From Spain to Slovenia: Our Final European Country While Living Abroad

Back in the fall, Bryan and I laid out our travel plans for our remaining time in Europe. Knowing that the last few months would be filled with pack-outs, movers, and prepping for an international move back to the States, we knew our travel plans were coming to an end. Looking at our Google Map of travels and our long list of "want to visit" places, which has gotten significantly shorter over the last three years, we knew our time in Spain couldn't end without a trip to Slovenia!

Saturday, February 14: Travel Day to Slovenia

Now getting to Slovenia is easier said than done from southern Spain. Direct flights to their capital city of Ljubljana (Loo-blee-anna) don't exist from Sevilla, BUT direct flights to the tiny town of Trieste, Italy happen on the regular with our trusted RyanAir Airlines!

With Slovenia located east of Italy and north of Croatia, I figured we could fly into a neighboring country and bus to our desired destination, so my travel agent skills were tested with this one to save us time and money!

Trieste, Italy Airport: Aeroporto di Trieste

On Saturday, February 14, we caught a 9:45 am flight to Trieste, Italy, and landed at 12:40 pm. With all the flights we have taken, this one didn't seem that special- that was until I felt Nugget's first kicks while flying over the Mediterranean Sea! While the skies were clear and the flight was smooth, our baby took this opportunity to make their presence known for the first time- with a full alligator roll around my tummy!

Unfortuantely, Bryan was sitting a few rows behind me, but the smile that spread across my face at the realization of our baby moving was unmistakable! This flight will never be forgotten! And let's be real- of course, my kiddo would be the one to make a statement while traveling; taking after their parents already!

I pre-scheduled a bus company to take us to Ljubljana, Slovenia, at 1:10 pm, and, as it sprinkled rain, Bryan and I both said a prayer that this bus company was trustworthy...

As you can imagine, there weren't many options for transportation for this niche journey, but our bus pulled up, and we darted through the rain to catch our ride! Two hours later, we were dropped off in the capital city of Ljubljana!

Urban Hotel

Bryan sang my praises as we walked the short 5 minutes to our hotel for the timely planning and convenient drop-off location! I will admit, the transport worked out even better than I imagined, especially considering I had no clue where the final drop-off point would be within the city's center. That's part of the adventure, right?!

Knjigarna Felix Slovenska, Ljubljana

With the sun already setting and the rain continuing strong, we decided to save our city exploring for the following day and instead focused on finding our Slovene copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone! That makes our final international HP Collection count at a whopping 53 books in 41 unique languages! I'd say that's a pretty great count for a HP nerd and his librarian wife!

Čevabdžinica Sarajevo '84 - Ljubljana

With our book in hand, it was time for dinner! After looking through the hotel's recommendations and Google reviews, it didn't take us long to land on Sarajevo '84, a Bosnian/Balkan restaurant located in the basement of a traditional building. When we were told it had the best cevapi outside of Bosnia, we were SOLD. We first had cevapi in Sarajevo back in October, and it was just as tasty as in the home country! Alongside our tasty dinner, Bryan enjoyed a local Slovenian beer, and I was shocked by how much I enjoyed the Slovenian herbal tea "soda" called Cockta. We weren't sneaking away without dessert once Bryan saw they had Baklava on the menu!

To say we left happy and full is an understatement. This was the perfect way to end our travel day. The true touring begins tomorrow!

Sunday, February 15: Lake Bled & Bled Castle Tour

Originally, we had planned a free walking tour for Sunday morning, but our afternoon tour to Lake Bled was pushed up to earlier in the day because of the winter sunset timing, so we had to cancel our walking tour and make do ourselves.

While not ideal, this was a good chance to try out our travel flexibility, and with a little help from Google's AI support, we were able to throw together a customized walking tour that would fit in our shortened morning availability!

Franciscan Church of the Annunciation: Frančiškanska cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja

Bryan and I lucked out with conducting our custom walking tour on a Sunday morning, where the local Franciscan church was holding mass! We were able to enter for free and stand in the back to soak in the church's beauty while listening to the chants of the Franciscan monks and congregation.

