Farmhouse Frcej

Slovenia, and particularly the area around Lake Bled, has an abundance of farmhouses that have opened their doors to tourism. It's an attempt by the country to preserve its heritage while reaping the rewards of its tremendous outdoor wealth. What a farmhouse lacks in room service, it makes up for in feather pillows and home-cooked breakfast. At least one Slovenian we met was concerned about the homogenization of Europe that comes with globalization, and he was quite proud of his country's attempts to resist this.

For the fraction of the price of a five-star hotel, you can stay with a friendly family who offers you their locally brewed brandy when you arrive, and then pampers you with homemade bread, walnuts from their grove, milk and butter from their cows, eggs from their hens, and meat from their...well, take a look at the picture below.

After making our way to breakfast at around 9:00 every morning, we would then crawl back to our room and rest until around 11:00, at which point we explored the area. We typically didn't get hungry again until around 3:00. We stayed on a working farm called Frcej, and were often greeted by the donkey, one of the cows, or one of the roosters/hens mulling about. Valentina Zupan, the overwhelmingly friendly owner of the farm, made sure we had everything we needed. Our particular house looked out to Lake Bled 4km away, and the Julian Alps in the distance (see the entry below this one).

The view from our balcony at sunrise

Where's the beef? Here it is, being smoked for two days in their outdoor chimney. Notice the enormous tongue, second from left in the front.