Renting a car in Slovenia was not the original plan. I had planned to keep my trip on the cheap and take the bus. Renting a car was an idea that came to me on my last day in Sri Lanka and I never looked back. I arrived in Ljubliana and spent a day and an evening there with Deborah my Steiner spa girl who i had met last year during training in London. She showed me around this beautiful small city and explained all the amazing history the country and its surrounding countries had. It was the beginning of my history lesson in the Balkan countries. We explored the beautiful streets, Tivoli park and even tried a traditional iced coffee- with an actual chocolate ice cream inside (dream drink). My time in Ljubliana was short but oh so sweet. I couldnt wait to return.
The next morning I checked out of Hostel Tresor and went to the car rental company a mere 5 minutes walk away. I was given the cutest most girly car in the whole place, and I couldnt wait to drive. I figured i would be fine considering i had experience driving on the right hand side in america. It wasnt until I made my way out of the car park to the real world that i realised this was slightly different. In America we had an automatic car so it was one less thing to think about, whereas here i had a manual and it was a little bit tricky to concentrate on traffic, signs, GPS and gears. However there was no going back now. It was an adventure.
The feeling I got when i reached the highway, turned on the tunes full blast and admired the most beautiful scenery in front of me, was indescribable. I felt freedom id not felt in a while and I was so excited. My first stop was Lake Bled, where I stayed at Vila Mangart, a long walk out of the town but a short drive. Luckily I had met a very kind lady on Couchsurfing who let me park at her place in town while i explored, to avoid hefty parking fees. I explored the lake, climbed to the castle which looked over the turquoise waters, I ate traditional 'Bled cream cake' and even took a trip to Lake Bohinj, the less touristy more quaint neighbour lake. In Bohinj I took the cable car to Mt Vogel (15euro return) which had stunnign views of the lake and the beautiful mountains which turned Ski resort in the winter. I was raging i didnt have my runners on and some shorts to go walking up there, too bad i didnt do my research, but I enjoyed the views and came back down to spend the day at the lake, swimming and sunbathing. Parking in Bohinj was also a nightmare although it was free at Mt Vogel, the rest was paid parking. Luckily on my way out of town, having given up, I noticed a gravel road by the tourist office with some parked cars, so i parked there for 4 hours hassle free.
While in this part of Slovenia i also visited Vingtar Gorge which is close to Lake Bled and is absolutely amazing even if i had to pay 5euro to enter. The water in Slovenia is the bluest most natural Ive ever seen, on paar with New Zealand and Canada for sure. I met Cilka, the lady from couchsurfing in Bled for an evening beer and some wine tasting and she kindly set me up to stay with her brother in law in Piran, I was so thankful. Bled and Bohinj exceeded my expectations and Slovenia in general made me wonder why I hadnt come here before. I couldnt wait to see what was next.
After Lake Bled, I planned to head off in the direction of Tragliv National Park and onwards to Bovec where i would stay a night. This was probably the most adventurous/terrifying/thrilling days of the whole trip, as i took 50 hair pin bends up the steep mountains to reach the top of the Vrsic Pass, known to be one of the most treacherous drives around. Once again, I hadnt researched...... Anyway, reaching the top, i took a deep breath and thanked my lucky stars for surviving, especially in this foreign car. With my breath back I looked aroudn in awe and couldnt believe the amazing scenery around me. The height of the mountains was incredible and I was so thankful to be experiencing this. I headed off downhill, to Bovec, one of the cutest alpine towns around, where i enjoyed visiting the fortress, wandering the town and the hostel was also a huge highlight- Hostel Bovec. The location was unbelieveable and the scenery from the dorm windows looked photoshopped, they also had a free breakfast and geat outdoor area to relax and watch the sun set.
From Bovec I drove to Goriska Brda (the less touristy version on Tuscany) STUNNING! I did some waine tasting at Vinska Klet and then made my way (through italy) to Vipava where i would taste more wine and stay for the evening. After a stressful venture through Gorizia with road diversions in Italian, i finally got to Vipava and found myself signed up to a wine tour with Jonny and Rebecca my new english friends. The evning was amazing, and along with a canadian couple and our guide, we headed to two different family owed vineyards. Slovenia, little did i know, is home to some of the worlds best wine but its kept in Slovenia because the country sint big enough to export huge quantities therefore, leaving it for all of us wine lovers to taste as we travel around the region. It was one of the best evenings if not the best of the trip.
After Vipava, I headed to Piran via Koper, a small coastal town, busier than Piran though. The old town was beautiful to wander around and I stayed with Igor in Piran, Cilkas brother in law, which was excellent. He took the time to show me all around Piran, took me on a hike, we went swimming in the ocean, he made some beautfiul fresh meals and even took me to a fashion show located in the main square which i really enjoyed. I was so overwhelmed by hospitality all over slovenia i didnt want to leave, but unfortunately I onyl had a day to get back to Ljubliana, return the car and head to Croatia for my next adventure.
