Ričet, vegetarian barley soup/stew with bread – the soup was really deliciously full flavoured despite the lack of meat.
What do you know about the food in Slovenia? Exactly! Unlike Italian, French, Chinese or Thai food, we are just not familiar with anything to do with Slovenian food! I decided to try to rectify the situation by choosing more local food and doing a food tour.
Chicken Dumplings – These tasted like chicken sausage balls. Tasty but hardly gourmet!
The tour guide of the food tour is school teacher by profession and she talked to us non-stop, filling us up with facts about Slovenia, Slovenes and their food. It turns out, Slovenians love something “on the spoon” like soups and stews. They must always have bread in the house or there will be panic! In the past, they were quite isolated so their traditional food comes from creativity and ingenuity using locally available ingredients.
Sunday lunchtime is strictly reserved for family lunch. Traditionally, the menu for Sunday lunch will be a fixed menu, an “iron” menu which is the same every week. Amongst other set traditional dishes will be beef and noodle soup! Turns out beef and noodle soup is also on the “iron” menu for all birthdays, weddings and Christmas. Be prepared to be “tut-tutted” by your senior relatives if you deviate from the traditional menu items!
It is an offense to the host if you leave food behind. It somehow implies that the food that you have been provided is no good.
Slovenia produces some nice wine. The tour guide explained the various wine regions of Slovenia by comparing the shape of the country to a chicken. Then she could explain the various regions by talking about the chicken head or the chicken butt! Unfortunately as the country is quite small and hilly, there can only ever be low volumes of wine produced as farmers just cannot cultivate the large acreages possible in other countries.
Antipasto Platter – with pig fat, various cold meats, local pate, pumpkin seed oil and mayonnaise dip, gherkins and figs. Served with homemade bread and rose wine. The dark green, pumpkin seed oil is much treasured in Slovenia. The flesh of the pumpkin itself is just an unfortunate, almost unwanted, side product of the seeds required for the oil. Orecchiette with cherry tomatoes, polenta blocks to be eaten with a hearty and thick Istrian seafood Brodet stew/soup (yum!) and homemade Istrian Fuzi pasta with truffles (heavenly!). So nice to have fresh, homemade pasta with some bite to it!Dishes from Tabar – tomato/melon dish and a dish with Adriatic sardines and crispy cracker topping with lime and wild onion mayonnaise. These are examples of how cuisine in Slovenia can be adapted to fine dining style dishes.Carniolan Sausage, Horseradish and Mustard – salty and strong tasting
There was a dessert but unfortunately it was eaten too quickly to be photographed. Buckwheat and walnut štrukli (rolled dumplings) with a salty, butter breadcrumb (?) topping. Interesting slightly sweet and salty combination!
Venison goulash and beef with noodle soup – the “noodles” are really thin slices of eggy crepe pancake. The beef soup was really light and the idea of bulking it up with the pancake “noodles” is a great idea to make a soup stretch with relatively cheap ingredients!Bled Cream Cake (kremšnita) is a famous specialty of Bled. It is basically a slightly more upmarket Aussie vanilla slice.
Ljubljana was a wonderful, pleasant surprise. Perhaps it’s the absence of any pre-conceived notions of what a place might be like! Perhaps it’s the drop in temperature from unbearably hot to just perfect. Or maybe it’s the little things that make for a good trip like free tap water in restaurants and free public toilets. It felt very safe and was very clean. In contrast to France and Italy, there was no dog poo on the side walk and no smell of pee around every corner. I never saw ay homeless people and instead, there was lots of very eager, young backpackers with very large backpacks and lots of people eating and drinking by the riverside.
We visited the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana and also the picturesque Lake Bled. Ljubljana is delightful. It’s historical buildings are incredibly clean and well kept and the pretty Ljubljanica River flows down the centre of it. The Austrian influence on Slovenia from centuries of being under the Habsburg rule was very apparent.
