FALLing in Love with Slovenia
When I mentioned to people I was gong to Slovenia, 75% of the time I was met with ‘why?’ But that other 25%, they knew exactly why.
I booked the trip with two girlfriends - Jenna and Megan - what seems like ages ago. And after what a rough week at work, on Friday morning we were on our way.
We arrived in the capital city of Ljubljana just after noon and headed into the old city. Most old cities have small pedestrian areas in the city center, but the but whole old city is off-limits to cars, which makes it a pedestrian and cyclists’ paradise.
Across Europe this weekend we had the most gorgeous Indian summer weather, so we grabbed a table outside overlooking the river and sat for lunch. With the sun blazing down on our backs, it was a picture perfect way to begin the weekend.
Next up: an afternoon walking tour of the city. Free walking tours have become my favorite thing to do when first arriving in a new city. Not only does it help orient you, it gives you just enough background and history to make you feel like you have gotten to know a place and also helps identify what you want to come back to on your own.
Our tour did not disappoint. It was the perfect length - 2 hours - and we hit all the hotspots:
Prešeren Square
Triple Bridge
Dragon Bridge
Central Market
Congress Square
Robba Fountain
Ljubljana University
And saw several other historic and beautiful sites
Friday night we found a delicious Italian restaurant right in the heart of town. Fun fact: Slovenia borders Italy, so not only is there a high population of Italians living there, the Italian food is AMAZING! And the wine scene? Phenomenal. Local Slovenian wine is high in quality and low in quantity, which is why they aren’t exact the most well known for their wines.
On Friday night we scoped out the local bar scene and settled on a local beer bar along the riverbanks.
On Saturday we slept in and found a cute cafe for breakfast. We then began the small trek up to Ljubljana Castle, meandering through the quaint shops in the old town along the way.
Aside from Italian food, Slovenia is well-known for fresh fish, so a visit to the fish market was most definitely in the cards. We shared freshly grilled octopus, devoured amazing salmon soup and tried the famous Slovenian orange wine for lunch part 1.
Our next moving was a relaxing boat cruise down the scenic and calm Ljubljanica River. The fall foliage along the way made for an excellent accessory on this bright, sunny fall day.
And then it was time for lunch part 2. We just had to try the local specialty - Štruklji. This is a dumpling like food that comes in both savory and sweet varieties. We tried a mushroom and chestnut for the savory and a banana chocolate for the sweet. We chose very well!
Our bellies full, we rushed off to the open-air produce market to stock up on goodies for our hike the next day. Fresh plums, large avocados, sweet tomatoes, delicious peaches and more! We even popped into a honey specialty store to get a honey spread. Another fun fact: Slovenia is known for honey. When in Rome!
Our last stop before dinner for the day was a wine tasting at a local wine purveyor. He pulled up a table and three chairs for us so we could watch as the people went by. We tried a red, white and the local orange.
Our plan for Sunday was to hit the road early, pick up a rental car and head to Lake Bled. If you visit Slovenia, this is a MUST! It totally made the trip.
Lake Bled is about 45 mins from the city, and a quick and easy drive...well, for Jenna, who was the only one who volunteered to drive.
We made a pit stop at Vintgar Gorge. It’s about a mile-long hike where each twist and turn led to an even more scenic view. We started on the trail shortly after 9am, so still benefited from the crisp morning mountain air.
After our successful hike we piled back in the car to drive to our first Lake Bled location - Bled Castle. Pro tip: avoid climbing up the castle and take the path that leads behind the castle to go around and up. We followed a deserted trail until we reach the most stunning views. We then set up shop here for our picnic lunch.
Well, we thought these were the views. Just you wait.
As we drove along the lake, we stopped at the different look-out points as the views got better and better.
Then we came to Mala Osojnica - a steep (and I mean steeeeep) climb. Up we went!
I cannot recommend Slovenia more highly! The food was delicious, people are super friendly, city sites plentiful and the nature, well, the pictures just don’t even do it justice. You’ll just have to take my word for it ;-)
Until next time...
