Slovenia: A Beautiful Secret
Chris Cimino
9/17/20246 min read
With Austria behind us, we moved onto our next stop, Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was easier and more cost effective to train from Vienna to our next stop. It's a lenghty ride, about 5 1/2 hours but the scenery along the way is often beautiful, particularly through the more mountainous terrain.
Before moving on, I should point out where Slovenia is located. It's the northernmost country formed from what was once Yugoslavia. It borders on Croatia to the south, Hungary to the northeast, Austria to the north and Italy in the west.
Ljubljana is the capital and almost centered right in the middle of the country.
We stayed in a relatively new, but small boutique hotel in the old town area of Ljubljana.
We quickly checked in and couldn't wait to stroll into the center of town. The weather was perfect as the backdrop for a town that immediately wrapped its arms around us in an incredible comfort and peace. It truly did feel as if we were walking through a movie scene as everything seemed to be there by design and with a purpose. While Vienna was beautiful, Ljubljana was peaceful and calming.
In coming to Ljubljana, we were told the culinary scene was flourishing and diverse. On our first night, we dove right in. We were able to get a reservation at Altroke, a Michelin awarded restaurant in the heart of the old city. It was a 7 course tasting and wine pairing menu. I could go through every dish, but suffice to say they were all delectable and a worthwhile tastebud and texture extravaganza.
With the weather being so much more pleasant, it was a pleasure to walk around town and work off some of that filling meal. The old town of Ljubljana was quite alive and vibrant into the night. The canal on either side was bordered by plentiful restaurants and bars, often with life music entertainment. In people watching, we just sensed alot of happiness and contentment in this small city.
For us it was a fairly late night after a full day of travel. Still out and about at midnight. We had a full tour schedule ahead of us next day, so despite the allure to continue our night a bit later, we turned in.
And yes...all the flower petals were edible.
As I've stated in other travel blogs Edmi & I do not like to do big tours for the whole excursion. That's our choice, but if you prefer to have everything organized by one source and a potential 30 plus people venturing along with you everywhere, then certainly go in that direction.
What we will do however, is take small tours within our travels. I have used Viator to connect me with many different types of tours all around the world and found it extremely rewarding. Below is the link to our three stop tour in Slovenia. It was a great way to fit in as much as possible in a short period of time.
Our first stop, after a scenic drive of approximately 90 minutes, Predjama Castle. This beautiful structure is built into a mountainside cave. Once inside you see how cleverly this protective castle came to be. From the innovative water system built into the castle that would catch rainwater and channel it through a system of basins and pipes, to the history of those who spent time here, as well as the magnificent views from within looking over the hillside, this is truly worth checking out.
For a little more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predjama_Castle
Next up, one of coolest things to see and do in Slovenia. A visit to Postojnska Cave. When I say cool, I also mean the temperature inside the cave. A jacket is definitely recommended. It is great way to cool off however in the hot summer months with the cave temperature hovering around 50F.
The cave tour begins with a really eye opening train ride. It's a little over 2 miles, but gives you the feeling of being a cave explorer while sitting safe and comfortably in your open car.
The remainder of the tour is on foot and is about 1 mile in distance which does include some uphill climbs. Nothing very extreme, but shoes with a good gripping sole are recommended.
We found the tour to be timed out very well and takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to complete. A couple of unique things, besides some stunning stalagmite and stalactite formations, is an underground creature living in the cave, that the locals call baby dragons. Dragons are a big part of the Slovenian mythological history. Basically it's a blind salamander of sorts.
In addition, Postojnska contains the only post office existing in an underground cave. Believe me, that will be one of the last things that impresses you on this tour.
Also, I would recommend buying the combo ticket for Predjama Castle and Postojnska Cave. It saves some money and considering they are fairly close together, well worth experiencing.
I was going to continue with the third stop of our tour, but there is so much to share about that, as well as our day of renting a car and driving to the coast of Slovenia. I will make that into a part two blog. Hope you enjoyed this first taste of our Slovenian adventure.
Sunshine Always!
