SLOVENIA SIDE TRIPS-HUNGARY PART TWO

AN EVIL EYED WITCH FROM VALVASOR'S COLLECTION
A TRIPLE SETTEE BEHIND THE TABLE IS THE BRIDE AND GROOM FIVE MINUTE WAITING CHAIR

LOOK CAREFULLY TO SEE ELYSEE SHEEPISHLY PEEKING FROM BEHIND THE BUSHES

Excerpt from my book, OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA, AMAZON.COM

While at Bogensperk Castle we were introduced to the Slovenian custom of the five-minute waiting period just before the marriage takes place. The bride and groom are seated, surrounded by their immediate family, and five minutes of silence ensues. During this period the bride and groom are to think separately and silently about their marriage and either can have a change of mind at this point and cancel the entire proceedings. We were told by our guide that on only one occasion did the bride change her mind, but in her case she would not even come into the castle and no one knew where on the grounds she was hiding. That marriage never occurred.

Leaving Bogensperk Castle behind we drove on to Celje (chel-yea), an important town of about 42,000 people that was originally a Roman center of activity and in the 15th century the home of the Counts of Celje, the last holdouts before the Habsburgs united all Slovenia under their rule. It was here that Elysee and I made an important discovery; the historic icon of a McDonalds
restaurant. I know what you are thinking, how tacky! But do you realize we had not had a single hamburger since we left the USA almost two months ago? They are not on any menu, and are unavailable in Bled. Without a single moment of guilt we plunged our faces into french fries and double cheeseburgers and were awash in Coke. Two mad and crazed Americans, ketchup dripping from the corners of their mouths, greedily protecting their plastic trays from preying pigeons. The fries, to our amazement, were identical in flavor to those in the states. After a walkabout in town and examining the remains of Roman walls, we headed a few miles west to a roadside “Gostisce,” the Slovenian equivalent of a B&B where we spent the night in a large guest room, including breakfast, for the equivalent of $30. One could move to Slovenia and stay in guest houses all the time; forget mortgage payments. Think about it! $900 a month with breakfast; and you won’t have to make the bed.

SLOVENIA SIDE TRIPS- HUNGARY

BOGENSPERK CASTLE; SITS ALONE AND ISOLATED IN A MOUNTAINTOP


BANQUET HALL ARRANGED FOR A WEDDING

(Excerpts from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA, Amazon.com)

As I have noted before, a major factor in Elysee and I deciding to spend a summer in Slovenia, is it being excellently situated to enable side trips to other countries. It is possible to easily drive from Bled to Budapest in six or seven hours. In our case, being in no hurry, we took several days stopping overnight at Celje, Slovenia, visiting Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city (110 thousand) and then stopping overnight again in the Lake Balaton region of Hungary. From there we drove on into Budapest. The following day we met up with our friends from Florida, Char and Al Love, for several days of adventure.

First things first. We did not begin with the intention of staying in Celje. But, as is our style we took back roads in our general direction, being open minded about seeing and learning more about this great country of Slovenia. Not too long after leaving Bled we saw a road sign beckoning us to visit Bogensperk Castle. I'm not a "gotta see this castle" type of person. You can waste your life visiting castle ruins in Europe and die not having finished the job. In fact, had we known the castle was a long ride up a lonely mountain road, and somewhat out of our way, we would have declined. But once committed, we determined to see it through and came at road's end to the entrance of the castle, finding that we were the only ones there to take a tour with a very bored summer intern. The castle dates from 1511, being built by the feudal lords von wagen. They built their castle on an enormous rock because their previous property had been destroyed in an earthquake. The castle reached it glory during the end of the 17th century when the Slovenian scientist and historian Janez Valvasor lived and worked there., Valvasor, a former soldier, previously had traveled throughout Europe and North Africa, and was a man of the world. However, during his 20 years at the castle he adopted a studious life, undertaking many research projects, the most famous being the 3,532 page history of Carniola released in 1689. He trained his workers to in copperplate pripnting and produced exquisite, detailed prints of life at that time including painstaking folio pages. This monumental work about Valvasor's Carniola region is an invaluable source today about the life and times of the late 17th century.

