Wu Wei

Lake post No 3 - Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

Lake Bohinj is  a two hour bus ride from Ljubljana  on the same route as Lake Bled.  It's a bigger, more sinister (or perhaps just more brooding) lake.  There's a small village at each end with ski hotels and paths round the lake on both sides.  I walked on the road side, since I wasn't sure how wet it was going to be on the north side of the lake.

First the view of the mountains surrounding the lake.   You can see the wind blowing the snow off the peaks.  To get to Austria, you have to cross these mountains.

Then down by the lake:

There's a mixture of shallows, almost with beaches, and steeply sloping sides.  You can see there is still snow on the ground, even though it was really warm in the sun.

Here are some of the buildings at the lake side: a house, or perhaps it's a small hotel.  Two churches have  rather colourful painting on the corners of their towers.  The Church of the Holy Spirit has an external fresco, which I haven't heard of before apart from the painted churches in the Bukovina (long time ambition to visit, plan now thwarted by work in Bosnia).  The Church of St John the Baptist has lots of internal frescos, but I didn't read the guide book carefully so I didn't realise they were there, till now.

Here we have the statue to the three intrepid mountaineers who first climbed Mount Triglav (2864m)  in 1778.  I thought it was interesting what they were wearing.  Clearly climbing mountains in those days required quite formal coats.  And look at that rucksack with a wooden frame. 

Some things are the same the world over:

Just a few signs of spring:

Technorati tags: lakeBohinj, lake, slovenia, triglav, spring flowers, church, frescos

The best on the web

It's not often I bother to follow recommendations on the web to watch videos, since they are often poor quality and low level interest for me. So it was only because I was waiting for a phone call that I tried this one. And I can definitely recommend it to you because:

1. It's a high quality production.
2. It's an interesting subject made accessible and amusing by the lecturer.
3. It doesn't contain any power point presentation (though he does have some pretty nifty presentation software).
4. Don't blink and you will see Slovenia. (Thanks to glory of carniola for the link)

It's a lecture by Hans Rosling, a Swedish Professor (with one of those sexy Swedish accents) on global health statistics, how they have changed over the last 50 years, and how our preconceptions are all wrong. Don't think you are interested in tables? There are no tables, only really slick, interesting and relevant graphics. You can learn a lot but it's fun as well.

Hans Rosling is professor of international health at Sweden's world-renowned Karolinska Institute, and founder of Gapminder, a non-profit that brings vital global data to life.

It's not short, so grab yourself some coffee and get comfy, and watch one of the best examples of how the internet brings information to billions. link. I struggled to get a graphic for the link, but it defeated me.

It's one of the TED podcasts.

Can you go without your computer for a whole day?

If so, join 24 hour Shutdown Day on 24 March. Details here, in several languages including Slovenscina (sorry I haven't got the right keyboard to spell it properly).

It's a Saturday. Does that make a difference? I don't think it does to me.

Dandelions for lunch - no mistake

Ever been irritated by the "English" translations on a menu abroad?  My sister volunteered to make proper English translations for a friend's restaurant.  So when she said "dandelions for lunch" we knew she meant it, and since the menu changes weekly, we knew that was special this week. 

So off we went for a plate of Slovenian dandelions or Regrat s krompirjem, jajcem in peceno slanino.  A bit like the French piss-en-lit au lard.  You can read about that here.  We got an enormous plate of dandelions, strips of bacon, slices of egg and potatoes with a little oil and vinegar.  When I say enormous, the picture shows the amount after I had eaten half - it only then occurred to me to take a photo (on mobile phone). My sister complained there should be more potatoes.

As the years in Athens made me a big fan of healthy green leaves (you can see my post about the varieties of Greek horta here, though I was never sure about having to boil the leaves), so I really enjoyed this.  In Kosovo, I got used to having spinach leaves as fresh salad. Obviously you have to munch hard and eat a large quantity, but all of that is good for you.  

The restaurant itself, "Klub Preserne Zdravlice",  is tucked away on Zupanciceva 9 and is only open for lunch, but was packed with office types.  The couple who run it prefer a normal family life, and so the restaurant is closed in the evening and at the weekend.  There is a terrace outside, (not in use yet this year), and the indoor seating has the feel of a pub.  You can get a 3-course set lunch (soup meat and salad) for  around 6 Euros, with a different set meal every day, and there is also a full menu to choose from.

 

Technorati tags: dandelion, piss en lit, horta, restaurant review

Lake Post No 2 - Lake Bled Slovenia

Bled has the same relationship to Ljubljana as Trakai to Vilnius: a trip from the capital is easy and hence obligatory for tourists and VIP visitors alike.  They both have an island in the lake, and a castle but there the similarities end.  It's easy to walk round Bled in a couple of hours and there is a busy town catering for tourists and water sports.  There are several hotels with restaurants overlooking the lake. 

