Ending March (22- 3. - 24. 3. 2018) Rajzefiber agency with supporters arranged Festivals of Walks in Maribor to promote some of the attractions in town. My heart raced hard from the day of announcing the festival and I applied for all the events that were timely possible. Let me tell you a bit about the ones connected to food and wine, i.e. culinary of Styria region..

Taste Maribor! was called the walk through some places strongly connected to food. Slovenia is a small country so its neighbours are close and influential. From Maribor there is just fifteen minutes drive to Austria, half an hour to Croatia, an hour to Hungary and two hours to Italy. Each of them had influence on nutrition and eating habits.

It was Gostilnica "Pri Damah" (restaurant) that we visited first, social entrepreneurship on the right river bank. The manager introduced the kitchen, they mostly prepare porridge dishes (spoon food). We tried two of them, "ričet" and "bograč" and two beverages, "melisin sok" and "bezgov sok", everything made from ecological stuff in house and not expensive. It brought me back to times of my grandmother who knew cooking such dishes. I enjoyed food and memories..

On our way through town centre on the left bank of Drava river we have almost overseen the “Zadruga Dobrina” (cooperative) greengrocery shop. It is located in a narrow passage but making great impression with selling locally grown food and vegetables. Visiting small shop one can subscribe to weekly delivered “green box” - agricultural products from wider area. We tasted some varieties of cheese and got warm with walnut liqueur.

“Gostilna Maribor” (restaurant and hotel) was our next stop. This one was impossible to oversee since it is located on the Main square. Three hundred years old house was recently professionally renovated. Old walls still speak of rich history but allow one to enjoy modern amenities. We first enjoyed the welcome speech and introduction of hotel manager and then got into the culinary part of the offer. What was to taste? There were dishes like fried chicken, red chicory with warm potatoes and greaves and beef salad. I couldn’t help myself but tried all of it. Delicious. And surprised since I have never tasted such a combination of chicory salad before. A glass of dry wine, produced just outskirts of town, fit nicely, too.

Last post of this tour was former coffee house and casino, today “Salon uporabnih umetnosti” (Salon of Applied Arts). Over one hundred years old house was architectural pearl when built. Nowadays it is hosting artists when selling or performing. Old glory might even come back, it is also used for concerts and dancing again. Well, time was not right so we just let us serve some coffee and herbal tea (herbs harvested on Pohorje hill on southern border of town). This was very nice finish of festival walk, to rest our feet and exchange impressions.

Everything begins with first step. Ours was into Gambrinus bar, small place of deep and strong feelings. Locals frequent it as football fans and dark interior is full of football relics. There is more behind, though. Gambrinus as personality from Middle Ages was a patron of beer brewing and the house where bar is located was once a brewery, too. The owner is inclined to czech varieties of beer that resemble the taste of beer once brewed here. It was Poutnik lager beer in fact that we drank. Light in taste.

Few streets away totally different interior waited for us. Isabella is a modern bar - shiny surfaces, new tastes. We got Human Fish beer to taste, brewed in Slovenia. Human Fish is also the name of first slovenian craft brewery. Our sample was Combat Wombat, beer combination of five types of hops, of light amber color and dirty white foam head. It was just strong enough that language brakes of our international group loosened.

Third and final stop was at Pivarna, the only beer shop in Maribor. Three samples of beer were arranged, Tetkina radost, Champion and Hop Hazard, Pale Ale, all from Lobik Brewery, Maribor.  This one holds title of the best newcomer craft beer brewery in Slovenia 2017.
​How should I comment? I liked all those samples, full smell and taste they have all even when different, but to bring home I bought Champion!

This one was the last on my schedule. This festival walk should have been best organised because Tourism information office in Maribor already sells this tour. Introduction was short since in Maribor one learns about wines on every corner. History goes back to Romans who brought vine here. But it was Austrian Archduke Janez (Johann Baptist Josef Fabian Sebastian) that found viticulture in Styria left behind and transfered wine varieties of the Rhine vineyards to his Meranovo estate near Maribor. Great success made this the center of modern viticulture in Slovenian and Austrian Styria.

We had three stops scheduled. International group was first led to Dveri pax, wine shop and bar in Slavija office building. We tried two dry wines, Šipon from 2016 and Rhein Riesling from 2015. None of them made lasting impression, I would prefere them with food. But I know, it is dry that is trendy!

Just few minutes away flows Drava river. There is a remarkable medieval building on the bank, called Vinoteka Vodni stolp (Water Tover Wine Shop), where first slovenian wine shop is situated. Small surprise awaited us, we got three samples: Šipon again, but from Puklavec wineyards, Sauvignon from Malečnik and house wine called Vodni stolp. While all wines that we tasted were straight, the last one was blended (Šipon, Sauvignon, Rhein Riesling). It didn't win.

