4.13.2010

Slovenian Dinner in Ljubljana

After our glorious gallivanting around Lake Bled, we piled in our 9 passenger van and drove to Ljubljana, Slovenia. As we got closer to town we realized that in all our excitement over the Julian Alps and Lake Bled, we had clean forgotten to eat lunch. We were RAVENOUS!!

We pulled into our uber-cheap hostel ($12 a night!!) and hailed a taxi to take us to Old Town Ljubljana. The concierge at our hostel had recommended a place with traditional Slovenian food and we tracked it down. It was a bustling, well-lit place that welcomed customers from the darkened streets.

Everything inside seemed old in that comfy, well-worn way. Creaky wooden stairs slick from thousands of feet ascending and descending, old wooden benches worn smooth from many a scooting bottom, and this lovely vine mural pocked and darkened from hands pressed against it as patrons climbed up to the loft for dinner.


Truth be told we were so exhausted we could hardly stay awake. :-) So we ordered a round of water and good Slovenian beer and soon we were relaxed and merry, laughing hard at each other's crazy stories. 


At last dinner arrived! Stace, Nat and I ordered tender roast pork with arugula salad and herbed dumplings.


Ben went very traditional with roasted horse meat in some sort of sauce and a stuffed jelly-roll type pasta. He obligingly gave us a taste of the meat so we could say we'd eaten horse. :-) 


Ryan went all out with a meat platter laden with blood sausage, roast pork and who knows what. :-)


We ended our meal with traditional Slovenian cakes studded with fruit and poppy seeds, layered with cream and sweet sauces. 


Thoroughly stuffed and oh so sleepy, we bid farewell to our jolly waiter, posed for pictures with this jaunty chap, and wended our way home where we fell fast asleep. 


 All too soon it was time to wake up for our pre-sunrise stroll of the Old Town, taking in the sights from empty streets before hitting the road for our long drive through Bosnia.

20 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing your wonderful journey. Great photography. WOW!

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  2. You are so welcome, Lazaro! :-) It was such a fun night with delicious food and great company. :-)

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  3. You must have been seriously ravenous after doing all of your exploring and then forgetting lunch! Slovenian food looks quite hearty though. And delicious!

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  4. Hearty is the word for it, Joanne! :-) Definitely stick-to-your-ribs :-)

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  5. oh my goodness, horse meat! yikes! i suppose that when in Slovenia...
    how nice that you had such a fun time. looking forward to more of your trip.
    xoxo alison

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  6. gosh, the food looks amazing in this town! it's so wonderful when you've had a long day and you're so tired to come to a nice restaurant with hot food made to order. how lovely!

    krissy @ thefoodaddicts.com

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  7. What a great trip and food adventure. I love eating traditional foods when I travel. As always, thanks for taking us along on your travels. Much appreciated.

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  8. Sounds like you had a great time. The stuffed jelly-roll type pasta is so cool and I can tell I will be on the hunt for a recipe for it! I wonder if the pasta was stuffed with a ricotta type cheese? I hope you don't mind if I copy your photo and send it to my Italian friend, she might know a recipe.

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  9. It was surprisingly good, Frou Frou! :-) Amazing how what is normal for some is scary for others, eh? :-)

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  10. It really was, Krissy! So hearty and homey - perfect after a long day. :-)

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  11. Oh, you are so welcome, Velva. :-) I love sharing it with you. :-) And yes, I'm the same way about eating local foods while traveling. I am rarely disappointed. :-)

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  12. Please do, Michelle! If you track it down please share it! It was such an interesting presentation I'd like to try it too. :-)

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  13. How wonderful to be holidaying somewhere so exotic. I love the mural on the wall.

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  14. Horse meat? Really? They are so muscular, I am trying to imagine what it would be like. I guess if braised long enough it would become tender, right?
    Love your adventurous spirit; sounds like you had a fantastic time!

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  15. Me too, Barbara! I felt like I was in an amazing dream, actually seeing places I'd only read or heard about.

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  16. Really and truly, Debi! Yes, I believe it was braised, now that you mention it, because it was very tender and good. :-) I did have a splendid time! Was truly the adventure of a lifetime. :-)

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  17. You guys sure make the most of your time...sounds so fun.
    xxx

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  18. I think we're a bit crazy, DJ! :-) We crammed so much into that trip - but we sure got to see a lot! :-)

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  19. Sigh. Smile. I miss Bob.

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  20. Me too, Marie. :-) He rang me yesterday in the middle of the night and it was so good to hear his dear voice. :-)

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