The Slovenes are very proud of their country and this is lovely to see. They take recycling very seriously and there is not a speck of rubbish on their streets. I saw a rubbish collector clearing out the public bins. He took out the bin liner and emptied the contents into his rubbish truck and then carefully replaced the same bin liner into the bin to avoid unwarranted waste! How unexpected!
There was a few summer storms before and during our visit. The one that happened before we arrived littered the streets with small branches and leaves from overhead trees. One afternoon, the wind picked up and quite heavy rain started. This only lasted for about 30 minutes. Most unfortunately, as a result of the rain prediction on the Friday we were visiting, the famous Open Kitchen was cancelled. I was so looking forwards to this collection of street food stalls run by famous restaurants in and around the city.
Despite there being a lot of tourists in Ljubljana when we visited, it wasn’t too overwhelming and the city was not over-run and had not lost it’s charms. There were plenty of locals enjoying their beautiful city as well.
LjubljanaLjubljanaOne of the dragons on Dragon Bridge! The people of Ljubljana are crazy about dragons. It’s on their city flag! LjubljanaCity Hall, LjubljanaLjubljanica River runs right by the old town. Romantic, alfresco restaurants line the riverside filled with people drinking beer or aperol spritz. Boat tours go up and down this river. We even saw a stand-up paddle board tour group head slowly up the river. Daily central market in Ljubljana. Not the biggest market. To the side of the market square are a few vending machines. Most notable are the ones dispensing eggs and unpasteurized, fresh cows milk. University of LjubljanaMonument to Slovene national poet France Prešeren in Preseren Square, Ljubljana
Prešeren Square – the centre of Ljubjlana. In August, it is full of tourists enjoying the atmosphere. Tivoli Park, LjubljanaView from Nebotičnik skyscraper. You can go up to the top of this building for a 360 view of Ljubljana. Technically you have to be a customer of the cafe on the top floor but we had no issue popping up there, taking a few photos and then leaving.
Check out the hill with the Ljubljana Castle on the top.
If you are heading Slovenia, you would have surely seen the picturesque photos of Lake Bled. The town of Bled itself is reminiscent of Switzerland or alpine Austria. Lake Bled itself is the most gorgeous colour of blue-green. It makes for a beautiful vista set against a mountain backdrop. The 6km walk around the lake is mostly on a well paved path and is easy and stunningly beautiful. The lake from every angle looks like a postcard picture. Finish your exercise by eating some of the famous Bled Cream Cake (Kremsnita) and just take in the beauty of it all.
Mountains around BledBledBoats ready to row people across to the island in the middle of Lake Bled. These only leave when full so early patrons have to wait as the boatmen tout for more business from passerbys. Alternatives to being rowed across to the island is to hire a rowboat and row over yourself. The final option is to swim, which is possible as the distance is not that great! Lake Bled – you can do the 6km walk around it. It is picturesque from every angle Lake Bled peeking through the treesBled Cream Cake (kremšnita) is a famous specialty of Bled. It is basically a slightly more upmarket Aussie vanilla slice.
My expectation of a relaxing, serene day trip from big city Milan to some quaint, lake-side towns by Lake Como was somewhat misplaced. Lake Como is very, very pretty but it is not particularly serene. Not sure what I expected of Lake Como but it’s hoards of tourists, touristy shops lining the small alleyways and an exorbitant 3 Euro per person cover charge (coperto) to eat a meal.at a restaurant.
We caught the train from Milan to Varenna which took just over 1 hour. It is worth to get up early to beat the crowds. It is nice to experience the place without quite so many people and before the heat really sets in! (To be honest, there were already plenty of people at 9am in the morning and it only proceeded to get more and more crowded.) We quickly caught a 15 minute ferry to Bellagio to try and beat the crowds but in reality, plenty of people had the same idea!
After sightseeing and checking out Bellagio, we caught the ferry back to Varenna and then later on, the train back to Milan. It makes for a manageable day trip from Milan an the mountain views from the train to Lake Como are spectacular.
