), stands out because it’s one of the few non-militant anthems. Instead of emphasizing fighting or national power, it’s all about peace, equal opportunities and living harmoniously with all nations. Nice thought.
We visited two wineries with lunch sandwiched in between. We were so glad to have a local guide. The roads through the villages are teeny tiny and the route was through a maze of narrow roads. Tough to drive. Tough to navigate. Easy for the riders!
Our first stop was at Tilia - a singe man operation but with a renowned winemaker. We tasted a sparkling wine, followed by a range of whites and reds while enjoying a nice view over the countryside.
We went on to Gostilna Pri Izviru Hubija for a lunch of pasta and roasted vegetables.
On Sunday we went to Tivoi Park. Acres of space with hiking and play grounds, We enjoyed spritzes along side Tivoli Lake with young swans and red water lilies.
Continuing our walk one building caught our eye. Investigating this, we discovered it was the US Embassy … lovely.
Shortly after our walk, we had a more Slovenian lunch. At Slovenska Hisa Ljubljancanka Bill's sausages and Pat's breaded steak stuffed with ham covered with cheese went well with a nice cabernet sauvignon.
We returned to our apartment via Preseren Square with the three bridges crossing the river. walking through the cooling sprinkler in square. We noticed a map of Ljubljana that covered pretty much all that we saw in Ljubljana. Tivoli, on the west of the city, is the only part of the city more than 10 minutes away from our apartment.
Evening saw us back at Most enjoying a caprese salaad and a salad with spicy beef strips accompanied by a pinot noir (Blaufrankish).
In the morning we returned to explore the market further. This pass we checked the buildings surrounding the fresh vegetable area. There are a continuous stream of dining options followed by a few souvenir shops. One with very high end goods, others with more typical touristy souvenirs.
In our search for lunch we decided on TaBar, short for Tapas and Bar. It had a limited menu due to it being summertime vacation BUT we were attracted by the Pasta and Truffles, as well as the venison steak and fries Both were very fine. In fact, the pasta was amazing, thick 3/4" round tubes 1.5 inches long cooked al dente and in a butter truffle sauce. Excellent. The venison was fine (but not as gamy as Bill likes.) The Barbera made a great wine pairing for both dishes Then we had baked apricots and rhubarb for dessert. To die for. Pat's opinion. Bill loves rhubarb but not apricot.
Wine bar Suklje was the choice for the evening repast. We chose and Albania Brut Rose and an Oskar Brut with shrimp croquets. Pat followed with a red blend and Bill a white (rebula). The white was OK, the red was good but a bit too big for the croquets. The "Icon" wine Numerals Unico we had for "dessert" was excellent (glass price €32!). The wine music moods are a creative way to distinguish different wine styles (Jazz is smooth where Heavy Metal is robust).
Jose Plečnik was born in Ljubljana but his early career was in Vienna (capital of the Austro Hungarian empire) and then moved on to Prague. Finally around age 40, after making his name as an architect he moved home where he created the Plečnik House (combining two houses into one thinking his brother would join him there, which never happened). He was noted for his work on some castles in Prague and many folks sought him out. Too many for his somewhat anti social tastes. So his entry way features designs to cause discomfort so that visitors would leave early. The seat of the bench slants just a little forward. The bench also features a very uncomfortable back. The sun roof heats the room too much. All quite effective but innocuous looking
Such designs were not limited to unwanted visitors His own bed was designed such that he would not sleep late and would spend more time working. Note: He was a smoker who got little sleep or exercise and ate poorly but lived to nearly 85.
We stopped at D'vorni for lunch. The selection was from its extensive pizza menu. Wine was in a 1 liter bottle not 750ml. A bit much for lunch.
Later at home, we inished our cheese, meat and tomatoes with shell beans and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for our evening repast.
Next morning we were up and packing for our touring transfer to Trieste. En-route we stopped at Predjama Castle. Originally started in 1274 and built within a huge cave. Hidden features included "backdoors" through natural runnels to escape sieges. It also comes with some mixed staircases with steps carved in stone at anything from 6-18 inches high. It was converted into a museum after WWII.
We stopped briefly in the town of Stengel. It is a lovely castle town. The castle and gardens all blend into one. But we were hungry and the one restaurant was closed on Wednesdays. So off to find a local restaurant where we enjoyed an Asparagus risotto and Calamari fritti.
After lunch we continued our journey to Trieste.
