Part 1: Ljubljana, a new found love

I take a FlixBus from Zagreb, Croatia to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Now that I am in the eurozone border crossings are no sweat. During the couple hour bus ride it rains. It also rains my entire 20 minute walk to the apartment I have rented for my first visit to Ljubljana.

Slovenia is a country in the Balkans north of Croatia and south of Austria. While it was part of the former Yugoslavia, it was the first to claim its independence when the former communist nation dissolved. It was also able to leave Yugoslavia relatively easy unlike its neighbor Croatia. It has a very different feel to it then other former Yugoslavia nations since it was always popular for tourism due to its mountains and other resources.

It takes me a little while to find my apartment because while the instructions are detailed I still have a hard time locating it. I am not too far from the elevator that takes you up to Ljubljana castle.

I had planned to use this first day to catch up on some things like travel planning but arrived in town very hungry. I check into my room and go out for an early dinner at a restaurant across the street.

The rain stops and reveals a charming city. I decide the weather is so nice I need to walk around. I window shop and notice all the cafés along river that cuts through town.

Art Installation “Faces” of Locksmith Street

There is a good amount of interesting artwork scattered across the historic city.

Day 2

I wake up early get some coffee and something to eat. I head to a strukli cafe – My Dumplings of Slovenia. They aren’t fully open yet but they do sell me coffee and cold strukli to heat up at my apartment. I purchase two cold strukli thinking I have a microwave back at my apartment but apparently I do not. Because the other methods of heating are too complicated I eat a small amount of cold strukli (not the best) and save the rest for later when I have the patience to heat them up.

Today I am visiting the Ljubljana castle. I had bought tickets in advance and I plan to take the funicular to the top in lieu of the stairs or path.

The medieval castle itself isn’t too impressive in size. It was used for prisoners during various battles. I enjoy the video of the history of the castle. There is a Michelin restaurant on location that I have reservations for in over a week.

I also really enjoy the puppet museum. In the museum is a collection of weird puppets.

There is also a history museum of sorts but it isn’t too impressive because most of the items are just facsimiles of items in other museums. There is a good section on the history of the city in Slovenia during wars.

I walk down the long path to town and visit the central market.

For lunch I decide to try some Slovenia kranjska klobasa at Figovec. I get a very large smoked sausage served with dipping sauces. I order a side of veggies and there is bread accompanied by a butter mixed with some green herb that I can’t stop eating.

After my heavy meal I take a walk around the Tivoli park.

I stop for ice cream at Vigo.

This afternoon I have a Slovenian wine tasting scheduled. Looking forward to trying some local wines. In the tasting group are people from Spain, Mexico, and the UK. Our very enthusiastic host tells us all about the wines he is serving and the regions they come from. Slovenian wines aren’t made in large quantities so it doesn’t make sense to widely export them; although if you are part of the EU it is slightly easier to purchase them. I guess I need to just enjoy them while I am in the country.

There are two “surprise” wines of the tasting (although one I already know of due to advance city research). Slovenian orange wine is made by leaving the white grape skins in to ferment with the juice, like a red wine is made. Cviček is a rose like wine that is made from a mix of white and red wine. It is lower in alcohol and popular on warm days. Kind of like champagne it can only be named so if it comes from this one particular region in Slovenia. I enjoyed most of the wines I tasted but I probably wouldn’t order the Cvicek again. I do arrange to purchase a bottle of orange wine to take with me on my travels the next few days.

More sightseeing tomorrow

Córdoba

Today’s day trip is a visit to Córdoba, a city a little over an hour from where I staying. Córdoba is famous for La Mezquita – a mosque/cathedral, as well as its beautiful garden patios. The city is rich in Muslim and roman history.

Ten years ago I tried to visit Córdoba as a day trip from Sevilla. I had planned that trip with lots of unreasonable expectations; it is hard enough to keep yourself to a timeline and even harder if you have another person traveling with you. We couldn’t make the day trip to Córdoba happen. It has always been in the back of my mind that I needed to return. Therefore I am here today doing that day trip, finally.

The train ride to Córdoba is about an hour long from Granada. I book the 7:30 am train and knowing that sometimes trips sell out I book my return trip as well. The afternoon train times are pricey so I decide to take the 8:10 PM in the evening and decide I’ll just enjoy the extra time in the city. This is a poor decision on my part for reasons I will explain shortly.

Today’s itinerary contains a number of planning failures. Today is a Monday and I failed doing the appropriate research for visiting on a Monday. I correctly booked in advance my visit to La Mezquita (Catedral de Córdoba) since those tickets are limited. However I failed to realize that a great number of places of interest are actually closed on Mondays. This is amateur error on my part – I am typically good at picking up these nuances. Things being generally closed combined with face-melting heat make this day trip an interesting visit (my analogy for today’s weather is that it feels similar to what you see in the Raiders of the Lost Arc when the nazi’s, rightly so, have their faces melted).