Last stop at Lent, again on the river bank was the most anticipated! There was the Old Vine house, a wine muzeum and also/maybe the best stocked wine shop in Slovenia. In front of house grows the Old Vine, by Guiness Book of Records acknowledged as the oldest noble Vine in the world, with proof of being more than 400 yers old. Žametna črnina (black velvet variety of grapevine) still brings grapes, which accounts for about 20 litres of wine yearly, put in artistically designed small bottles. No, we didn't taste it, it only serves protocol (like presidential visits).

What did we taste at the Old Vine house? First sample was young wine (ranina, 2017) from Steyer, followed by Sauvignon blanc from 2017, produced by Kobal, dry and straight, smell and taste fuller than varieties we tasted before. But it was Muscat (rumeni muškat) from Senekovič later, half sweet wine of 2016 with great bouquet that really brought smiles to our faces. Nobody thought about what is en vogue (fresh and dry) or about the "long road" that we walked along until coming here, the museum guide had hard time answering our questions. This clearly was the winner, yes!

Did I mention there was Chili & Chocolate Festival in Maribor last Saturday, too? Hard to believe these two ingredients go together well. But one can buy and taste some interesting, funny things like chocolate wafel with chili. I did. And didn't feel the expected hot taste. "Complaining" about it the lady said my expectations could not be met because the wafels were made for children ;-)

Anyway, street food as a niche product (be it on food trucks or stalls) is slowly catching ground. Few festivals throughout the year are held to promote this kind of food. For now people think of it more like attraction than something to be taken seriously.

All photos made during days of festival: ©2018 Rasto Kirn & ©2018 Olesya Kirn

Just few weeks ago the biggest tourism fair in Berlin, Germany closed its doors. ITB, World’s Leading Travel Trade Show was very important from sustainability view since this time a special day was dedicated to sustainable tourism. Tourism destinations that are active at dealing with climate change and contribute with awareness got acknowledged at the award ceremony. And yes, I am proud to say that among “Best of the Best” the award for best European sustainable destination went to Slovenia Green Destinations (Maribor is among 23 destinations that make this association)

It is already forgotten that Maribor was one of the most important industrial towns in former Yugoslavia. After year 1990 change of politics changed the economy perspective to the worse. But this is past. Nowadays people see less opportunities in big factories and more in personal involvement. Life is coming back mostly with sports, art and cuisine, all important also for tourism. Some "recent" facts:

• Barbara Cochran (USA) won slalom at World Cup Golden Fox competition (on Pohorje hill just outside town) in 1970, Tamara McKinney also won slalom there in 1985, Lindsey Vonn was a winner of giant slalom in 2013, Mikaela Shiffrin won slalom in 2015, 2017 and 2018 (this lear, the competition was held under Golden Fox name in another Slovenian ski resort Kranjska gora).
• This year few European championship in other sports will be held in Maribor, too. After all, Maribor was chosen as European city of sports in year 2018.
• Maribor held title of "European Capital of Culture" in 2012. We expected more from it, nevertheless art exhibitions outside state galleries and open air musical concerts gained ground and will likely stay.
• Last years attracted many foreigners. There are people from 160 different countries currently living in Maribor. Some of them started food businesses. Italian, english, vietnamese, chinese, serbian, greek, arabic restaurants brought much needed competitiveness.
• And few enthusiastic (mostly NGO) organisations try hard with designing new tourism products, open food markets and food truck festivals. The latter don't have tradition here, but people are slowly getting used to it.

Nowadays Maribor breaths with wide lungs. A town with university and youngsters is situated among the ski slopes of Pohorje mountain, wine growing hills and rural fields. Here "from farm to table" really means that - ordinary farmers' market is working every day, ecological one twice a week, organic one every Friday. Educational and most tourism stakeholders claim to behave sustainable.

Far away from being overcrowded Maribor enjoys lazy mediterranean mentality. It takes just two hours by car to the Adriatic coast. People like to meet outside (taking coffe break outside even in winter). Yes, during business hours streets are full, but since the city center is closed for cars a tourist can enjoy time visiting museums, windowshopping or photography. And get pampered with food and drink.

Probably the most known touristic product in Maribor is the Old Vine, the oldest vine in the world. It is growing in front of the Old Vine House (Hiša stare trte) and proofed to be at least 400 years old. It still brings about 20 litres of wine every year, that is put in small bottles and presented to state visitors. One can not buy the wine, but harvesting festival ("trgatev Stare trte") in early fall is open to public.

No, harvesting is not the only festival here. There are musical festivals, visual arts, poetry, children, beer festivals. People from Maribor are very outgoing, one doesn't need much to take a stroll even when this means just coffee with friends. In open air, of course...

​Photo: ©Rasto Kirn