We picked up our rental car Saturday morning and drove north through some very scenic countryside to get to our farmstay near the town of Solčava. This north-central area of Slovenia is hemmed in by the Kamnik-Savinja Alps to the south and the Karawank Alps to the north that mark the border with Austria. Our bed & breakfast is a working farm that takes in lodgers and also has space for camping tents and RVs. Thanks to it being August holidays there are lots of other guests camping and it's a busier place than we expected, but the family has been so welcoming and we've enjoyed meeting our barnyard neighbors - goats, alpacas, and a braying donkey.
There are three beautiful valleys in this part of the country: Robanov Kot, Logarska Dolina, and Matkov Kot. Each is unique and incredibly scenic. On Sunday we did a walk through the Robanov valley. Although this particular valley is now protected as a Landscape Park, there are several families that have been farming here for centuries and those farms continue to coexist with the natural surroundings. The largest one is the Roban family farm, which gives the valley its name.
On our walk through Robanov Kot we encountered grazing cows, loose horses meandering down the roadside, and a large apiary for beekeeping. There is a strong tradition of beekeeping here; Slovenia has the most beekeepers per capita in the world - there are over 200,000 domesticated bee colonies in the country. Most are kept in colorful traditional wooden apiaries like the one behind the garden in the photo below.
Sunday also happened to be the final day of the Solčava Days local festival. We headed to the town market hall to check out some of the local food. When we got there, the whole town was in the middle of a massive Bingo game. The caller was shouting out numbers and handing out prizes for over an hour. We didn't understand what he was saying or any of the numbers (he was speaking Slovenian, of course) but the Slovenian word for bingo is just "Bingola!" so at least we knew when to clap and cheer! It started raining pretty hard during the bingo, so we decided to stay put, have some dinner, and enjoy the live music until the rain let up.
The rainfall must be what keeps these valleys so green! On Monday we drove ourselves to the Logar Valley (Logarska Dolina), which is the main attraction here. This valley is another protected Landscape Park and there is a small entrance fee to come in by car (people entering on foot or bicycle are free).
We decided to park midway up the valley and hike the rest of the way to a waterfall (slap in Slovenian). Our hike took us along the Savinja River which wasn't actually running despite all the rain the previous day. Nevertheless, the Savinja must be mighty when it is running because there were several torrent check dams (hudourniške pregrade) that are in place to protect against the occasional violent flash floods that occur here during heavy storms and spring snowmelt.
A mountain spring feeds the Rinka Waterfall which plunges 90 meters (270 feet) then flows into the Savinja River. The river immediately disappears under the waterfall into the porous limestone below and doesn't re-emerge for a couple miles (which is why the river was bone dry when we hiked alongside it). Slap Rinka is the second tallest waterfall in the country and it is supposed to be one of the most photogenic but when we got there it was just a trickle and maybe not as impressive as usual. It was very tall, though, as promised.
Speaking of scenic disappointments -- on Tuesday we attempted to ride e-bikes up the steep Solčava scenic road, a 23-mile trek that climbs nearly 1900 feet into the mountains. There weren't too many cars but it was a narrow road so whenever a car did pass, it was a little bit nerve-wracking. We had only gone about 3 miles when the pavement turned into gravel. I pulled over because my bike's gearshift got jammed, Kevin rode up to me and lost his balance when he came to a stop. We fell down like a stack of dominoes! Luckily neither of us were hurt (although our pride was bruised), but it did sour the ride a bit. We continued only a half-mile more to a viewpoint before turning around and returning the bikes. I guess I won't be channeling my inner Tadej Pogačar on this trip!
Undeterred, we still wanted to see the panoramic scenery so we just drove the road in the rental car. Such a simple solution -- this was much less dangerous and of course less strenuous to get to the top of the pass. It was worth all the trouble -- the views along the way were incredible!
At the top of the pass sits the picturesque Church of the Holy Spirit. We didn't go in because the church wasn't open (it was a Tuesday after all). But we did enjoy the views -- the "Panoramic Road" is aptly named.
On Wednesday we visited the third valley, Matkov Kot, which was more off the beaten path. We didn't see too many other hikers here compared to the busier and more-famous Logar Valley next door.
After our hike, we visited the oldest farmstead in the Matkov valley - Gradišnik Family Farm. When we arrived, we asked the girl who greeted us if they might serve lunch. She said yes but that the menu was very limited. Then she proceeded to rattle off a list of all kinds of tantalizing dishes. We opted for the charcuterie platter and an order of pear žlikrofi dumplings for dessert. She encouraged us to order the platter "for two" so that there would be enough for a lunch. As it turned out, there was enough for seven lunches -- a whole loaf of bread, a dozen chopped tomatoes, three kinds of cheese, and five kinds of cold cuts. It was a feast! And then to top it off, the pear žlikrofi was one of the best desserts we've ever had. (Which reminds me...I will have to do a blog post just about Slovenian food. It's delicious!) Anyway, if you ever find yourself in Matkov Kot near the northern border of Slovenia, stop in at Gradišnik Farm for a bite -- you'll thank me!
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