- 18. How to (Ski) Fly with Eurosport commentator and Olympian Jernej Damjan
- 17. Slovenia's Good Demons: Kurentovanje in Ptuj
- 16. When ESPN Comes to Slovenia: An Interview with Renowned Basketball Reporter, Tim MacMahon
- 15. The Endless Honeymoon: HoneyTrek's Mike and Anne Howard visit Slovenia
- 14. Foreign Writers Inspired By Slovenia
- 13. A Conversation with Alex Crevar, the Ambassador of Slovenian Tourism 2022
- 12. Transformational Travel in the Logar Valley
- 11. A Talk With Kate Wagner About Slovenian Cycling Phenomenon
- 10. Olympic Training for the Mind: A Conversation with Sara Isaković
- 9. On World's Oldest Grapevine and Maribor
- 8. Cycling in Slovenia with Tour de France Champion Tadej Pogačar
- 7. A Bee's Eye View on Slovenia
- 6. Easter Traditions in Slovenia
- 5. Garden Village Bled: Active Getaway Among the Tree Tops
- 4. A Visit to the Lisjak Olive Mill
- 3. The story of the best farmed fish in the world
- 2. Slovenian Skiing Success with Ilka Stuhec
- 1. The Expat’s View of “the World’s Best Country”
Welcome and dobrodošli ...💚
... to Feel Slovenia the podcast, the official podcast of the Slovenian Tourist Board and gold winner of the international Golden City Gate Award.
In each episode, your host, Dr Noah Charney, will explore what he has called “the world’s best country:” meeting locals, traveling, eating and getting to know the very best of Slovenia. Where should you go when visiting Slovenia? What should you be sure to do, see, eat and experience? Join us for the ultimate insider’s guide to the country.
Meet your host, Dr Noah Charney
The podcast is hosted by Dr Noah Charney who has written numerous articles on Slovenia's tourist attractions in world-famous media. He also lives in Slovenia, which gives him an insight into the culture, customs, current topics and, last but not least, the tourist offer from the perspective of foreign observers.
How to (Ski) Fly with Jernej Damjan
This episode is about how to fly. Ski fly, that is. The sports of ski jumping and ski flying are hugely popular in Slovenia and throughout mountainous Europe, but not as well-known elsewhere. To learn more about this dramatic sport, Dr. Noah Charney spoke to Olympian Jernej Damjan. Jernej was a bronze medalistat the 2005 World Ski Championships and represented Slovenia over a career that spanned more than a decade, including four Olympic appearances. He is now a color commentator for Eurosport as well as a man active in the business and administration worlds, helping fellow athletes and his sport to develop. They also speak about Planica, where every March, the main tournament draws tens of thousands. It’s an informal national holiday in Slovenia, and has been called the Super Bowl of winter sports.
Slovenia's Good Demons: Kurentovanje in Ptuj
This episode is dedicated to a unique tradition in Slovenia—Kurentovanje. This ancient pagan festival features friendly demons who chase away winter and invite in the spring. Kurents’ door-to-door rounds are one of the best-known carnival traditions in Slovenia. In 2017, UNESCO added door-to-door rounds of Kurents/Korants to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Dr Noah Charney spoke with an experienced photographer and travel writer who follows carnivals around Europe, Rudolf Abraham; Ann Abel, an American travel writer and editor at Forbes, and Uros Cajnko—a local who, every year, dons one of the Kurent costumes.
An Interview with ESPN Basketball Reporter, Tim MacMahon
Anyone who follows NBA basketball news knows Tim MacMahon. He’s among the world’s best-known basketball reporters. Dr Noah Charney caught up with him on the last day of his visit to Slovenia in September. They talked about what he saw during his first trip to Slovenia and about his time covering basketball, Goran Dragic and Luka Doncic. That a reporter of his renown was in Slovenia was big news. Based in Dallas, Texas, Tim is a seasoned sports reporter, having begun his career writing for the Dallas Morning News, where he worked from 2003 until 2009. Then he made the move to ESPN, the American sports media empire that is the very pinnacle for sports news.
HoneyTrek's Mike and Anne Howard on Slovenia and Traveling the World
When Americans Mike and Ann Howard set off on their honeymoon back on January 22 2012, they thought they'd spend a year travelling the globe. 11 years later and counting, they're still on the same honeymoon. They just kept on traveling and doing it the right way. They're focused on sustainable travel, destinations and modes of transport. One of their favourite destinations and one they're eager to return to is Slovenia. They visited it last September and fell in love with it. They traveled around with an electric vehicle and explored the alpine peaks, the Adriatic coast, wine country, historic villages, and the culinary scene. In the podcast, they unveil their favourites in Slovenia and when they first heard about it. They also reveal useful hacks about how to pack for a decade-long journey and what’s the relationship secret of a couple who spend 24 hours a day together, 7 days a week, for more than 600 weeks running.
