Sunday, October 19, 2008
Barcolana - a view of a passersby
Look closer and you will see - Barcolana from a different point of view.
Fall in Istria and the Koštabona village
Istrian landscape is colored in red by a ruj bush in Fall. It looks really wonderful especially in the afternoon when the sun sets down.
A scenery in Hrastovlje.
Koštabona village. A small village, known for its elipse shape tloris (shape of the tree - the main street is like a trunk of a tree and other streets spread from it like branches).
There are three churces in the village - at the beginning Church of St. Kozma and Damjan, at the end Church of St. Andreas and in the middle church of Deacon Elio.
View from above
A closer view of Koštabona
On the streets of Koštabona
A scenery in Hrastovlje.
Koštabona village. A small village, known for its elipse shape tloris (shape of the tree - the main street is like a trunk of a tree and other streets spread from it like branches).
There are three churces in the village - at the beginning Church of St. Kozma and Damjan, at the end Church of St. Andreas and in the middle church of Deacon Elio.
View from above
A closer view of Koštabona
On the streets of Koštabona
Hrastovlje, New Kempinski Palace hotel
As a little girl I once saw a picture of the "Dance of Death" - a scene of medieval frescoes from the church in village Hrastovlje - which shows people dancing with skeletons before the grave. I really disliked the scene and I thought to myself "why would anybody be impressed with this and want to see it in person"?.
But well, times change and since Slovenia is little, there came a time to see his terrifying picture.
The main goal of the trip to Slovenian Istria was actually the new Kempinski Palace hotel, where guided tours were held on the Sunday afternoon. Palace hotel which was built in 1910 was reopened after being closed for almost 20 years and is now the most luxurious hotel in Slovenia. Unfortunately too many people streamed the Portorož and Palace hotel with the same goal so we didn't make it inside.
Back to the Hrastovlje and the "Dance of death". The interior of the church is rather small but all the walls inside are decorated with frescoes. That was most surprising for me since I though the church is bigger and only parts of church are decorated. As I read there is not a more thoroughly painted church in Slovenia. The second most surprising was the fact that this "Dance of death" is not so scary after all. Huh ...
The entrance fee for the church interior is 2 EUR and for that you get a short but informative audio tour. There you find out that: The church of the Holy Trinity was painted by Janez of Kastva. The painting originated in 15th century, probably with the help of several collaborators. They were hidden under several layers of plaster for a long time and rediscovered in 1949 by Jože Pohlen. Afterwards they were carefully restored but you can see f.e parts of frescoes missing because windows were build over them.
There are many different scenes in the church. The scene from the creation of the world in the main nave, full-figured images of the Apostles in niches in the apse and the Holy Trinity which is centrally positioned in the apse. There are numerous frescoes with saints and prophets. Among the most interesting are those with genre scenes of farm work symbolizing the 12 months.
On the south wall the most famous scene of medieval frescoes in Slovenia is painted: 7 meters long Dance of Death. The rare scene shows people coupled with skeletons, walking in procession toward the grave. 11 characters of different social classes in their typical clothing are represented: from a baby, beggar to the king and the pope. The frescoes show that before Death we are all the same, no matter what are social class is. Probably this originates from a French legend where the three death would meet three living and say to them:
What you are, we were,
what we are - you will be
and nor health or pride neither power
don't have any value in the time of death.
But well, times change and since Slovenia is little, there came a time to see his terrifying picture.
The main goal of the trip to Slovenian Istria was actually the new Kempinski Palace hotel, where guided tours were held on the Sunday afternoon. Palace hotel which was built in 1910 was reopened after being closed for almost 20 years and is now the most luxurious hotel in Slovenia. Unfortunately too many people streamed the Portorož and Palace hotel with the same goal so we didn't make it inside.
Back to the Hrastovlje and the "Dance of death". The interior of the church is rather small but all the walls inside are decorated with frescoes. That was most surprising for me since I though the church is bigger and only parts of church are decorated. As I read there is not a more thoroughly painted church in Slovenia. The second most surprising was the fact that this "Dance of death" is not so scary after all. Huh ...
The entrance fee for the church interior is 2 EUR and for that you get a short but informative audio tour. There you find out that: The church of the Holy Trinity was painted by Janez of Kastva. The painting originated in 15th century, probably with the help of several collaborators. They were hidden under several layers of plaster for a long time and rediscovered in 1949 by Jože Pohlen. Afterwards they were carefully restored but you can see f.e parts of frescoes missing because windows were build over them.
There are many different scenes in the church. The scene from the creation of the world in the main nave, full-figured images of the Apostles in niches in the apse and the Holy Trinity which is centrally positioned in the apse. There are numerous frescoes with saints and prophets. Among the most interesting are those with genre scenes of farm work symbolizing the 12 months.