Lake Como itself, is actually pretty big and it is unrealistic to see all the lakeside towns in one day. The three most popular towns are Bellagio, Varenna and Como. We skipped Como because it’s the largest town and supposedly the least pretty. It was also to allow us a more leisurely pace on the day trip and to avoid having a very long day.
Bellagio and Varenna are very similar. Pretty but very touristy. Cute alleyways but anything lake-side will have lots of people. If you head inland just a few streets, it becomes deserted. There are steep rocky hills that rise dramatically from the sides of the lake. It gives the impression that the lakeside towns cling to any tiny available space leftover between the hills and the water.
Church of St. John the Baptist, VarennaChiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie. VarennaView from the ferry leaving BellagioView from BellagioSalita Serbelloni of Bellagio – the famous main passageway in Bellagio which is picturesque and lined with touristy shops. Crowded with people in August!Grand Hotel Villa SerbelloniFerry between Bellagio and Varenna
Padua was a bit of a surprise. We chose to visit it instead of Trieste, driven mostly by price of accommodation. To our surprise, the old town of Padua contained many beautiful and historical buildings everywhere you looked. Unfortunately, the city was very quiet and shuttered up for the August summer holidays.
Outside of the old city, the stretch of road from the train station was very multicultural. Lots of Chinese run business and restaurants, kebab shops, bubble tea shops and a real diverse mix of people.
The train into Padua was insanely packed. This was the train into Venice. Considering there are a number trains on this line every hour, it is an indication of how many people are traveling at this time of year.
The most eye-catching and noteworthy attraction in Padua is the massive Basilica of Saint Anthony. This church was particularly ostentatious on the inside. In particular where the gold and silver encrusted room of the relics and the room with the tomb of Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony is the patron saint of lost things so he is the one to pray to when you lose something. This comes from a story during his life where he lost his prayer book. He prayed over it and the intern who stole or borrowed it, returned it!
Saint Anthony was noted for his powerful sermons and oratory. Supposedly, the Basilica was constructed for Saint Anthony after his death. Then they exhumed his body to place it in the Basilica. This was 30 years after his death and most of his body had turned to dust. That is, except for his tongue, which was still moist and glistening as if it belonged to a living person. It is surmised that his tongue did not decay as he was such a great orator. His tongue and part of his jawbone are stored amongst other religious relics in a special gated room for relics at the Basilica.
PaduaThe Basilica of St. AnthonyThe Basilica of St. AnthonyThe ostentatious roof of the room with Saint Anthony’s TombGated room with the relics at the Basilica of Saint Anthony – including the relic of Saint Anthony’s incorruptible tongue! The Basilica of St. Anthony – note the skeleton, winged angel blowing a horn on the top!The Basilica of St. AnthonyThe Basilica of St. Anthony – robes for purchase at the shop!Prato Della Valle, Padua, the largest square in ItalyPaduaPadua
In August, Milan is quieter than usual as plenty of the Milanese people escape the summer heat either to the coast or to the mountains. This, in addition to the public holiday to celebrate the Assumption of Mary, meant that the city was deserted. Many homes and restaurants were shuttered. Nevertheless, the areas around the main tourist attractions were crowded and busy. The line to get into the Duomo stretched out into the hot sun. (It was a bit offensive to see that ladies in their summery outfits were sometimes required to cover up further with disposable bibs that had to be purchased. Another excuse to squeeze a further dollar from a tourist.)
Speaking of squeezing tourists (and locals), restaurants in Italy do not serve free tap water. Italians seem to have a distrust for the cleanliness of their tap water, which could be interpreted as a distrust in their government and authorities. Bottled water has to be purchased (at a cost to the customer and to the environment!) When we requested tap water from a waiter, he clearly understood but returned with bottled water claiming that they did not have a tap!