Overall, Slovenia was beyond incredible. The scenery was sp picturesque that sometimes it didnt even look real, the people were so friendly, the wine was cheap (1.50 a glass), the water was some of the best in the world, especially at the Soca River which i drove passed (known as the most beautiful river in the world), the pizza is just as good as Italy and the overall vibe from Slovenia was so positive and uplifting especially in these summer months. I couldnt wait to plan a trip back.
sLOVEnia
The next morning I checked out of Hostel Tresor and went to the car rental company a mere 5 minutes walk away. I was given the cutest most girly car in the whole place, and I couldnt wait to drive. I figured i would be fine considering i had experience driving on the right hand side in america. It wasnt until I made my way out of the car park to the real world that i realised this was slightly different. In America we had an automatic car so it was one less thing to think about, whereas here i had a manual and it was a little bit tricky to concentrate on traffic, signs, GPS and gears. However there was no going back now. It was an adventure.
The feeling I got when i reached the highway, turned on the tunes full blast and admired the most beautiful scenery in front of me, was indescribable. I felt freedom id not felt in a while and I was so excited. My first stop was Lake Bled, where I stayed at Vila Mangart, a long walk out of the town but a short drive. Luckily I had met a very kind lady on Couchsurfing who let me park at her place in town while i explored, to avoid hefty parking fees. I explored the lake, climbed to the castle which looked over the turquoise waters, I ate traditional 'Bled cream cake' and even took a trip to Lake Bohinj, the less touristy more quaint neighbour lake. In Bohinj I took the cable car to Mt Vogel (15euro return) which had stunnign views of the lake and the beautiful mountains which turned Ski resort in the winter. I was raging i didnt have my runners on and some shorts to go walking up there, too bad i didnt do my research, but I enjoyed the views and came back down to spend the day at the lake, swimming and sunbathing. Parking in Bohinj was also a nightmare although it was free at Mt Vogel, the rest was paid parking. Luckily on my way out of town, having given up, I noticed a gravel road by the tourist office with some parked cars, so i parked there for 4 hours hassle free.
While in this part of Slovenia i also visited Vingtar Gorge which is close to Lake Bled and is absolutely amazing even if i had to pay 5euro to enter. The water in Slovenia is the bluest most natural Ive ever seen, on paar with New Zealand and Canada for sure. I met Cilka, the lady from couchsurfing in Bled for an evening beer and some wine tasting and she kindly set me up to stay with her brother in law in Piran, I was so thankful. Bled and Bohinj exceeded my expectations and Slovenia in general made me wonder why I hadnt come here before. I couldnt wait to see what was next.
After Lake Bled, I planned to head off in the direction of Tragliv National Park and onwards to Bovec where i would stay a night. This was probably the most adventurous/terrifying/thrilling days of the whole trip, as i took 50 hair pin bends up the steep mountains to reach the top of the Vrsic Pass, known to be one of the most treacherous drives around. Once again, I hadnt researched...... Anyway, reaching the top, i took a deep breath and thanked my lucky stars for surviving, especially in this foreign car. With my breath back I looked aroudn in awe and couldnt believe the amazing scenery around me. The height of the mountains was incredible and I was so thankful to be experiencing this. I headed off downhill, to Bovec, one of the cutest alpine towns around, where i enjoyed visiting the fortress, wandering the town and the hostel was also a huge highlight- Hostel Bovec. The location was unbelieveable and the scenery from the dorm windows looked photoshopped, they also had a free breakfast and geat outdoor area to relax and watch the sun set.
From Bovec I drove to Goriska Brda (the less touristy version on Tuscany) STUNNING! I did some waine tasting at Vinska Klet and then made my way (through italy) to Vipava where i would taste more wine and stay for the evening. After a stressful venture through Gorizia with road diversions in Italian, i finally got to Vipava and found myself signed up to a wine tour with Jonny and Rebecca my new english friends. The evning was amazing, and along with a canadian couple and our guide, we headed to two different family owed vineyards. Slovenia, little did i know, is home to some of the worlds best wine but its kept in Slovenia because the country sint big enough to export huge quantities therefore, leaving it for all of us wine lovers to taste as we travel around the region. It was one of the best evenings if not the best of the trip.
After Vipava, I headed to Piran via Koper, a small coastal town, busier than Piran though. The old town was beautiful to wander around and I stayed with Igor in Piran, Cilkas brother in law, which was excellent. He took the time to show me all around Piran, took me on a hike, we went swimming in the ocean, he made some beautfiul fresh meals and even took me to a fashion show located in the main square which i really enjoyed. I was so overwhelmed by hospitality all over slovenia i didnt want to leave, but unfortunately I onyl had a day to get back to Ljubliana, return the car and head to Croatia for my next adventure.
Overall, Slovenia was beyond incredible. The scenery was sp picturesque that sometimes it didnt even look real, the people were so friendly, the wine was cheap (1.50 a glass), the water was some of the best in the world, especially at the Soca River which i drove passed (known as the most beautiful river in the world), the pizza is just as good as Italy and the overall vibe from Slovenia was so positive and uplifting especially in these summer months. I couldnt wait to plan a trip back.
sLOVEnia
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