Polhov Gradec - Part 2

After leaving the Božnar Honey House, Marjan and another friend of ours, Maja, drove us to the top of one of the hills of Polhov Gradec to visit a beekeeper named Matjaž.  Matjaž bought some land next to the church there three years ago and built a beehouse that doubles as his weekend cabin, and it might be the coolest building I’ve ever seen.  There’s a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, bunk up above the hives, and even a basement with a shower and washing machine.

Matjaž thought through everything when setting up his land.  For his fifteen hives of bees, he planted lavender a few feet away “so the bees don’t have to fly too far”, along with a small fountain that stores rainwater (he turns on the fountain as a water supply for the bees when things get dry).  He also planted a HUGE garden, rows of sage behind the building, and a few “bee trees”, which are popular among beekeepers here because they bloom in late summer after everything else is done.

Matjaž could have kept us there for days showing us everything he does (and honestly, I would have stayed).  He loaded us up with his award-winning honey and was especially excited to let us try his honey beer, honey and blueberry liqueurs, and apple juice, along with a huge plate of cookies for the kids.  All of it was fabulous.

And then, it was back to Marjan’s house with a quick stop at his neighbor who keeps 200 hives all over Slovenia and has his own honey-processing "kitchen" (check out the drums of honey below – they’re all full!).  Marjan and his wife, Mojca, treated us to homemade sausage, cheese, and ice cream.  A spectacular end to a spectacular day!