Beware also the cover charge (coperto), 1 to 3 Euros per person, and the “maggiorazione”, a further 1 to 3 Euros per person. The cover charge is supposed to cover napkins, cutlery etc and the “maggiorazione” is generally only charged in tourist areas as some kind of surcharge. When a pizza can cost 7 Euros, the added cost of the “coperto” and “maggiorazione” can nearly double your food bill. Italy does not have a tipping culture but these added charges really leaves diners with a sour taste after their dining experience, thereby almost eliminating their chances for a tip. To be honest, these added charges drove us away from restaurants towards bakeries, takeaways and supermarket picnic food dinners. So much for sampling the much esteemed Italian cuisine!
Strangely, the sidewalks in Milan are pockmarked or dented in very particular shapes and in only specific areas. After some deduction, it was concluded that these are from the kickstands of bicycles, scooters and in particular the heavy high powered motorcycles. It seems that the soft material that the sidewalk is constructed from is unable to withstand both the summer heat and the point force of a kickstand. Seems strange that Milan is unable to perfect their recipe for sidewalk material when plenty of other places manage to.
The main train station, Milano Centrale is an imposing building built in a fascist style for Mussolini to convey the power of the regime. The Duomo is seriously impressive and incredibly ornate. The conclusion however is that whilst Milan is worth a visit, a visit in August with the local population mostly absent and the summer heat is not the best.
Milano Centrale train stationMilano Centrale Train StationMilano Centrale Train Station – this was in construction years before Mussolini became Prime Minister but when he did, the plan became more complex and majestic. Mussolini wanted this station to represent the power of the Fascist regime. Milano Centrale Train StationBuilding with Painted Ceramic Tiles – The architecture is in the Liberty style i.e. the Italian variant of Art Nouveau. It can be spotted by it’s distinctive use of leaves, flowers and over the top ornamentation and decoration.Private Fountain – There are a lot of private green spaces in Milan. Most of them, we can never even glimpse. We managed to get a view of this private fountain through the bars of the property gates. Vine Covered BuildingGargoyle with Downpipe Flamingoes in Central Milan – peaking through the bars of a private fence, we saw a group of flamingoes by a pool!Lego Duomo – the Lego version of the most popular attractions in Milan The Duomo, Milan The Duomo, Milan – crowded with tourists! Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – super high end shopping mall. Lots of people and queues outside Louis Vitton and Dior amongst others!Statue of Leonardo Da VinciSforzesco Castle – surprised that it was free to enter the grounds for a wander! Sforzesco CastleSforzesco Castle
Sforzesco Castle – note the little piles of cannonballs on the ground!
Sforzesco Castle
Sforzesco Castle
Just in case all the photos of old buildings made you forget that this is Milan, Italy’s wealthiest city!
A lot of people would have heard of Cannes and Antibes in the south of France. Actually, the whole coastline along that area is a holiday destination for Europeans in the summer. The vivid blue, sparkling water of the Mediterranean sea and the coastal aspect brings a relief from the heat. The area is littered with large pleasure crafts in the water, buzzy alfresco restaurants and crowded beaches. The day time temperatures in August are unpleasantly hot. The mornings are pleasant and the temperature drops as the light fades at the end of the day making an evening stroll an absolute pleasure.
The landscape in this region is drier and more rocky than other parts of France. It more closely resembles Australia.
The old city of Antibes is quite crowded with tourists in August. There are lots of small alleyways and quaint shops. The wait staff in the restaurants swap effortlessly into English to cater for the English speaking tourists.
Due to the love of dogs in Europe, many European cities smell of piss. It’s unfortunate as the stench mars a lovely visit. Perhaps more greenery in some of these old towns would help both with cooling the place in the summer and give the dogs (and maybe the men) somewhere more absorbent to relieve themselves! France has been a country where there are no free public toilets. This, I suspect, results in many of the male population relieving themselves for free where they can.
