What a gem!! What a surprise!! A hidden treasure!!
How many Americans have even heard of Slovenia? How many can’t tell the difference between Slovakia and Slovenia? How many could pinpoint on a map of the world the location of Slovenia? How many Americans know the first thing about Slovenia?
My guess is not many. I must admit that the only reason I am in Slovenia is because the Rick Steves Tour to Croatia starts in Ljubljana (loob-lee-anna), the capital city of Slovenia. Yes, I am on a two week 24 person tour for the first time in my life. But more about that in a subsequent blog.
As many of you know, I love to travel with family, and this trip is no exception. For the next two weeks — in Slovenia, a little bit of Italy, Croatia and a little bit of Bosnia — I am traveling with my oldest grandson, Ian Yee, the son of my stepdaughter Cynthia Smith. Ian is an unbelievably enjoyable travel companion, all of 34 years of age, curious about the world, unfazed by last minute changes, and always with a smile on his face. But most prominently, Ian never moves without a camera in his hand. He loves photography and his professional field is film, film editing and production.
What have Ian and I found in Slovenia, you may ask.
You can get almost everywhere in Slovenia within a two hour drive. It is equivalent in size to the state of New Jersey in the USA. It borders the Adriatic Sea, albeit for only about 30 miles. Its location is easily accessible from and to Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary. Venice and Vienna are 3-4 hours away by car.
60% of the country is covered with lush green forests. Its nature is untouched.
The Alps that begin in Switzerland and trace through Italy end in Slovenia. The mountains in the country are truly spectacular.
Their Lake Bled is a picture perfect idyllic lake. We spent a full day there on a day which by chance Slovenia was hosting the European Rowing Championships.
Hundreds of single, two person, four person and eight person rowing shells were representing countries including England, France, Romania, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Sweden and many others. We spent our time renting a couple of bikes and cycling around the lake, taking pictures all the way.
The country is an outdoor recreation mecca. The second largest ski jump in the world is located in Planica Slovenia, which we had the chance to visit yesterday. Skiing is very popular in the country. Kids learn to ski as soon as they can walk. Ski jumping is more popular in Slovenia than any other country in the world by a large margin.
The country has 10,000 caves and 28,000 vineyards. 80% of the wine grown in Slovenia is consumed within the country. Today we toured a winery and by all accounts (I don’t drink, so I am not an evaluator) the wine was wonderful.
A member of the European Union, the Euro is its currency. The cost of living is very reasonable. I was struck by how much lower the prices were in Slovenia compared to my recent time in Paris.
Its capital city Ljubljana is a UNESCO World Heritage site and its architecture is beautiful. The river that runs through the city is surrounded by public squares and markets. Eateries dot the river’s edge and attract a fun loving, convivial group of patrons. The street area for two blocks on either side of the river has been designated for pedestrians and cyclists only. No cars allowed.
The first thing that hit me when I arrived in Ljubljana, the capital city, was how uncrowded it was. Such a sharp contrast to Paris. There are only 2 million people in the entire country. The capital city has 280,000 citizens.
The other thing that is striking is how clean, green and sustainable the city is. It has Europe’s premier recycling program, with some 68% of its waste currently being recycled. Ranked as one of the top 10 sustainable destinations in the world, it was named the European Green Capital.
You can get a sense of their emphasis on education by noticing the number of students in Ljubljana. Some 50,000 students are going to academic institutions in the capital city. In addition, almost everyone speaks very good English. Many speak Italian and Croatian in addition to Slovenian. We visited the school that Melania Trump attended before she started her modeling career.
People are nice. In fact they are more than nice. Ljubljana means “beloved” in Slovenian. They make a point of highlighting the love in Slovenia, and from what we experienced they mean it.
Bottom line, what a great find. What a great surprise to us. We are in love with Slovenia.
So happy that you and Ian are traveling together – what an epic adventure! Slovenia sounds amazing, especially the part about it not being too crowded – few lovely destinations you can say that about these days. Look forward to more posts from you and pictures from Ian 🙂
What an amazing experience for you and Ian. Wow. Keep enjoying, blogging and sending those pictures !
Fabulous opportunity for both you and Ian! I look forward to the next two weeks!
You chose well. Enjoy Slovenia and fabulous Croatia, but resist the urge to “Split”: to Slovakia, at least Brataslava, when we were there,— not quite as nice. Quite a difference between Slovakia and Slovenia. Stick to Czech Republic instead. Slovakia produces poised hockey players and Slovenia produces poised First Ladies.
Yes, I know Slovenia well. My maternal grandparents were born there & we have been there twice to visit second cousins and tour the beautiful country. Our most recent visit was April 2022 & I had the pleasure of introducing my son & his family to Ljubljana. They were able to meet their distant relatives & I was thrilled to learn that my grandsons are keeping in touch with their third cousins, once removed, through social media. Enjoy your time in this amazing country with so much to offer.
Jean, both Liz and I recall you to be a very classy lady at ORI. I rest my case about Slovenian women. The country is so small perhaps you are a distant cousin of Melania. Worth an ancestry search.
So, today I flew into Eagle airport in Colorado where I went to retrieve my car that I had left in the lot for 2 weeks only to discover my electronic key would not work. However, after a moment of panic I found a real keyhole in the passenger door and found a real key buried inside my electric key. And wow, whew! I got in. Only to realize that the problem was my car battery was dead! So I asked a guy who was getting in his car next to mine if he knew who I could call at the airport for a jump. But he said he could do it and pulled out a portable charger and instantly my car started! I told him he was a true angel and he just explained his mother and grandmother would never forgive him if he left a lady in distress.
So why am I telling you this? I asked him where he was from. And he told me he was just returning from a motorcycle trip from Istanbul to Venice! I said “The Orient Express!” And he said that’s what they called it.
And we both agreed Croatia and all those other countries that Neil is venturing through were drop dead gorgeous! But Bosnia is still shwing its scars.
Small world filled with great men.
I spent a couple of months in Croatia on an AID contract in 1995. The weekends were all in Dubrovnik, with a lot of trips along the coast and the islands. It was right after the warn before the tourist era. We saw the much of the damage from the war, Sarajevo, probably the worst. The Olympic venues in the city were pretty much gone. But the coast was one of my highlights in all my travels. MB was just there and showed us her pictures and in impact of the tourist business. The difference between pre tourist and post tourist is not as much as one would expect. The natural beauty was always there.
Fabulous report. Interesting how countries that are the least well known offer such great beauty and are more stable then most.