THE JULIAN'S LOG

Fourteenth Post

"SUMMER HOLIDAYS"

The summer meadows have now been cut and the grass is hanging over the traditional hay -racks to dry, so summer is really here. The treks and hikes in this week’s edition can all be achieved from our door, with no need for transport. They vary from valley walks to high level treks and the scenery, flora and fauna reflect the diversity of the terrain….

FOCUS ON HIKING AND TREKKING: FROM THE DOOR

Mojstrana is situated in the Vrata valley, so the most obvious and accessible walk is that up the length of the valley, about 16km each way if you want to do the whole walk! The majority is off road, along the banks of the river, with strategically placed benches and information boards. About half way is the Pericnik Waterfall, which has already been featured in previous Blogs and is well worth a detour up, or a walk to, in its own right. There are two falls, the lower and upper and you can walk behind either one and generally be rewarded with a refreshing shower and view into a cauldron of water, especially in the Spring with the snow melt.








Near the end of the valley is the Aljazev Dom, a beautiful example of a mountain dom and also a small chapel where services are held regularly in the summer. Here are many places to relax and gaze up at the awesome North face of Triglav.





Another 45 minutes walk takes you to the head of the valley, the snow line and amazing oasis of rock garden flowers and opportunity to see Ibex or Chamois.








On another day, you can extend the walk from the Dom, up into the higher mountains, up Stenar, at 2501 with a tremendous view back down the length of the Vrata valley and across to Triglav, or up to Luknja at 1758m, which is a natural watershed for our water, that flows eventually to the Danube, or down into the South side of the mountains and into the Adriatic. Of course, from Vrata you can ascend Triglav and there is a range of other high -level mountain tours from here.

On the other side of the road from us is the Karawanke mountain range and from the door there are easy and challenging routes. The best three are Kepa, 2139m, Dovska Baba, 1891m and Borovlje, 1476m. All have stunning scenery and views from the top on one side into Austria and the other, across to the Julian Alps and Triglav.


From the centre of Mojstrana, you can do a great “warm up walk” up Grancisce, 844m which provides a stunning view of the village and it orientates you to it’s location in the valley and in respect to the Alps. There are also walks up Sleme, 2077m and Jerebikovec, 1593m, both of which have lovely Planinas and history; with memorials to Partisans and reminders of the sadder days of war.

The local tourist board also marks 4 short, tourist walks around the village ensuring there is something for everyone!
The best guide-books for all the walks mentioned are:
-Cicerone Guide: “The Julian Alps of Slovenia” J. Carey and R.Clark
-“Walks and climbs around Dovje and Mojstrana A tourist Guide” Stanko Klinar


Hope you’ve enjoyed this edition. Next Blog will take a break from walking for a week and focus on:

"VASKI DAN" A VILLAGE DAY

SPRING/SUMMER HOLIDAYS. TREKKING

THE JULIAN'S LOG

Thirteenth Post

“SPRING/SUMMER HOLIDAYS”

Being located on the edge of the Triglav National Park, there is a wealth of hiking from our door. There are walks for all levels, but being situated at the start of the Vrata Valley, which leads to the North face of Triglav, Slovenia’s highest peak at 2864m, suggests this is where I should start….

FOCUS ON HIKING AND TREKKING: TRIGLAV

At 2864m, Triglav stands imposingly in the Julian Alps and all Slovenes endeavour to summit out and experience the ritualistic lashing of your back- side with 3 ropes! It would be rude to live here and not reach the summit of this revered mountain.


There are many routes up Triglav, all are secured and require us to use via ferrata harness. A helmet is particularly necessary in the limestone environment. There are also climbing routes up the North Face.

The best time of year to ascend is between late June and September. This year, there is still snow up to 2000m, so ice axe and crampons are still necessary. The best times of day to top-out are early morning to lunch - time or in the evening, in order to avoid the potentially lethal electric storms which can unleash in the afternoon. There are small commemorative plaques lining the secured path that act as timely reminders to respect the power of nature.

