Probably the main tourist attraction in Slovenia is the country itself, its beauty, its people and their way of life. It is a country that is in many ways, unique, being very small, 21.000 sq kilometres, about the size of Wales, with a population of just 2 million. It is extremely verdant, forests covering 60% of the landscape and with 1.5 million trees planted annually and this figure is set to rise. The land adjoining the many rivers afford rich pasture, corn and of course vines, above which we find a landscape of alpine mountains and hills, many topped with distinctly beautiful churches, completing the picture.
There is no industry to speak of and for hundreds of years the people have enjoyed a history of democracy and education – their export is its people and it is said that where ever you travel in the world, there will be a Slovenian and he will be the expert in whatever profession you encounter. Partly as a result of these factors, Slovenia is a very cultured and civilised country, its people knowing how to live life to the full, enjoying outdoor pursuits, eating and drinking well. A range of agriculture has resulted in many types of food stuffs and their viticulture is probably the oldest in Europe.
Slovenia being small, means that you could wake up on a mountain ski resort and take luncheon at the coast, or be fishing in one of the numerous rivers or lakes. Even the less traditional sports and activities are catered for here, including numerous golf courses, facilities for scuba diving and provision for tennis.
The albeit short coastline is however well developed for leisure pursuits as it falls in an area historically known for such, providing excellent swimming, sailing and windsurfing. The towns here are busy, but not overly commercialised, with many bars and restaurants serving local specialities.
One of the most characteristic regional beauties and special features of Slovenia is the sight of a church perched on a hilltop; some say that nowhere in Europe can you see more of them. The solitary and secure churches dot the landscape. Their position high up on the hills, symbolizing closeness to God, also made them more difficult to reach by invaders. During barbarian invasions and especially later, during Turkish incursions, such churches, including the church on the island in the middle of Lake Bled, were refuges from invaders.
Many castles have been restored to house museums, galleries, restaurants or even a five star hotel - the most famous is Predjama, a castle built into the cave. Other picturesque castles include Otocec situated in middle of the river and Mokrice castle.
The Black Kitchens
The majority of the winehouses are 19th century, but some of the earlier, larger farmhouse structures still exist – a window into a feudal, medieval way of life, the fundamental core, the houses, the homes, that they provided for the farmers who worked the land - usually referred to as “black kitchens”. An emotive but unsubstantial term, it points to only one aspect of these buildings that come complete with the “family room”, using the bulk of the rear of the oven as a source of heat, to sit on and under, in another room. Off this, is a small bedroom, for the parents – children or needy animals sleeping under the stove and on the other side of the kitchen another bedroom and a separate store room.
The black kitchen is the central area of the house, where the smoke from the oven would exit via the front of the oven, up across a small curved ceiling panel, thatched with a clay daub, leading to a hole at the bottom of a chimney that would progress through the upstairs – an area used for storage and sleeping in the summer months.
The ceiling panel is curved to catch the smoke as it drifts across to enable meats and sausages to be cured in this way. Years of this procedure leads to the name – black kitchen, as this is the colour achieved, with tar forming and dripping down from time to time, even with the heat of the summer sun. Bread could be baked, on the floor of the oven, when the residual wood embers and ash had been removed and a damp dusting cloth manoeuvred over its stone floor, meat roasted or sealed pots containing stew type meals - all achieved by the use of long handled wooden implements. A separate, large boiling pot would accompany the oven, also heated by a wood fuelled fire.
