The Balkans: Part 2

Pula, Croatia

The Vagabonds next drive southwesterly across Istria to the largest town in the area. It is historically an industrial sea port. But it has one of the world’s best-preserved and largest (435 ft long / 345 ft wide) circular Roman amphitheaters . . .

. . . and other Roman ruins (e.g. arches, mosaics, temples) in its’ Old Town. Very impressive.

Brijuni Islands National Park

The Brijuni archipelago is just a quick ferry ride offshore. The islands were malaria-plagued (and so had few settlements) until the early 1900’s when ways to prevent malaria were developed, and an enterprising businessman built a hotel and started a tourist industry. In 1947, Tito, the new leader / dictator of Yugoslavia, visited. He decided to make one of the islands his summer home, and built a residence / farm there. He entertained hundreds of political, business, and entertainment celebrities here until his death in 1980.

We find Brijuni to be a disappointment. The various buildings and hotel are run-down, the golf course is dilapidated, and the “safari” is a poorly presented collection of various beasts (e.g. ostriches, zebra, a single elephant) given to Tito over the years. The whole place feels like a communist-era, poorly maintained, museum. Even the building dedicated to hundreds of self-indulgent photos of Tito is bare and done cheaply, without flair.

Rovinj, Croatia

Like all of Istria, this area was controlled by Venice from the middle ages until the mid-1800’s. Rovinj shows this Italian-Croatian heritage in its architecture and culture. It is a town where “real people” live; something like Split but smaller, poorer, rougher, with no fancy palaces. It is a fishing village with narrow, winding, stone streets lined with narrow houses and shops.

In the Old Town, there is a large outdoor market; a number of small to medium size squares; an active harbor; a large baroque church (St Euphemia) on the hill in the center of town with a 190-foot-tall bell tower; and lots of reminders of the “Venice Lion” of St. Mark.

Motovun, Croatia

This is a picture-postcard village on a 300-meter-high hill with a 360-degree view of the river valley, vineyards, and forest surrounding it. The streets are narrow and very steep with old cobblestones that have worked themselves into highly irregular angles over the years; it takes us a careful 5 minutes to walk the 100 meters from the town center to our apartment.

The town center has a tall church bell tower, a reasonable size stone square with an 800-year old well, a modestly decorated old church, and an old but fancy hotel. It is surrounded by a stone wall from the 1200’s (when the village was at the border between Venice and Austrian-Hungarian territory). The rest of the village spills down from the hilltop. There is a heavy Italian influence on the architecture, language, food, and culture here.

Motovun is truffle territory, so we sign up for a truffle-hunt! Miro Tartufi is the truffle master; he has been hunting truffles in this area for 50 years. He tells us about the little delights:

• Truffles develop a few inches underground around the roots of certain trees (oak, pine, others)

• Black truffles season is May to September; white truffle season is September to December.

• Truffle value is established by both the size and the physical perfection of the truffle. If the truffle has cuts or other imperfections it is downgraded (they taste the same but are not as valuable). Average truffles can be worth 1,000 euro per kilo (10 to 12 truffles); top grade white truffles can fetch 5 times that amount.

• Miro observes that truffles exude their distinctive odor only when they are ripe. At that point they won’t grow any larger, and are at peak for only a few days. They also exude their aroma in cycles separated by about three hours during the day.

• Truffles are hunted with trained dogs who sniff them out. When a dog sniffs a truffle, it starts to dig it out. Miro keeps a keen eye on his dogs so that when they start to dig, he run to the spot, calls off the dog, and digs out the truffle with a small spade.

In the course of 75 minutes, Miro, his dogs, and us (of course) find 6 black truffles about the size of golf balls.

Afterward, we return to Miro’s house where his wife takes over. She has prepared a meal of various truffle-laced cheeses, sausages and breads for us. To accompany this, she takes the truffles that we just hunted and makes a perfect scrambled egg with truffles dish generously topped with truffle slices. She calls to our attention that the internal color of our truffles range from light to chocolate brown; the darker the color the more intense the flavor.

The next day we opt for a seafood experience at Konoba Astarea in Brtonigla by the sea about 25 minutes west. Anton runs the restaurant; he has no menu but rather sits down at your table and makes suggestions about what he thinks you may like. His mother, Alma (in her mid-60’s) cooks over an open-hearth wood/charcoal fire. The heat from the fire is intense! The whole place has a neighborhood hangout vibe.

