That's easy, just go to Slovenia. But since we have some time on our hands, we decided to do this in a few days instead. Latest news were that we were heading towards Ljubljana, where we arrived on October 31st. And let's say it was quiet, really quiet. We expected the following day, November 1st, to be a holiday, (like in many European countries including France) but what we didn't know is that the 31st of October is also a holiday in Slovenia, it's "Reformation Day". By reformation here we mean the protestant reform. Which is somewhat strange as Slovenia is primarily catholic. But digging into this we figured out why. One of the major changes brought over by the protestant reform that took place in the 15th century (so very much tied to the invention of printing) was to make the Bible accessible to all, not only to clergymen. As it only existed in latin at the time, the protestants started translating it in many languages, including slovenian. And that is quite interesting as Slovenia as a country did not exist until 1991! But the slovenian identity, culture and language has been deeply anchored for centuries. That is why this date is important in the country's history. And although we can see the influences of the neighbouring countries in the architecture (Austria, Italy), we really sense that the culture is different.
So it's a very quiet capital city that we discovered, a situation that does have its advantages. Like taking photos with almost no one there 😀
And having the best table for "apéro" 😋
We do admit that the place lacked a bit of animation because the city centre is really pretty and the ambiance in the old town, at the market and on the terraces along the river must be really nice on a normal day.
So we went on our way under very wet and rainy weather, which forced us to look for some indoor activities. And when you look for something, you find it. Better that going indoors, we went underground! In Idrija, to visit an old mercury mine. But not your ordinary mine, the 2nd largest in the world and a classified Unesco site. A really great visit because again, as "low season" travelers, we got to have a VIP tour as we were the only 2 people present at 10 o'clock for the first visit of the day. And to make it even better, our guide spoke French! The visit was really, really interesting. Mining is a hard job, we know. The mine operated from 1510 up to the 1980's and in all that time, the work conditions of the workers didn't change all that much. The work being hard to begin with + mercury being highly toxic meant that the life expectancy of the minors was about 30 years old. Even towards the end with proper breathing apparatus, the mechanization of the work had different but as negative effects on the worker's health. The writing above the entrance of the mine says it all:
Srečno means: "good luck" 😟.
But after darkness comes light and after the rain, the sun shines again! And it's under bright sunshine that we spent a day driving around the pretty villages of the Vipava valley.
The sun feels really nice, particularly in November so we're keeping it! It also makes you feel like going to the beach so on to the Adreatic we go, but still staying on Slovenian soil. The Slovenian coastline may only be 47km long, it's really worth stopping to discover its pretty fishing towns. And with the Dolomites in the background, magnifique 😍:
Do you think it looks a bit like Venice? It does, and it's normal as this part of the world was a part of the Republic of Venice for centuries ...
So from Vienna to Venice, from the Alps to the sea, from torrents and forests to vineyards and olive groves; this is how you can change worlds in just a few hours in Slovenia😊.
Our great encounters of the week:
- Daiki, a young Japanese we met coming down from the castle in Ljubljana. A yound man filled with energy and thirst to discover the world. And it's contagious too:
- Our guide at the mercury mine that gave us the extra, extra tour, but of whom I forget the name😭. And I even told myself I needed to write it down before I forgot but obviously, I didn't 😠:
- But the best of all was without a doubt meeting Andre et Andreja, a couple of retired people who were quietly gardening in their small village of Vipavski Križ until we walked by. With Andre who speaks pretty good French and Andreja who speaks a little bit of English, conversation was quickly engaged. When Jérôme asked where we needed to go to try the local wine Andre said: "in my home"! And he opened his door and took out the bottles:
So this is how you end up drinking wine at 10:30 in the morning with Slovenians😅. Another really, really great encounter that we will remember.
We have left Slovenia and are now in Croatia, continuing on south along the Adriatic. What is waiting for us in this new country? Surely many more beautiful discoveries and encounters. Because yes, we can and we want to👍.
Jérôme et Sophie
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