|
  In
a modern, high-tech, connected world, it sometimes seems as
though all the magic and romance of Old Europe has faded away.
In place of chivalry
and courtly romance, we now have video games and twenty-four
hour cable television, and where majestic palaces and ancient forests once
stood, there are now thousand-acre council estates and highways.
Nowadays, for visitors looking to experience the vaunted romance
and mystery of the Continent have to look further and further
away from the popular tourist spots - and you can hardly do
better than to visit the tiny nation of Slovenia, on
Europe's oft-overlooked Adriatic Coast.
The Republic of
Slovenia, to give it the official title, is a tiny country
sandwiched between Croatia, Hungary and Austria. It's so little
known, most people wouldn't be able to find it on a map, let
alone name the capital city (Ljubljana, by the way). It
is the combination of its size, isolation and fiercely
independent inhabitants which have kept the nation largely free
of troubles with its Baltic neighbours, as well as helping it
preserve a country that is almost impossibly lovely.
This is a land which
is still more than half-covered with ancient forests of oaks and
pine, where deer, boars and rabbits still run free. In the
springtime, the towering Alps of the eastern country are
blanketed with mountain blooms and newborn Lipizzaner
foals frolic in their low valley fields, while in the east,
fresh sea breezes from the Adriatic sweep over the terraced
wine-yards. There are relatively few big towns and cities in
Slovenia, with its tiny population of barely 2 million souls,
but what habitations there are tend to be the kind of
picturesque stone-walled and red tiled buildings which were once
the norm throughout this part of Europe. It is, in short, a real-life Ruritanian dream, with a
landscape that would make Turner bite his brush in two.
 
In a country filled
with gorgeous landscapes, some of the most romantic sights can
be found in the town of Bled, in the northwest corner of
Slovenia. Cradled in a valley beneath the snow-capped
Julian mountains and set at the edge of the Triglav National Park on
the shores of Lake Bled, the town is dominated by a brooding
castle perched on a rocky cliff overlooking the lake. Out on the
dark blue waters is the only island in Slovenia, on which sits a
charming white-washed church, its tower visible from almost any
point on the lake shore. The view of the island in its deep blue
lake, with the mountains rearing up in the background, is one of
the classic sights of Slovenia.
There are other
reasons to visit Slovenia as well. There are the people, with a
colourful culture that blends traditions Slavic and Mediterranean
with some uniquely Slovenian customs, and are well known for their
warmth and hospitality. There are the folk festivals and events,
when the entire population of a town might turn up in
traditional costumes, in a scene straight out of a medieval
woodcut. And there are wonderful, one-of-a-kind sights like the
lofty Triglav Peak, the heart of Triglav National Park,
the highest mountain in the country and once worshipped
by Pagans as a god. But most of all, there is the sheer beauty
of a land that has remained marvelously unspoilt by progress,
without sacrificing the conveniences and benefits of modern
life.
There aren't many
places left today that still offer the combination of
mystery and sheer beauty that was once the most compelling draw
of a visit to old Europe. Slovenia is one of the few countries
where the spirit of the Europe of old hasn't yet been drowned
out by ring-tones and MTV. But for those looking to experience
that vision of old Europe, it might be wise to hurry - many
romance-hungry visitors are fast catching on to the country's
appeal and making it their destination of choice; and once it
becomes just another popular vacation spot, who knows how long
the mystery and romance will last? |