Foreign Writers Inspired by Slovenia
“Bohinj is too beautiful for murder,” said Agatha Christie, when interviewed by a national TV journalist during a holiday there in 1967. From room 204 of the Hotel Bellevue, Christie and her husband, a famous archaeologist, could see the expanse of the Julian Alps and the crystalline, wild splendor of the lake mirroring pines and peaks. Though Christie found Slovenia too beautiful for a whodunit mystery, many other famous authors set novels here, including Ernest Hemingway, Peter Handke, Paolo Coehlo and even Giacomo Casanova. This episode looks at foreign writers inspired by Slovenia, and includes conversations with two famous writers who live here, Miha Mazzini and Svetlana Slapsak.
Travel Writing about Slovenia: A Conversation with Alex Crevar, the Ambassador of Slovenian Tourism 2022
Dr Noah Charney has been writing about Slovenia for more than a decade, regularly covering it for The Guardian newspaper’s travel section, but also writing about it everywhere from Lonely Planet to National Geographic, from the Washington Post to Atlas Obscura. Writing about Slovenia is particularly rewarding, as it so often feels like your articles open up a hidden doorway for readers with limited or no preconceptions about a country they will inevitably love. His guest in this episode is perhaps the most prominent of all travel writers who write regularly about Slovenia: Alex Crevar. He currently lives in Škofja Loka and was named Ambassador of Slovenian Tourism in 2022. Dr Noah caught up with him on the sun-drenched terrace of Hotel Plesnik in the Logar Valley, while attending the Transformational Travel Council, which is the subject of its own episode.
Transformational Travel in the Logar Valley
In this episode, Dr Noah Charney attends the annual gathering of the Transformational Travel Council, an organization that promotes this sort of travel experience and helps design trips that will be transformative. For their first post-pandemic conference, they chose Slovenia thanks to its leading role in sustainable tourism development and the success of the national sustainability certification scheme, the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism. TRANSCEND '22 was attended by more than 100 renowned foreign journalists, tour operators and travel agencies, as well as travel industry experts. Journalists present at the event create contents for globally recognized and prestigious media such as The National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Conde Nast, New York Times, BBC Travel, Forbes and many others. Listen to what the participants had to say about Slovenia.
A Talk With Kate Wagner About Slovenian Cycling Phenomenon
In this episode, over brunch at Ljubljana Castle, Dr Noah Charney interviews American journalist Kate Wagner. Kate has a diversity of interests, but is best known as a cycling journalist. She's covered La Vuelta, the Tour de France and all the biggest races, and has profiled and extensively interviewed Slovenian cyclists, including Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, who are also the ambassadors of Slovenian tourism. They spoke about her love for Slovenia – where she hopes to move, at least for a portion of each year, and dove deep into the triumphs of Slovenian cyclists. One of her latest articles with a meaningful title "Who the Hell Even Are You, Tadej Pogačar?" is a must-read for all who are keen on getting to know him and the Slovenian sports mentality.
Olympic Training for the Mind: A Conversation with Sara Isaković
Sara Isaković is a world-class swimmer from Slovenia. By winning a silver medal in the 200 meter freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she became the second woman in history to swim that race in less than 1 minute and 55 second and the first Slovenian swimmer to win an Olympic medal. After her swimming career, she has focused on developing a mental training program. Today, she coaches top athletes, managers about how mindfulness and mental preparation can maximize one’s potential. In the podcast, she explains why Slovenians are so good at sports, what made her so good, why Janja Garnbret is her favourite Slovenian athlete and which Slovenian dish helps you achieve top results.
On World's Oldest Grapevine and Maribor
In this episode, Dr Noah Charney talks about the world's oldest vine, which is over 450 years old. The Old Vine is considered the jewel in the crown of Maribor, Slovenia’s wine-loving second city located in the north-east of the country. To unveil all the fun facts connected with the Old Vine, he talked with Aleš Jenuš, Maribor City Guide, two renowned Slovenian sommeliers, Nina Bratovž and Jernej Lubej, who organises the Big Guy's Wine Tour, and Michael Manske, an expat to Slovenia, the host of entertaining radio show "How to Become Slovene". Of course, they couldn't go without mentioning also other sightseeing spots worth visiting in Maribor and its surroundings, which is why this episode is a must for all who plan to visit Maribor.
Cycling in Slovenia with Tour de France Champion Tadej Pogačar
Slovenia's best ambassadors are its elite athletes – including top cyclists Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, who are official ambassadors of Slovenian tourism. Slovenians love sports and engaging with the outdoors – the country is perfect for it. Whether you're interested in mountains or plains, coast or hills, Slovenia has it all. And this diversity of terrain makes Slovenia the perfect spot for a cycling holiday. In this very special episode, Dr Noah Charney interviews Tadej Pogačar. He's the reigning, two-time Tour de France champion, an Olympic bronze medalist, and still only 23 years old. He also won Tour of Slovenia last year and will fight to keep the title this year as well. They discuss Slovenia's gastronomy, his personal life and trainings and where to cycle when you visit Slovenia.
