Any Excuse to Travel

Ptuj, Slovenia

It was our second visit to Slovenia’s oldest town. The last time barely counted, as we were simply passing through. This time, we stayed a couple of nights for the Carnival.

View of a medieval town across a wide river. Red-roofed buildings with a large white building on a hill and other buildings rolling away from it

Night scene of a medieval down reflected in a wide river

Ptuj is a very walkable city, which is always a plus in my book. The medieval streets are chock full of character and the buildings house centuries of stories waiting to be told.

Gothic and Baroque style pinks and white monastery complex
Dominican Monastery dates to 1230 and was a monastery until 1785 when the friars were replaced by soldiers. The 1900s saw it become a museum – now open April to October to visitors.
Sixteenth century two-storey building covered in a light facade from 1770-1772
Sixteenth-century Provost’s House
Collage of photos showing exterior and interior of a 12th-century church redesigned in 15th century in Gothic style - beige stone with red slate roof
Twelfth-century St George’s Church
Collage of photos showing exterior and interior of a Minorite Monastery featuring modern stained glass windows, stations of the cross, tabernacle, and organ gallery.
Minorite Monastery – original thirteenth-century monastery renovated post-WWII

I was as taken with the Franciscan Monastery here as with the one in Maribor. This one is more remarkable for several reasons. It’s been beautifully and tastefully restored post WWII and everything about it lends itself to conversation. Even the statues and the pictures seem to be talking. I was particularly taken with the stone stations of the cross and the modern stained glass windows.

Two photos - L - two statures of robed men in conversation. R - painting of saints Peter and Paul in conversation

Although this year, we came for the Kurenti, we’ll be coming back for the annual Days of Poetry and Wine festival.

Days of Poetry and Wine, one of the largest and most recognizable international poetry festival in this part of Europe, successfully unites poetry with enology for the past twenty-seven years. Every year in the last warm August days festival hosts over twenty poets from all over the world along with selected domestic winemakers. American poet C. D. Wright and Swedish nominee for the Nobel Prize Lars Gustafsson are just two of the 500 prominent names of past festivals. The main emphasis – poetry and wine – is accompanied by a thoughtfully made programme in the field of music, visual, photography, film and other arts for all ages and interests.

Red wall with coloured discs stuck to it. An inset painted aquamarine showing a woman in a chair readings a book and drinking a glass of wine with the text Dnevi Poezije in Vina. Ptuj. Text in Slovene and English - English text reads: Every year at the end of August, Ptuj host the Interational Festival Days of Poetry and Wine. The festival brings together poets fro all over th eworld. You can read their poetry on this wall. www. dnevipoezijeinvina.si

Collage of four photos. 1. Pink wall with lots of coloured discs stuck to it. BR - grey disc with words: One bird is enough in order for the sky not to fall down - Faraj Ravrakdar Svedska. BM - blue disk - What fool said Homelessness is a state of mind (Rita Ann Higgins IRE) BR - Grey disk - I've stopped holding up the walls Franca Mancinellj Italija

Walking through the town, remember to look up as well as down.

Collage of 4 photos. 1 Silhouette of waiter holding a tray - in metal - with the word KAVARNA beneath it. 2. Grey stone elephant on a corner of a building above a stop sign. 3 ornate doorhandle in pressed metal 4 statue of a woman in a niche

And read the signs. The town is old. Seriously old.

Copy of the relief of the sun god - found in Muzejski Trg - presented near the site of discovery dating from 3rd century CE - the original is kept in the Ptuj-Ormoz regional museum

Sunday in Slovenia is a no-shopping day. Nothing is open except cafés, restaurants, and bakeries. Nearly everyone we saw was carrying a box of something. That something turned out to be Krofi, a Slovene carnival donut. The queues in some places were down the street and around the corner. Of course, we had to try.

Woman with an umbrella walking down a street carring a box under her arm

Where to eat

We ate at Pomaranca our first night because it was close to where we were staying and was ranked #4 by Tripadvisor. I have no great faith in the opinions of random strangers but, as I said, it was close. And on our way into town. It was okay. The food looked much better than it tasted though – my fish was crying out for some fennel and himself was missing some soy sauce in his steak. I’d not be in a hurry back.

Concerned that everything might be booked out, the first thing on our list on Saturday morning was to find somewhere better to eat. We lucked out and got a reservation at Bistro Lük. It’s ranked #5 on that same TripAdvisor list but is streets ahead in terms of taste. The deer carpaccio was up there with the best I’ve ever tasted. They turned us on to an excellent penina (Slovene sparkling wine) and were extremely helpful in putting us in contact with the vineyard to buy some to take home. The menu items were all weird prices

Collage of three dishes. Top: Beef tenderloin, vegetables, buffalo mozzarella service in a black iron skillet. Bottom left. Deer capaccio. in a red bowl with a slice of toasted bread on the side. Bottom right: Tuna steak served on a grey plate
T. Beef tenderloin, vegetables, buffalo mozzarella. BL. Deer carpaccio. BR. Tuna steak

We had one lunch and we couldn’t not have pizza. I’ve read a lot about Slovenes and their love for pizza and wanted to see what the fuss was about. We lucked into a free table at the incredibly busy Pivnica Zlatorog. The reviews on TripAdvisor swing both ways – people love it or hate it – there’s nothing in between. We loved it. It’s been doing its thing since the 70s and is still a firm favourite of many so it can’t be doing much wrong. Lots of character. Decent local wine. And one pizza between two is plenty.

Half a deep pan pizza with a fried egg o top and two glasses of wine in the backgroud

The last time we were here, we had mediocre coffee. And not just in Ptuj. I found it hard to get a decent cuppa anywhere that trip. But in seven years, much has improved. By chance, we ended up back in Kava Bar Sima, a converted wine cellar. Fabulously done. Some of the artwork is the same but the vagina is missing. The coffee was delicious. Seriously good. And the Krofi, too! And so very very reasonable.

And don’t miss out on Muzikafe. For all the world like an upscale Budapest Ruin Pub outside. Or someone’s living room inside. Next time, we might stay there.

Where to stay

We booked late so all the beds in the centre were taken. Himself found a place in the lovely Hostel Sonce across the footbridge on the other side of the Mura River. In easy walking distance of the main drag, it had ample parking, friendly staff, and everything you needed.  And all the rooms are private – none of the traditional dorms. Ideal if there’s a gang of you travelling.

Notes to self for next time
  • Check out the library in the Minorite Monastery
  • Visit the Dominican monastery (April to October)
  • Try the Poetry festival
  • Visit the Provost House (free tour)
  • Go back to Luk – this time for breakfast – if they’re serving
  • Try the bakery down in the industrial estate

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