3 Things to Love About Slovenia

Slovenia is a young country, having only been independent since 1991. Prior to that, the region was under rule of Austro-Hungary, the kingdom of Yugoslavia, and even Germany for a time during World War II. I was unsure what to expect from this tiny country, and I was pleasantly surprised! Slovenia quickly became one of my favorite countries in the world, and Ljubljana my favorite capital city. Here are three things to love about the country:

1. Lake Bled
We arrived to Lake Bled in a torrential thunderstorm, which dissipated as quickly as it came, and did nothing to diminish the beauty of the area. Lush rolling hills greeted a deep cobalt pool with twisty little paths surrounding it. Families walked, biked and played at every corner, enjoying the now cooled off summer afternoon. It was lovely.
After a massive lunch at Mega Burger, we walked down to the lake and rented a row boat to paddle out to the little island in the center of the lake known as Bled Island. The water was cool and calm with stunning shades of of turquoise and cerulean. I only wish it had been fully sunny in that moment so we could really get the full impact of the color spectrum. Colby rowed us, naturally, since he has Viking blood and all that. When we got to the island, we paid the small fee to climb up to the top of the clock tower for the view, and then entered the adjacent Church of the Assumption to ring the bell. Per the custom and legend, we made our wish as the bell rang to heaven for the Mother of God to hear. Afterwards, we popped into the island cafe Poticnica to try the unique Potica pastry, which is a culinary tradition in this part of the world. Having such a love of all things baked, I was excited to bite into the spiraled crusty cake… and quickly discovered I was not a big fan. Alas, I did find more exciting things to eat at our next stop, which brings us to:

Ljubljana
Legend says the Greek mythological hero Jason founded the city when he defeated a dragon that lived in a large lake or the Ljublijanica River, and dragons have been the symbol for the city ever since. And they sure take their dragons seriously- from the winter Dragon Carnival to the furniture and infrastructure. Even Ljubljana’s castle is dedicated to St. George, who is famous for slaying dragons!
If its mascot weren’t enough to set the city apart, then the energy of the city certainly would. It was so cute. Definitely more “fairy tale” than the other major cities we had been to around Europe, maybe similar to Switzerland, but not as commercialized. I think that may be what I loved most, it was more grassroots and authentic- perfect because it came that way and it didn’t have to try too hard. The little streets wound around the river, and cute little bridges, like Dragon Bridge, crossed over the river often. People were boating and kayaking and wandering around and playing in interactive fountains and it felt relaxed and nice. The city is very walkable, with Ljubljana Castle looming above the tree lined cobblestones. We found a little restaurant with a canal view and I got an amazing fish plate and soaked in the vibes. Finally, we grabbed a different traditional Slovenian cake from Lolita called Kremna rezina, or Bled cream cake. It was like the lightest, fluffiest mass of yummy goodness topped with vanilla custard and dusted with sugar. Sorry Potica.
We stayed at City Hotel, which was nice, affordable and in a great location. There is so much to do in the city, such as the free walking tour, a river cruise, the hike up to the Castle, or just finding a quaint cafe and watching the world go by at its pace.

1. Lake Bled
We arrived to Lake Bled in a torrential thunderstorm, which dissipated as quickly as it came, and did nothing to diminish the beauty of the area. Lush rolling hills greeted a deep cobalt pool with twisty little paths surrounding it. Families walked, biked and played at every corner, enjoying the now cooled off summer afternoon. It was lovely.
After a massive lunch at Mega Burger, we walked down to the lake and rented a row boat to paddle out to the little island in the center of the lake known as Bled Island. The water was cool and calm with stunning shades of of turquoise and cerulean. I only wish it had been fully sunny in that moment so we could really get the full impact of the color spectrum. Colby rowed us, naturally, since he has Viking blood and all that. When we got to the island, we paid the small fee to climb up to the top of the clock tower for the view, and then entered the adjacent Church of the Assumption to ring the bell. Per the custom and legend, we made our wish as the bell rang to heaven for the Mother of God to hear. Afterwards, we popped into the island cafe Poticnica to try the unique Potica pastry, which is a culinary tradition in this part of the world. Having such a love of all things baked, I was excited to bite into the spiraled crusty cake… and quickly discovered I was not a big fan. Alas, I did find more exciting things to eat at our next stop, which brings us to:

2. Ljubljana
Legend says the Greek mythological hero Jason founded the city when he defeated a dragon that lived in a large lake or the Ljublijanica River, and dragons have been the symbol for the city ever since. And they sure take their dragons seriously- from the winter Dragon Carnival to the furniture and infrastructure. Even Ljubljana’s castle is dedicated to St. George, who is famous for slaying dragons!
If its mascot weren’t enough to set the city apart, then the energy of the city certainly would. It was so cute. Definitely more “fairy tale” than the other major cities we had been to around Europe, maybe similar to Switzerland, but not as commercialized. I think that may be what I loved most, it was more grassroots and authentic- perfect because it came that way and it didn’t have to try too hard. The little streets wound around the river, and cute little bridges, like Dragon Bridge, crossed over the river often. People were boating and kayaking and wandering around and playing in interactive fountains and it felt relaxed and nice. The city is very walkable, with Ljubljana Castle looming above the tree lined cobblestones. We found a little restaurant with a canal view and I got an amazing fish plate and soaked in the vibes. Finally, we grabbed a different traditional Slovenian cake from Lolita called Kremna rezina, or Bled cream cake. It was like the lightest, fluffiest mass of yummy goodness topped with vanilla custard and dusted with sugar. Sorry Potica.
We stayed at City Hotel, which was nice, affordable and in a great location. There is so much to do in the city, such as the free walking tour, a river cruise, the hike up to the Castle, or just finding a quaint cafe and watching the world go by at its pace.

3. The Countryside
Slovenia is literally bursting with majestic views. We drove all through the country and never found an ugly, or even mediocre, patch of land. And for a country the size of Massachusetts, there are no shortage of landscape options to choose from. From the Triglav National Park and Julian Alps, to Lake Bohinj and the Soca River Valley. And from the clean waters of the Adriatic Coast, to rural small towns nestled in between rolling hills and winding rivers- it is an adventuring paradise.

We were there in the summer and people were out and about- driving, hiking, biking throughout. It did not feel crowded anywhere we visited, and the locals we met were kind to us. Overall, this country should be on everyone’s bucket list, and I cannot wait to go back and spend more time in this unexpectedly gorgeous country.