A Bee's Eye View on Slovenia
Welcome to this special episode of Feel Slovenia the Podcast celebrating World Bee Day (May 20), declared in December 2017 by the United Nations — and this was originally a Slovenian initiative. Slovenes have the most beekeepers per capita in the world, and we’ll hear from several of them in today’s episode. The guests include Lucie Grace, a British journalist who visited Slovenia to write a feature on its apiculture traditions. Mateja Reš runs the Garden of Tastes, Dr Peter Kozmus, who is one of Slovenia’s leading beekeepers, and leads the breeding program for the Carniolan Gray Honey Bee as part of the Slovenian Beekeeper’s Association and Gorazd Trušnovec, who was the first urban beekeeper in Slovenia, and now oversees hives at 12 locations on the roofs of buildings in Ljubljana. Let’s take a look at what all the buzz is about!
Easter Traditions in Slovenia
Regardless of your faith, there’s one thing we can all agree on: holidaysbring together family and involve good food. For this special episode of Feel Slovenia the Podcast we’ve focused on the culinary traditions around Easter. Our host, Noah Charney, chatted with five different people to bring you a broad array of thoughts about Easter. This included a pair of curators at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum, Nena Židov and Anja Jerin, Janez Bogataj, the leading expert in Slovenian ethnography and culinary heritage, Špela Vodovc, author of the hit cookbook, Cook Eat Slovenia and a tour guide and finally, you’ll get to meet his 80-year-old grandmother-in-law, Mama Tončka. What are the key components of an Easter breakfast and what do they symbolize? What’s the story of one of the most famous Passion plays in Europe? Tune in to find out!
Garden Village Bled: Active Getaway Among the Tree Tops
Ever wanted to eat cream cake in a treehouse? Who hasn't, right? In the this episode, expat writer Dr Noah Charney set off into the trees to visit Garden Village Bled, an eco-friendly resort that recalled his childhood fantasies. Then it was time for a bite to eat. Noah already knew about Bled's famous cream cake, so he was curious about what other local specialties there were to try. Turns out there are many... A visit to Garden Village Bled is a journey back to nature. It's an experience that will make you no longer want to sleep in a hotel room. This is a green story about wellness in a miniature landscape park in the direct vicinity of the famous Lake Bled, where you can connect with nature, with yourself, and with your loved ones. If you are curious to find out more about Bled cream cake, read more here.
How To Taste Olive Oil: A Visit to the Lisjak Olive Mill
On Slovenia’s Adriatic coast, near Koper, stands an olive oil farm run by the Lisjak family, who produce some of the best olive oil in the country if not in the world. Dr Noah Charney visited them for an olive oil tasting and was particularly intrigued by their single source indigenous varietals the sort of product that is not only best here, but which can only grow here. He spoke with Matej Lisjak, who runs the family business, as well as Petra, a representative from the prestigious Kempinski Palace Hotel in Portoroz. Together they offer a unique experience involving olive oil, truffles and plenty of one-on-one time with Matej himself. What are some tasting tips for olive oil? And what does olive oil made in the northernmost part of the olive producing belt of Europe taste like? Join us to find out this and a whole lot more!
The story of the best farmed fish in the world
This time, Feel Slovenia the Podcast takes a trip to the seashore. Dr Noah Charney speaks to Irena Fonda of Fonda Fish Farm, one of the world's best, specializing in sea bass. Fonda Fish Farm is also one of the providers that hold the Slovenia Unique Experience label, which guarantees that you will experience Slovenia’s originality in an unforgettable way and with all of your senses. What's the secret of their success that makes their farmed sea bass nearly indistinguishable from line-caught bass? What tips can we learn from an expert on how to shop at the fish market? Learn all this and more in this virtual trip to the Adriatic Sea.
Slovenian Skiing Success with Ilka Stuhec
Though Slovenia has a small population, it has enjoyed a great deal of success in world sport at the highest level. Ilka Štuhec is one of the many successful athletes who inspire both the Slovenian and international public. Many people wonder what it is about Slovenia that makes it one of the most successful countries in the world in terms of sporting achievements per capita. One of the reasons is definitely the wide range of outdoor activities available throughout the seasons. Since it is nestled in the Alps, it is no surprise that skiing, in a variety of disciplines, is among Slovenia’s best sports. In this episode, Dr Noah Charney spoke to world-renowned downhill ace Ilka Stuhec about her career, her hometown of Maribor and the best foods to eat prior to a World Cup championship.
The Expat’s View of “the World’s Best Country”
In the first episode of Feel Slovenia the podcast, Dr Noah Charney, an expat to Slovenia and a world-renowned author, who is also the host of the podcast, describes how he came to live in Slovenia, after having “auditioned” numerous other countries, and why he thinks so highly of it, as a place to visit or move to full-time. In the process, he spoke to many fellow expats from a diverse array of countries to learn why they love life on the sunny side of the Alps. In each following episode of Feel Slovenia the podcast, he will explore what he has called “the world’s best country:” meeting locals, traveling, eating and getting to know the very best of Slovenia. Where should you go when visiting Slovenia? What should you be sure to do, see, eat and experience? Join us for the ultimate insider’s guide to the country.
Interactive Media KIT 2022
Take time to browse through the interactive version of the Media Kit 2022. The best experienced in the desktop version, do not forget to turn on the speakers and enjoy in videos showcasing the diversity of Slovenia, special hints for 2022, exciting unique experiences and unforgettable events, which will inspire you to explore and write about Slovenia. Diversity guaranteed, excitement as well!
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