We’ve learned to speak and write from the heart, and Slovenia is the country that touches your heart directly. Wonderful, nostalgic and cultured. With incredibly clean air and the perfect climate for the most restful sleep, it’s a wonder it isn’t ‘talked about’ more as a destination. So here we are to introduce it to you and help you discover it.
The whole country differs from its neighbours and yet has a little of each of them. Its air is Balkan, Alpine and… Austro-Hungarian! Wide, comfortable roads with gorgeous natural scenery all around, proud fir trees, little villages that look like Switzerland popping up here and there, and lush, close-cropped hills with cows scattered grazing in the countryside. And somehow the road leads you to the capital.
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the sweet, romantic capital of Slovenia, and there are no better words to describe it. And if we’ve told you before, we’ll say it again: something happens the moment you start walking through its centre. Time slows down; hours and minutes lose their meaning. Your body relaxes, your senses calm, and you let your steps lead you wherever they wish. Because Ljubljana is nothing like the noisy, crowded capitals you’ve met until now. It’s small, it’s calm, and it teaches you how to live. It takes you by the hand and walks you along the Ljubljanica, its quiet river, to show you the lovely cafés, the distinctive bridges, the eccentric sculptures scattered all over the centre, its street musicians, its castle of course, the open-air market, and finally to take you to the Dragon Bridge, where the dragons loom as fierce, solemn guardians.
And it’s not at all unusual to see the locals sitting in a corner or on their favourite bench reading their book. The custom began with an initiative of the open-air library Under The Treetops, whose aim was to encourage outdoor reading and eventually turned into a trend. Just as common is seeing locals out walking their dogs, and elderly couples sitting arm in arm on the benches, gazing at the river and the willows that drape their branches into the water.
Lake Bled
Just a few kilometres from Ljubljana lies Lake Bled. Needless to say, getting there makes for a beautiful drive — especially if, like us, you discover an alternative route through the forest, passing traditional wooden houses and verdant meadows. These places smell of authentic Slovenia!
Arriving at Lake Bled, you lose yourself in its beauty. You’ll definitely need a few minutes and a few deep breaths to drink in this wonderful sight and the fresh Alpine air. A crystal-clear lake — so clear that in summer a swim is a must — surrounded by the Alps, with a few ducks asleep on its banks and, at its centre, the small, iconic island with the Church of the Assumption of Mary. All of it composes a perfect fairy-tale picture, capable of inspiring the most beautiful stories. Walking around the lake, you’ll surely see other strollers — someone might be reading, another doing yoga or meditation, and others rowing or cycling. All of it accompanied by the sweet taste of their local delicacy, the cream cake, beneath the sounds of the birds.
Of course, we could go on talking about Slovenia and its charms — but why not see it with your own eyes? Thanks to its beauty and location, it features in many of the roadtrips we organise, such as the Ultimate and the Gluhwein Roadtrip. Are you in?