On the south wall the most famous scene of medieval frescoes in Slovenia is painted: 7 meters long Dance of Death. The rare scene shows people coupled with skeletons, walking in procession toward the grave. 11 characters of different social classes in their typical clothing are represented: from a baby, beggar to the king and the pope. The frescoes show that before Death we are all the same, no matter what are social class is. Probably this originates from a French legend where the three death would meet three living and say to them:
What you are, we were,
what we are - you will be
and nor health or pride neither power
don't have any value in the time of death.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Baza 20 - WWII
Baza 20
Originally uploaded by Crt Ahlin
The first hut of Baza 20 was populated on 17th April 1943. By the Fall of 1944 more than 140 people resided in 26 huts. Baza 20 was used by members of the Executive Committee of the Liberation Front, Supreme Council of the Liberation Front, Central Committee of the Communist Party of Slovenia, Anti-Fascist Council of the National Liberation of Yugoslavia and others.
Due to extreme security measures, Baza 20 was never discovered by the Axis.
The hut on the photo belonged to the guards.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Sunny Sunday
Although it often rains this summer in Ljubljana, we did manage to catch one sunny day on Sunday. Though we couldn't fully escape from the rain since Ljubljana has its own weather area in the summer. This is an interesting project (by Zmago Modic) where in the middle of Prešernov square is a water installation where you can cool down underneath.
Ljubljana used to be a bit boring during the summer but this year there are many interesting things on offer. And the majority of them are free! Beside the free rain you can also:
- Ride with an old bike (called Velocipede) (if you have the guts - look at the third picture!)
- Rent a canoe for 1 hour (yes also for free), by the Ljubljanica river (organizer is Biosfera, they rent canoes from 15 till 20 during the week, during the weekend and holidays between 11 and 20, till September).
- Get your free Slovenia times and other tourist information on the street from the Ljubljana's postman
- Listen to a really great free music on the streets of Ljubljana (unfortunately I don't know the bands name, but they really did make a great atmosphere). And although the light wasn't very good for photographing (as Črt told me) I did manage to make some interesting photos from the street performance.
Ljubljana used to be a bit boring during the summer but this year there are many interesting things on offer. And the majority of them are free! Beside the free rain you can also:
- Ride with an old bike (called Velocipede) (if you have the guts - look at the third picture!)
- Rent a canoe for 1 hour (yes also for free), by the Ljubljanica river (organizer is Biosfera, they rent canoes from 15 till 20 during the week, during the weekend and holidays between 11 and 20, till September).
- Get your free Slovenia times and other tourist information on the street from the Ljubljana's postman
- Listen to a really great free music on the streets of Ljubljana (unfortunately I don't know the bands name, but they really did make a great atmosphere). And although the light wasn't very good for photographing (as Črt told me) I did manage to make some interesting photos from the street performance.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Old Vine of Maribor
What is the one thing that definitely sets Maribor apart from any other city? It is the vine that grows by the river Drava, which flows through the city. It is the oldest existing noble vine on the planet, growing for more than 400 years over the façade of a building from the 16th century.
Not only is it growing, it still bears grapes that are gathered at the Old Vine Festival every year (the festival takes place at the begining of October). A few hundred bottles are filled with Žametna Črnina wine and given as gifts of the city protocol. Among others, Pope John Paul II, the Japanese Emperor Akihito and American President Bill Clinton have received them as gifts.
The vine is ritually pruned in spring and scions from it are presented as gifts to other cities around the world.
Not only is it growing, it still bears grapes that are gathered at the Old Vine Festival every year (the festival takes place at the begining of October). A few hundred bottles are filled with Žametna Črnina wine and given as gifts of the city protocol. Among others, Pope John Paul II, the Japanese Emperor Akihito and American President Bill Clinton have received them as gifts.
The vine is ritually pruned in spring and scions from it are presented as gifts to other cities around the world.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A very important day
Today (June 25) is a national state holiday and a work-free day - Statehood Day (Dan državnosti). We commemorate on this day the country's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. It is the day on which the initial acts regarding independence were passed. After Slovenia's independence declaration the Ten-Day War followed, which was at the same time the first massive armed conflict in the heart of Europe after WWII - ending in victory by the Slovenian Territorial Defence Forces against the Yugoslav army.
On this day it is appropriate to tell something more about the National symbols. I found the data regarding national symbols on the Government communication office site.
Source: Crt
The national anthem is the seventh stanza of the France Prešeren poem Zdravljica (A Toast).
Listen to the anthem
The Slovenian flag consists of three colours that are in the following order: white, blue and red. Each colour occupies one third of the width of the flag. On the upper lefthand portion of the flag the national coat of arms is located such that the top half of the shield covers the white stripe while the lower half covers the blue stripe. The proportions of the width of the flag to the length are of one to two.
The national coat of arms of Slovenia is a shield in the middle of which, on a blue background, is a representation of Mount Triglav in white, under which are two undulating blue lines which represent the sea and rivers and above which are located three golden, six-pointed stars forming a downward-pointing triangle. The shield is bordered in red.
On this day it is appropriate to tell something more about the National symbols. I found the data regarding national symbols on the Government communication office site.
Source: Crt
The national anthem is the seventh stanza of the France Prešeren poem Zdravljica (A Toast).
