I can’t remember where I got to last time but I think I was in Firenze waiting to have final drinks with the girls. That happened. Drinks in the roof top bar of this fabulous hotel with a view of the Duomo. Too hot to be outside but the view from the picture window inside was to die for. They went off and I wandered around the town at sunset. Still stinking hot but slightly more bearable. I wasn’t going to eat but I stumbled across a lovely little restaurant so in I went and had a risotto and a wine to finish me off for the night.
Next morning, which, bizarrely, was only yesterday, I had an amazing breakfast (included) and I set off walking to the station. 1.2km…nothing until you add the heat which turns you into a melted icy pole in a flash. Anyway no problem and by some strange miracle Chris and I managed to get ourselves onto the same train. We got off at Venezia Mestre and the hire car place was closed from 12.30 to 2.30 as is the Italian way. So, again in the Italian tradition, we had lunch! Picked up our little Citroen 3 and off we headed for Slovenia. It was a long haul and we finally made it to our ecotourism farm where we were staying for 2 nights at around 7.30. Phew. We have a great room which actually has 2 bedrooms (I keep thinking how relieved Rose would be). Included is the night meal and it is all produce from the farm and is totally delicious. They also make their own wine from their own grapes and again delicious. We sat around eating and drinking in a beautiful garden setting which restored us to normal pretty quickly. After dinner we sat out on our balcony and had another glass of wine we had smuggled in!! Then bed which would have been perfect had it not been for the fucking zanzari that chose to bite me and only me!!
This morning we had a delicious breakfast of all the farm produce including home made bread, apple juice, yoghurt etc etc. Then we set off for a day of exploring Southern Slovenia. Just like last time 2 years ago I just love this little country. So beautiful and so proud. First we went to Peterlji Monastery which is nestled in the hills surrounded by vineyards on steep steep slopes. They make their own wine and after we visited the church, had a look outside the monastery (you can’t get in), then of course we bought a bottle of their white and a bottle of red just to keep our supplies up. We also visited a lovely old house and farm buildings which was a treat. It had a traditional Black Kitchen which, Ang and Kirst makes the black kitchen an art form!! It was also full of animals that followed us around!!
By this time it was so hot and a man told us that this was Slovenia’s hottest day EVER i.e. EVER. The previous hottest had been 40.9 70 years ago. Today was 42!!! He said they are usually more used to having 60cm of snow.
So…what do you do? Chris had read about a restaurant (Gostilna Vovko) so we made a beeline for there. We had a massive meal with veal shank. The servings are huge. For more than you want really!! But it was delicious. After lunch we went off to a town called Kostanjevica na Krki. This small provincial town in Slovenia has the most amazing gallery, The Bozidar Jakac Gallery in a Cistercian Monastery. It has a vast collection of Slovenian art by Jakac and the Krajl brothers Tone and France that I loved. But it was SO hot I honestly wondered whether I could keep going or not with the sweat pouring down my back. After this we went and sat by the river of the town where the families were all swimming and had a beer and a wine to cool off a bit.
Then we drove back here via the Otocec Castle but there was no stopping at this point. But then Chris got a phone call from the ceramic shop saying that you horse woman was in H&A. Now, it wasn’t supposed to come back up to Rome and I was going to go and pick it up. But here it was in Rome with the one major problem that the shop was closing within an hour and they wouldn’t be back until 9th September!!! FUCK!! Chris nearly drove off the road at this point. We pulled over and she rang a friend of hers who, thank god was actually home. He ran off to the shop (poor guy had to pay as well)…anyway alls well that ends well and the Horse woman is now being baby sat in Rome!!!! Wow!!
Anyway we got back here, had another amazing home cooked meal and we are both now so pooped its time for bed. Tomorrow we head off to Ptuj where we will spend our last night in Slovenia before going to Zagreb.
Its a great adventure so far and the leg seems to be holding up so far….touch wood!!