Upon my arrival I start from the train station and wander the quiet streets of Córdoba with the destination of La Mezquita de Córdoba .

I enter the courtyard and patiently wait for the opening of La Mezquita which also happens to be my scheduled reservation time. While waiting I hear the bells chime from the Bell Tower.

Finally its time to line up and enter.

The structure I am entering was started as a Visigoth basilica in the 6th century and then turned into a mosque and then a cathedral. In its history it has expanded many times by different rulers. The diagrams and audio tour talks about each expansion. La Mezquita another good example of mixing lots of different styles into one building.

I notice another painting of my now favorite giant from the bible, Saint Christopher.

The mezquita is quite large but I have finally reached the end of my visit. I’ve worked up an appetite so I stop for a quick snack.

After my snack I hit my first road block: the Museo Taurino de Córdoba is closed on Mondays. However behind the museum and down the alley is a nice little artist alcove. It is here I finally get to see one of the patios that the city is famous for.

I almost find myself buying some earings by an artesian here but unable to decide on a pair I walk away empty handed.

Nearby I view Estatua de Maimónides, a bronze sculpture of the philosopher, theologian & doctor, Cordovan Ben Maimónides.

I walk on to discover the La Sinagaga is another place closed today. I am not averaging well for my sightseeing checklist so far.

Bodega Guzmán is nearby. I stop here and order boquerones and a glass of a local wine Montilla-Moriles. The wine is more of a sherry. The place seems authentic. I am glad I stop here to escape the heat.

I can’t stay here all day and drink so I venture back out. I walk inside the city walls as well as along the outside. I notice the residences along the walls.

Eventually it seems like a good time for lunch. I end up at Taberna Rafaé based on a recommendation I viewed online. I order an traditional oxtail dish to get a feel of the regional cuisine. The stew has very good flavor and reminds of a type of boeuf bourguignonne.

There is more wandering after lunch, for whatever is actually open, which is not much. Instead I eye buildings, statues and gardens.

Another popular place to visit in town is the palace Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos but of course it is closed today as well, though I read I didn’t miss much here except maybe the gardens.

I walk by the Puente Romano de Córdoba the historic picturesque bridge in town. It is a 1st century Roman bridge.

Its been hot all day but its about now when it becomes face melting hot (100+ degrees farenheit). I find a shaded bench in a park and try to nap and cool down but the best I do is do some reading on my phone. I don’t last long here though because I get bored. I want to head back to Granada but the earlier train times are sold out or too expensive.

My visit to Cordoba would have been enhanced with viewing some of the patios the city is famous for. Unfortunately I miss the festival of patios by a month or two. There are still some patios that can be viewed for an admission price but there are limited hours for the touring and I have missed the window for this today. Today is really poorly planned. I do sneak a look at patios through gates inside a quiet residential area. The streets are empty. Only crazy tourists like me are outside in this heat.

When I return to the main tourist area all the day trippers are gone. At least I have a mostly solo visit to the beautiful Calleja de las Flores.

I’ve given up sightseeing and start looking for a place with air conditioning or something similar. I find a courtyard bar with shade and misting fans. It is not busy and I end up getting a free glass of wine. I am loving it here because I rarely get anything offered to me for free.

Eventually the courtyard bar completely clears out and so do I (I don’t want to be the only customer). My next destination is a market I remember this morning when I was walking from the train station. The major tourist areas are too quiet and hot for my taste and the market is at least closer to the train station. The market, Mercado Victoria, is beautiful indoors. Not many vendors are open because it is early but I get a very delicious Negroni cocktail while I relax in the air conditioning. It seems like others here have the same plan as I.

It is finally time for me to walk over to the train station to take my train back to Granada.

When I arrive back in Granada it is late so restaurants are closing along my walk back to the train station. Luckily the street that contains my hotel has some late night eateries. I stop at Restaurante Tetería Palmira which is a Syrian/Lebanese/Moroccan restaurant. I order the shish kabob platter and it hits the spot after a long hot day of sightseeing.

It is late but the streets are still alive nearby. I’ve had a long day so I call it a night.

Tomorrow I have a scheduled reservation for the Alhambra. I’m anticipating that will take up much of the day. Good night.