Listen to the anthem
The Slovenian flag consists of three colours that are in the following order: white, blue and red. Each colour occupies one third of the width of the flag. On the upper lefthand portion of the flag the national coat of arms is located such that the top half of the shield covers the white stripe while the lower half covers the blue stripe. The proportions of the width of the flag to the length are of one to two.
The national coat of arms of Slovenia is a shield in the middle of which, on a blue background, is a representation of Mount Triglav in white, under which are two undulating blue lines which represent the sea and rivers and above which are located three golden, six-pointed stars forming a downward-pointing triangle. The shield is bordered in red.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Panorama of Ljubljana
Panorama of Ljubljana
Originally uploaded by Crt Ahlin
Another shot at taking a panorama image. Stitched from a series of photographs taken from the "first floor" of the Ljubljana castle. Ascend the spiral staircase from the courtyard and you will be rewarded with a view of Ljubljana. This particular day was quite hazy, but with spring approaching, there will soon be plenty beautiful sunny days. I think the stitch came out quite well, the seems are not obvious at all.
Monday, February 25, 2008
The exhibition
The exhibition
Originally uploaded by Crt Ahlin
So what is happening in Ljubljana lately? The weather smells like spring already and the dreaded winter fog has receded. The freezing temperatures might yet return, as in the last couple of years the "climate" is acting pretty weird and May snow is not unheard of. But for the moment, it looks very promising.
Time to visit the castle and enjoy the view. A lot of people get that idea and it's no wonder, since the spring accentuates the romantic feel of the medieval castle. Not only can you enjoy the view and have a drink on the windy/sunny terrace, but you can also visit the photography exhibition in the castle's interior. It is titled "The founding of the Slovene Photography Section at the Museum of Gorenjska" and portrays the photographic tradition in Slovenia. Check it out, if you visit the castle. It's free anyway ;)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
A daytrip to Primorska region
We started early, we were up and on our way at 6.15am. Our first stop was Cerknica lake. We wanted to take a few shots of sunrise but unforunately the sky was cloudy so we moved ahead toward Socerb castle near the southwestern Italian border. We made a wrong turn near Postojnska cave and came to (in my opinion) one of the most magical slovenian castles Predjamski grad, where each year traditional Erasmus knight's tournament
is held. By now the sun was up and not covered with clouds so we made some nice pictures of the castle.
It was really nice and peaceful, but because early bird doesn't always catch the worm (the castle opens at 10am, we were there at 9.30am) we continued our way towards Socerb village, according to the plan. We got there around 11am, still quite early (it is amazing how many things you can see when getting out of bed a little earlier) and we took a look of the surroundings. The castle was first mentioned in the 13th century, it has a strategic position on the cliff where
Carst meets Šavrinska brda. The castle itself is not as spectacular as f.e. Predjama castle, it is quite small, but it offers a great view of Slovenian Istria, coastal settlements and Trieste gulf.
There is nothing but a restaurant inside the castle, which you can enter as a restaurant guest. It is also used for weddings and protocolary meetings, prince Albert of Monaco and former president Milan Kučan have among others also enjoyed their services. The surrounding area offers many great opportunities for easy hiking (the strong wind makes a scary noise through the pine trees but it didn't chase us away) and there is also a cave near where the only underworld church (chapel) in Slovenia lies. It is only opened on Sundays so we unfortunately didn't have a chance to take a look at it. We were quite hungry by now so we headed for Izola, a small town on the Slovenian coast. We ate our meal at picerija Gušt and it was quite good. The last stop was the Great cross above the Strunjan bay, which is also a national reserve (4km long) and the Moon bay, which is supposed to be an energy point. There are also many paths for hiking and great views. It was getting dark so we didn't descend down to the bay, but we will be back!
is held. By now the sun was up and not covered with clouds so we made some nice pictures of the castle.
It was really nice and peaceful, but because early bird doesn't always catch the worm (the castle opens at 10am, we were there at 9.30am) we continued our way towards Socerb village, according to the plan. We got there around 11am, still quite early (it is amazing how many things you can see when getting out of bed a little earlier) and we took a look of the surroundings. The castle was first mentioned in the 13th century, it has a strategic position on the cliff where
Carst meets Šavrinska brda. The castle itself is not as spectacular as f.e. Predjama castle, it is quite small, but it offers a great view of Slovenian Istria, coastal settlements and Trieste gulf.
There is nothing but a restaurant inside the castle, which you can enter as a restaurant guest. It is also used for weddings and protocolary meetings, prince Albert of Monaco and former president Milan Kučan have among others also enjoyed their services. The surrounding area offers many great opportunities for easy hiking (the strong wind makes a scary noise through the pine trees but it didn't chase us away) and there is also a cave near where the only underworld church (chapel) in Slovenia lies. It is only opened on Sundays so we unfortunately didn't have a chance to take a look at it. We were quite hungry by now so we headed for Izola, a small town on the Slovenian coast. We ate our meal at picerija Gušt and it was quite good. The last stop was the Great cross above the Strunjan bay, which is also a national reserve (4km long) and the Moon bay, which is supposed to be an energy point. There are also many paths for hiking and great views. It was getting dark so we didn't descend down to the bay, but we will be back!
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