We find that we like the wines of Istria, especially the malvazija grape which is often made in a viscus style like viognier or a citrus-mineral style like white burgundy. It also comes in a barrique (barrel fermented) version. We also grow fond of the teran grape which in the Motovun area can taste like a barbera or sangiovese wine (and in other areas tastes more like cabernet franc). We are told that the locals “make wine but drink beer”. When they do drink wine, it tends to be white wine cut with a little carbonated water.

Slovenia (Sovenija)

This is a small country of 2 million people nestled above Croatia, below Austria, and east of Italy – half as big as Switzerland in land mass. It blends Slavic, Germanic and Italian cultures. It was the most prosperous of the Yugoslavian republics, with most (60%) of the country’s manufacturing industry. The Austria-Hungary Empire left the people with a strong work ethic and can-do spirit. It was the first of the republics to become independent, in 1991. It joined the European Union in 2004.

The Karst Region (southwest Solvenia)

The Karst contains one of the largest and most impressive cave systems in Europe – and perhaps the world – the Skocjan Caves. It is several kilometers long – formed by the Rika River (which is now mainly underground in this area) carving through the limestone cliffs. It was explored during the 1800’s (which is also impressive; mapping out the caves with torches and ropes).

The lower part of the system is called the “silent caves” as the river no longer runs through it. It consists of a series of large caverns or grottoes each with hundreds of stalactites and stalagmite of various colors and sizes – some estimated to be 300,000 to 500,000 years in the making – 30 meters tall and 20 meters around. Water drips from the ceiling as you walk through. The caverns themselves are up to 50 meters tall and hundreds of meters long. At one point you are 150 meters underground.

The river is still active in the upper section of the system – noisy with many waterfalls – and the caverns that are even larger - hundreds of meters across with the river bubbling 100 meters below. All very impressive, illustrating the power of water over time.

The Karst is also the home of the Lipica Stud Farm founded in 1580 to provide magnificent Lipizzaner stallions to the Hapsburg court in Vienna. These are sturdy, grey/white beasts which were bred to be strong; have a noble, Baroque body-shape; a distinctive prancing gait; and a desire to work closely with their rider. They are taught over years (from age 4 to 10) to move in sync with other horses, to rear up on their hind legs, and to take jumping steps.

The farm has a specific and finely-honed regiment for rearing the horses, including how they are named (for their blood lines), weaned, raised, trained, evaluated for potential and finally ready for performance (or demoted to carriage-pulling or sold). The farm tour and museum explain the history of the horses and the farm, provide a demonstration show, and allow visitors to wander the stables to see these impressive animals.

Another highlight is the Predjama Castle from the 1400 – 1500’s which sits in front of a cave (pred jama means ‘in front of the cave’) in the remote limestone hills. An earlier castle (from the 800’s) is inside of the cave. The view is dramatic; you can’t see the 5-story castle until you are upon it; it stands out as if it ‘grew’ from the limestone. 

Kobarid (northwest Slovenia)

Kobarid is in the Julian Alps, just a few km from Italy, and surrounded by mountains. It was the site of the most significant fighting in east Europe during WWI. When Italy entered the war (on the side of the western allies), it attacked Kobarid which was part of the Austria-Hungary Empire; the goal was to create a corridor to Vienna. The Italians attacked from the western mountains; the Austrians defended from the city and the eastern mountains. The Austrians held their position through a series of ten more battles lasting for 2 ½ years. Finally, the Austrians invited their German allies to join them and together they rousted the Italians back into Italy. There is a well-done museum in Kobraid that tells the tale of those bloody years.

Lake Bled

Near the Julian Alps is the famous Lake Bled. The lake is circular and less than 500 meters in diameter; it is surrounded by footpaths - an easy 3,5 km around. The lake is fed by mountain run-off so the water is clear and chilly. It has been a vacation spot since the mid-1800’s (when transportation became convenient enough to reach here).

Bled is fairly crowded since it is August, but the atmosphere is relaxed and casual. We walk around the lake and rent a row boat to get to a small island in the lake on which is an old church.

The lake view is dominated by Bled Castle which sits high on a cliff overlooking the water. It was built 1,000 years ago by an Austrian bishop who controlled Bled in the middle ages.

