On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
way2blue
After Bovec, we drove east from the Julian Alps across the top of Slovenia to the Logar Valley (Logarska dolina), a glacial valley in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps along the border with Austria. The Logar Valley is the middle of three glacial valleys which open to the southwest, and has been protected as a ‘landscape park’ since 1987. The farm where we stayed is ‘grandfathered ‘ into the park. In fact, the farm’s owner shifted careers from forester to conservationist.
View of the valley and the farmhouse where we stayed, looking to the northeast. The B&B was run by the daughter who had a degree in anthropology from the University of Ljubljana. Her parents learned Russian in grade school whereas she’d learned English. There’s so much history tucked away in these relatively remote areas—history of the locals rather than the history in books. One grandfather fought with the Italians during WWI; the other grandfather fought with the Italians during WWII. During WWII, the farm was a refuge for American and British intelligence officers. When discovered by the Nazis, her grandparents were taken to a concentration camp (I’ve forgotten which one) and the farm burned down (there’s a plaque commemorating this posted on the barn). Since they were caught toward the end of the war and since they were farmers, they were to farm, so survived the war and returned to rebuild their farm.
The lower half of a 90-m-high waterfall, Slap Rinka, we visited along the way to the Logar Valley farmhouse.
Cottage clinging to the cliff face adjacent to the waterfall…
Beehives and roses at the Roban Farmstead (Roban Kmetija). Robanov Kot is the glacial valley south of Logarska Dolina, named for the farmstead which has been in operation for 800 years. This valley was also designated as a landscape park in 1987. We parked at the main farm buildings and hiked up the valley track.
A barn we passed along our hike, this one contained ponies.
Another farm building, this one with a farm vehicle parked underneath.
The next day we hiked up the glacial valley north of Logar Valley. Matkov Kot is a ‘wild’ valley parallel to the border with Austria. Another leisurely hike in a stunning location. Although I found the glut of river gravel troubling as it in part signals the end of alpine glaciers—allowing the underlying glacial moraine to head downslope and choke the streams. Alas.
This creature stands guard just below an iconic mountain chapel, Cerkev Sveti Duh, along the Solčava Panoramic Road near the village of Solčava. Does anyone know the name of this creature? (Not a gryphon—more nasty I think.)
p.a.
Beautiful. Tks! Slap Rinka so should have been a GoT character.
Mary G
I would not to live in the cottage clinging to the cliff by its toenails. These are gorgeous photos straight out of the Sound of Music, and love the creature and the roses.
debbie
That farmstead! ?
Cameron
My mom’s family’s from Slovenia. Haven’t been there in over 50 years. Would love to go back.
MelissaM
That first picture smells so lovely!
arrieve
I really needed this shot of loveliness this morning — thank you!
stinger
Wow.
Miss Bianca
That critter in the last photo just looks like a straight-up dragon to me. A griffin would have the hindquarters of a lion, if I recall my mythical beasties properly.
Stunning views, lovely photos. Very soothing.
Elizabelle
Slovenia goes on the bucket list. And I appreciate hearing about the innkeeper’s grandparents, heroes of the Resistance.
JanieM
Such evocative pictures of such beautiful places — wow. My bucket list is too long to ever actually be accomplished, but every one of these pictures pushes Slovenia higher up the list. I’m with Mary G about that cottage, though. It makes me dizzy just to look at it.
Yutsano
@Miss Bianca: Agreed. That’s a dragon. Somewhere between Mu Shu and St George size, but definitely the protector of the farm. Doesn’t look that old either.
Origuy
A Google image search found other pictures of that creature, though I’m not sure they are all exactly in that place. All in Slovenia, though; maybe a local craftsman made several casts. I think it is a dragon, but it might be a basilisk. Those are sometimes depicted with wings. Don’t look it straight in the eyes, it will turn you into stone.
Beautiful pictures. Slovenia looks gorgeous in every picture I’ve seen.
J R in WV
@Miss Bianca:
I always thot dragons were supposed to be terrifying but beautiful.
This example has the terrify down pat but seems lacking in the beauty department, no gleaming jewel-tone scales, no gold or platinum gleaming, etc.
But still, pretty terrifying if you think about it soaring above you with flames shooting out, then coming for you in a dive.
way2blue
@J R in WV: Yes. I can envision fire coming out of its mouth! Or picking up lambs to carry off…