Wine and Lakes in Slovenia

For the past year, I have heard nothing but great things about Slovenia. I am lured by the serene beauty of the mountains and lakes, delicious wine and food, and hardly any tourists! Be prepared for lakes and wine!

[divider class="" ]Planning:

In the dreary winter months, Mary Frances and I alternatively picked our May destinations since we knew we likely would have great weather. I chose Slovenia for the early May bank holiday weekend while Mary Frances chose Florence. After we booked our flights, not even the next day, Jenny and Miller texted us that they were going to be in Italy later that week and wanted to know if we could meet up. Thus began my campaign to convince them to Slovenia! I happily won!I heard and read about Slovenia thanks to several people on my travel podcasts, websites, and blogs! Most of the recommendations came from EPOP! For our four day holiday, we booked a one way from Stansted to Ljubjana and then Trieste, Italy, to Stansted on Monday evening. Of course, they announced flights to Luton later in the winter!! For lodging, we would use our points on the swanky Intercontinental in Ljubljana and then a glamping experience at Garden Village Lake Bled.

Our Fixed Costs:

• Flights:
• Hotel: 70k IHG points + 200
• Train + Bus: 20
• Underrated experience: Priceless....

[divider class="" ]Onto Slovenia!

Stansted Experience

On Thursday, after we booked on flights, I learned I would be working in Bracknell that week so my travel to the airport plans changed drastically. Rather than drive with Mary Frances, I basically was on trains all afternoon. I had to take a train from Bracknell to London Waterloo, travel to Liverpool Street (across London), and then Stansted Express from Liverpool to Stansted. I believe I left the client around noon and arrived for our flight at 4-5pm. It was exhausting!Since it was a bank holiday weekend, Stansted was extremely crowded. There would be no lounge life today so I bummed a seat and a charger in Starbucks, but it was still really crowded. Our flight also was full of bachellorette parties and a large group of older Indian women who looked thrilled to be traveling. It was quite amusing - until Mary Frances stole my noise cancelling headphones!

Ljubljana (aka Ljub)

When we landed in Ljub, it was a very old airport. I would say it is similar in size to Birmingham, except this is a capital city of Europe! To get to the city center, there are two options as there aren’t any public transportation to the airport. If there is, please let us know!! Right when we exited baggage claim, we walked into the shuttle service to LJUB and it was only 9 euros per person (cash only). They even offered rides to Lake Bled for 16 euros per person! While we waited for the shuttle, we enjoyed the warm Slovenian air as we thought it would be raining the rest of the trip.From the airport, the drive is only around 20-30 minutes. When our shuttle driver dropped us off at the Intercontinental, I believe the rest of the riders were very confused as to why we took a shuttle to begin with! Since I am an IHG Platinum member with the $49 fee credit card, we were upgraded to the executive suite. In my research, I learned that this hotel is only two years old and boy, it is extremely nice!! Our room was massive and included complementary fruits and sweets! In addition, the bed was wonderful especially after a long travel day! It was a great start to Slovenia!![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1525,1524,1523,1522" orderby="rand"]

[divider class="" ]Our First Day

Unfortunately, the forecasts were proven correct as it was raining when we woke up. Undetered and hungry, I went to explore this sleepy capital. I went to the main square along the river and seriously thought I was the only person there! Unsurprisingly, I nabbed a seat at Slovenskha Hisa restaurant and ordered my coffee and fresh breakfast. I even had some Americans for company![gallery size="full" ids="1534,1533,1532"]

Walking Tour:

Mary Frances joined me for the 11 clock tour with Ljubljana Free Tours. Similar to the others, it is a free tour and we quickly had a large group as they held a free tour sign in the square! Thankfully, the rain also decided to kinda sorta stop. Of course, this is after I had to walk in a downpour earlier this morning…[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1526,1529"]Similar to other formerly Soviet countries, there really isn’t much history here. For years, the Slovenians were mostly an ethnic group and never really had true independence. Formerly known as Yugoslavia, Slovenia is now a proud country that relies on a few key artists and politicians for its history. The main square has a distinct pink Catholic church which was the only Catholic church to survive Communism.[gallery size="full" ids="1493,1544,1543"]Since Slovenia is relatively young, the tour focused more on the positives. Now, Slovenia has a very vibrant LJUB riverside scene with loads of cafes. Thanks to its shared history with the Austrian and Italian rulers, cuisine ranges from Italian pastas to hearty Austrian meats and cheeses (think sausage!). The city center which is full of historical and older buildings is now pedestrian only which adds a lovely charm to the area. Our guide said the gloomier Soviet era buildings are located on the outskirts thankfully!Our tour also taught us a few important facts such they love fruit flavored schnapps and wine! Probably the most important part of our tour was the discount wine tour cards we received at the very end. One more cool thing about LJUB is the famous architect, Jose Plecnik, who designed most of the pretty buildings, bridges, and even remodeled the famous castle. There is a very famous trio bridges that just light up the main square at night![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1536,1530,1531,1495"]

A Wet Afternoon:

After the tour, we had lunch at Pizzeria Foculus, home of delicious pizzas! Luckily, we were one of a few so we had a front row seat to the special process! We also were aware of the pizzas coming out of the kitchen so we split a pizza and it was plenty! It had the Mary Frances’ seal of approval in terms of Italian pizza. We then ran to get the first of many gelato at Gelateria Romantika! [gallery size="full" ids="1537,1538,1539"]During our wonderful lunch+ dessert, the skies above Ljub had opened up and the rain came. It was really depressing as we had just started to enjoy ourselves! We stupidly decided to out-run the rain and make it to the next stop - Vino Ribe. I had heard about this restaurant as a great seafood and wine place. Thus, we decided to eat more seafood and drink more Slovenian wine! The seafood was grilled on a Big Green Egg and it tasted really fresh! All while the rain poured on the streets…[gallery size="full" ids="1542,1540,1541"]

Slovenian Wine Tour

During the afternoon at Vine Ribe, we booked our wine tour for that evening. Honestly, we weren’t really sure what to expect but we needed a dry activity! We met at a restaurant at the river, Dvorni Bar, and went into a very hidden wine cellar! It was so cool! There was a group of around 8-10 in the wine cellar led by our trusty Slovenian wine master. Some may think it would be creepy, but then we saw all the bottles of wine!Our wine master told us we would be sampling around 7 wines, all from the various regions of Slovenia. Fun fact: 94% of the wine produced in Slovenia is consumed within the country - mostly by Slovenians! More fun facts: there is one vineyard for every 70 people in Slovenia! No wonder why we had never heard of Slovenia wine!Our first wine was a white wine as we gradually went to a full body red. Whatever that means! For our 3rd-4th wine, we were told to put on blindfolds. The wine cellar became eerily silent. However, because of the previous wines thus liquid courage, we bravely put on the blindfolds. Our wine master poured a drink. We were told to smell, swirl, smell, and taste. Following this taste, we were polled if it was a white or a red. The entire group guessed red. The wine was orange!!Slovenia is famous for both white and red wines, but perhaps is more famous for the orange wine. As strange as it sounds, orange wine is produced by mixing the red grape skins with white wine before removing them. It seriously gives it a distinct orange color! Our wine master said people either love or hate it, but I safely assume both Mary Frances and I enjoy orange wine!

More Wine and Rock'n'Roll

After the official end of the wine tour, a small group of us stayed at the restaurant to continue our party plus enjoy orange wine. It was decilious! Thankfully, the weather had cleared up so it was absolutely gorgeous with the sun beginning to set in the background with our fancy orange wine. Jenny called me during this “dinner” and we chatted about how excited we were for the weekend! Mary Frances and I already begin celebrating the weekend but we were excited to introduce the orange wine and other Slovenia wines to Jenny and Miller.After our after party of the wine tasting, we listed to a Slovenian rock concert. It was… interesting. The concert sounded very, very Russian, but very Slovenian as the flags and everyone appeared patriotic. By then, Mary Frances and I were starving! To celebrate the Austrian heritage of Slovenia, we ate wonderful sausage and various puff pastries at Klobasarna. It really hit the spot and we enjoyed the sunset. To end our day, we appropriately ate our 3rd-4th gelato at Vigo! We received a discount because I didn’t have enough euros for a single scope. Perfect ending to an amazing day![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1595,1550,1500,1501"]

[divider class="" ]Jenny and Miller Arrive!

