Slovenia

Ljubljana

After we passed through Slovenia on our way to Hungary for the Kayaking competition, we decided that we had to come back. Plainly and simply it is astonishly beautiful at nearly every turn. Our first stop on the return leg was the capital Ljubljana. As the story goes, this is where Jason (as in Jason and the Argonaughts) slayed the Dragon and founded the city....I think he is actually credited as being the first resident. You can see a dragon motif throughout the town too. Its not too hard to actually picture a Dragon perched on the castle that overlooks the old city (which is where we stayed...the old city not the castle!). The city is fantastic this time of year, and I think it gets better through July.


Culturally there is a lot going on in the city most of which is free to the public. One event that we attended was a public performance of Swan Lake (by the national ballet) in Presemon square, in the old city. Although the show was great, the thing that made this unforgettable was the fact that it is actually based on the life and death of France Presemon, Slovenia's most famous poet, and is set right there in Ljubljana. There was a giant statue of him next to the stage looking up towards Julia's window. Some of the backdrops that were used were pictures of buildings....nothing special until we realised that you can see the buildings from the square. Great coincidence for us, great planning by them I think.


We like most other people in Ljubljana this time of the year also spent a lot of time sitting next to the canal sipping drinks watching the nice clean water flow by.


One evening we went up to a local restaurant and I think they were so happy to see us that the big old chef did his best to poison us with home made digestives....they were really nice, flavoured with different herbs and things. Each time you said they were nice he just smiled and said "I know" as he poured you another flavour...


Bled

Our next stop was Bled, kind of an adventure sport base in the Julian Alps. Bled is famous for its lake, island in the lake and castle that overlooks the lot. The lake is a beautiful acqua colour that really stands out, especially when the sun hits it, and the view from the castle up the mountain is fantastic.


We spent a few nights in the Bled, from which we also visited Vintgar Gorge, which makes the Crystal Cascades in Cairns look like nothing.


We also ventured over to Lake Bohinj and went kayaking.


After four days in town we moved a little bit out of town to the base of the mountains to Hostel Jakeli with eggs for brekkie and Slovenian home cooking for dinner. The hosts have been really nice and we also managed to squeeze in a horseriding trip, a picnic by another small lake in the mountains, and a quick beer with the Bears at a restaurant in the mountain. Its really nice being in a small town and riding through fields where they are collecting the grass and drying it on racks to use as stock feed for winter.


Our time is Slovenia has been relaxing and enjoyable from start to finish. The tourism offices have been the best we've come across, everything is so organised and easy, and the people have been so friendly and helpful to us. On top of that the country itself is beautiful and it doesn't feel like you're getting exploited as a tourist at every turn which is a welcome change. We can't recommend Slovenia enough, and may have another contender for our White Christmas location at the end of the year!