Ljubljanna, Slovenia

The capital of Slovenia is a medium size city (population 280,000) that feels smaller and is easy to walk. It is a laid-back, comfortable place that is centered on the Ljubljanica River which is lined with cafes, elegant houses, and open squares.

Historically, the city was on the trade route between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Legend says that it was founded by Jason and his Argonauts. Like all of Slovenia, the area has been occupied since prehistoric times. The Illyrians, Celts, Romans then the Huns ruled here; in the middle ages the Slavs settled in. By the 1300’s it fell under the Hapsburg Empire who ruled for 600 years. It was conquered by Napoleon who encouraged (for the first time) the Slovene language and culture. Then it returned to Austrian rule. It was part of Yugoslavia after WWI, then became the capital of independent Slovenia in 1991.

Walking along the riverfront and people-watching are the best activities in Ljubljanna. It is a delight to just stroll around passed the squares, fountains, fairly wide streets. There are upscale shopping stores and a large outdoor marketplace. We greatly enjoy our two days here.

Svecina, Slovenia (Podravska Region)

The vagabonds head to the far northeast just a stone’s throw south of the Austria border to the village of Svecnia. This is a bucolic scene with hills, steep vineyards, and lots of forests. Historically, there has been a mix of agriculture (orchards, grains, grazing) Wine grapes were grown for personal use or sold to state cooperatives (during the Yugoslavia years) for making low quality wines.

Since the late 1990’s, though, the local farmers make their own wines of increasing quality, and more land has been converted to vineyards. We stay for three nights at the Valdhuber Winery to experience this rural lifestyle. White wine predominates made in a crisp, fruit-forward, and dry style. Floral and citrus tastes are usual. Sauvignon blanc is popular made with slightly herbal note much like in New Zealand.

In the village is Svecina Castle, a fortress from the 1500’s that was destroyed by the Turks, then eventually rebuilt; it is now a manor house that is owned by the state and is mostly unused. Tine, an acquaintance of our landlord, and his father use one floor of the castle to display their collection of antiques. Tine gives us a tour. Of particular interest is Tine’s collection of Yugoslavia-made items from the 1970’s. These include furniture, games, bar ware, electronics, advertisement signs, and many other items. What is striking is the vivid colors from that time – bright orange, avocado green, etc. – just like in the US at that time.

There is also a room is dedicated to the “wine queens” of the village. Each year since the 1980’s a woman of the village is selected to reign over the local fall wine festival. This room houses each of their pictures and the queen’s cape that they each have worn. Interestingly, the criteria for being queen is that the woman is married and in the local wine business – so the queen’s are older and plumper than typical American beauty queens.

Austria

Salzburg

Since we are so close, we decide to detour north to see a bit of Austria starting with the city of Salzburg. It is a relatively small city (160,000 people) tucked in the narrow valley of the Salzach River.

Being small means that it is easy to walk from end to end, and the bus service around town is regular and convenient as well. It is a beautiful city with many fine baroque style buildings, usually 5 stories tall (since land was at a premium and transportation in the 1700’s when the city developed was slow, the buildings were taller to allow more density in the city center region).

The area has been settled since Roman times. By 1077 a large fortress, Festung HohenSalzburg, dominated the city on top of a huge rock formation – built when the Holy Roman Empire was at odds with the papacy. The fortress was gradually expanded over the next 450 years.

By 1278 the archbishop was named an ecclesiastical prince and ruled over the independent state of Salzburg as prince-archbishop until 1805. The city became rich from the salt trade which the prince-archbishop fostered.

The prince-archbishops funded the development of the city in rich Italian-influenced architecture including the magnificent baroque masterpiece, Salzburg Cathedral, and the Residenz of the prince-archbishop with its lavish state rooms and galleries. Saltzburg was the point where the Germanic and Italian cultures met and blended. Fortunately, the city was largely undamaged by WWII, so retains its Renaissance flavor.

Salzburg is also home to artists and musicians, the most famous of which is Mozart who was born here in 1756. He developed his talents in Salzburg until at 17 he moved to Vienna.

Since 1920 the city has held an annual summer Salzburg Festival celebrating music, theatre and the arts.

And of course, Salzburg is ringed by tall mountains and forests, just like are portraited in the Sound of Music (the Von Trapps lived here).   