Since it was our last day in our amazing Intercontinental suite, we decided to rest and take it easy. We are on vacation after all! I researched a really cool brunch place called  and we were off to see what yummy food awaited.Bazilika Bistro had a lovely outdoor patio combined with an absolutely beautiful day outside. For all the dreadful weather forecasts, actual weather was perfect! I enjoyed my coffee and lovely brunch. We split two foods: Mary Frances ordered the banana-nutella French toast while I had the simple ham and cheese sandwich. Thankfully we split because both foods were delicious!

King and Queen of the Castle:

After lunch, we decided to brave it and walk up the mountain… just kidding, we took the tram! For less than 5 euros for the two of us, we rode the FUNiculuar to the top of the castle. It was Mary Frances’ first FUNicular trip up a mountain and safe to say it was a success. The views were fantastic! We saw the length of Old Town all the way to the surrounding mountains. Definitely worth the 5 euros![gallery size="full" ids="1556,1555,1553"]At the castle, unless you want to pay for the museum, there are great FREE picturesque views from the courtyard. From there, we walked upstairs to the castle walls to receive the perfect view of Ljub. Once we took our pictures, we opted to lie under the trees and read our books. See, I do relax on vacations…[gallery size="full" ids="1558,1557,1554"]After awhile, we became a little chilly on top of the mountain. Not to mention I wanted to explore more of the city. We trekked down the mountain/hill to the city center and it was rather quick. As avid as a hiker I may be, taking the funicular to the top and then walking down is definitely the way to go! We ended our journey at the famous Dragon bridge. The Ljub center is surrounded by several farmers markets. One side is the vegetable and fruit side - along with similar restaurants - with the other side is meats and fish. We strolled along the river until we were tired and just relaxed under a tree next to the river and read. Who couldn’t nonsuch a beautiful day!![gallery size="full" columns="2" ids="1559,1527"]

The Arrival:

Anxiously awaiting Jenny and Miller’s arrival, I was a nervous nelly and started pacing everywhere. We eventually went back to the Intercontinel since it was the only place I knew parking existed! Since they wanted to stretch their legs, we walked into Old Town again. We found a shady little cafe next to the river and had the famous Slovenian wine! We caught up, dished out audit stories (obviously) and finally decided we needed real food.In my handy list of restaurants, there was a decent Italian place called Second Violin that had excellent reviews. The restaurant is unique as it employs mentally handicapped people to serve and also plays wonderful classical music. We were sat in the back and ordered some tasty food! I ordered the carbonna (yummy!) while Mary Frances ordered the classic sausage and potatoes. Safe to say it was a fantastic meal!

Onto Lake Bled:

Most days the drive to Lake Bled takes around 40 minutes while the train can take about the same time depending on the train! It is very convenient for everyone. Unfortunately, Miller was tasked with driving while exhausted from the overnight flight. We then encountered road work and had to take a strange detour thus delaying our rush to bed.When we arrived in Lake Bled, it was pitch dark and we could barely make out where we were going. We were staying at a highly recommend hotel / glamping experience called Garden Village. Ever since I read a travel review, I knew we had to stay there! Unfortunately, my preferred choice of the clamping tent was booked on Saturday night so we had to settle for the luxury apartment.

