I’m not quite sure what drew me to Slovenia. I don’t know anyone that has been there, and I know very little about the country, except that it was part of the former Yugoslavia. Recently, I read that the Slovenes have surpassed the Brits in terms of household income, which is a huge increase since they only became an independent nation in 1992. I had also heard that the Julian Alps were stunningly beautiful for hiking, and that there was this amazing cave in Postojna. The latter I knew from my mom, way back in 1972 when we visited the “old country” of my grandparents. Then, she desperately wanted to get from the area around Dubrovnik and Kotor where her parents were born to Slovenia, but at that time, travel around Yugoslavia was far from developed. The old train route that the Habsburgs had put in was dismantled and the national airline was hardly known for its safety or on-time arrivals. So we never went to Slovenia then.
I was flying from Jordan to Croatia, where I planned to spend a month, and looking at a map, I saw how close Ljubljana was to Rovinj, my Croatian destination. I also had seen enough photos of Lake Bled and its island church to know I wanted to see that with my own eyes. I flew into Ljubljana and rented a car for a week, hoping I could see the best of the nation in that short timeframe. It’s a beautiful country with over 50% of the land being untouched forest. All that greenery doesn’t happen by accident; it rains a LOT in Slovenia. I was there in early May, and we still had snow on the mountains and several days of rain, but I lucked out with days of sunshine, which brings out the “party” in all the locals.
Ljubljana is the capital and is a small city of fewer than 300,000 people. In fact, all of Slovenia has just over 2 million residents, most of which are ethnic Slovenes, but with large populations of Germans, Austrians, and Italians. This isn’t surprising given Slovenia’s history of being a battleground. Since before the Romans entered this area, it’s been fought over because it is such a rich land, and such a GREAT agricultural area. In fact, farming is one of the top occupations, and most of the people I met were proud to announce that they grew all their own food. Sustainability seems to be a hot topic, and I saw plenty of wind farms, e-vehicles, and bicycles. The people love the outdoors, and during the summer, the place is jammed with hikers, bikers, campers, swimmers, kayakers, and every other form of outdoor exercise.
I spent 2 days in Ljubljana which was perfect. I arrived on Friday morning, and found the city abuzz in the sunshine. Alongside the Ljubljanica River, which flows through the center of the Old City, are cafes, boat docks, a central market, churches, all overseen by the towering castle on the hill. It’s nice to hike up to the castle and enjoy the audio tour which explains the history. In addition to outstanding views over the city and towards the mountains, there is a charming puppet museum (yes, Slovenia has a rich history of puppetry – think of the scene in “The Sound of Music”), and a history museum of the country. Every Friday night from April through October is Open Kitchen, a market area where local restaurants provide dinners, almost like a massive food truck arena without the trucks. You can buy a glass of wine, and eat a full meal, for just a handful of euros. I found an amazing Indian place making masala dosas, and they were perfect, just like in India!
I stayed at the Art Hotel, which is a charming little inn right in the center of the city. They offer breakfast and on Friday night, they had live music and an art exhibit. Like always, when you stay in the “old town”, buildings are close together and it’s not going to be completely quiet in the evening, but that’s part of the experience, for me. On Saturday, I continued exploring the city, walking through some of the beautiful parks, including Tivoli Park which has formal gardens, picnic areas, and plenty of hills for exercise. That evening I had an amazing dinner at the recommended Julija restaurant, right near the river, and with the most perfect homemade gnocchi with truffles and porcini mushrooms, followed by apple strudel. Slovenia is a wine making region, so it was easy to find delicious wines. Usually, I get the house white or red, which always provides a healthy pour for under 3Eur.
On Sunday, I started driving around the country, stopping first at Lake Bled. I was lucky that it was still a sunny day, so hiked up the Mala Osojnica, a steep, steep trek up the mountainside to a viewpoint. It’s not a long hike, but the incline is absurd, and you are climbing over tree roots and then up a rock face to get there. Via Ferrata cables are helpful. Lake Bled is the most touristed part of Slovenia and it’s easy to see why. Between the castle on the north side of the lake, the beautiful church in the town of Bled, the island with its charming boats, and a walking path all the way around the lake, there is plenty to see and do. I couldn’t believe there was also an accordion festival on the day I arrived – polka music all afternoon including a competition, and loads of food booths to enjoy as we sat lakeside.
