Where the Alps meet the Mediterranean
SLOVENIJA
Slovenija
May 2016
illustrated by Seer Hor
Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Julian Alps
This is a synopsis of our little adventure in sensational Slovenija...
Our journey began at Bled, a picturesque town surrounding a lake with an island church at its centre and Kremna rezina, a custard and cream cake sandwiched between two thin layers of flaky pastry. We were on a quest for scrummy cakes and had it for breakfast, twice! The walking path around the lake gives you a beautiful 360 view of Bled Island with snow-capped Julian Alps in the background. Throughout our time, we seek for traditional Slovenian dishes and managed to sample quite a variety. We took opportunity to order seafood as they are widely available in this region.
Vintgar Gorge located 15 minutes away from Bled by car (there is a walking path as well) is a must visit. The foliage was lush green and the water rushing past was crystal clear. It reminded us of Plitvice National Park in Croatia. Vintgar Gorge definitely has its own uniqueness with charming rustic board walks built on supporting beams constructed into the natural stone walls. There were areas of tranquility and areas of roaring waterfalls.
We made a detour the following day to Lake Bohinj. It is a less visited lake compared to Bled. The water is calmer and the view was equally stunning. Our next destination was Piran, one of very few coastal towns in Slovenia. We chose the long but scenic route via Vrsic Pass. It is a majestic piece of curvy and windy tarmac with 50 hair pins. Oh boy, the view along the route was jaw-dropping. Vrsic Pass took us through Julian Alps with snow-capped mountains soaring right by the edge of the road. During our descend and en route to Piran, we drove through Soca Valley where Soca River runs with its emerald crystal clear water.
Piran, Izola
Piran was significantly warmer than Julian Alps. The sea breeze helped to clear away our minds. There is something magical with crystal clear Adriatic sea. Seafood was excellent and our fine dining experience at Hisa Torkla in Izola was mind-blowing. The combination of flavour and the chef's creativity was sensational. We thoroughly enjoyed Piran and the Adriatic sea.
Skocjan caves
The next morning, we left for Skocjan Caves. It is a network of limestone caves rich in beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Photography is prohibited in the main section of the cave to protect bats and the condition of the stalactites and stalagmites. We also figured out that people would have taken a long time taking photographs and causing disruption the flow of people along the path (mostly one to two human width). The caves were beautiful and we had to walk across the bridge over 100m drop to the bottom of the cave. It was a scary but exciting experience.
Ljubljana
This city is vibrant and busy. The architecture is beautiful and we could see the Soviet design with functional and industrial style buildings. We explored the city by foot and had more ice cream and of course, variety of Slovenian food.
Jamnik, Kropa, Skofja Loca
On our last day in Slovenia, we decided to drive outside the city. We visited Church of St Primoz in Jamnik. It's a beautiful church perched on a hilltop among lush greenery and colourful wild flowers. We also visited Kropa was a thriving village with it's iron workmanship. We made a final stop over at Skofja Loca, an old Roman city. We were sad to leave Slovenia, where we can easily find food whenever we wish!
