“And now,” the gravelly voice of the restaurant host bellowed, “is time for dessert.”
The seven of us at the table looked at one another apprehensively. We had all just eaten a massive four-course lunch whose Slovenian name I cannot recall, but probably translated as “Absolutely Everything Grilled (served with a tiny green salad)”, and we were all full. However, no one at the table wanted to contradict a man who stood about seven feet tall, had the voice (and the gait) of Frankenstein’s monster (with Bela Lugosi’s accent), and was armed with a dry wit that could catch an Englishman off guard. After some silence, one of my friends had the courage to answer, “But if I eat anything else, I’ll
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The seven of us at the table looked at one another apprehensively. We had all just eaten a massive four-course lunch whose Slovenian name I cannot recall, but probably translated as “Absolutely Everything Grilled (served with a tiny green salad)”, and we were all full. However, no one at the table wanted to contradict a man who stood about seven feet tall, had the voice (and the gait) of Frankenstein’s monster (with Bela Lugosi’s accent), and was armed with a dry wit that could catch an Englishman off guard.
After some silence, one of my friends had the courage to answer, “But if I eat anything else, I’ll explode.”
Our host considered this information for half a second before answering. “So you eat. You explode. Is okay for you.”
This exchange was followed by boisterous laughter from all sides, and by rakia (yet another round). This was par-for-course during our long weekend in Bled, Slovenia. And during this lunch, I was asking myself, weren’t we supposed to be skiing?
Background Notes:
Positioned between Austria, Italy and Croatia, Slovenia is the smallest nation to share the dramatic geography of the Alps. Like its better known neighbors, the Julian Alps of Slovenia (Julijske Alpe) offer breathtaking views and numerous year-round activities, but with a unique character all their own.
As soon as you cross the border from Austria into Slovenia, you know you are in Eastern Europe. The ski traffic disappears, as do the roadside billboards. The overdeveloped resorts and towns of Austria are replaced with the underdeveloped Slovenian countryside, (characterized by the ubiquitous hay drying racks), and in winter your nose is immediately hit by the smell of burning heating oil.
The Gorenjska region of Slovenia used to be popular with vacationing families of Italians, Austrians, and Germans as well as Yugoslavians before the dissolution of Yugoslavia and war. Slovenia was spared the kind of bloody ethnic violence and destructive battles that characterized the war in the rest of the former Yugoslavia, and Slovenia’s “war” for independence lasted 10 days.
The restaurant within the fortress was the first of many meals we had that lasted over three hours and 4,000 calories. The only surprise is that while Slovenia was a good value in comparison to Austria, Bled is not for the shoestring budget. Bled was always considered a high-end resort, and Slovenia itself has always been industrious and relatively prosperous in relation to the other Yugoslav republics. The approx. 2 million people that make up Slovenia were 6% of the population of Yugoslavia, but 20% of GDP. Food and lift tickets were comparably cheaper to St. Moritz or Ischgl, but on par with lower altitude ski villages in Bavaria, for example (approx. US$ 20 for an all-day lift ticket).
Bargains were to be found in hotels rates. Local beverages like Zlatorog (the national beer) and coffee were also a good value. Besides, no day of walking would be complete without two to three cups of proper Slovenian kava per day between activities (around $.50). A Slovenian coffee is small and strong like an espresso, but with the consistency of Turkish coffee.
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