There are several mountain doms/kocas providing food, lodging and entertainment, which help break up the trek and plan your ascent times. Breakfast at 5am and an early departure from the Kredarica Dom was an unforgettable experience!
The scenery, views, flora and fauna are stunning and constantly changing as you climb. One route passes through the Triglav Lakes Valley, where you take in seven beautiful lakes each providing endless photo opportunities.



The best rock garden ever is near the summit of Triglav and we were privileged to see magestic Ibex and more timid Chamois.










The weather conditions can change quickly and on one summit, Mark was lucky enough to experience a brocken spectre on the ridge, making the experience even more unique.






Maybe one of the best memories and experiences from the trek however is the camaraderie and respect for the beauty of the area that you experience from the Slovenians you meet on the route and in the Doms. Triglav is more than a trek; it is really a pilgrimage.




Hope you’ve enjoyed this edition. Next Blog focus will be on
MORE HIKING AND TREKKING

JULIAN'S LOG

Twelfth Post

“SPRING HOLIDAYS”

“When sugar was hard to come by, there wasn’t a Slovene farm that didn’t keep bees alongside other domestic animals. Honey was the only sweetening agent and wax an indispensable material for making candles…”

FOCUS ON SLOVENIA, HONEY AND BEE KEEPING

Slovenia has a rich beekeeping tradition and the colourful beehives can be seen in many meadows and gardens. The Gray Bee, Carniolan Bee, has adapted to the alpine climate and is well known for its gentleness, hence the hives often being seen on peoples’ balconies. The home of Mihael Ambrozic is here in Mojstrana. He was one of the first exporters of this Gray bee and his property used to be home to thousands of bees, the walls of the house still have plaques depicting the export destinations.





The Bee Museum in Radovljica is excellent and presents the history of apiculture and current beekeeping in an interactive and interesting manner. Bees were kept in low wooden beehives and the museum has examples of old wooden logs that were used initially by farmers.
In the mid eighteenth century, a unique folk art of painting the beehive fronts with religious, funny or folklore tales began, and a range of such fronts can be seen at the museum and locally in Dovje.

Honey is an important food here in Slovenia. Slovene beekeepers collect 2000 tonnes of it annually. It can be seen for sale at many markets, and honey products are popular gifts for tourists to take home. The flower meadows and forests provide excellent foraging for the bees, which results in a variety of “pollen flavour” honeys: flower, fir and spruce, wild cherry, alongside propolis and Medica (honey liqueur)

Hope you’ve enjoyed this edition. Next Blog focus will be on
HIKING AND TREKKING

Spring Holidays

THE JULIAN'S LOG

Eleventh Post

"SPRING HOLIDAYS"

For those of you out there who enjoy activity breaks and holidays, Slovenia is definitely not just a one- season destination. The winter sports are fantastic, but the mountains, rivers and lakes lend themselves to all year round sports and activities. We are happy to help you organise your activities when you are here, if for a one/two week stay or just a long weekend. Here is just a summary of some of the activities on offer…….

FOCUS On……….ACTIVITY BREAKS

As you can see from the Ninth posting, our area is great for cycling. In Kranjska Gora there is also a downhill mountain bike course for adrenalin junkies. With the bikes, you are transported up the mountain by the summer chair lift, and then the rest is down to you!! You can race the "summer toboggan" down, which if you aren't up for the cycling, is a great blast down the mountain!!
A chairlift at each of Bled and Vogel also run in the summer, so high -level walking routes are accessible.

For walkers, there really is something for everyone, from low level flower filled pastures, to easy and more demanding high mountain summits. The mountain huts (doms or kocas) are now open until Autumn. They provide a welcome stop, where you can eat, drink and soak in the atmosphere and admire the views.

There are endless horse riding trails through the meadows and in the local area, with schools at Bled and Bohinj.
For water lovers, there are many lakes for swimming and now the fishing season is open, the rivers offer themselves to fishermen. The rafting on the Rivers Soca and Sava is popular and the rivers provide a variety of courses/levels to suit everyone.
If the sky is the limit for you, then locally in near Bled are opportunities to Parascend and Glide, where you can calmly look down upon the activities and life below in the mountains, rivers and lakes.













