We loved Slovenia! Not a huge country, but a huge range of sights, sounds and tastes. Here’s our favourites from a 17 day tour:
Piran
On Slovenia’s short coastline between Italy and Croatia, the old town of Piran is a maze of narrow cobbled streets, archways, snickleways and nooks with hidden squares and churches, views of the blue, blue adriatic, old statues, fountains, and cafes, bars and restaurants. I loved the way the houses are piled on top of each other, and ancient buildings covered in air conditioning units and tangles of power lines and phone wires. We climbed up to the church on the hill, to look back down on Tartini square and had a fantastic calamari and chips in ‘May 1st’ square. I played my first gig at Caffe Galeria.
Rakov Škocjan
This wild karst valley is full of wonders – hidden, misty, forested glades reached through caves, natural bridges, springs, ruined churches and forest pools and more. Although it’s not a big valley (just 6km long), we stayed 3 nights and explored a little each day. The paths of the ‘educative trail’ are mostly even and laid with wood chippings, so it was easy going even for old Marra.
Špajza, Ljubljana
For our 20th wedding anniversary, we enjoyed a couple of days in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, joined by Bev’s bridesmaid (and sister) Fran and my best man (and brother-in-law) Dav. A highlight was a fantastic meal of Slovenian specialties and fine wines at Špajza. Great service and a cool place with lots of little dining rooms.
Zgornje Jezersko
Further north, on the Austrian border, we loved the clean air and the awesome views of the mountains. One night we ate at Vila Planinka, where Fran and Dav stayed, and the next night Bev cooked a 3 course meal for all 4 of us in the van.
View of Lake Bled from Ojstrica
It’s probably the most famous sight in Slovenia, we had to go. And it was nice! A bit of a scrabble at the top, not wheelchair friendly.
Žalec Beer Fountain
Heading east, in the direction of Hungary, Bev said, “Let’s stop at Žalec – its got a beer fountain.” OK! We didn’t know what to expect but we liked what we found. Some guys were drinking and dreamt up the idea of a beer fountain, where you can just fill your glass with lovely beer. The idea grew, and lottery funding made it a reality. You buy a glass with a microchip in the base, loaded with 6 credits. Then you just choose what you want and put the glass in the base of the fountain… Beer! There were a range of local, seasonal and specialty beers. We loved them all. And now we have 2 cool beer glasses for the van.
Slovenia! We will be back 🙂