Slovenia. A little something for everyone. Nature? History? Wine? Arts? Caves? Mountains? Cathedrals?
Gots it all.
Several times I've been asked how I pick my destinations and if I just throw a pin at the globe to see where I am going next. That is *not* how I roll. But kind of.
When a friend was planning a trip to Croatia she asked me if I knew anything about Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital, a short drive away from Zagreb. I said nope and off to Google Images together we went. THAT'S how I often find my destinations. Just as I enjoy taking pictures of my food, I also savor the colors of beautiful places, architecture and the idea of finding something new. Colonial architecture in many parts of the world is sure to do me in.
I had no clue what Slovenia had to offer and didn't know many people who have been there (now I do!). I knew it would be a good place because it's small and wherever I went I would never be in the car for too long.
My good college friend Renée had free time on her hands last week of June and enjoys planning trips way more than I do. So with that, we (she?) built a rocking itinerary covering city, nature and wine. What's not to love?!
The people have been so incredibly kind with impeccable English. For whatever we couldn't do in English, my Russian rescued us. Renée put her Italian to work when we crossed over into Italy and together we made it work. The Slovenes are happy. They are eager to show off their land, tell stories and answer whatever question I had. 100% of people we talked to were happy to have Slovenia in the EU, with absolutely no mention of Yugoslavia unless I brought it up.
Slovenia has three large wine regions and we settled for the one closest to Ljubljana, Goriška Brda, which happens to border Italy and specializes in sparkling. Yes, please.
The wine country views are awe inspiring, wine truly delicious. We counted that between all the tasting and visits we probably tried around 50 wines. I am by no means a connoisseur so I can't speak to anything other than my preference and cost. I know in the future I'll seek out Slovenia's wine on the menu and surely hope to back to the other wine regions.
Another thing that caught my attention was the abundance of the arts. Every corner in any city has an advertisement for a festival (theater, music, folklore), someone playing an instrument - accordions, guitars, bass, and of course, that one time when we walked into an entire orchestra sitting under a tree shade along the Ljubljanica River Promenade doing their thing. Children's paintings adorning the windows of Piran's library, beautiful paintings on wine barrels. You can tell this is a place where arts run deep and as a visitor it's a feast for the eyes.
Even though one of our days in Lake Bled and Bohinj was impacted by the rain, the nature activities seemed neverending as well. We hiked, saw caves and waterfalls, rafted and could have had done lots more had the weather cooperated. I've never been to Switzerland but the Alps here took my breath away so now I must go.
Random Slovenia observations:
-When given a chance to eat at a castle, do it. A Slovenian Master Chef Judge Jezeršek has restaurants in several castles all over the country. It'll be a meal you'll remember!
-Kavalir - a free green shuttle (read: golf cart) that will take you anywhere in the old town of Ljubljana. So easy, convenient and why doesn't every small town have this?
-Always so good to see people being active. Any size, any age, any gender, eeeeveryone is on a bicycle. Some on the road, some on the sidewalk but everyone is moving. 🚴♂️🚴🚴♀️ 💨
-Euro Pop is thriving. Ace of Base? Yup, still rocking!
-Lake Bled - best food we've had.
-I'm incredibly inspired to do more with my balcony - more flowers to come! Bright and pink, I'm sure.
This trip has been a blend of carefully chosen places and restaurants and "Hrmmm, lets see what today will bring." Regardless of what we did on any particular day, it was always fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. Even if Renée pointed out my constant stream of positivity. Yup, that's how I roll and Slovenia made it too easy!
How do you decide where to head to? What's on your bucket list? Are you a planner or into deciding what the day brings as it comes?