Hope you’ve enjoyed this edition. Next Blog focus will be on

SLOVENIA, HONEY AND BEE KEEPING

Spring Holidays

THE JULIAN'S LOG

Tenth Post

"SPRING HOLIDAYS"

The end of April, beginning of May brings with it a holiday atmosphere in Slovenia. April 27th is a Public holiday, celebrating the Day of Uprising against Occupation in 1941 and is closely followed by May 1st and 2nd, Labour Day holidays. People celebrate with friends, family and have short holidays at home or at the sea.

FOCUS ON……….MAY DAY CELEBRATIONS

On April 30th, the night before May Day, bonfires are lit like beacons around Slovenia, to remind people of looting from the Turks, which happened for 2 centuries. When there was danger of an attack, the fires were lit as a signal.
The fire in Mojstrana was huge this year, helped by our apple tree prunings. However, as locals gathered and the schnopps and beer were flowing, the fire was very slow to burn due to the rain over the previous 5 days, it was probably at it’s best as we left at 11.30!
We celebrated May Day itself, by walking up above Mojstrana to Borovje, a small mountain nestling on the Karawanke mountain range. We’d only ever walked up once before in thick cloud in November and in the wooden summit box we had discovered a full bottle of Schnopps. We had vowed to return and replenish it’s stocks! The view was much clearer this time round and the birds and flowers were in abundance to remind us it was Spring. There was still a welcome bottle of schnopps at the summit, and we left some Orehovec, walnut schnapps, as promised. Our friend Roman and his band “The Party Kings” played live in our local pizzeria in the evening, so we danced the night away, just in case we hadn’t done enough exercise for one day!

On May 2nd, we went to Kranjska Gora. Here it is traditional for horse riders from Slovenia, Italy and Austria to meet and “ride beyond the borders” The horses and riders created a colourful scene in the centre of this pretty alpine village, with it’s craft market stalls and outside bars hosting a friendly family day.




So, all in all we have enjoyed our truly Slovenian May Day Celebrations

Hope you’ve enjoyed this edition. Next Blog focus will be on
ACTIVITY BREAKS

Spring Holidays

The Julian’s Log

Ninth Post

"SPRING HOLIDAYS"

With the snow melting down here in the valley, but still deep snow lying up in the high mountains, the best form of exercise and way to see the scenery at the moment is by bike. When we bought our bikes, I thought that mine wouldn’t be used too much, as I’ve never found a bike and a hill go together very well. However, there are many accessible and enjoyable routes from our apartment and many more for us to aim towards another time….including the 50 hairpin bends up and down the Vrsic Pass…

FOCUS On……….LOCAL CYCLE ROUTES

Mojstrana lies on the disused railway through Kranjska Gora and on to Tarvisio in Italy. With the aid of European funding, this has been converted into a fantastic 33km cycle path, taking in meadows, local villages and cycling under some of the biggest alpine peaks in the Julian Alps. One option is to cycle 12 km then, diverting from the track, leave the bikes at the bottom of the Gozd Martuljek Waterfalls and hike up right alongside these awesome falls, arriving at a typical alpine pasture with superb hut and outside kitchen.
From Kranjska Gora, you can cycle across the border into Italy and if you want to take in a small challenging hill and be rewarded by stunning lakes surrounded with a backdrop of the Julian Alps, then cycle on to Laghi di fusini. Here you can enjoy food from one of the lakeside bars or take a picnic whilst admiring the view.
Another route from the apartment is up the Vrata valley, a 16km track with a couple of testing of climbs; total ascent 300m. Cycle past the spectacular Pericnik waterfall and through shady forest glades, with wild flowers all around and nearer the top, some alpine cows wander amongst the small summer- houses. If you don’t see them, you may hear their cowbells. Again, at the top there is a superb Mountain Dom, serving traditional food and the view is one of the best, as you are literally at the base of the North face of Mount Triglav. There are plenty of opportunities to have a refreshing paddle in the crystal clear water of the River… you follow it for the whole route.


For a more pastoral route, cycle from Mojstrana to Bled, along a 22km track through the pretty Radovna valley. Small farms, hamlets and lakes lie nestling in this green valley. En route, stop at the “Kreda Lake” and enjoy a swim in the peaceful, natural surroundings.





Hope you’ve enjoyed this edition. The next Blog focus will be on

May Day Celebrations