The beaches here are so much more crowded than Australian beaches. The quality of the beaches are also inferior to many Australian beaches as the sea floor is quite rocky and the sand is not as pale and fine. Nevertheless, it is so hot that everyone heads to the beach to cool off!
Whilst this area is beautiful, my strong recommendation is to avoid this region in August. It is too hot, crowded and expensive.
Plage Des OndesPlage Des OndesPlage des Ondes, between Juan Les Pins and Antibes. How many beach umbrellas can you count in this small space?Plage Des Ondes – so crowded with not a spare bit of sand to spare for anyone! The smaller super yachts parked at Port Vauban, AntibesThe buzzy evening vibe in Old Antibes in AugustCrepes being made in AntibesMoules MariniereMarché provençal AntibesMarché provençal AntibesNight over the water in the South of France (Golfe Juan Vallauris) – in August, the days are very hot but the nights are a perfect temperatureCannesCannes BeachPlage de la Gravette, Antibes Plage de la Gravette, Antibes Laneways in AntibesMarina at Golfe Juan Vallauris
Arles, located in Southern France, is famous for two main things. One is it’s Roman amphitheatre and the other is for Vincent Van Gogh. The Arles Amphitheatre was built in 90AD and used to host 20,000 people to watch chariot races and hand to hand gladiator combat. Two thousand years later, this amphitheatre is still amazingly being used. They hold bull fights and other events such as plays and concerts in it.
Vincent Van Gogh and a number of other famous painters lived and worked in this area. Van Gogh produced over 300 painting and drawings during his time in Arles.
Old Walls around Arles – you can see from the stones that there has been some reconstruction at various stagesAlleyways of ArlesA river cruise boat making it’s way down the Rhone River in ArlesCloître Saint-Trophime – ArlesArlesArles Amphitheatre (Arènes d’Arles)
Bilbao is a city that has became more of a travel destination vs just an industrial city when the modernistic Guggenheim Museum was erected. Whilst the museum is the most striking thing about the city, there are plenty of other historical buildings to enjoy when walking around Bilbao as well as the Basque cuisine.
The Basque region includes both Bilbao and San Sebastian and these people have their own language, history and cuisine. Interestingly, the Basque language, Euskera, is an isolated language. It’s origins are not known but it does not have Latin roots like French, Spanish or Italian. When looking at signs in Basque, the words are mostly unintelligible as are littered with T’s and X’s. It is not related to any other language in the world and is the last descendant of the language of pre-historic Europe.
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao – including Puppy, the world’s largest flower sculptureGuggenheim Museum BilbaoGuggenheim Museum Bilbao
Guggenheim Museum BilbaoStained Glass at Bilbao-Abando train stationBilbaoBIlbaoBilbaoBilbao – many elegant and stately buildings wherever you look in the central areaBilbao CathedralBilbaoBasque Tuna and Potato Stew (Mamitako) – a fish dish eaten on tuna fishing boats. This stew was hearty and the seafood scent permeated throughout, giving this dish lovely fragrance and flavour. Red Fish with Garlic Oil – this dish has integrity! The fish is cooked splayed open and drizzled with a salt, oil and browned garlic. It doesn’t look attractive at all on the plate. Note the eyeball! The fish has lots of bones and is hard to eat in polite company. This is not what matters. The meat on this fish was sweet, tender and beautifully cooked. The garlic oil elevated this dish without overwhelming the mild fish. This was foremost about taste and not looks. I like a restaurant brave enough to do that! These are people who know what is important in life!
When visiting Bilbao, we had the opportunity to head out to Plentzia. This is a town about 45 minutes north of Bilbao with a gorgeous, wide, sandy beach. It was a Saturday when we went and there were lot of people heading out for a beach day in Plentzia.
View of the Plentzia River from the bridge (Pasarela De Plentzia) by nightPlentzia PortPlentzia Beach – we didn’t realise how great this beach was until we saw how crowded beaches were in the south of France. This is quite deserted in comparison!