The Wachau (va how)

Two hours northeast along the Danube River is the Wachau, one of the premier wine-producing areas of Austria. Two-lane roads follow the river through many little villages with tall steeped churches. The river is wide (100 meters) with a fierce current due to the recent, plentiful rains. Lining the river for 30 km are steep hills with vineyards that are so inclined the grapes are harvested by hand and carried in baskets on the pickers back. They are farmed by individuals (often sections of vineyard plots are owned by different growers). The Domane Wachau is the cooperative which buys the grapes and vinifies them. Production is about 3 million bottles per year.

At Domane Wachau we taste several Gruner Veltliner, some blends of vineyards, some single vineyards. This is the main grape of the area. It tends to like less-steep plots with some soil / loam. We are favorably impressed with the single vineyard offerings – crisp, pleasantly acidic, and a bit spicy.

We also taste Riesling, the region's second most grown grape. It tends to like the steeper plots as it has long roots that can dig deeper for nutrients. These are very different from German Rieslings. These are lighter, with notes of vanilla or even chocolate, and complex. Some of the better plots also have a faint hint of the characteristic “oily” flavor.

Shift Melk

As we follow the river toward the south, we reach Shift Melk, an enormous abbey started as a castle and home to the Babenbergs 1100 years ago. They ruled this part of Austria, but as the population center moved further east toward Vienna, the Babenbergs decided that moving there too was the best way to maintain their power – so they gave the castle to the Benedictine Monks as a fortified abbey (which didn’t hurt their relationship with the church either). The abbey has been with the Benedictines for 900 years.

In the early 1700’s the building complex was re-done in the Baroque style after a fire destroyed the originals. It now has 500 rooms with an elaborate marble hall, magnificent library (100,000 volumes over 8 rooms) . . .

. . . and one of the most beautiful churches we have ever seen – with over-the-top gold leaf on virtually everything (alas no photography allowed inside).

Vienna

This is a largest city in Austria with 1.9 million residents. It was a Roman outpost, the hub of the Holy Roman Empire as the seat of the Hapsburg Empire from the 1200’s to 1918, and the final bastion against the Ottoman Turks.

We found Vienna to be manageable, but crowded and rather expensive. Most of the buildings are from the late 1700’s to late 1800’s. They are uniformly 5 stories tall (a few even 6 stories) with tall ceilings, lots of bay windows, and fancy white frosting effects on the edges. They give the streets a larger than life feeling.

The historic city center is massive but easy to walk; it seems quaintly stuck in time in the 1700’s with huge palaces, parks and statues.

Highlights of the city include:

• the Stephansdom cathedral with its enormous bell tower and colorful tiled roof which dates from the 1100’s

• the Hofburg complex of palace buildings (2,600 rooms) and gardens that were the home of the Hapsburgs and the seat of government (and still houses many government offices as well as museums). The state rooms are an impressive statement of the wealth and power of the Hapsburg who ruled for over 600 years. In 1700, for example, the Empire ruled over 11 million people which grew over the next 100 years to over 24 million people.
  

• The Sisi Museum in the Hofburg is dedicated to the story of Empress Elisabeth, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph. She was a beauty but a recluse who lived from 1854 until her assassination in 1898.

• The Schonbrunn palace which was the summer home of the Hapsburgs (even though it is only a few kilometers from the Hofburg, their main residence). It was built as a hunting lodge in the 1300’s. By the mid-to-late1600’s it became a home for the heirs to the Hapsburg throne, and was redone in a baroque style. In the mid-1700’s Empress Maria Teresa expanded and transformed the estate into her summer residence. Its state rooms are as magnificent as the Hofburg.

Johanneshof Reinsch Winery (Tattendorf, Austria)

To end our summer visit, we visit another winery (of course!). A friend in the wine business in the States claimed that Johanneshof Reinsch is the best winery in Austria, and arranged a tour for us. The business is owned and operated by three brothers.  

This was one of the best winery visits we have ever experienced anywhere. We learn subtle points of vineyard management techniques, winemaking strategies, and cellar-craft, as well as about the terroir of this winery.

We especially enjoyed tasting the rare varietals that Johanneshof Reinisch cultivates: Rotgipfler and Zierfandler which we had never before tasted, and St. Laurent which we had tasted some years ago but not at the quality level that achieved here. We loved their Pinot Noir selections as well. 

Next we are off to a 6-week pet-sit in England, then return to Portugal.