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Slovenia

Written by Ben on July 19, 2006 |

The following post will be generally short and curt, but do not make a mistake in thinking that I didn’t do much in Slovenia. In fact, I think I had a full and enjoyable time in the country. However, one may infer that I am currently short on time (busy busy).

I spent a good eight hours on the train from Budapest to Ljubljana, Slovenia, during which I started and finished “Eureka Street” by McLiam. It’s not much to note except that I really did enjoy this book. I got off the train to a night’s weather likened to having a damp warm cloth wrapped around one’s face. I waited under a McDonald’s sign for Jaka to pick me up– there seems to be a McDonald’s everywhere I go. I had nothing to eat on the train so we drove for an evening’s fast food dinner– Burek. It was a nice greasy baked flaky calzone-croissant like monster filled with cheese and ham. Yummy! This induced coma gave me some really needed rest.

The next morning, Tuesday, I continued a restful pace by waking up late, lounging, and writing emails. I only went into town for a bit, just the briefest of trips.

The real site-seeing started in the evening after Jaka got back from work. We took a nice drove out to the countryside, to a small lakeside resort town called Bled– it sported just a few tourists and its main attraction is its crystal clear lake.

After a quick walk around, we went over to visit Jaka’s home village. The drive nicely wound through the countryside impressed me with its well kept (modern) roads. One would have thought the highways were completed just yesterday. At the village, we had dinner at an outdoor pizzeria and relaxed. Stuffed, we headed back to Ljubljana. The scenic drive was just that, perfectly scenic. If any place matched the beauty of New Zealand’s countryside, it is Slovenia. The Slovenian reaction would be to say that New Zealand’s beauty would be the one matching Slovenia. If one travels to either place, one will be mightily impressed– outdoor activities (camping, hiking, canyoning, rafting, etc) and all.

Wednesday day– a walk around the town, up the castle. Let me say that the castle is way up on the top of a hill. The steep climb proved to be a very challenging obstacle– started at the farmers market (first picture). But I triumphantly made it to the top for a nice modern castle. Modern? Yes, the facades were getting renovated, the castle gate was made of modern steel, and the cafe & souvenir shop were housed in modernized rooms.

Evening came and my walk ended. A nice relaxing trip to the coffee shop with other Couch Surfers completed my evening. I absolutely love talking with others about most random topics– Slovenian universities and schools.

And this brings me to my final night in Slovenia. The event was a filling dinner– bursting stomachs all around– at a hilltop restaurant near Skofja Loka, about 22 kilometers north west of Ljubljana. The dinner was a plate full of meats and vegetables, although it is difficult to see where the vegetables are in the picture. The platter was for four, and we just stuffed ourselves. The house wine was full bodied, zet somehow simple (almost plain). It went down like water, and somehow ran like water. The after dinner liquor was, probably homemade, made out of blueberry– a very sweet taste. Cappuccino, mixed with lots of sugar, made for a good stomach settling digestive. We were finished; we were all satiated. A nice after dinner walk through 500 year old buildings in town and a visit to a 14th century castle got everyone feeling better… but the drive home put me to sleep.

I headed off to Venice the following day… and looking back… I hit a wall in travelling by the time I got to Slovenia. And even though I did quite a few things in that country, I came away very happy and rejuvenated. The place is magic.

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