I've been to Bled three times now: in November 2005, when I didn't take many photos, and it was misty;  in February last year when I was more successful, and I just made a visit this February as well.  It is interesting to compare the seasons and the difference a year makes.

Here are the November photos.

 

You can hardly see across the lake even as far as the church on the island.  Nevertheless the ducks are out, and so are the boats.

Here are some of the same views three months later in February last year.  The lake is partly frozen but there are great views across the lake and including the mountains.

Plus some others which weren't visible in November

 

Then compare with the February just gone. This time I shot both the church on the island and the castle on the hill and some of the buildings round the edge.

 

And of course this year there was more wildlife visible.

My collection of wild flower pictures will have to wait for another day.

 

Technorati tags: Lake Bled, Slovenia, swans, castle, church, mountains, lake

Random thoughts from Vilnius

One of my favourite shop windows with angels.

Signs are announcing the arrival in Vilnius of Marks and Spencers.  Not much to get excited about, I thought, having seen the small M&S shops in Athens.  For some inexplicable reason, the most boring M&S fodder, without any trace of the requisite bling, is considered highly desirable in Athens.    The one in Ljubljana is hardly any better.

But I am assured that the Vilnius M&S will have food, and that is far more desirable.  Coming soon, as it says, in spring!  So here it is on the main street, not far from my old office.  It would be no problem to find something for lunch.

On Vilniaus this church has been renovated for concerts, and the square paved. 

But on one side of the square there is still one building left unrenovated.  It's hard to believe now that when we came in 1998, the whole of the old town looked like this.

And a pink facade on the main street which looks just as ornate as many in Ljubljana.  I had never noticed it before.

 

 

Technorati tags: Vilnius, Lithuania, Marks and Spencer, shop windows

Lake Post No 1 - Trakai, Lithuania

I realised in my haste to rush round Slovenia I had not covered everything I meant to say about my Lithuanian trip.  So here is my trip to the lake near Vilnius.  Obligatory for all foreign visitors, with a castle on a island in the lake, it makes a perfect Sunday outing, even in January.

Compared with Slovenia, Lithuania is incredibly flat. No mountains surrounding the lake. Trakai is too big to walk round, and anyway there are no paths.  People drive through the small town and round the lake to find a convenient spot to picnic and swim in summer.  In winter, however, people huddle in cafes after a bracing walk.  As you can see, it was a cloudy windy day with the sun coming out for brief periods, making the light in these photos quite  different.  There was also no snow, unusual for this time in Lithuania.

You can find the history and some better photos of the castle here.  Suffice it to say that the stone castle dates from the 15th century and Trakai was once the capital of Lithuania.  Another interesting feature of the region is that the town was built and preserved by people of different nationalities. Communities of Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews and Poles lived here side by side. Karaims (or Karaites) are a small Turkic-speaking religious and ethnic group resettled there by Grand Duke Vytautas in 1397 and 1398 from Crimea, after one of his successful military campaigns against the Golden Horde. Both Christian and Karaim communities were granted separate self-government in accordance with the Magdeburg Rights.

The castle is reached by a wooden bridge which you can just see in the first photo.  In summer there are plays and ballets in the theatre in the castle but in the winter, nothing.  However, this yacht was moored right in front of the castle and later it did go for a sail.

Trakai town does not really know how to cater for visitors.  There are a few cafes and one restaurant, which serves mainly traditional Lithuanian food.  The famous kibinas, a sort of meat pasty, has a special shop in Trakai.  The locals are very keen on preserving everything as it is, so development is not permitted.  That makes it rather dull in winter, though people go mainly for healthy sporty pursuits rather than entertainment. 

So here are our traditional bulviniu blynai (potato pancakes with sour cream) which we all had for lunch.  You can read my views on Lithuanian food here, but I really like these crispy potato things, and would make them at home if I could be bothered to grate potatoes.

After that, we went to a new cafe called Sokoladas which has recently opened branches in Trakai and Vilnius.  Clearly inspired by the book and the film it has a wonderful atmosphere on a cold day and the coffee and chocolate were excellent.

 

Technorati tags: Lithuania Trakai lake

After .....

the Devil wears Prada, we see in Moscow: the Devil drives Lada.  See it here.

Trip to Croatia (Opatija and Lovran)

Here's another of my outings, this time to the coast of Croatia: another day trip from Ljubljana.  Opatija is the real Hapsburg seaside, unlike Trieste, which was more of a working port plus a Hapsburg town.  There are the grand hotels, or perhaps these days that should be "hotels with grand names, evocative of an even  grander past".  Not quite like the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, but Hotel Bristol, Grand Hotel Adriatic, Hotel Astoria (built in 1904. At that time the hotel, with the euphonius name "Villa Louise", was distinguished in Austrian-Mediterranean style), Hotel W.A.Mozart, you get the picture.