Being an inquisitive man of scientific bent, he also disproved what many peasants thought to be mysterious witchcraft; for example, the inexplicable rising and falling of the nearby lakes which peasantry believed to be induced by witches. He learned of a series of underground lakes and limestone caves that rose and fell according to scientific factors such as periodic rainfall and drought. For documenting his findings scientifically and disproving witchcraft, Valvasor was admitted to the prestigious London Royal Society, a distinct honor for a person so far removed from the mainstream of commerce and knowledge. He was self-funded and his endeavors brought him to the brink of bankruptcy and in 1692 he sold all of his property, dying a year after. A copy of Valvasor's monumental work is on display.

SLOVENIA SIDE TRIPS: AUSTRIA PART FOUR

ENJOYING A NIGHTCAP AT THE SACHER CAFE.



THE RAUCHFANGKEHER. LOTS OF HORNS, HOOVES AND FEATHERS.

(From my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA, AMAZON.COM.)

On our last evening in Vienna we took a decidedly different approach to dinner. On this night we actually dressed up (that means I put on a jacket) and went to the Rauchfangkeher, loosely translated into the “chimney sweep who fell in love with a woman married to a baker and who always dusted her roof with white flour after cleaning up the chimney which it seems was cleaned much more frequently than needed.”

That’s a long and loose translation, but then, this is the German language. This restaurant is billed as having top-quality Austrian cuisine, serving a lot of game of both the hoof and feather varieties, as testified to by all the antlers and stuffed birds decorating the walls and shelves. We were not disappointed; great service, Elysee having antelope and I wild boar, the wine steward being very accommodating and offering at least two selections for tasting with each course, and in between servings bringing small savories to the table to maintain our interest. This is a restaurant to have dinner in during the cold winter months; cozy tables, fireplaces, walls of old timber and exposed beams, examples of 19th century Austrian clothing hanging about such as Tyrolean hats and hunting jackets. It’s as though you’re expecting a grand uncle to burst through the door any minute, shaking the snow from his great coat.
Just for old times sake we ended the evening at the Sacher Café, knowing it would not be the same as drawing out the evening in the Sacher Coffee House which, as noted previously, was under renovation. Still, the Sacher is the Sacher, but being the only portion open to the public it was crowded and noisy. Can’t complain though. If we have any complaint it’s not planning more time in Vienna. It is a city that draws you in, lots to do but not brassy or hurried, and with its trams still fully functioning, buildings of 19th century proportion, and the coffee houses retaining their ambience, one might easily drift off and imagine finishing a conversation with Sigmund Freud, then stopping by the Sacher for coffee before a night at the Opera. It’s all still there (except Sigmund of course) and has not been overrun by modernism. However, before I get too nostalgic, here is a dose of reality. The home of Strauss the Younger at the time he wrote the Blue Danube waltz is now right above a McDonalds.
Can’t miss it.

In the morning, after a proper Austrian breakfast, rolls and coffee, we departed on a leisurly drive through the mountains back to Bled, arriving home mid-afternoon.

SLOVENIA SIDE TRIPS: AUSTRIA- DINING OUT

Typical Heurigen musicians. Great Fun

Heurigen tavern fare food with wine in glass mugs


Excerpted from my book: OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA: AMAZON.COM