Spain: Sweet Ronda

I am leaving Madrid and heading to Ronda this morning. Today is an early morning start since my train leaves at 7:30 am from Atocha. I take the subway to the train station. The ride from Madrid to Ronda is anywhere from 3 1/2 hours to 4 1/2 hours. I choose the 3.5 hour trip but it includes a stop and a train change. On this train ride is where I start to notice that train cars will occasionally not have the coach number on the outside making it especially challenging when trying to find your correct car (Spain has assigned seating for all its long distance trains). I eventually find what I believe is the correct car by process of elimination. Travel by train in Spain is mostly pleasant: trains are clean, they are roomy even in economy class, temperature is comfortable, and noise level is low. I do occasionally treat myself to an upgrade while I travel if the price is right. For some reason (perhaps it was lack of sleep) I thought that this particular route was one I upgraded myself for. When trying to find my coach this train of thought combined with the lack of numbers outside led me to sitting in the incorrect car in someone else’s seat (the seat number matched though). There is an awkward situation of me getting kicked out of the business class. So here I am with my bulky backpacks, trying to quickly pack up; I already spread all my junk out for my trip….breakfast sandwich, ipad, coffee, etc. I am pretty sure I was a disturbance to all the business travelers that morning. Once packed up I pass through a couple of coaches and find what I believe is my seat, and confirm it with the train employee this time. My correct seat isn’t terrible. I can relax again.

We arrive late for our train stop in Antequera. I have some anxiety for this since there is only ten minutes allocated for my connection. Luckily the train to Ronda is held because a majority on my train are heading there as well.

We arrive to Ronda little after 11:00 AM. The hotel is about a 15 minute walk from the train station. I still have many hours before check in but I am heading to the hotel to drop off my bags. I walk down a busy shopping pedestrian street. There are many shops and cafes. A person eating at one of the cafes notices my college t-shirt and stops me to chat a bit since he is also an alumni. It is fun to see my commuter school grow to the popularity it has now over the years. When I first started traveling internationally I would have never met someone from my college.

I drop my bags off at my hotel and wander around a quiet part of Ronda.

There are some day-trippers and tour groups but overall the town is not ruined by over tourism. The pandemic seemed to hit this town like everywhere else (closed businesses, etc) but for the most part it seems to do well. They don’t have many “must-sees” so it doesn’t get crowded and has maintained it charm somewhat. I love staying in slower paced towns like this. It is like a vacation from my vacation.

I spend some time at one overlook area where a guy is playing contemporary songs on the Spanish guitar.

I find a park and admire the flowering trees.

Bring on all the flowers…..

I feel the need for a snack or even lunch. I search restaurant menus for the special gazpacho of the region (ojo blanco -Spanish White Garlic Soup) but I can’t find it. I settle for a café that has the local cheese payoyo that I want to try (goat cheese). I order cheese and a normal gazpacho. The cheese plate is very large for one person; getting too much cheese is a common theme for my travels. It is in Ronda where the idea occurs to use the Ziplock bags to carry my cheese, and sometimes croquettes, to go. Yes, I’m the person squirreling away food in my purse… thank goodness I carry Ziplock bags with me when I travel.

After I eat I finally check into my hotel and clean up. The hotel, Hotel Don Miguel, is not fancy but it is clean and has a million dollar view.

Later on I go for a walk around town and find a park with curvy paths and a view of the cliffsides and bridge. I see olive trees that make me want to reach out and grab the olives with my fingers.

I take a smaller stone bridge across the crevice.

I start walking back toward the main street that crosses the crevice. I hear peacock noises. I know them well because we have random peacocks in the neighborhoods I used to do my training runs in Florida. There is one sitting on the fence of the place I plan to visit tomorrow.

Tonight the goal is to try some local wines. I find the perfect tapas bar close to the hotel to do this. I have a view of the iconic bridge and a nice breeze from a cool late afternoon. I try the white asparagus, another regional item, and some other tapas such as ham and salmon. I also get to try a couple local wines.

It’s still early and I want to enjoy my view from my hotel so I buy a bottle of wine and some chocolates for dessert to enjoy on my balcony. Have I mentioned how I love the temperatures here? It is hot during the day due to the humidity and sun but the temperatures are not unbearable. The evenings are gloriously cool. It is almost like it is still spring in this town. I love it!

While I sit on my patio Spanish guitar player plays Stairway to Heaven across the way.

I enjoy the view from my hotel room until after dark. Loving the Andalucía life.

Marlborough Wine Tour

On my visit to the Marlborough region I wanted to safely visit multiple wineries. Fortunately I found Marlborough Wine Tours and it was perfect. I was worried because my lodging was a little out-of-the-way but it was no problem for them to come pick me up. Phil was our driver and very knowledgeable about wines in the region. We were lucky to have him as our host. The wineries chosen were well thought out and I am grateful that they didn’t pick the larger wineries in favor of visiting the small and some up-and-coming wineries. We visit 6 wineries in total and didn’t feel rushed in any of our visits. This is a great option if you are lacking a designated driver and really want to enjoy the region.

