Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Part Three of Europe: More Slovenia

Hello fellow travelers and adventurers!

Continuing on with part two of Slovenia, the below photos are from our eating experience at Restaurant Sova in Lake Bled.  We stumbled upon this spot while out walking the city.  More specifically, I was drawn by the pistachio green facade, remarking how charming it looked and suggesting we take a gander at the menu.

As Lake Bled is a rather small town, it isn't overflowing with food options.  Plus, many of the potential spots for eating came across as rather low on the quality scale, while likely high on the touristy one.

This place was super cute inside, the theme hinting at something akin to a country cottage.  The food was artful, almost futuristic looking.  Very out of this world.  Thankfully, it wasn't just for appearance sake.  The food was delicious as well.

Maxx remarked that the seafood bisque he sampled was one of the best he had ever had.  The grilled sea bass I tried was excellent as well.

Prior to this meal, we inhaled a piece of the traditional, classic Slovenia dessert, their layered custard cream cake, flaked on both top and bottom by a flaky puff pastry sheet.  This was SO yum.  I think it's safe the say the cake was gone in literally less than a minute ;-)






The following photos are all Lake Bohinj, our second day in Slovenia.

We awoke early to go....drum roll...paragliding!!!

Yes, this is what you are likely imagining.  To be exact, it involves running and then jumping off the edge of a mountain.  Then, gliding through the air, thousands of feet above the earth, buoyed by the wind.

The first photo below was taken at the mountain peak, wind and snow swirling around us, just before we sprinted into the mist and ran off the side of a mountain peak.



The following photos showcase the height from which we jumped.

Maxx snapped these from the window as we rode up the side of the mountain in a gondola.  We were riding to the point from where we would jump.  




Nuts, right?  That is from how high up we jumped.

No words can possibly describe the experience.  

The emotional buildup, nor the moment of actually running and then feeling my feet lifting into the air, pumping in mid-air.  There is no way using words to bring you into the feeling and experience of soaring above the earth.  Of the sweeping, awe inspiring, heart pounding views and sensation of it all.

It was phenomenal.  I would absolutely do it again.  The scariest part was the build up.  Once in the air, it was incredible.  Mind blowing.  Absolutely awesome. 



This is at the tail end of the jump.  Maxx snapped this of me, coming in for a landing ;-)

All of the following photos are of Lake Bohinj, which Maxx and I both agreed, while equally gorgeous as Lake Bled, was more serene and compelling to both of us.







See tiny Maxx on the right hand side of this photo?  This is to offer a sense of size perspective.










Can you spot the paraglider?  That isn't me, nor Maxx, however, that is what we did and in this exact spot.  This photo is of one of the other people in our paragliding group.



Can you spot the yellow and red paraglider?  That was us, just a few minutes prior ;-)





And, because it was so tasty, we headed back to Restaurant Sova for another meal.  Maxx had the seafood risotto.  I dined on chicken stuffed with cheese, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and with sides of mashed potatoes (doesn't it look like a dish that would be served in a restaurant on the moon? ;-))

And then, unable to decide on a dessert, we agreed on sampling three.  The lavender creme brulee, the mango tiramisu, and the chocolate bomb.  After several minutes, our waiter brought out the most gorgeous dessert board.  A work of art, in and of itself.

He remarked, "we don't usually do this, however, since you ordered all three, we decided to make it special."

Isn't that the most gorgeous dessert display you've ever seen?  Scroll down just a bit :-D

And it was SCRUMPTIOUS.  The lavender cream brulee, with the lightest hint of floral.  The mango tiramisu, creamy, lightly fruity, fluffy, so good.  And the chocolate bomb, over which our waiter poured warm strawberry sauce, melting it and showcasing the ice cream within.

The mango tiramisu and lavender creme brulee were the stars of the show.







Then, we headed to Vintgar Gorge.  I was incredibly awe inspired to discover here, that the water in Slovenia is actually as blue as depicted in photos online.  I had assumed those photos to be enhanced or doctored.  They are not.  The water really is that clear, and that blue!

We wandered the wooden planked walkways for a couple of hours, myself pausing every couple minutes to snap photos (to which Maxx was the picture of patience :-)).

Check it out below for some of the most vivid water you've ever seen.













Slovenia was, hands down, some of the most stunning and incredible natural scenery I've ever seen.  

Dramatic, soaring, vast mountains.  Rugged, snow capped peaks.  Sweeping forests.  Everything lush and green.  Romantic, quaint, charming little villages.  Jewel toned and crystal clear water.  Everything was clean, crisp, and beautiful to behold.  It was like something out of a middle earth (Lord of the Rings), story tale esque, picture perfect natural world.




This meal was another mouth watering, memorable, truly terrific one.  By the end of the trip, we both agree, Slovenia had floored us in terms of food.  This place, Pension Resje Restaurant, was phenomenal.  The eatery was housed within a hotel.  The dining room, dead, which we took to be not a great sign.

Boy, were we wrong.  And that was a fabulous thing.

Maxx was daring and went for the Chef's Menu, meaning, the chef chooses his dishes, all of which will be a surprise.

First course was an amuse buche (aka a single, bite sized hors d'oeuvre), some type of upscale cracker, on which was a whipped goat cheese mixed with herbs.

Second course was: a mixture of smoked salmon, pea puree, edible flowers, and some kind of bisquit (I forget the details).

Third course was: quail egg on some kind of grainy pate type of thing.

Fourth course was: gnocchi with bacon and a type of cheese which I cannot recall.  This was DELICIOUS.  So rich, homey, and good.

Fifth course was: boar cheek in a raspberry sauce, with a buckwheat dumpling on the side, stuffed with pear.  Maxx said this was quite good, as well as unique.

Final course was the Bohinj cake.  This looked unimpressive, humble, even not especially tasty.  Wow, were looks deceiving.  Both of us exclaimed over how incredible it was.  The cake was moist, chewy, with the lightest hints of vanilla and lemon (I don't even like lemon).  It was melt in your mouth, so good.  With a chocolate mousse on the bottom, and a citrus sorbet on the side.  We agreed, this one made it into top three desserts sampled on the trip.

The other dessert, a ricotta cheesecake, was far more delicious than either of us anticipated.  Fluffy, light, lovely.  Another winner.  This was a truly top notch meal.

Maxx remarked, one of the best meals he had ever had, as a whole.




This was my dish, excluded from Maxx's tasting menu.  Salmon with asparagus and potatoes.  It was yummy, though not over the top memorable or special.



Ricotta cheesecake with side of pears and sour cream ice cream.

Bohinj cake.



Stay tuned for Part Four of the adventure!!

Additionally, here is a link to Part One of our trip (Venice, Italy).

As well as a link to Part Two (Slovenia/Lake Bled).


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