The Olimje Minorite Monastery was an interesting place to visit, and not just on account of extremely humorous and English-speaking friar. He had been in a monastery in Kenya for some year, I gather.
The Monastery buildings, dating from 1550, were high baroque, with an extremely ornate interior as shown in the accompanying pictures. But the inhabitants had a few 'vices', with expertise in distilling 'medicinal' schnapps (I'm trying to import a bottle with me back into Australia and will claim it as a medicine), herbal medicines and chocolate (also in my suit-case)! You wouldn't expect a bunch of respectable clerics to produce anything like common booze would you?
The pharmacy, as it was called, is the third oldest in Europe and dispensed medicines to the monks and villagers made from local ingredients. The chocolate was presumably to while away long evenings and provide the monks with anti-oxidents!
AS
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