There is a coastal walk, not quite the cliff top walk in open country that is conjured up by the name.  The Obalno Setaliste is more of a promenade between cafes and hotels, with steps down to little pebbly beaches for bathing, and benches to sit on.   

The walk links Opatija to the much quieter Lovran, which has a nice market square and some smart villa hotels and apartments. 

 

 

From the walk you can see across the coast to the big port of Rijeka.

Our visit was slightly spoilt by an inspection of a holiday flat , which we agreed rather reluctantly to see, as someone wanted us to buy it.  I can't imagine anyone wanting to pay 300,000 Euros for a one bedroom apartment with no balcony and no access to a garden. But I guess there are fools with money everywhere.  

Technorati tags: Opatija, Lovran, Rijeka

Venice for 50 Euros on the Casanova, (and a lot of train nostalgia)

Sitting here in Ljubljana watching the rain pour down, it's hard to remember I was sitting in the sun in Venice a week ago.  Actually it's now taken me so long to finish this that the sun is shining again.

The trip by train takes 4 hours, though it could take much less, since the train chugs slowly to the border, the crossing takes 30 mins, then the train speeds up a bit.  Slovenia's entry into the Schengen area (next year?) should remove the need for the passport inspections at Sezana and Opicina.  Still a 10.30 start gets you to Venice just before 3pm, a sensible time to arrive in a new place.  The train then goes back arriving at 19.30, again a civilised time of arrival.  Slovenian trains was offering a (Valentine's?) two for the price of one, which made it even more of a bargain.  Actually the train is called the "Casanova", so some mixed messages here.

The train leaving Ljubljana was an old-fashioned corridor train, which gave it all a sense of deja-vu to my Hook of Holland to Moscow journeys when it was much cheaper by train than flying.  On the way back it was a typical comfortable intercity train. I still feel that going somewhere on a long journey by train is more of an adventure than by plane.  Part of it is the climb up from the platform into the carriage, which always seems so foreign compared with British platforms at the same level as the train.  But these days, that must be changing, for disabled access, and for mums with pushchairs.  The driver walked past with a smart uniform and a big briefcase, just like a pilot, rather than the old overalls.

We got to sit in the first class compartment, since there were practically no passengers.  This gave us the luxury of a pinky/brown carpet and upholstery.  The upholstery I recognised as being practically the same as on a Habitat sofa I had in the 80s.  I suppose that dated the carriage design and construction. 

Railway lines still retain the feel of another era.  I was immediately taken back to journeys on school trips (usually to Chester Zoo, and the ferry across the Mersey) in the 50s, when I had a collection of I-Spy books designed to keep children's attention on long journeys.  It was possible then to spot all sorts of different steam engines, with wheels in mysterious codes like 2-4-2, and also water tanks and hooks for hanging post bags for fast collection.  Although there were no steam engines to be seen, and the track was electrified, out in the country it looked little different.  Each country has its own typical country railway stations, built in the style when the railway was first constructed, and extended to cope with goods before they were sent by container.  The signalling and point system for changing track doesn't seem to have changed a lot.

At one stage the track went all the way down one side of the valley, did a wide U turn and then proceeded along the other side on a very slow gradient.  Eventually it dawned on me that this was the only way a steam train could have got up speed to climb the hill.   Do you actually have to steer a train, or does the track do it for you?  It must be very boring driving a train these days, worse than a car on a motorway, nothing to pass, no lanes to change, except coming into stations.  Only to watch the dials  and the track for obstructions.  The only bit of action seemed to be that you still needed to hoot to warn workmen on the track.

At one point, we passed a grandfather watching with his grandson as the train passed.  Are they still so exciting and with the hint of the mystery of foreign places?  Do boys still want to grow up to be engine drivers, because that was the equivalent these days of having a fast car?

Anyway enough of the train nostalgia, and here are some pics of Venice.

The view from the Rialto bridge: 

 

Although it is claimed that Venice is no longer at risk of flooding, clearly the tide has some influence.  Here is the water level in the Piazza San Marco at 11pm, with water clearly bubbling out of some of the manholes.  Also the duckboards were out and looking like they were expected to be used.

And here are some of the shop windows displaying very elaborate masks for the Carnival.

Even gondoliers deserve a rest!

The narrowest street in Venice?  And the garden I really wanted.

And two interesting meals I had: four cheeses and pear salad; and cuttle fish with black sauce and polenta. Notice I said interesting.  I think I have satisfied myself about the merits of cuttlefish AND black sauce.

I managed one church, two art galleries, two good meals and a lot of sitting around in the sun in cafes, plus zipping around on the Vaporetto.  Not bad for the two days I was there.

On the whole, I don't really like Venice.  It's like St Petersburg, a bit of a museum city.   And the buildings are all falling down.  Plus I don't know enough history of the right period or art history to know what I am looking at. 

tags: Venice, Piazza San Marco,  Rialto,