A Weekend in Slovenia

This past weekend, Liz, Maggie, Sarah Grace and I embarked on a trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Rather than a flight or a bus we instead opted to use a service called Terra Travel. We, along with about 10 other people, were driven in a van to Zagreb, Croatia. From Zagreb the four of us went on to Ljubljana.

A trip that should’ve taken 5 hours ended up taking 8. Getting to Ljubljana was an adventure for sure. A psychotic cat, 3 stops, and a van change later we finally arrived at our hostel at 1 am. We all passed out instantly in hopes of making the best of the day that followed.

We woke up and officially checked into the hostel and enjoyed a breakfast provided by them. After getting ready to head out we got some recommendations from the hostel staff. We chose to do take the free walking tour. We headed out with a roommate in our hostel named David. He’s originally from Ireland but is currently working in London.

The walking tour was just what we needed to get a taste of the city and to help us decide what to do next. We saw some wonderful sites and got to experience the outdoor market a bit. Let me tell you the food they were cooking smelled amazing! We knew we would have to come back for lunch.

On the tour, we met a young man from Queens, NY named Victor. He currently is working on his Master’s degree at the London School of Economics and is working in London as well.  He had a friend meet up with him half way through the tour, Zihan. They both went to the University of Chicago and are both now working abroad. Victor in London and Zihan in Copenhagen.

After the tour, the girls, our three new friends, and I headed back to the market to chow down on some food. I, along with two others, had some kind of Egyptian chicken wrap. It was probably the messiest meal I’ve ever had but boy was it worth it. The others got Thai, bratwurst, and barbecue. We sat down on some stairs in the market and enjoyed our meals under the sun and clear blue sky.

My chicken wrap

After lunch, we headed up to the castle. Though it was a steep climb, the view of the city with the Alps in the background was breathtaking! We hung out there for a while taking in the view and chatting before heading to our next stop: Metelkova, an alternative culture center. Here we got to see some neat and unique street art. Each part of the center was vastly different from the next. After exploring the area, we all decided we would head to a bar for a drink and to hang out for a bit.

View of Ljubljana from the castle

Metelkova – Alternative Culture Center

Instead of going to a bar we decided to buy some drinks at a supermarket and enjoyed our drinks down on the riverside. The weather was perfect and we all just sat out in the sun enjoying each other’s company.

Where we sat along the Ljubljanica river

That night we decided to all do a pub crawl together. We had a great time! It was a small group of about 20 people but it was the perfect size. We got to know everyone pretty well and it was an all around good time. Though Ljubljana is a small city, that doesn’t stop it from having great night life!

Saturday morning we woke up, ate, and headed to Lake Bled. The 11 am bus was sold out so we ended up taking the noon bus. We had to occupy ourselves a bit so we just wandered around the area until it came time to board the bus.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Though the bus ride was miserable (it was waaaay too warm in there), we all seemed to love the lake. A day near the lake is just what I needed. Since we were all famished, our first stop was a little restaurant near the lake. After we finished up our meal, we took a stroll to the other side of the lake. We ended up on some docks just basking in the sun next to the water. It was incredibly relaxing and such a beautiful site. This bright blue lake is situated in a valley. The view, no matter which way you turn, is exquisite. 

The bus ride back was much more enjoyable since the temperature was more suitable. Once we returned to the city we wandered around looking for a restaurant. We walked up and down the river trying to make a decision about which restaurant we wanted to eat at. In the end, we pigged out on some delicious burgers. 

Sunday might’ve been my favorite day. We weren’t leaving until about 6 pm so after we checked out of our hostel we had the whole day to spend in the city. We started off by walking around a bit and doing some souvenir shopping (of course). The weather was perfect. 67 degrees and sunny. We all agreed that ice cream was nonnegotiable. The four of us enjoyed some gelato at a desert place beside the river. After that we spent some more time walking around and looking at some stands near the market.

Our gelato

We ended up walking back through the open air market where they were having a Grill & BBQ Fest with a DJ. We couldn’t resist because the smell was sooo compelling. Some of us got food and sat at a table in the market. The smell of people grilling and the feeling of the sun on my face are two of my favorite things in this world. The rest of the day was pretty much spent sitting in the sun enjoying our last few hours in the marvelous city of Ljubljana. We sat with a couple from Pittsburg and got talking about Game of Thrones since they are traveling to Dubrovnik, Croatia next. For those of you who don’t know, Dubrovnik is King’s Landing in GOT. We will be traveling there at the end of the semester.

The open air market (yum!)

Seating area in the market

While we were sitting at the market, we ran into Victor (our friend from the tour). The day before we ran into some people who we met on the pub crawl. When I say Ljubljana is a small city I mean SMALL. By the time we left we had probably gotten to know about 10 people relatively well. We ran into them all more than once within the duration of our stay. That is one of the things I love most about this place. It’s a lively city that boasts a wide variety of restaurants, bars, shops, and things to do. But, it’s small enough where you can run into familiar people. Ljubljana has such a “homey” feel to it. Slovenia really does have a lot to offer. Whether it be a day at the lake, the caves, or a even a skip trip, this little country has it all. I will 100% be back as soon as I can and I highly recommend this destination to you all. This country is not one you want to miss! 

One of the stands from the market

 

 “Adventure is worthwhile.” – Aesop