Slovenia!

[artnbarb]

I made the title purposely broad, knowing that not many will respond, but for those of us in the know, let's discuss! We'll have 10 days in Slovenia this summer:

• we'll drive from Verona to Lipica for our first 2 nights. On our first afternoon we'll drive to Piran and see the coast. On our second day we'll visit the nearby caves, and perhaps relax at the beach after that. On our third day (a Sunday) we'll visit the horse farm and see a horse show. After the horse show we'll drive to....

• Ljubljana. We'll arrive in the evening, and it'll be a Sunday, so perhaps just a stroll to the center of town. Our next day we'll spend in Ljubljana itself, eating at the castle. On our second day we'll drive to the Valinka Planina for the day. on Wednesday we'll drive to....

• an apartment on Lake Bled for 4 nights. We have a long list of places to see, so we'll just see how each days plays out. Our list of sights includes Lake Bled, Kranjska Gora, Triglav and Lake Bohinj. On sunday we'll drive to....

• Nova Gorica, taking in as much scenery as we can along the way. We're only spending the night here, and the next morning well head back to...

• Italy, which I'll address in another post!

We do already have all our accomodations made, so we don't need help there, and we know to eat at the castle in Ljubljana, but are there any typical Slovenian treats we should know about, or hidden treasures we might miss? If you have any comments or suggestions on what to see or do please post!

 

[Shannon]

There are excellent wines in Slovenia - and you can do a tasting of several at Vinoteka Vipava if you happen to find yourself in Vipava. https://www.facebook.com/vinoteka.vipava
They can also give you a map of wineries in the area.

Make sure to take the cable car to the top of the Julian Alps when you are at Lake Bohinj.

When are you going to be in Ljubljana? Is it in July? When I was there it was July, it was hot, every night ALL the riverside cafes and bars were full of people hanging out and drinking... it was SO awesome. They smoke a lot though - be warned.

The restaurant up at the castle is really excellent. If they have the farm cheese with fresh herbs on top be sure to try it. It was so simple but I will never forget it.

Also look for the machines that you fill up a plastic bottle of milk for less than a euro. Excellent way to use up small change and also, the milk is really good.

 

[artnbarb]

Thanks Shannon! and yes, we'll be there in July, and I know the weather can be unpredictable, but at least we'll be there when all the festas and activities are going on. Thanks for the wine tips!

 

[Shannon]

Barb, if you happen to be in Ljubljana in mid July when the World Cup finals are going on, Dan and Deborah and I had a blast watching the Euro cup final in a pub there. There were a lot of Spanish (and Italian) students watching in there with us. Lots of facepaint and (for the Spanish, mainly) dancing and singing.

I forget the name of the pub but I think it was something like Murphy's pub

The final is July 13 but there will be semi finals all through the beginning of July.

 

[artnbarb]

My son told me years ago that there's an Irish pub in every city, and I think he's right! We'll look for Murphy's!

 

[Deborah]

Barb, it was an Irish pub and Murphy's sounds like as good a name as any. Don't remember for sure. You'll know it is the right one because there is an enclosed courtyard that they used for watching the World Cup. Second Shannon's other recommendations. Especially the part about the cheese at the castle in Ljubljana. But would also like to add that at Lake Bled the castle is a huge waste of time and money.

 

[artnbarb]

So forget the boat ride to the island altogether? We're spending 4 nights near Lake Bled where there are so many things to see and do, and I definitely want to spend our time wisely.

 

[Deborah]

I don't know about forgetting the boat trip. We didn't take it, we drove up to the castle. I don't know if you can take the boat trip without going into the castle or not. The castle has been poorly restored in a very modern way. Inside are museum exhibits about the area. Also very poorly done. It's pretty much an amusement park experience.
As Shannon said, be sure to take the cable car to the top at Bohinj. Magnificent views, and great fun going down. Also, there is a spot on the lake where all the locals go to swim. You can take a picnic lunch and sit under the trees on the shore.

 

[Shannon]

I think the sign of the pub may just say Murphy's (as in the ale) and the pub is called something else. Like Patrick's. But just find the pub with the inner courtyard.

Part of the problem with Bled Castle for me was the insane amount of tour buses. There were just way too many people there. Maybe if you go up there after all the buses are gone, it would be better.

 

[artnbarb]

We'll be lucky because we're there for 4 nights and will have a car - meaning we could have a lazy morning, catch up on laundry, just take a walk around the lake, etc, then in the afternoon, when (hopefully!) the buses are gone, we can visit. It'll probably still be crowded because it's summer, but it might not be as bad.....