Slovenia

TOURIST FARM IN RAZDRTO

The last week of October/first week of November, we drove 10 hours south to a beautiful land called Slovenia. Why Slovenia?

1. We saw it on Chef's Table and Adam said, "I will go there."

2. It's cheap.

3. We wanted our next trip to be all about outdoor beauty.

We arrived at dinnertime at our tourist farm and the cook served up some deliciousness right away. It made the long drive worth it.

We stayed four nights here. It was serene and low-key, exactly what we'd hoped. Adam and I put the kids in front of the iPad every morning and went running.

 There was a forest behind the property and Sienna wanted to walk in it. She was being nutty.

 Leaf fight!

 The view from my bedroom window.

She makes me laugh a lot.

POSTOJNA CAVE

Not too far from the farm was Postojna cave, a giant cave full of stalagtites and stalagmites of all kinds. We took a train for a bit and then walked as well. It took about 1.5 hours. 

 This white one  = all limestone.

The tour ends at this huge concert hall that hosts orchestras and various performers because the acoustics are really good.

 
Outside, Birdie just looking cute next to some water mills.

PREDJAMA CASTLE

Just down the street is Predjama Castle. Predjama means "in front of the cave" in Slovene, and this castle is literally that!

 It was first mentioned in the 11th century. It was built into a cave to make access difficult. In 1511 it was destroyed by an earthquake. In 1570 it was rebuilt and remains today.

LJUBLJANA

We debated about going into any kind of city, but we kept hearing Ljubljana, the capital city, was lovely. It's true! It is a beautiful place.

We had no plans, just walked around, hopped on a canal boat...

 Looked at the padlocks on the bridge...

 Ate lunch and counted forehead rolls. You know, the usual.

 Adam won with eight.

I got 2nd place with four.

Sienna came in 3rd with two rolls.

 

 Noah lost with ZERO!

 Fall in Slovenia is the real winner, though!

LAKE BLED

Our final two nights were spent in an Airbnb that sat right on Lake Bled, this jewel of a place.

We took the canoe out two days in a row. Sienna couldn't get enough!

The second day she rowed us around for an hour! At least! She got really good at it. 

 Stopping at the island for chocolate gelato was also a motivator.

After pizza one night we brought home some bakery treats. Someone told us to try the Bled Cake (that white, layered one) ... it was pretty blah. But those chocolate torte thingies were exceptional! 

 The Airbnb belonged to some old people who didn't live there anymore. All their antiques stayed though! It was ripe for exploration.

  

VINTGAR GORGE

Our last day was spent at Vintgar Gorge. Turquoise water and fall colors. Really gorge-ous! Harhar. 

 

Post hike food with some of my all-time favorites: trout and apple strudel!

 After arriving home I popped open our souvenir from our tourist farm hostess, this jar of honey. Slovenia is big into bee farming, and unfortunately we missed the season for touring those farms. But, I'm happy she was kind enough to supply us with this stuff. 

Slovenia: the birthplace of Melania Trump and home of the oldest wheel in the world, neither of which/whom we saw. Also home of so much natural beauty and very nice people.