I had booked a hiking guide online, through Triglav Tours, and was pleased when Miyumi, originally from Japan, now living in Australia, decided to join me and our guide Jan. Jan had plotted out an excellent hike, about 10 miles, reaching into the clouds in altitude, and then descending through a beautiful forest. Along the way, he showed us the remnants of WWI bunkers and artillery areas. Slovenia was fiercely fought over in WWI between the Austro-Hungary empire and the Italians, who were on the side of the British. Somehow, more than 10,000 men lived in a cave bunkers for several years, using a chain pulley system to stock supplies, as they fought over this land. After the war, Slovenia, and many parts of Croatia, were given to Italy as a reward. The area again saw fighting in WWII, and the lands were then given to former Yugoslavia. It was only in 1992, with the fall of the Soviet Union, that Slovenia became independent. They quickly joined the EU, and have been making their mark ever since.
After my hiking adventure with Jan, I was ready to tackle Triglav National Park, the only national park in Slovenia, and a place of outstanding natural beauty. My adventure began with crossing the Vršar Pass, a road built by the Hungarians in the 1920s with 50 hairpin turns, steep inclines, very few pullouts, and stunning beauty that challenges you to keep your eyes on the road. Despite the 14% grade for most of the way up (in US terms, that’s a climb of 3000 feet in less than 5 miles), there were sturdy souls cycling their way up the mountain. As I headed down toward Bovec, my next stay, I stopped to hike along the Soča River, a roaring waterway of aquamarine glacial melt. The Alpe Adria Trail goes through Triglav and I trekked part of that. You can actually go hut-to-hut, but those don’t open until June, and book up fast. I can see another trip for that!
Bovec is surrounded by farmland, and every hotel and restaurant serves locally crafted cheeses, meats, vegetables, fruits, and pastries. The water is delicious straight from the tap, and the food is beyond fresh. There are fields of orchards – apples, plums, peaches – as well as plenty of goats for all that cheese. I dined on local goulash, a legacy from the Hungarians, and had Gibanica for dessert. This Balkan pastry can be sweet or savory; in Bovec, it was a multilayered cake of fresh ricotta, phyllo dough, apples, and walnuts. It’s traditionally served at weddings.
My final stop was at that famous cave: Postojna. Slovenia is riddled with karst caves, formed as water leaks into the flaky limestone of the hills, in this case, through the Pivka River which now flows both above and below ground. The cave is 15 miles long, with four caverns interconnected through the underground river. The caves are home to the “olm”, a troglodyte amphibian, an aquatic salamander endemic to the Dinaric Alps, which run throughout the Balkans. The olm lives in complete darkness and is blind (well, that makes sense!), but it’s sense of smell and hearing are overdeveloped. It’s a European cousin of the Mexican axolotl that we saw in the rivers of Mexico City, so that was fun.
It was time to drive to Croatia, and I did so by heading to the Slovenian coast. It’s always vital for a country to have a port, and there are a few in the small area between Italy and Croatia, including the cute hillside town of Piran. Here I found the most dysfunctional parking lot ever, inside, with several levels down, but with ramps sized for tiny, tiny cars. It took me 20 minutes to get to my parking space, including lots of backing up and moving forward inches to avoid hitting the walls or another car! Whew! But the town itself was lovely, and like most of this coastline, was developed by the Venetians in the 1700s. Gelato is widely available!
I know some folks are nervous about traveling solo. I found Slovenia to be very easy to do so. The people are friendly, and the hotels are small, so often I met other hotel guests (including a fascinating group from the Colorado National Guard). I also find that the wait staff, if you are dining alone, will spend extra time with you, chatting about local dishes and wines. At Julija, in Ljubljana, the waitress Katarina and I had a good conversation about life in the city. It’s also fine to drive in Slovenia. While there are toll roads, the rental cars are fitted with a transponder that just clocks away the fees, and you get the bill at the end. I pretty much charged everything to my Visa card, so didn’t need an ATM – I had a handful of Euros and most importantly coins (often necessary for public toilets).
I have decided that of all the countries I’ve been to, and that’s a lot, Slovenia is the most underrated. The hiking is simply divine, and the countryside is beautiful. The food is fresh and delicious, and the people are friendly. The history is quite rich, and pretty much everyone speaks English so getting around isn’t difficult, although it’s always appreciated to know a few words in the local tongue. May and September are the best times to visit because it’s VERY crowded in the summer months, and it’s cold and rainy/snowy from November through April. Even in May, I needed my fleece and rain jacket, although I gather that’s a little unusual. If you are looking for a destination that offers the castles of Germany, the mountains of Switzerland, the charming cottages of Bavaria, the food of Austria, and the dolce vita mindset of Italy, Slovenia is for you. Živjeli! (that means “cheers”!)
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