Triple Bridge: Tromostovje & Dragon Bridge: Zmajski most

Across the main square from the church were two of the city's major landmarks, the Triple Bridge and Dragon Bridge. The Triple Bridge is aptly named for the three matching bridges that lead to the main city square, while the Dragon Bridge dons giant dragon statues on each side!

What we weren't expectingg was to see an ostrich wandering the city's main streets wearing a heincerchief. Where did he come from? Is he a pet? We don't have answers, but I knew you wouldn't believe it if I didn't snap a photo as he passed us by!

Bled Castle: Blejski grad

Then we met our guide for the day and journeyed north to Bled, Slovenia. Our first stop of the day was at Bled Castle. Situated up on the tallest cliffside, this castle overlooks the stunning Lake Bled. Bled Castle is the oldest fortress in Slovenia and dates back to 1011. During our hour-long tour of the castle, we got to marvel at the beautiful Slovene Alps, the lake below, and walk along the castle bastions that reminded us of the city walls in Rothenburg, Germany.

Lake Bled: Blejsko jezero

Upon leaving the castle, we bused down to the lakeshore for an afternoon of relaxation by the water! Lake Bled has become quite a tourist attraction in the last few years, thanks to social media. Often referred to as a "hidden gem version of Lake Como," Lake Bled has the stunning landscapes of mountains, a castle, and a cute little island at its center that reminded us of Our Lady of the Rocks in Kotor, Montenegro.

Bryan and I used our time to casually walk along the paved path surrounding the lake and get in those pregnancy steps! We were told you could make the whole lap around the lake in about 2 hours, but we opted for a half-loop at a slower pace. Nothing beats a sunny day on the lake, taking in the stunning surroundings and watching Bryan's giddiness over seeing those snow-capped mountains in the distance! Happy day!

Kavarna Park

Before leaving the lake, we stopped in at Kavarna Park for a taste of the original Bled Cream Cake! This cake is famous in the area and was invented right here in the Cafe Park in 1953. The cream-filled cake was a nice taste of the area after walking around the lake this afternoon!

Pop's Burger Bar

Back in the city, we enjoyed walking around the Old Town before going to Pop's Burger Bar for amazing service and delicious beef burgers for dinner! Bryan even sweet-talked me into sharing sweet potato fries with him. Dinner was a hit and filled us up after a day of exploration around Lake Bled!

Monday, February 16: Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle

Our last full day in Slovenia was spent exploring some of the southern parts of the country!

Postojna Cave: Postojnska jama

Our first major stop was at Postojna Cave, the largest cave system in Europe! We arrived a little early for our guided tour, so Bryan enjoyed an espresso shot while I enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea to pass the time. Then we boarded an electric train that took us over two miles deep into this cave system before dropping us off inside one of the main cave 'rooms,' where our adventure continued on foot.

While our guide pointed out various geological formations, we marveled at the massive stalagmites (from the ground) and stalactites (from the ceiling) decorating this cave! Most notable was the room filled with "spaghetti stalactites" that are small, newly formed rock-cylinders from the last 1,000 years.

We also admired the 17-foot-tall bright-white stalagmite named "Brilliant," which gleams in bright white. This unique stalagmite has the purest water dripping on it, causing it to form in perfect white, while all surrounding formations contain orange, brown, and red tints due to various minerals dripping through the limestone.

You know it's not a tourist attraction without me taking a quick video! Here you can see some of the "lesser rooms" we rode through on the train! I was shocked to see one massive room that had electric chandeliers hanging throughout. We learned that this area is used as a ballroom for political events and even a custom wedding venue!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Bsm71g4rg

While the cave system was a cool sight to see, more impressive were the animals that live within. That's right, Postojna Cave is home to the mysterious olm: a type of salamander that is only found in the cave system in this part of Slovenia.

Back in the 17th century, these creatures were discovered when massive flooding washed them out of the deepest parts of the cave, leading the locals to create tales of the "baby cave dragons." Darwin even wrote about these creatures in his work On the Origin of Species (1859).

