»God's blessing on all nations« so begins Slovenia’s national anthem, and - rather than generals - the statues of writers and poets are to be found in this country’s town centres.

With its statue of France Prešeren, one of the greatest poets of European romanticism as well as the author of the above line, and a number of other important Slovenes, Kranj is the cradle of Slovenian national identity.

It is also one of Carniola’s oldest towns, although this strategic locale at the picturesque confluence of Sava and Kokra rivers, had long before been fought over by tribes of mighty warriors before the arrival of settlers who were to become the forefathers of the Slovene. Fabulous jewellery belonging to migrating Slav tribes, who arrived here some 1,500 years ago, remains a major attraction of the town’s regional museum.

A walk through the old town centre and past the Khislstein Castle to a mysterious underground world, the highlights of ancient fashion, poetry over good food and wine, and a glass-plate photograph by Janez Puhar, a local pioneer of plate photography –

it shall all make your day memorable: women, due to the jewellery; and men, due to a woman's smile captured on fragile glass.