Slovenia, Our Little Secret

Slovenia is one of those places that you almost don't want to tell anyone about so that it can remain as magical and untouched by tourism as you enjoyed it. Thankfully, we have good friends who traveled there a few years ago and shared the wonder of it with us. So much so that we were very excited to finally enjoy it ourselves. 

We arrived to the capital city Ljubljana by train from Budapest. After a quick one night stay, we picked up a rental car for our road trip around the western half of the country. 

First stop was the Logar Valley, an incredibly picturesque valley nestled in the Slovenia alps. We took it in over a long hike and dinner with a beautiful view before settling into our cozy chalet, complete with a jigsaw puzzle of none other than Mt Hood (perfect reminder of home). 

 

Next was Lake Bled. Akin to Lake Tahoe, this is the most famous vacation spot for tourists and locals alike. Our Airbnb was steps from the lake and the restaurants surrounding it where we sunbathed, biked (well I did; Reese ran), paddle boarded, walked the Soteska Vintgar gorge, and watched multiple Eurocup football matches. It was a blissful start to our European summer. 

 

 

We spent one night in a glamping campsite near Bovec - the outdoor adventure town of Slovenia known for white water rafting. After a beautiful night by the campfire, we rafted the insanely turquoise Soča River. 

After rafting, we immediately got in the car and headed to a wine tasting in the Vipava valley. Our first of two wine regions in Slovenia. And somehow our first proper wine tasting of the year! 

Two days of wine tasting and indulgent meals here bled into one day in the Goriška Brda wine region which borders northern Italy. 

 

Finally, we headed back to Ljubljana for an extended stay to relax and plan our future travels. The historic center of the city is straight out of a story book. Our final evening we treated ourselves to a Michelin star meal at Strelec Restaurant, in the castle overlooking the city.