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Clockwise from left: hiking in the Logar Valley; Lenar Farm
We stayed at Lenar Farm, a charming B&B owned by Urška and her parents, Minka and Gustave. The property has been in the family since 1875 and black and white photographs line the dining room walls, including one of a family gathering on the porch with ‘Tito’, the former Yugoslavian president: Slovenia only became independent in 1991. Hiking is the valley’s main activity, and we spent our days exploring on foot, starting with the walk to Koča Klemenča Jama. Grumbles and protests from the three kids eventually
decipher the menu, we went for generous portions of traditional ćevapčići: grilled meats served with flatbread. Afterwards we headed to nearby Vigo, purveyors of what we unanimously decided was some of the best ice cream we have ever tasted. Just 55 kilometres north of Ljubljana lies fairytale Lake Bled, Slovenia’s most photographed destination. We visited as a day trip, arriving mid-morning, to see colourful flat- bottomed pletna - Slovenian gondolas - ferrying passengers across the emerald-green lake to tiny Bled Island and the Church of
subsided as we zigzagged our way up the narrow forest path, sunlight and shadows strobing through the trees. Two hours later we arrived at the Koča Klemenča Jama mountain refuge, perched high on a steep meadow strewn with wildflowers. It was busy with hungry hikers, but we found a wooden picnic table where we sat happily in the woozy warmth of the afternoon sun, sharing plates of Slovenian dumplings, local sausage and
“LOGAR VALLEY IS OFTEN CALLED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IN EUROPE”
Assumption. We chose instead to hire our own boat and took it in turns to row slowly, and somewhat clumsily, across the still waters. Legend has it that it’s good luck to ring the church bell once you dock, but we decided to reward our efforts with platefuls of Slovenia’s national pastry, potica, at the island café instead. Once we’d rowed back to
fresh-from-the-oven apple strudel. Another day we hiked to Slap Rinka, an easy hour-long meander along marked forested trails to the second highest waterfall in Slovenia, a tumble of silver and froth cascading from a height of 90 metres. We had hoped to carry on further up the mountain but finding the trail closed, we consoled ourselves with shots of homemade blueberry schnapps at the treehouse-like refreshment stand. Then, on our final day, we drove to the neighbouring valley of Robanov Kot and began the hike to Partizanska Bolnica, the poignant site where a partisan hospital once stood. Unfortunately, heavy rain had washed parts of the trail away and, after some fruitless scrambling up muddy tracks, we were forced to turn back. Like all the other evenings before, we spent our last at the Hiša Ojstrica hotel, just a short walk from Lenar Farm. Once again sitting on the large terrace under twinkling fairy lights we watched the sun set slowly over the valley, streaking the sky in sugar almond shades of pink and blue, and toasted the end of our wonderful family holiday in the Slovenian Alps.
shore we felt we deserved a slice of the local speciality, much praised kremna rezina, and agreed that the Bled Cream Cake – made using two types of cream and delicate layers of millefeuille pastry – was the clear winner when it came to Slovenian desserts. Slovenia’s Julian Alps are probably the country’s most famous mountains. An eastern extension of the Dolomites, the silver-grey peaks are home to the spellbinding Soča Valley, a mecca for rafting and canyoning adventures. Naturally, we were very tempted, but ultimately it was seeing a photo of the Logar Valley in the lesser-known Kamnik Alps that swung our decision. Located in the Solčava Region of northern Slovenia this glacial Alpine valley is regularly called the most beautiful in Europe: a seven kilometre long, U-shaped basin, blanketed in emerald green meadows and flanked by mighty sawtooth peaks. Along with Robanov Kot and Matkov Kot, it’s one of the area’s three main valleys, and lined with wiggly walking trails which we discover are remnants of its role as a base for resistance fighters during WWII.
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