Part 2: Back to Slovenia and Loving it!

This is part 2 of our catch-up posts. If you missed the first, click HERE.

Slovenia… we’re in our happy place!

I’ll begin this post with a bit of backstory.

The entire reason we decided to spend a month in this region of Europe began with Bob watching a Netflix series called Chef’s Table. It’s a documentary where each episode features the personal story of a renowned chef. In season two, Bob watched Ana Roš describe her journey to becoming a self-taught chef at Hiša Franko, a restaurant in Kobarid, Slovenia. The episode highlighted the stunning mountain region surrounding the restaurant. Since the show aired, Hiša Franko has earned three Michelin stars and is considered one of the best restaurants in the world.

Inspired by the episode, Bob bought a travel book on Slovenia and started researching the area and its hiking trails, which eventually led us to hike 235 miles of the Alpe Adria Trail through the region. We even passed through Kobarid on our hike but didn’t have time to stop for fine dining. Besides, it seemed impossible to book a table for two on short notice at one of the top restaurants in the world, right?

After finishing our hike and spending time in Croatia with the girls, we decided to see just how difficult it would be to get a reservation. Turns out, not difficult at all.

We booked an apartment for the night in Kobarid, a three-hour drive from our Croatian seaside retreat. After a little exploring (and for avid blog followers, yes, this is the same town we explored back on Day 7 with the WWI museum), we checked into our apartment.

After a mid-day cappuccino, we stumbled upon an amazing vintage clothing shop, and I picked up a couple of wool sweaters as souvenirs. The shopkeepers were excited that one of the sweaters I chose was a beloved Yugoslavian brand, Rašica, considered a collector’s item. What a thrill!

The owner of the shop sews tote bags out of blouses for her patrons (instead of using shopping bags)

When it came time for our dinner at Hiša Franko, I was decked out in my fuzzy new sweater and tennis shoes, and Bob in his “relax uniform” (see Day 16 for the backstory), also in tennis shoes. Would we be allowed in a 3-Star Michelin restaurant in such casual attire? The answer is Absolutely.

The atmosphere was surprisingly warm and unpretentious. “Casual elegance” sums it up perfectly. I’ll spare you the play-by-play of all 18 courses, but the entire experience was beyond what we had imagined. Bob, initially skeptical of small-bite, fancy courses, couldn’t believe how satisfying the meal was. We found that we savored each small plate more, knowing there were just a few bites to enjoy.

Just two pics - the first a salad with local produce and the second with dry aged lake trout. Every course was just as gorgeous as these two.

The menu showcased regional produce, fungi, fish, and meat—each dish was a delight to the senses and absolutely delicious. We’ve made quite a leap in our culinary experiences - remember we had a grocery store parking lot picnic on our last day of walking (revisit Day 19 HERE)

The only truly odd part of the night was when we first sat down and they set bowls of moss in front of us and asked us to begin our culinary journey by massaging the moss!

The next morning, as we were leaving our apartment, we bumped into the head chef of Hiša Franko (not Ana Roš, but her second-in-command). She recognized us and stopped to chat about our experience at the restaurant. We were more than happy to rave about the incredible meal, the wonderful service, and the uniqueness of the night.

We did a bit more exploring in Kobarid before departing. The town was preparing for a bike race and food festival. Although the vendors were still setting up, they generously offered us samples of local salami and cheese.

One salami vendor hadn’t yet put out his signs but started slicing pieces for us to try. He didn’t speak much English, but when we asked about one particularly gamey salami that he’d handed us to sample, he made ears with his fingers and said, “Hee-haw, hee-haw.” Yes- We had just eaten donkey salami!

He set out the sign just after our sample. How convenient.

He set out the signs just after our sample. I suppose we would have tried it even had we known what it was .

From Kobarid, we set out for the mountains of northern Slovenia, east of the area we covered on the Alpe Adria Trail. This region, Logarska Dolina, is one of Slovenia’s most remote and treasured locations—where locals go to “get away from it all,” at least according to Rick Steves.

On our way to the mountains, we made a detour to the Slovenian Bee Museum. It was a really in depth museum of bee science and the history of beekeeping in Slovenia. European beekeepers use a different kind of hive from what we widely use in the States. The museum had a mockup of the hive construction that we could open and look at.

Here’s a fine example of a Slovenian Bee House. You access the frames from the back (inside the shed) much like a cabinet. Much easier on the back than our Langstroth hives at home!

The winding mountain roads are narrow, sometimes barely wide enough for a single car. Our rental, a tiny little Fiat Panda with a stick shift, has been a blast to drive, especially with the active steering required on these roads. Definitely not for the feint of heart or student drivers!

We’re staying at a tourist farm and restaurant called Govc Vršnik (pronounced “goats vurshnick”. It’s a family run establishment with cozy rooms and a great welcoming vibe.

Dinner tonight was a traditional Slovenian meal, made with meat and produce from the farm. A really great meal!

We like this place so much that we’ve decided to stay for two days to explore the area. Fingers crossed the rain clears up tonight so we can enjoy the picturesque mountains and do some day hiking.

More to share in the upcoming days.

Jen & Bob