First stop in Slovenia

Finally time to visit Slovenia! We came from Austria and headed first to Maribor, which was not far from the border.

The Liberation Monument commemorates the nearly 700 hostages and rebels who were killed by German forces during the National Liberation War (WWII) for attempting to resist occupation.

Glavni Trg
This column was built in the 18th century by the artist Jožef Štraub to replace an older plague pillar. Six saints have taken their place around the Mother of God, intercessors against the plague.
Oldest vine in the world

In the heart of the old city centre on Lent, the oldest vine in the world still grows in front of the Old Vine House. The confirmed age is about 400 years, which won it a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest noble vine in the world still bearing grapes. The Old Vine is a symbol of the rich wine culture of the region.

The Old Vine was planted towards the end of the Middle Ages, when Maribor was facing Ottoman invasion. It survived the furious fights between the invaders and the defenders of the city, as the Old Vine House used to be a part of the city wall. The vine was not harmed by the fires then, which occurred frequently due to wooden roof structures and straw coverings, nor by the vine lice that destroyed most of the other vines. Even though the bombardment of the Allied forces during World War II partly destroyed the Old Vine House, this resilient plant survived unscathed.

The Old Vine House is now a museum about the vine and the wine culture in Slovenia including a wine shop.
Grapes growing since 400 years
Why police forces @ Maribor city?
We first wondered which terrorists they expected in lovely Maribor. It turned out there was just a football match tonight. Isn’t that a strange game, where already before the game police forces have to be sent out? We left town to go back to our camper but could hear the helicopter circling over town the whole evening.
Football fans:  Maribor vs. Stockholm
Gostilna (restaurant) Koblarjev Zaliv

For dinner, we went back to where we had parked the camper at the Drau/Drava river. The restaurant at the river allows campers to park for free at a little parking next to the river. Of course, we went for dinner there, as we had heard that the kitchen is very good. They even had vegetarian dishes 😉

Ćevapčići
The spot where we spent the night was perfect: directly at the river (where I went for a swim) quiet, great views, a restaurant nearby, a path along the river to cycle into town and all that for free (46.565452, 15.618377)
Sitting in front of our camper @ Drau river

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