Luxury at Garden Village:

Since certain people had travelled for well over 20 hours at that point, we looked like a weary bunch of travelers. We were greeted with a special fancy water drink in their on premises restaurant. The tables were interesting as the placemats were growing grass! We looked at the food and boy everything looked great!Next, we were escorted to our fancy luxury suite where we had a bottle of bubbly waiting for us and a life of luxury! We mainly were excited for the outdoor patio, serene outdoor sounds, and comfy beds. We toasted to our good fortunates and then pretty much immediately passed out…

[divider class="" ]Lakes for Days:

Since we ogled the amazing dinner the previous night, we figured breakfast would be just as great. We were wrong. It was simply amazing! The Garden Village has a great variety of hot and cold buffet items as well as fresh jams, bread, and fruit. The best part is we were about to pay for it when the waiter told us it was complementary![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1565,1564,1563,1562"]

Exploring the Lake:

Since we arrived during the dead of night, our first mission was to explore the area and see what exactly we could do. We all hopped in the car and went to the castle, thinking that would be a fun free activity. We quickly learned Lake Bled is not easily drivable!! Case in point - we started driving on a pedestrian only walkway...[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1568,1567,1508,1505" orderby="rand"]At the castle, we soaked in the amazing views while they were free! We also realized that this was a hotspot for iPad tourists and everyone else so we did not care to stay there very long. Once we had our fun and pictures, we decided to ditch the car and walk around the lake.

It’s the Climb:

Through social media, Mary Frances saw this picturesque point overlooking the lake and wanted to hike it. Yes, my girl is hiking and camping all in the same day! We found the trailhead and it looked awfully “Slovenian” aka rustic…Our hike was very beautiful and difficult at first. There were no steps or easily identifiable trail markets, just a well worn path. We also just keep walking literally straight up on leaves and moving rocks. The trail felt very different than the “easy” path described on the internet!Throughout the hike, we were rewarded with outstanding views of the lake and the church. Words cannot describe it! Once we reached the end, it was spectacular. The lake is extremely tranquil and very soothing. We stared at the beautiful silky smooth water as we snapped loads of pictures! The hike is well worth the views![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1572,1569,1570,1517,1516,1521" orderby="rand"]At the top, we noticed other people walking up through a better path. It turns out we took the harder path… The way down was much easier!!

Lake Bohinj:

After our hike, we decided to drive to Lake Bohinji based on the recommendation of the kind front desk lady. The lake is less touristy than Lake Bled and is very picturesque as it is surrounded by the Julian Alps. When we have a car, might as well use it!The drive by itself was great. We drove through tiny villages and very turquoise blue rivers while the Alps were slowly beginning to surround us. After a 30 minute drive, we reached the lake. It was simply beautiful. It felt very remote and quaint, but sadly we thought about the same about Lake Bled! Perhaps it would be different if we were here in peak season![gallery size="full" ids="1514,1513,1515"]We ate lunch right next to the lake and a giant cliff. After a long day hiking, it was a well deserved lunch! Since it was close to dinner, Mary Frances and I split a sausage and frites and it was yummy! While looking at the things to do, we decided to go see a cool waterfall located on the other side of the lake. Most people appeared to walking to it, but we were tired and drove the two miles!

Waterfalls are the Best:

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the hike to the Savica waterfall meant actually hiking. I thought it was similar to the US where we would park, walk a few meters, then we were there! Safe to say Mary Frances was not happy with the decision… However, the trail is really easy. It does cost around five euros as they renovate the walkway, but the waterfall is well worth the cost!At the waterfall, we were stunned by the two huge waterfalls. It reminded me of a small version of the famous Iceland waterfalls! This meant it was very windy, wet, and cold at the top so our pictures were very rushed. Surrounding us were lovely mountains and we were very happy with our decision to hike the Savica waterfall.[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1579,1519,1520,1518"]

The Dinner:

After a teasing preview last night, we were pretty excited to eat dinner at our hotel. Moreover, we were really excited to eat on the grass placemats! Our hotel is apparently well known on TripAdvisor for having gourmet meals so I think we clearly made the right decision to stay here.For appetizers, we ordered a smoked trout with horseradish mousse and fresh ravioli filled with ricotta cheese and smothered in pancetta sauce. It was amazing!! Everything tasted extremely fresh and tasty! For my main meal, I had a fresh chicken filet with sweet potatoes while Mary Frances had the pork tenderloin. I think Mary Frances slightly won the meal. Due to a wine order mishap, our waiter gave us free dessert of four different cakes! I am not sure what they were, but obviously the chocolate cake is my favorite. Overall, the dinner was amazing and I would definitely eat there again![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1580,1581,1582,1583,1584"]

