Ptuj

Pronounced Put-toey, in case you’re wondering, but I reckon for me it’ll always be Per-tudge. This small town was chosen as a picturesque stop-off on our way east and is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Slovenia. This is the approach to the town from the campsite along the path atop an embankment of the river Drava.

Stone Age remains have been found, but recorded history starts with the Romans, followed by numerous other occupiers and invaders the latest being the holidaymakers. The old town is full of buildings like these in the photo. They look somewhat Austrian in appearance which is not surprising as the town was part of the bishop of Salzburg’s domain for many centuries.

The white monument in the right of the photo also doubled as a stocks to which offenders were chained from rings in the base. Ringtones had a different meaning in those days.

From here we walked up to the castle, a 12^th century structure built by our favourite bishop from Salzburg, but much altered since so that is currently looks like a bigger version of the George Hotel in Huntingdon. I say you can’t be a proper castle without a moat, a keep and drawbridges.

The photo below shows a panoramic view over the town from the edge of the castle courtyard. The Town Tower on the left is a splendid feature with its onion dome, and the river Drava top right which has been dammed into a lake. The Drava is an unknown river to us Brits but it’s twice as long as the Thames and has a huge volume of water as can be gauged from the first photo taken from the embankment. 

The olde worlde cobbled path down from the castle was typical of many in the town and the Town Tower again adds its attractive presence. I ought to be writing this stuff for an estate agent. 

Our campsite is 1km from the old center and is part of a thermal baths complex. The site itself is pleasant and modern with cabins and camping pods to let as well as camping pitches. Camping pods? In this case, huge barrels converted into sleeping accommodation (necessarily located close to the loos). If the river overflowed you’d presumably just bob about a bit until rescue arrived.

We also made a quick trip to Ljubljana to meet up with nephew David for lunch and have a wander around in the afternoon. This is us later in the central square snapped by an obliging tourist. 

Ptuj, and Slovenia in general, is a delightful place. There is a great variety of scenery and history, and everwhere is so neat and tidy, particularly the gardens, that it’s a credit to the residents. 

Next stop Budapest, Hungary.