March 2008
Slovenia - Europe's Hidden Pearl

March saw the day dawn on our visit to Slovenia. After all the preparations, arrangements with Adria in the UK and Slovenia, hotel bookings, flight reservations, passport checks and travel arrangements (things which we've never had to worry about before, having never been out of the country!) the day finally came to begin our journey. We took the train into Stansted Airport and made our way to the departure lounge, having sparked various security alerts on our way through with flasks of coffee and underwired bras (long story!) we finally made it to the plane ready to fly.

Take off was mercifully 20 minutes early and having never flown before this was certainy an experience for us. Unfortunately the flight didn't arrive in Slovenia until after dark, so we missed out on the views coming into Ljubljana Airport.

Once we had located the hire car, loaded everyone's suitcases, rounded up stragglers and got ready to roll, we then had to work out how to drive on the wrong side of the road in a car that worked backwards with no SAT NAV, no interior light and no map other than the one out of the centre of a tourist information leaflet which we read with a keyring pen-light. After some excellent navigation skills from the co-pilot (more commonly known as Secretary/Wife/Bottle Washer) we finally arrived at the hotel and allowed Secretary/Wife/Bottle Washer to have a nuclear meltdown after all the stress, and retire with a well earned cuppa and a cream cake.

However, nothing could have prepared us for the view from our hotel window when the day dawned the following morning. Stunning views of the surrounding hills, beautiful woodland grounds surrounding the hotel and fresh, clean air. Having missed dinner the previous evening, we all made a dash for the restaurant to sample the delicacies breakfast had to offer and, it has to be said, their chef who stood in the restaurant cooking crepes filled with marmalade or chocolate was worth his weight in gold and made crepes which melted in the mouth and left us wanting to go back for more and more and more.....

After rolling out of the restaurant we then then made our second attempt at navigating the "wrong-sided" roads and found our way to Novo Mesto, where their factory is located. We were given a guided tour around the factory and their various facilities and it was explained to us how their production works.

It was very interesting and gave us a first-hand opportunity to see how well the products are put together and how the process works. It was a fantastic visit and we are very grateful to Adria for their hospitality and generosity in allowing us this visit.

Following this, we retired to the hotel for the afternoon to catch up on some sleep and recover from our long journey the previous day. Saturday proved to be gloriously sunny and we visited the Kartause Pleterje monastery and sampled some of the wine and brandies made by the monks who still live and work there. In the afternoon we visited Kostanjevica, the oldest town in Dolenjska.

On Sunday we visited Lake Bled and OH WOW!!!!! Postcards, photos and pictures could never do it justice. The sun shining on the water, the island in the lake, the castle nestled in the rocks with a backdrop of spectacular snow-covered mountains, blue sky and sunshine. These breathtaking views had to be seen to be believed.

Our last full day, Monday, was spent relaxing around the hotel, walking in the grounds and through the woodland wandering around the freshwater pond to watch the terrapins and frogs sunbathing. The swimming pools in the hotel were fed by local thermal spa water so we took the opportunity to do a spot of outdoor swimming ourselves and enjoyed a relaxing time in the sunshine.

By the time Tuesday arrived it was time to leave, we were all so relaxed and had enjoyed our time so much that no-one wanted to come home. After the drive back to the airport, the wait, the flight and the train ride home, we didn't arrive back until 9:00 pm. But the Secretary/Wife/Bottle Washer avoided a second nuclear meltdown so that tells you how relaxed she was!

Members June and John Marriott joined us on the trip and this is what they had to say: -
"You do not know what you have missed. The trip to Slovenia was great, with great company. The hotel was first class, with brilliant food and friendly staff. We enjoyed lots of trips out; the factory was an interesting insight into the way the caravans and motorhomes are made. The trip to the monastery was very interesting. It is still a working monastery, where the monks made wine and brandy and, of course, we had a taste! Then we went to see the white horses of Slovenia - a few of them had foals too. Sunday we went to a place called Bled, similar to the Lake District and also like Lake Como in Italy. The scenery was out of this world. The Slovenian mountains were the backdrop of the lakes. We did not want to come come." Love June and John

May 2008

Lakeside Park, North Somercotes, Near Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 7RB, Tel: 01507 358 315, www.donamott.com. 20% off any booking with proof of Club Adria membership.