Your Bela Krajina Triangles of Happiness Part 2

Oh, what a lovely time it is, holiday time! Are you in Bela Krajina? Then your holiday is even better. We've put together a second round of trip ideas to help you work out what to do, where to go, and how to fill your day with different activities. A bit of culture, a walk, a tasting? If you missed the first part of the ideas, you can click HERE.

Let's go!

Wine tasting - making Pogača - castle events

If you're in Metlika and can't drive to the other end of Bela Krajina, you don't have to!

Start with a wine tasting at the Metlika Wine Cellar, which by the way is one of the longest wine cellars in Slovenia. The mighty, 108-metre-long, underground cellar of a special tunnel type invites all lovers of noble Bela Krajina Wine to its premises. And you will be enchanted by the new Jurius brand. The top wines of the Jurius line from the vineyards of Bela Krajina represent excellent quality and exceptional varietal elegance. Carefully selected grapes, grown in specially selected sunny locations, give them a rich structure and fruity aroma.

Next stop: Bela Krajina House of Local Delights! As well as buying all the local produce, from wine to Ghee butter, you can also bake your very own Bela Krajina Pogača. A little flour, salt, yeast, water, caraway seeds, and more salt. Nothing difficult! Simple welcome bread is best while it's still hot. Tear it with your hands in the company of your loved ones, because it's even better that way. And when you're full, head to Metlika Castle! Wouldn't you like to go to the museum? The museum is closed in the evenings, but the castle courtyard transforms into a wonderful arts and culture venue in the evening. Come to the castle in the evening, you won't regret it.

SUP on the Kolpa River - Herb Garden below Gorjanci Hills - Evening workshop with horses

You're in for a very special Friday. Start it with a morning catching your balance on the SUP. Retreat to the middle of the Kolpa River and enjoy the tranquillity of the morning. Take in your surroundings and calm your breath. It's a crazy feeling.
If calm SUPing isn't enough for you, jump in the water or choose a bike and canoe (Ride and paddle) at Camping Bela Krajina. In the afternoon, head under the Gorjanci Hills to Mrs Minka's herb garden.
Mrs Minka will guide you through the 12 sections of the garden and tell you about the history of herbs and their use in cosmetics, cooking, and home pharmacy, along with serving you homemade cakes and juice. In the morning, you'll be able to enjoy the herbs.

In the evening, hang out with the horses at Gorjanci Hills. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of the equine world. Through a combination of interactive exercises and gentle guidance from experienced staff, you will learn to communicate with horses, understand their behaviour, and develop a deep sense of trust and friendship with these gentle creatures. But could the end of the week be any better?

We're going to Semič!

Topolovec Partisan Hospital - Smuk - Winery

Visit the open-air museum and the Topolovec Partisan Hospital in Črešnjevac. Mrs Sonja will welcome you and show you around her homestead. You can make a Pogača with her, as she is a professional in making Bela Krajina Pogača. The Topolovec Partisan Hospital will take you back in time, and you will feel its pulse. Old medical equipment and photos are stored in the memorial section of the People's Hospital. It operated in strict secrecy and was never discovered, even though it was bombed all around. The wounded and severely disabled were transported by locomotives and ox-drawn carts to the airfields of Otok and Krasinec. This way of caring for the wounded was unique in Europe.

Park in the centre of Semič and climb up the Smuk Hill. You'll pass the Bench of Love, which gives you a spectacular view of the town centre of Semič. Continue your journey to the top of Smuk Hill, where you will find the Church of St. Lawrence and the ruins of Smuk Castle, once the mighty home of the Semenič family. As you descend back through the forest to Semič, you reach the platform in front of the Cultural Centre Semič, where summer Fridays are packed with performances or boutique concerts, and afterwards, you'll find the Semič Winery, where a different Bela Krajina winemaker is featured every Friday.

Semič Museum House - Bajer and Potoki - lunch at the Mlinar Farm

Fancy a mystery trip? Start at the Semič Museum House and get to know the low karst world with its 666 caves and over 200 springs through the collection of the Nature Centre of Bela Krajina. Walk through a karst cave and admire the endemites that can only be found here. Meet the Congeria Jalzici shell and the Black Olm. See the historical collection of Semič and the wine collection in the cellar where you were at the evening tasting the day before.

Now it's time for the hidden location. From Semič, head towards Novo Mesto via Uršna Selo. Turn into the village of Potoki. Follow the narrow road down into the valley, where you'll find yourself in a macadam car park next to a meadow and a small house. The small house and the small stream that runs nearby were used for cooling steam locomotives. From the car park, head uphill. Here you will find a dam along which a path leads to the cold streams. These are streams, this is Bajer. The Bajer area is now one of the largest wetlands in the municipality of Semič. The streams, springs, and pond here offer ideal living conditions for wetland plants and animals, making Bajer a paradise for amphibians. The most common are the wood frog, the yellow-bellied toad, the green frog, and the salamander.

Return to the main road and head back to the Rožni Dol for lunch at the Mlinars'. The Mlinar Farm is a small farm that raises trout. We recommend the roast trout and homemade delicacies. A steak with homemade meats and pâtés is always a good choice.

Šokčev Dvor - Pretzel baking - Guided tour of the city centre

Start your day in Žuniči, where Tončka will welcome you in a typical Bela Krajina costume and offer you homemade schnapps or rakija. In the courtyard of the former family house, you will be shown what life used to be like in this part of Bela Krajina. Here you see what you've been hearing about all your life - white costumes, Pogača, sheep, and white birch trees.

Stop in Črnomelj and, between the walls of the old town centre, bake some Črnomelj pretzels, which gave the inhabitants of Črnomelj the nickname "Prestarji". In the Old Town of Črnomelj, traditional pretzels are kneaded, shaped, and baked on a 200-year-old table. We invite you to try your hand at this handicraft steeped in centuries of history. The people of Črnomelj always made pretzels, and stories of enterprising Črnomelj women baking pretzels and offering them at fairs have been written about since 1855.

After baking the twisted pretzels, your guide Tatjana will take you through the town centre to learn about the 3,000-year history of the town between the two rivers. Discover the secrets of the town houses, streets, and squares where the oldest folklore festival Jurjevanje began, the first Slovenian national theatre was founded, and more

Herb Farm pod Hrelenom - rafting on the Kolpa River - relaxing with Alpacas

Visit the herbalist and walk through the garden where he grows herbs which he processes into his teas, iced teas, and syrups. Herbalist Igor will show you around his farm, where he also has donkeys that will delight any visitor. A relaxed visit to an herb farm is just what you need before you go rafting on the Kolpa River.
There are boats for export in the Poljanska Valley along the Kolpa River. They all offer rafts and canoes. Take a few hours down the Kolpa River and enjoy the adrenaline rush over the dams. In Bela Krajina, we are lucky to have a very long coastline. If you're brave, you can also go on a multi-day descent from the Poljanska Valley to Metlika. Are you up for the action?

Finish the day with a relaxing walk along the Kolpa River with the Alpacas. At the Njivenski Homestead, they have a whole bunch of animals that are fun in themselves. The walk starts with a look around, feeding and petting the other animals on the farm. Then, with Augusta, Pika, Bobi, and Koki, we walk along the green and bubbling beauty of the Kolpa River. If the water level is suitable, we also walk on the water in some parts to refresh our feet and hooves. An unforgettable experience for everyone.

Have you noticed that most of the providers appear in the Open Doors? Check them all out!

3.7.2024
Author: Tamara Lončarič, DMO Bela krajina