Sometimes you just need to go with your gut. That was my experience with Gorska Brda. After transiting the Julian Alps, I needed to get to the Adriatic but it was a lot for one day. So at the suggestion of our hitchhiker from Iraq, Mitje. I decided to stop over in the wine region. I found a few lovely cellars that had accommodations and dinner but most were closed on Monday and Tuesday.
It was then I found a farm stay on booking.com and it had rave reviews. They did their own tasting and after an email, confirmed there was a restaurant down the road that would be open. Perfect.
The trip from the pass was a few hours through lovely countryside in the Soca River valley. (There was lots of additional adventure activities as well as hiking and more bicyclists!)
AT&T actually informed me that I would be entering Italy and could use their international data plan. Hard to believe this was a very hard border when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and a softer border pre-EU. And if you aren't paying attention, you miss it. I actually returned to Slovenia, just before the farm.
After a warm but quick welcome. (Ljuba was making tomato sauce) I dropped my bag in my simple room above the wine shop and took a quick dip in the nice but chilly pool. Surrounded by the vineyards, it was a great spot to grab a few winks.
Piran is cute. It is a combination of every Mediterranean town I have ever visited. Walls, towers, narrow passageways. It beautiful. There are no beaches to speak of - so people just sort of sun lounge everywhere. It's mostly not pretty.
(I just had a conversation with my server about shift drinks and now I have a very potent Madeira tasting grappa in front of me.)
We lost a good man and great father, grandfather over the weekend. RIP Pat.
It was then I found a farm stay on booking.com and it had rave reviews. They did their own tasting and after an email, confirmed there was a restaurant down the road that would be open. Perfect.
The trip from the pass was a few hours through lovely countryside in the Soca River valley. (There was lots of additional adventure activities as well as hiking and more bicyclists!)
AT&T actually informed me that I would be entering Italy and could use their international data plan. Hard to believe this was a very hard border when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and a softer border pre-EU. And if you aren't paying attention, you miss it. I actually returned to Slovenia, just before the farm.
After a warm but quick welcome. (Ljuba was making tomato sauce) I dropped my bag in my simple room above the wine shop and took a quick dip in the nice but chilly pool. Surrounded by the vineyards, it was a great spot to grab a few winks.
The other guests were a nice couple traveling from the Netherlands with their dog. We had plates of Karst (air dried prosciutto) and cheese and glasses of wine not sips - 4 whites, 2 reds. We discussed wine and communism and politics and family. We did a quick tour of the cellar. We started at 630 and ended at 1000. And the star of the show was our hostess Ljuba Sibav - wife of the vintner.
After a good rest but an early wake up, we had breakfast and some chats and the everyone said their goodbyes. I wander around the vineyards a bit. They start harvest next week. 12 hour days. My new friends from NL joked we could split the shifts into thirds so we could get some pool time in.
It was a wonderful 24 hours. I was sad to see it end.
(Trieste was always supposed to be part of the original itinerary. It got cut when it became Balkans. But ultimately I think flying into Trieste and doing a counterclockwise loop through Ljubljana would have worked well) I really wanted to get to Piran and I just wasn't sure I had the time. Ljuba suggested a scenic route and it kept me far from Trieste so I skipped it. It was only going to be lunch and some pictures at most.
The scenic route was anticlimactic. Dropped the car. Grabbed a taxi. Checked into hotel. Headed to the Adriatic for some sun. And after more than a couple spritzes. I find myself enjoying a lovely meal of black squid ink with swordfish and shrimp. And a surprisingly smooth orange wine.
After a good rest but an early wake up, we had breakfast and some chats and the everyone said their goodbyes. I wander around the vineyards a bit. They start harvest next week. 12 hour days. My new friends from NL joked we could split the shifts into thirds so we could get some pool time in.
It was a wonderful 24 hours. I was sad to see it end.
(Trieste was always supposed to be part of the original itinerary. It got cut when it became Balkans. But ultimately I think flying into Trieste and doing a counterclockwise loop through Ljubljana would have worked well) I really wanted to get to Piran and I just wasn't sure I had the time. Ljuba suggested a scenic route and it kept me far from Trieste so I skipped it. It was only going to be lunch and some pictures at most.
The scenic route was anticlimactic. Dropped the car. Grabbed a taxi. Checked into hotel. Headed to the Adriatic for some sun. And after more than a couple spritzes. I find myself enjoying a lovely meal of black squid ink with swordfish and shrimp. And a surprisingly smooth orange wine.
(As the tasting went long and I was tired, there was no dinner beside meat and cheese last night)
Piran is cute. It is a combination of every Mediterranean town I have ever visited. Walls, towers, narrow passageways. It beautiful. There are no beaches to speak of - so people just sort of sun lounge everywhere. It's mostly not pretty.
(I just had a conversation with my server about shift drinks and now I have a very potent Madeira tasting grappa in front of me.)
We lost a good man and great father, grandfather over the weekend. RIP Pat.
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