Written by Indu
with edits by Caleb
Forty years ago, Caleb’s parent served in the military and were based in Germany. They had always talked about visiting again one day, and we were determined to make sure that happened. We visited a slew of beautiful places with them — Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Croatia, and Slovenia.
In Slovenia, we spent a majority of our time in the Lake Bled area, which was gorgeous. On our way from Lake Bled to Croatia, we stopped by Ljubljana for lunch. After only an hour there, Caleb and I decided it was a city we would really love to visit further.
A year later, here we are visiting Slovenia using Ljubljana as our home base. This visit has bumped Slovenia up to the top of my Places I could Live list and there are a few reasons why.
. . .
9 Reasons to Fall in Love with Slovenia
1) There is something for everyone. If you ask most Californians what they love most about living in California, you’ll hear one answer a lot — we have everything here. Mountains up north. Long stretches of coastline. Beautiful lakes. Deserts down south. Big cities. Rural countryside. Diversity like this is something I really loved about living in California and something that really sold me on Slovenia.
A small, but mighty coastline
This time around, we based ourselves in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia that is conveniently located central to most things in Slovenia. This afforded us the ability to see the Adriatic coastline of the historic Piran.
Lakes that fairy tales are made of
We also got to see mystical bodies of water like Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj, where you can stroll around leisurely or get more active with kayaking and water sports.
Dreamy mountaintops & country roads
If you want to take a break from the water, you can take a drive through the Julian Alps for breathtaking mountain views and cute villages.
A city with loads of character
And for my city folk who love shopping, eating and enjoying architecture, Ljubljana has a modern town as well as an old town to stroll through.
2) Instaworthy seasons. We have now visited Slovenia in two seasons: summer and fall. The summer was crowded, alive with people enjoying their vacations. The weather was perfect – warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt, but not so hot that you had to avoid staying outside for long periods of time. The trees were green, lake water warm, and overall, it was a very pleasant time to visit.
When we visited Slovenia this year during Fall, things were different. It rained for several of the days we were there, but it made the scenery look more mystical, if anything. Trees were covered with red and orange leaves — it looked like a perfect northeastern fall. Just add a cup of coffee, and you’d swear you were in the middle of Stars Hollow for autumn …a fictitious town known only to white girls in their late 20’s and early 30’s.
We have yet to visit Slovenia during Spring and Winter. Spring, I imagine, is similar to summer since the temperatures are pretty moderate. Winter is what I really want to see. From the pictures I have gleaned, it looks like it becomes a truly magical place! Obviously this picture isn’t mine 🙂
3) An outdoor culture. It’s no surprise that having mountains, lakes, and seas at your disposal contributes to a pretty amazing outdoor culture. But it is much more than that. Ljubljana, for example, has a big biking culture. The infrastructure is centered around this biking culture, providing raised pathways exclusively for bikers to use.
In addition to the outdoor-friendly infrastructure, Slovenian’s love to dine outside.
If you go to any large park in Slovenia, you will see that it is treated as an outdoor space where people are expected to spend a lot of time at. As such, the parks we saw were outfitted with cafes and bars in the center. Some parks, like Tivoli, even had extensive amusement areas with putt putt golf and outdoor arcade games! When we walked through, a group of guys were playing ju jitsu – one does not “play” jiu-jitsu…you train. In any case, they were training in kendo… – outside while a group of kids played in the arcade area.
4) Diversity in food. After being on the road for a few months, I started to crave non-local food. I think a month of delicious Italian food will do that to anyone (as unbelievable as that is). When we got to Koper, a coastal town in Slovenia, I saw a restaurant called Chada Thai. Ignorantly, I laughed, thinking “Thai food in Slovenia? I bet that’s great…”
I’m from the Bay Area and, truthfully, I couldn’t feign the idea of Thai food being better anywhere else besides Asia and Silicon Valley. Stupid, right?
Well, shortly thereafter, I was eating my words, along with a delicious serving of Panang Curry and spring rolls. Not only better than I expected, it was some of the BEST Thai food I’ve ever had! Those spring rolls!
That experience opened me up to trying all sorts cultural foods on our trip — and Slovenia was great for it. Unlike some other countries we have visited where it was hard to find food from other cultures, Slovenia embraced the challenge. We took advantage of this opportunity and had Mexican, Indian, and Thai food (again).
Also, obviously, you can get some amazing Slovenian food…especially up in the mountains! Gostlina Zratnik is a place we discovered last year with Caleb’s parents. Located a short drive from Bled, Gostlina Zratnik specializes in grilled and smoked goodness. We made several trips back during the few days we spent in Bled for the delicious food and kind hospitality!
