Hiking in the Slovenian region of Primorska

A couple of weekends ago I accompanied M. on a hiking trip to Vremščica. It was a day trip with a choir she sings in. I occasionally tag along for company and not because of my (non existent) singing abilities. It has been a while since I went on such a trip with them. You can read about the last time before this, when I joined them on a trip to the land of Teran and pršut.

Hiking was not the main theme of this trip. Vremscica rises 1027 meters above sea level and is situated in the Slovenian region of Primorska. Even thou it is not very high, it offers a great view of the surrounding area all the way to the Adriatic sea. It is an easy hike to the top. For the lazy ones there is also a road leading almost to the top. One just has to walk the final 20 minutes to the top.

We made quite a few stops on our way to the top. It was because of those extra delicious strawberries growing by the path.


When we reached the top, a singing session followed. A group of random hikers was quite excited about it and rewarded our eager singers with a loud applause.

Before the descent, we also visited a church just under the top of Vremscica. It is still under construction. We were told that a local priest and stone mason (both in one person) has a great part in building the little church. I guess if you know all this, you can not be surprised when you see it is mostly put together from local stone. In fact I couldn't see any other material that would have been used so far.


It is gonna be a cute little church when it is finished.

After another round of singing it was time to descend to a farm run by the Veterinary Faculty. We ate something at a simple inn which was also a part of the farm. They offer only a few dishes (mostly traditional food), but everything was very tasty.


Before we went home we also took advantage of the offer of fresh cottage cheese and some other cheese products. It wasn't very cheap, but really fresh and very good. If I go by there again, I'll definitely stop by and buy a piece of cheese.

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Rain drops in the garden

You don't need to travel to a far away country to take photos like these. A stroll around your garden or a nearby park will do just fine.


You will have the best chance of taking nice photos if you catch the morning dew, before it vanishes back into the air. Usually also the light is just right at that time of day.

If you are not one of those early birds and have never seen the morning dew before, you might also wait for some rain.
That is just what I did. I waited inside until it stopped raining and then went photo-hunting in the garden. Sun came out from behind a cloud just at the right time.

If you live in a place where you could get really old waiting for rain, you can also use some water to create your own rain. All you have to do is sprinkle it on a leaf and create a perfect composition. I know some photographers do it with spiderwebs and get stunning results. I have to try that someday.


When you find a proper motive, you just need a photo camera with a macro mode (usually marked with a flower) and some patience. I believe anyone can do it.

For the best result I suggest that you take some extra photos. Usually it is hard to see if everything is the way you wanted from your camera display. I suggest you pick out the really sharp photos later on your computer.

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Cinque Terre trail times information

When planning a hiking trip it is crucial to know how long will it take to reach your destination. That is why hiking distances are usually measured in hours.

Last week I came across a table including most of the paths in the Cinque Terre National Park. Walking times are a big part of it.


Unfortunately this was a bit late for me, because I just got back from the area. Here it is anyway - only for you.

Cinque Terre Hiking Trails

Route#	Start	Destination	Walking Time
The Cinque Terre Lower Trail from Monterosso to Riomaggiore
2	Monterosso	Riomaggiore	5 hr
The Cinque Terre Lower Trail from Monterosso to Riomaggiore
2	Monterosso	Vernazza	1 hr 45 min
2	Vernazza	Corniglia	1 hr 45 min
2	Corniglia	Riomaggiore	1 hr 30 min
The High Trail from Levanto to Portovenere
1	Levanto	Portovenere	12 hr
The High Trail from Levanto to Portovenere (part by part)
1	Levanto	Colla di Gritta	2 hr 30 min
1	Colla di Gritta	Drignana	1 hr 30 min
1	Drignana	Cigoletta	2 hr
1	Cigoletta	La Croce	1 hr 45 min
1	La Croce	Telegrafo	1 hr 15 min
1	Telegrafo	Portovenere	3 hr
Trails Up from the Cinque Terre Towns
9	Monterosso	Soviore	1 hr 30 min
17	Soviore	P.So Bardelone	2 hr
7	Vernazza	Ricco D. Golfo	3 hr 30 min
8	Vernazza	Drignana	1 hr 30 min
Trails from Levanto
1 and 10	Levanto	Monterosso	2 hr
14	Levanto	Colla D. Bagari	1 hr 30 min
19	Levanto	Foce di Lavaggio	2 hr
21	Levanto	Foce di Montale	2 hr 15 min
18	Levanto	P.So Bardelone	2 hr
12	Levanto	Colla di Gritta	1 hr 15 min

You can find the original table on the Slow Travel web page.

We were sad to leave the place without trying out at least a couple more of the tempting paths. We had to head back home at least a few days too early. Maybe next time...

If you liked this post and are interested in more information on our trip, please click on this link or on the Cinque Terre label in the right frame.

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