Glamping:

At Garden Village Bled, I tried to get us a glamping tent for two nights, but we only had it for one night. It was Mary Frances’ first camping trip!! However, this was the furthest thing from camping… We had our own hot tub, huge queen beds, a pull out sofa, air conditioning, huge bathroom, and it was located near Lake Bled! We definitely lived a very posh life style. Since we had a hot tub, we had to use it so we loaded it up with hot water and Jenny, Miller, and I sat in it for a hot second.[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1585,1575,1576,1577"]

[divider class="" ]Our Last Day:

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Lake Bled, Slovenia, and Jenny and Miller today. It was a very sad day! Our somber morning was made better with a delicious breakfast! I will certainly miss this breakfast at future hotels. We joined Jenny and Miller to a brief drive to the bank and then said our goodbyes. It was lovely to see them and it certainly made me miss the ATL and all my friends there!

The Walk:

After they left, Mary Frances and I strolled around the entire lake. There is a lovely little sidewalk and it only took us around 1-2 hours. While walking, we encountered stunning views of the church and surrounding mountains. We debated going to the middle of the lake, but we weren’t wearing the appropriate church clothing. We failed to think ahead![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1586,1503,1504,1506"]While the walk was great, we also were really hot so we went back to the Garden Village to chill by the pool (or pond?). The sounds of the pond waterfall and the serene silence was incredibly relaxing. My only problem was the water was freezing cold!

The Journey:

Most people would say our journey to the airport was insane. We had to take a train to Ljubljana, a bus to Trieste, Italy, then a train to the Trieste Airport. Overall, I think it was around a 2-3 hour journey, but we should have just taken a flight from Ljubljana. However, flights to/from Luton were only available AFTER we purchased our flights… of course!Lake Bled has two train stations and it is important to go to the one outside the main town of Lake Bled rather than the station on the lake as that one does not have a fast train to Ljubljana. I would also advise to triple check the train schedules as they do not run very frequently! The train ride was very basic, but we did get great views of the Slovenian countryside!I booked a Flixbus from Ljubljana bus station, outside the train station, to Trieste and it was only 7 euros a ticket. Not to shabby! Unfortunately, it meant we had to rely on a iffy bus service. It was kinda stressful as I wasn’t sure where the bus would pick us up! Like any bus ride, it was very uneventful until we reached Trieste!

Trieste:

We debated staying in Trieste on Sunday night, but the plans changed once Jenny and Miller decided to join the trip. As the bus approached the city, we had to go on a windy road, but it still overlooked the coast! Once the bus dropped us off, we dropped off our luggage at the train station baggage drop. It would have been a great deal, if it didn’t close in an hour…Our very brief tour of Trieste was great. The buildings are very pretty and there are some canals within the city. We walked on the pedestrian-only streets and admired the sun, surf, and gelato! I wish we did spend more time in Trieste so we could eat the food, but I knew we would eat plenty of pasta and gelato next week in Florence![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1590,1588,1589,1591"]To get to the airport, it was very simple as the train connects there. Despite the new appearance, the airport is pretty basic. Thankfully, there was an airport lounge, sponsored by Illy, where we could sit down and escape the noise.[gallery size="large" ids="1594,1593,1592"]

[divider class="" ]The UnChartered Summary:

Slovenia is extremely underrated as the country has amazing Italian food, outstanding wine, and fantastic outdoor views. Despite my sky high expectations, I would still rate Slovenia as one of my favorite countries! We certainly will return![photogrid ids="1566,1560,1559,1557,1500,1497,1491,1517,1519,1544,1579,1572,1573" captions="no" columns="two" fullwidth="yes" ]