Vienna is no exception to most large world capital cities in having many dining options. From serving grand multi-waitered, multi-course meals in opulent surroundings, to more typical Viennese restaurants specializing in meals akin to but not quite the same as found in Germany, and lastly a class of restaurants called Heurigen, which roughly translates into wine taverns. In 1784 Emperor Joseph II granted wine producers the right to sell their own product directly to the public from their own premises. This is common to the United States today, but was new in the 18th century. This reform took hold and the resulting taverns continue to flourish, especially in and around Vienna. The word Heurigen refers not only to the tavern but to the new annual vintage as well; analogous to the Nouveau Beaujolais in France. The new vintage year begins on St. Martins Day, November 11, and that vintage remains the Heuriger wine for one year, after which its status degrades to Alte or old vintage. St. Martin’s day would be an ideal time to be in Vienna; as good as Oktoberfest in Munich for staying up all night(s) partying. These days, there are Heurigens that sell not only a particular producer’s vintage but also provide an ordinary meal and native folk music, adding to the evening’s festivities. The later the evening becomes the more merrier the crowd, the long communal benches and tables encouraging getting to know each other as the wine flows generously, served up in traditional Heurigen plain quarter-liter glass mugs.
Elysee and I ventured to an area northwest of the city called Grinzing, which is reached by tram; similar to our now mostly defunct trolley car. The last stop drops you off on Cobenzlgasse, with a half-dozen Heurigen lining the narrow lane as they have done for 150 years. We selected the Bach Hengl, an old Heurigen whose building dated back over 200 years. The food was typical Huerigen fare; wine in clear glass mugs, a plate of sausage, chicken, cabbage and potatoes, long benches, and a wonderful father and son strolling duo playing the violin and accordion. Arriving guests soon succumb to the spirit, singing along, cheering on those who would attempt a solo performance, and being flirted with by the waitresses in a friendly, somewhat coquettish manner. It can get a bit “hokey,” but if you are with a group or in a crowd, it’s great fun.

SLOVENIA SIDE TRIPS: AUSTRIA-PART TWO

Cover of OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA



Empress Maria Teresa's grand state carriage with Elysee prepared as a lady in waiting.

Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA: Amazon.com

Our second day in Vienna was set aside for museums. Vienna has a wide variety of museums, with the best collection of sessionist art, including Gustav Klimt evoking a sexual decadence shocking in the later stages of Victorian Europe. Elysee and I decided we were "museumed out" and chose instead to visit The Hofburg Palace, home to the Hapsburgs for 600 years and their summer palace Schloss Schounbrunn. The Schounbrunn was a favorite of Empress Maria Teresa and a temporary home to Napoleon twice during his campaigns against Austria in 1805 and 1809. The Schounbrun is also where the last Hapsburg Emperor, Charles I, abdicated in 1918 at the end of WWI bringing to close the last chapter of Hapsburg rule in Europe.If you visit the Schounbrun I recommend you do so individually and not on a tour. It is vast and well equipped with headsets providing abundant information for a self-guided tour. Two interesting facts about the palace is that it is the first zoological garden in Europe and was also the site of the meeting with Kennedy and Khrushchev in 1961, where the Soviet leader took the measure of the young President and decided he was too inexperienced; this false reading led to the Cuban missile crisis, the Cold War's most precipitous and dangerous confrontation. I had visited the palace many years before and was impressed with the stables, a place not included in the regular tour that mostly concentrates of the Hapsburg's living arrangements. It is a significant collection of imperial transportation including grand state coaches, funeral wagons, children's wagons and adult and children's sleighs. The most ornate coach, a "Baroque on Wheels" as Elysee named it, was built for Empress Maria Teresa in 1765, covered with gold ornamentation and needing eight horses to pull it along.