So what makes them so unique? These salamanders actually look more like a transparent snake with tiny limbs, meaning they move more like a snake by "wiggling" along, instead of using their tiny arms and legs. While they do have eyes, they are underdeveloped and completely covered by skin, so they swim away from any light, as they prefer the darkest depths of the cave floors. Even more interesting is the fact that their hearts beat once a minute, they can go YEARS without food, and they are believed to live up to 100 years (with an average lifespan in the wild of 65+ years!)

Lucky for us, we were able to spot a few of these baby dragons in the display tank. Local scientist are still studying these creatures and trying to learn more about their unique survival in such a desolate place! While my photos are as good as I could get with the pitch-black tank, you can also see better images of these guys on the cave's website!

Predjama Castle: Predjamski grad

From one desolate habitat to another, our next stop was at Predjama Castle, a Renaissance castle built into the mouth of a cave! While those olm salamanders survived without light or much food, the people of Predjama Castle needed more survival assistance!

Legend has it that back in the 15th century, a Robin Hood-esque figure named Erasmus sought refuge in this castle. Local militants attacked the castle for months and surrounded it, hoping to starve Erasmus and his men out, but nothing worked. With the castle's strategic location and isolated environment, they were unable to break into the castle to capture Erasmus.

The legend goes that Erasmus was betrayed by one of his men, and the war ended when the enemy blasted a cannon into his lavatory...killing him in the bathroom! (Game of Thrones is said to have been inspired by this tale for the death of Tywin Lannister in Season 4!)

While this legend is very interesting, the enemy still wondered how the men survived so long without replenishments during the castle raid. What they didn't know was that the castle was built into a cave with a massive natural tunnel system. When those inside started running short on food, they simply climbed through the cave tunnels, hunted and gathered food, and then returned to the castle!

Bryan and I were shocked to see the intricate water collection system they had in place as well. Rather than worry about poisoned rivers or lack of rainfall, the castle used a platform system to collect the water dripping through the limestone deep inside the cave behind the castle. This water was collected and transported through pipes to be collected in various spots around the castle for clean drinking water!

We may have visited numerous castles around Europe, but none were as unique as this one!

Restaurant Šestica: Gostilna Šestica

Once back in Lubjana, Nugget decided it was time for a late lunch! When our tour guide mentioned a local restaurant with a delicious traditional pumpkin soup and pumpkin gnocchi on the menu, I knew that's where we had to go! The food was amazing and just what Baby wanted!

Pop’s Pizza & Sport

After a nap break back in our hotel room, we headed out for some more night exploring! Eventually, we made our way to Pop's Pizza, where we shared a killer pizza and caprese salad! The food scene in Slovenia has been amazing!!!

Tuesday, February 17: Travel Day Back Home   

With a few great days of exploration under our belt, it was time to make the complicated journey back home. We started by taking the city's public buses out to the edge of town and await our van pickup. While standing in the drizzling rain, we were thankful for our good-weather days, but getting a 20-minute delay call from the van company led to a chilly wait for our transport to the airport!

Trieste, Italy Airport: Aeroporto di Trieste

Eventually, we did make it to the airport and dried off on the way! As we flew back from Trieste, Bryan lucked out with a window seat and snapped a photo of Venice from up high! Hey, we have been there!

Homeward Bound

Of course, our travels wouldn't be complete without these two smiling faces greeting us at the door! We were also happy to return to our warmer, drier Southern Spain weather!

This may be our final trip during our three-year duty station in Rota, Spain, and it was the perfect ending! While we didn't know much about Slovenia when we started this trip, I have to admit it's one of the few places I want to visit again! Next time, I want to visit in the summer so we can take advantage of the warm water sports and outdoor activities that the Lake Bled area is gaining notoriety for! THIS is why we love to travel: find new places, experience new cultures, and soak in the differences of a broader world view! Oh, and eating all the wonderful foods while traveling abroad doesn't hurt either!

Until next time (when the movers arrive...)

Katie & Bryan (& Nugget)