Travelling to an unknown country, people look more and more for new, unknown places, usually hidden to the tourists. Original experiences with the locals are among the most appreciated.
I spoke to Vesna, a young Slovene, who loves her country and its customs and who wants to share all her knowledge with the travellers.
Hi Vesna,
Could you introduce yourself please.
I am coming from the Plave village in Soca valley in the West of Slovenia. Now I live in Ljubljana, but I go back to my region very often. I love travelling, discovering new countries, meeting new people and new cultures. That is how I started to write my blog, about the people I met during my travels and now I am writing it also about Slovenia.
Do you prefer the countryside to the big cities?
I love Slovenia and especially the Soča river that calms me down. I enjoy walking, picking herbs and making homemade herbal teas. I am a true expert in preparing stores for the winter (jams, pureed fruit, ramson spread, basil sauce, syrups, fruit juices, pickled vegetables, parsley in salt, dried fruit). I love tasting local delicacies and I enjoy sharing my passion with the travellers that come to Slovenia.
What do you offer to the travellers?
I am offering them to experience the Soca valley that I know very well. I know the people and everything they have to offer. I invite the travellers to meet the locals, to experience their daily life, their customs and their tradition, to taste their home grown products and home made food. They get a real insight into the life in the counrtyside through the proposed workshops.
For example
Travellers can spend a day with a shepherd in the mountains, they can experience a local cheese making production, bake a traditional loaf of bread, visit an organic farm, walk through the vineyards and flowering orchards, taste some wine in a local wine cellar, learn how to make a traditional dish or pick some medicinal plants.
Who are the locals that you work with?
They are the local farmers and young entrepreneurs that love their land and their work and they are prepared to share their passion with the visitors.
Thank you Vesna and good luck!