SLOVENIA SIDE TRIPS: AUSTRIA-PART ONE

WORLD FAMOUS MUSIKVEREIN

CONDUCTOR IN PERIOD COSTUME WITH NEW 1ST VIOLINIST
THE ORCHESTRA



AFTER THE PERFORMANCE AT THE SACHER CAFE

(Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA, Amazon.com)
One of the attractions drawing Elysee and I to stay a summer in Slovenia was the proximity of so many attractive side trips. I explain to my fans of our lifestyle the delight we have in planning these excursions at our own leisure, and to suit our tastes. We don't usually book tours for that reason, preferring to be on our own at our pace, lingering if we so desire, not having to respond to the sound of the bus horn, or spend time in places of little value or interest to us personally. When you have the entire summer, there is ample opportunity to pick your time and place. As a side note to visiting Vienna, I want to add that we could have easily gone to Salzburg, even by train, it is that close to Slovenia. But Elysee had never been to Austria so what better way to introduce that country than a visit to Vienna. How close and convenient is Vienna to Bled? Leaving shortly after 8a.m. we arrive in Vienna at 1p.m. The drive initially was through a beautiful mountainous region of tunnels, switchbacks and single lane roads, calling for a more leisurely pace than the frequent autobahn's 110mph plus driving. By 2p.m. we were settled in a very nice room on the executive floor of the Marriott on the "Ring", car parked a block away for the duration of our stay, and both of us primed for a walkabout in search of, what else, a coffee shop. We settled for the Cafe Schwarzenberg, which has all the necessary features: a strudel and pastry case, a wide assortment of newspapers in several languages, indoor/outdoor seating, old world charm with tin ceilings and tile floors, and in the evening, live piano music. We settled into the pace of many Viennese with a newspaper, coffee and strudel; being allowed without any interference, to take as much time as we wanted. The sanctity of the coffee shop is one feature of Viennese life that has not changed. Other than the Finns, Swedes and Danes, the Viennese drink more coffee per capital than any other people in the world, about 230 quarts per capita, per year. We also visited the nearby legendary Sacher Hotel but unfortunately it was closed for renovations at the time of our visit. No Sacher Torte at the Sacher for us. We did manage a beer later that evening at the Sacher Cafe, but that is not the same as the coffee shop. MUSIC. This old world capital, the center of empire, and renowned worldwide for music and arts, is never without a music venue for visitors. The stage for Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert,Strauss, Brahms and Mahler. The fall and winter months are of course the best, but even on this summer night there were many choices. Elysee made the final selection, an all Mozert concert at the Goldener Saal in the Musikverein. This is the home of Vienna's acclaimed symphony orchestra. Our concierge was able to secure excellent box seats almost on top of the percussion section. The orchestra was dressed in period costume, introducing a new female first violinist with her parents and young daughter in attendance a few boxes away. It was a totally entertaining evening, what you would want for a introduction your first night to Vienna's musical variety. Elysee later remarked over drinks at the Sacher Cafe that it would likely the highlight of our much too short visit.

THE HAYRACK: KAZOLEC

(Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA. AMAZON.COM)

Big Ben is England, the Eiffel Tower is France, the Statue of Liberty is the United States, and so on for other countries. What about Slovenia? It is the Kazolec, Slovenia's unique hayrack.

Seen everywhere Slovenian hayracks, Kazolecs, were taken for granted as a necessary part of farming life that occupied most of the country until recent years. It was only when artists began to paint pictures of them, that today they are seen as a national icon.

They come in several varieties: single or double stacked, with or without small roofs, all wood or later versions of concrete pillars and wood slats. Some are hung with hay, others with hay and corn. They were developed over time and out of necessity. The damp Alpine regions are not well suited for drying out hay and corn in stacks on the ground, the common method used for many centuries, and kazolecs proved versatile, functional and up to the task. A farmer would take down what he needed throughout the winter, all the while the crop somewhat protected from the harsh climate and keeping dry as in a drying rack. The racks are visible even in the capital, vestiges of when in prior times farms were much closer to the city than today. Those are now hung with advertising. If you want to make Slovenians who might be lonely and homesick living in a far away place get misty-eyed and yearn for the old country, show them a picture of a Kazolec snow-covered and hung with hay, up against an Alpine landscape .

The picture above is of a typical covered, concrete and wood, Kazolec near Bled where Elysee and I stayed for the summer. They are really seen everywhere.