It is hard to believe that it’s been almost a week since we left home already. Our first stop on our travels was a two night stay in Hammelburg in Germany. Mike and I had been awake since 4.30am and we left the house at 5.15am with ten of the children.
The combination of the 13 hour drive, colds breaking, whining kids and extremely stormy weather on our arrival left us with no way of clearing the cobwebs and my stress levels hitting an all-time high, which is saying something, as they can hit levels even Tim Peake isn’t familiar with. Two days later and we were on another marathon drive to somewhere I knew we would all be happier.
This one stop that we were all looking forward to making was our return visit to Domačija Paternoster in Tenetiše, Litija. I cannot stress highly enough how wonderful this place is. If you are looking for somewhere to take the kids where they’ll experience animals, wonderful surroundings and Slovenian hospitality, do book yourself a camp stay here. Full details of what they do and offer is now available on their website and we just love them. Go, visit, stay and try great homemade produce too.
We arrived late in the evening after yet another long drive. The turn of the weather meant that the plans to sleep in the hayloft were changed and they had very kindly arranged apartments for us to stay in instead – something we were extremely grateful for come the stormy rains that decided to lash down and fail to stop.
Dinner, a toast and then bedtime for us, before rising to another damp day. It wasn’t going to spoil our fun as the kids were keen to re-explore the placed they fell in love with back in May.
The new apartments that were in the process of being built when we previously were here were now finished. Inside were beds, a shower and a toilet.
Outside were the beehives…
The change of the weather meant that most of the animals were now snug and warm in the barns. There was still the pond with fish to feed…
…and ducks to walk…
…and fishing rods to make out of sticks and string…
There were swordfights to be had…
And who can resist a go with a traditional water pump?
Not Anna…
There’s always a game of football under the shelter of the barn with new friends, both human…
…and non-human…
And there was just, well, the sheer joy of being there!
Or just working on looking cool.
There was also a chance to get our hands a little bit dirty. Jaša took his little group of fans to pick grapes from the vine…
And Paddy, keen to try his hand at anything, asked if he too could have a go at snipping off the grapes…
Bowl after bowl was filled with dark purple fruit…
It took a little teamwork to carry the grapes back to the barn…
Where we needed to start working through the pickings…
Soft or discoloured grapes were discarded while the good grapes went into a separate bowl…
Helena then showed the children how the grapes would be turned into syrup. Of course, Paddy was there to lend a hand…
“I can make syrup now!”
There were LOADS of grapes to get through, so many that Libby didn’t think the odd one or two or 20 would be missed…
It turned out that there were more grapes than patience, as after a while there was only Ollie left diligently getting on with finishing the job. So I gave him a hand to the finish line…
And the result was bottles and bottles of…
Our day at Domačija Paternoster was already packed with new memories but it wasn’t over yet! The evening had us in for a wonderful surprise, where they had arranged a brilliant magician to put on a show for us!
No prizes for guessing who offered to be his assistant…
Anna managed to get in on the act too..
And the grand finale was the most fantastic accordian performance. This young girl was incredible!
The whole day was so much fun!
Backing out of the drive the next morning as we left for Italy, we all felt the same sadness on leaving as we did before on having to say goodbye to such lovely, warm people.
We hadn’t even left the small village when several of the children piped up how they missed it.
We know exactly how they felt.
We wish to Nace, Helena and Jaša and Domačija Paternoster for their warmth and hospitality once more. We really love you guys!
Do not visit Slovenia without at least stopping by Domačija Paternoster to try and buy some of their homemade produce for yourself. The cheese is just unreal! Click here to find out more about staying at Domačija Paternoster and experience it for yourself.
This post has been featured on the Family Travel Tips linky.
It sounds like you’re starting out on a fantastic trip, and what a lovely place to start. I’ve spent a few days in Slovenia and would love to explore more of it. Farm stays are such a great option for families. #familytraveltips
It’s such a beautiful country indeed. We can’t get enough of it!
This place looks amazing for kids. We’re thinking of heading to Slovenia next year so looking for tips and advice #familytraveltips
Definitely go there! Definitely, definitely, definitely!
I also just linked up a blog post about wonderful Slovenia (https://shadesofcourage.com/2017/09/15/12-reasons-why-slovenia-is-the-ultimate-european-family-travel-destination/).
we also got to experience 2 lovely farm stays in Slovenia. Nice to see that we are not the only ones who feel in love with this little beautiful country. #familytraveltips
I really don’t think people appreciate just how beautiful this place is! I know I didn’t but am so glad we discovered it. We really love it.
What a warm welcome – and a cool activity for the kids! It made me smile to read about them all giving up on the grapes, till only one was left 🙂
Oh, what a wonderful place and brilliant that the children were able to get involved with picking and processing the grapes. Funnily enough my girls have helped to harvest and sort out bucket loads of grapes over the past few days too, but we’ve turned them into jam! Definitely somewhere we’ll look up when we head that way in a few years time.
Nat.x
I was wondering what to do in Slovenia. Now I know. This looks like a really cool and fun place. Cheers.
Definitely pay a visit if you can!