I had a fantastic Sunday yesterday with our Slovenian friends Sandra and David. Sandra had been planning to take us and visit her mother's hometown in ages, but for a reason or another we always had to postpone the trip. So yesterday we eventually and finally made our way to Poljane pri Podgradu, a very small village in western Slovenia, at the border with Croatia.
We had a blast, like we always do when we meet these caring and loving friends. It was David's 40th birthday on Saturday, so they treated us with lunch in a trattoria along the way, where we had a delicous meal consiting of tagliatelle with truffle, grilled pork and a heavenly dessert called the 'drunken bride', as its rich combination of different chocolates is said to be very aphrodisiac.
We continued to Plojane with the delicate dessert taste in our mouth, and we found a lovely house waiting for us, surrounded by the most pictouresque village. The village itself is inhabited by only 9 people today (can you imagine?), and these people are the ones who are trying to renovate their houses. The rest of the properties are in ruin because people fled poverty and unemployment in search of work after WW2.
They're restorating the acqueduct now, so that there's enough drinking and irrigation water for the families still living there and for those who come on weekends.
And the local church, from 1672, dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, is still officiated for canonical events.
Sandra's family house is big and well mainteined mansion. Her parents renovated something every time they went there, and now that they're retired they're more constant in the works.
Their garden is truly magic, they grow a large variety of flowers and vegetables.
Having a place that belongs to you from generations must be thrilling. Sandra's greatgrandfather left his signature and date of birth on one of the doors downstairs. I get goose bumps at the only thought of it because my parents house was recently sold and a piece of my past seems like gone for ever with it. So knowing what a sense of belonging mean, taking care of what your family left ot you, would really make me feel a privileged person.
We continued to Plojane with the delicate dessert taste in our mouth, and we found a lovely house waiting for us, surrounded by the most pictouresque village. The village itself is inhabited by only 9 people today (can you imagine?), and these people are the ones who are trying to renovate their houses. The rest of the properties are in ruin because people fled poverty and unemployment in search of work after WW2.
They're restorating the acqueduct now, so that there's enough drinking and irrigation water for the families still living there and for those who come on weekends.
Alice surveying the work in progress :)
Local flora
And the local church, from 1672, dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, is still officiated for canonical events.
Sandra's family house is big and well mainteined mansion. Her parents renovated something every time they went there, and now that they're retired they're more constant in the works.
Their garden is truly magic, they grow a large variety of flowers and vegetables.
Having a place that belongs to you from generations must be thrilling. Sandra's greatgrandfather left his signature and date of birth on one of the doors downstairs. I get goose bumps at the only thought of it because my parents house was recently sold and a piece of my past seems like gone for ever with it. So knowing what a sense of belonging mean, taking care of what your family left ot you, would really make me feel a privileged person.
You're lucky, Sandra! :)
Lovely!
ReplyDeleteYou are most definitely a "foody". (Food lover.)
Your pictures are wonderful as well!