Winery 1 : Allan Scott Family Winemakers

Notable from this winery is their special ginger wine; it has a sweet and strong ginger flavor. Nice for a seasonal drink.

The Pinot Noir Rose is light and drinkable. Also liked the Pinot Noir.

The gardens are pretty with lots of plants to look at and a large chess game.

Winery 2: Rock Ferry

Rock Ferry is a boutique winery with some of my favorite choices of the day.

The Corner’s Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite Sauvignon Blanc of the day and contains flavors of gooseberry, peppers (capsicum) and asparagus.

They have a Pinot blanc that is from an “egg ferment” case, a special wine experiment of theirs.

Their Pinot Noir isn’t bad as well. I am loving the pinot noirs today.

Winery 3: Wairau River

We head to Wairau River Wines at lunchtime. I didn’t write down tasting notes about the wine or food so I am assuming it was very satisfactory.

I enjoyed sitting outdoors on this beautiful day.

Winery 4: Misty Cove

The next winery is pretty small. I left with some of their bottles because they sells styles not as common. I loved the Waihopai (Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Gris and Gewürztraminer) and the Gruner Vetliner. Gruner wines are especially a target of mine since they serve them frequently at the few restaurants to liked to visit when I lived in Brooklyn but they are hard to find anywhere else. Whenever I see Gruner on the menu it always catches my eye now.

Misty Cove also has a fun pool onsite for their lodging guests.

Winery 5: Spy Valley Wines

The second to the last winery of the day is Spy Valley. Just to note I am pretty intoxicated at this point so I can’t really rely on my taste buds to say what I think of these wines. Right now, everything is good.

Spy Valley is named so because it is located very close to a super secret US and UK satellite communications monitoring facility.

Naturally the tasting room decorated in spy stuff.

Pinot noir was my favorite out of the ones we tasted today.

Some of these are actually imported in the USA. I am able to purchase the Sauvignon Blanc at Total Wine.

Winery 6: Jackson Estate

The last of the day is Jackson Estate. We almost don’t make it in time because the entire group is pretty intoxicated by the last winery. The driver had to get a little firm with us to keep time. I don’t blame him, he wants to get us to all our locations so we get our money’s worth.

They had a really cool picture as their label.

From my tasting notes (whatever they are worth) I find the Pinot Rose and Vintage Window Pinot Noir are not bad and the Bortrytis Riesling is pretty good (and reflected so in the price!).

The winery seemed to be closing soon but they still took the time to show us the cellar. This is the only winery of our tour that let us see their cellar.

The driver took us back to our respective lodgings at the end. I am thoroughly grateful for the safe transportation today.

I am back at my wine cabin and being intoxicated I am unable to drive to dinner but I fortunately prepared enough cheese and snacks so driving would be unnecessary.

Cheese and Snacks are an acceptable dinner for an adult right?

Marlborough Wine Barrel

In planning my sabbatical I concentrated on traveling to places that are pretty far from my home while also trying unique experiences (within my budget). I love wine so it wasn’t hard to include the Marlborough region of New Zealand on the list. We import a number of New Zealand wines in the USA and the majority seem to be Sauvignon Blanc – one of my warm weather sipping wines. Unlike Australian wines we get in the USA, I have a much easier time consuming the wines from New Zealand. I am very excited to visit this region while I am traveling the south island of New Zealand.

While searching Airbnb I found Marlborough Wine Barrel Cabins; cabins shaped like a wine barrel.

The hosts have two of these cabins to rent and there is a good amount of spacing between them so you have privacy.

The cabins are very cute inside. It gets warm inside during the day but a breeze comes through with the doors and windows open. There were some mosquitos/black flies but they weren’t as bad as I experienced prior.

I love the gardens and fruit trees on site. My cabin only had views of the gardens but the other cabin has a magnificent view of the hillsides

There is a shared bathroom with a toilet that is a little bit of a walk if you tend to get up in the middle of the night. I woke up once in the middle of night to go to the bathroom and noticed once again so many stars in the sky. It is amazing what you can see without light pollution.

As for the shower I used the outdoor shower. I am obsessed with outdoor showers. I hope to have one of my own someday if I ever own a home again. I love showering outdoors for some reason.

There is also a shared mini-fridge outside the main house that holds milk for guests and I also used it to store some of my perishables during my stay (also keeping my cheese and wine cold).

My first evening at the cabins I drove into town for dinner. It is about a 20 minute drive to the town of Blenheim from the cabins. There seem to be wineries nearby but I have booked a wine tour tomorrow. Even though I am located out of town the tour van will pick me up anyway. What good luck! I am excited to do a group tour tomorrow.