5) Extremely kind people. I was writing a separate piece called “the warm people you meet in the Balkans.” I put it on the back burner for now, because nearly half of the examples I had were people from Slovenia. That’s how nice people are. Here are a few examples of moments that touched me:
Josica from Gostlina Zatrnik
As mentioned above, we went to Slovenia last year with Caleb’s parents (Bill & Vickie) and ate at Gostlina Zratnik. We met a nice woman there, Josica, who we eventually found out was the owner. It felt like we were guests in her home with the conversation and good food we were enjoying with her. By the end of the visit, her and my father-in-law had traded email addresses so he could send her pictures of our trip.
Fast forward a year and Caleb & I are eating at her restaurant once again, wondering if she remembers us. We finally got a moment to approach her and she says “you are Bill’s son and wife!” Josica offered us free drinks and dessert and told us we must return tomorrow because she has something for Bill. We returned the next day and she gave us a hand-painted Slovenian bell, apparently the last one the creator made for the year. The bell is a local novelty and symbolized good faith and luck. Josica asked that we give it to Bill & Vickie upon our return. If either of you are reading this and thinking “we never received a bell,” it is because we totally lost it and absolutely did not plot to steal it for our own and display it on our mantel. Now that’s hospitality!
The guy from the DHL office
Or, let’s take someone who would normally be grumpy in the states — the DHL guy. We collected a lot of knick-knacks from our trip and needed to mail them home before our flight the next day. Two of these items were large paintings that were poorly packaged in makeshift boxes.
The DHL guy warned us that a package so big going so far will be expensive. He didn’t realize that we were on a tight timeline and, again with genuine concern in his eyes, asked if we would like him to print out a quote so we can compare it to other shipping companies that might be cheaper. “I want to make sure you are not spending too much,” he said in kind of a fatherly way. We smiled and thanked him, but let him know we needed to ship these today itself… so it was okay.
The quote was indeed higher than we expected, but we accepted it. Even after that though, he offered up his employee discount “I get 45% off.” We were floored by the necessary generosity. He told us “I just want to make sure that your memory of Slovenia is very good.” The man then proceeded to write down a list of all the places we must see in our remaining hours there.
Yes, I did the impossible. I turned the mundane story of my interactions with a DHL clerk into a feel-good piece about how humanity exists in the world. It’s amazing. It’s Slovenia!
6) Pristine with a little bit of character. People often compare Slovenia to Italy. Given the geographical proximity, Slovenia has adopted many things from Italy. One thing that is unparalleled in my eyes is the cleanliness. When you walk the streets of Slovenia, the roads are clean. The parks are filled with trees, not trash. The buildings have history, but they aren’t falling apart. It gives you this insane feeling of safety when you are walking the streets in the middle of the night,.
Even the graffiti says positive things like “Never grow up!” And “be yourself.” What is this place?!?
7) Wine & Brandy. Yes, this 100% deserves its own section. I would have made this two separate sections, actually, but I didn’t want anyone to think I was am an alcoholic. The wine in Slovenia, like Italy, is delicious and cheap! In addition to the wine, you will find amazing blueberry and honey brandy that will knock your socks off. I HATE <-DJ Drama brandy normally. It’s just not my drink. Blueberry or honey brandy, well…that’s just dangerous!
8) Markets galore. As we travel, I have discovered a deep-seated love for local markets. Maybe it is because I can buy cheap produce and knick-knacks at a decent price or simply because of the locality. It feels like everything is a unique trinket of where we’ve visited. I just love markets, and Slovenia (specifically Ljubljana) has many of them!
Central Market features the catch of the day at its fish market, along with booths that have local honey, fruits, vegetables, wine & other Slovenian products. On Saturdays, you can check out the Art Market, where local artists of all kinds present their creations. Every Friday from Spring to Fall, you can also check out the Open Kitchen Market, where restaurants and individual cooks will prepare food at varying price ranges and serve them at their booths. It’s like a food festival every week!
A year ago when we visited the market in Ljubljana with Caleb’s parent, I found these beautiful hand painted ceramic bowls that a woman had made herself. She banged them together to show us that, not only were they pretty, but they were durable as well. That’s all I had to hear to buy several things from her. This year we returned and a bought a few more things to add to our collection!
9) It’s underrated. After visiting both Italy and the Balkans, I can safely say that Slovenia is the perfect mix of the two places. The scenery, the food, the lively people — it’s akin to what you’ll find in many parts of Italy. However, the costs, the generosity of the people, the yet-discovered feeling — that is 100% from the Balkans. While it is not “undiscovered” by tourists like many places in the Balkans, it still hasn’t become as popular or expensive as many other countries like Italy or France or Switzerland.
