Piran is a tiny old town on the Adriatic Sea. It’s a maze of cobblestone streets and tiny alleyways inside castle walls that are up against the sea. It’s very lively and atmospheric, full of seadood restaurants and little cafes. Our hotel was right in front of the water, with great views of the sea from our balcony.
Given how insaly hot it’s been (apparently there’s been a fucking heatwave the entiure time we’ve been in Slovenia), it was so nice to cool off ans go swimming. As i was swimming, i felt something brush up against my arm. I figured i was probably ust imagining things, but then it happened again, and again, and again. Looing down into the water, i could finally see that there were small golf ball sized jelly fish in the water. A lot of them. When we googled it, it turned out tht they were totally harmless, but it was still kind of creepy to be brushing up against weird floating blobby things all the time.
We ate some great seafood while we were there, including this giant whole sea bass and also this insane fried calamari plate. Yum!
This is the meal that we had been looking forward to for this whole trip. Hisa Franko is Slovenia’s only 3 Michelin star restaurnt and is considered one of the best in the world. If you havent seen it, Chef’s Table season 2 episoide 5 showcases the chef Ana Ros. It’s a pretty impressive story. She was planning to become a diplomat, but last second, just before she started the job, her husband inherited an old random restaurant and she decided to help him run it. Her parents disowned her for that. She became the chef there despite having zero culinary training and only having cooked at home. Over time, she taught herself and refined her technique and skills more and more, eventually earning the restaurant 3 stars and putting Slovenia on the world culinary map.
We arrived there at lunch on my birthday. We first got seated outside to have a nice drink and amuse bouche while taking in the beautiful scener around the property. Afterwards, we had a 15 course tasting menu. The good was so good! Each dish was beautifully presented and insanely flavorful. The food was very vegetable forward… there was ony one small piece of fish and 2 tiny pieces of deer out of all the courses, but the chef worked magic with those vegetables!!
To get to our next destination, the Soca Valley, we went over the Vrši? Pass. This famous road is the highest pass in the Slovenian Alps. It consists of 50 hairpin switchbacks and is sometimes called the Russian Highway, because it was built by Russian prisoners of war during WWI. The views from the road were incredibe, and we stopped at a small Russian church that had been built to honor the POWs that had built the road.
The Soca Valley is one of Slovenia’s most beautiful spots, and is home to the Soca River, known for it’s magical bright blue color. We stopped by the Veliki Predaselj gorge to check out it’s blue waters on the way in.
The next day we went white water rafting on the Soca River. It was insanely fun! I havent been rafting in ages, but this seemd much more technical than the rafting i had done before. The guide kept yelling instructions for us to paddle in all directions to navigate rapids and avoid rocks and boulders. Super fun day.
Later on that day, we drove to Tomlin Gorge, another famous gorge in the area. This area was totally stunning with more vibrant blue water and various suspension bridges.
After Lake Bled, we went to another lake, Lake Bohinj. Though it was only half an hour away, this lake was a totally different experience. Where Lake Bled was more of a tourist destination with the instagramable scene, Lake Bohinj was more remote, wild, and naturey. The hotel we stayed at was the fanciest one of the trip, with beautiful design elements and this awesome wellness area. We tried out several saunas and got massages.
The next day we rented stand up paddle boards. I’ve never tried doing this before and it was super fun. It took me a little bit of time to figure out how to get the balance right, but I soon got the hang of it. It was so tranquil being out on the lake in the peace and quiet, slowly paddling and taking in the lake with the mountains above it. A really nice way to spend the day.
Lake Bled is the number one destination in Slovenia. This picture perfect lake with a church on an island in the middle of it is in every single article, blog, and instagram post. Our hotel was right on the lake with amazing views of the water. In the morning we got up and did a hike up to a viewpoint above the lake. It was blazing hot and the hike was fairly steep. While ascending I was sweating bullets and struggling. But the views from up top were worth it. Absolutely stunning and you could see the entire lake, and look down on the little picturesque island.
After the hike, we went for a swim in the lake. The water was crazy cold at first, but we got used to it and it was such a nice relaxing way to spend the afternoon.
The next morning, we rented a rowboat, which is a popular activity here. Now, I haven’t rowed a boat in ages, and it was a bit of a struggle. After some time, we passed a boat and they were motioning to us, but we had no idea what the hell they wanted… until we realized…. I was rowing the damn boat backwards, lol. Yes… the pointy part of the boat goes in front. Duh. Once I started rowing correctly, it became much easier… but still… not that easy. I rowed out to the middle of the lake and around the island, and was getting tired. The way back was rough. As mentioned, it was hot as balls, and I was melting, sweat pouring down my face, as I rowed on and on. Meanwhile, Yana lounged on the other side of the boat, providing moral support, lol. Eventually, we made it back to shore… somehow.
To top off our time there, we tried the famous Lake Bled cake… a delicious cream cake with crispy pastry on top. We had read about this cake a bunch, and it ended up being as tasty as advertised.
Surprisingly, little Slovenia is also a foodie destination. This small country has 9 Michelin starred restaurants. We went to Hisa Linhart, a tiny little restaurant in a small village called Radovljica. We got the 9 course tasting menu filled with elevated takes on food that is deep rooted in Slovenian cuisine. Every tiny dish was amazing and super creative. So glad we got to try it!
Logarska Dolina is a valley nestled in the Kamink Alps. As we drove into the area and rounded the bend, we were absolutely stunned by the mountain scenery. This is one of those “photos don’t do it justice” kind of places. We drove through the valley to our hotel, a super cute mountain cottage.
Our place had this “fairytale forest” attached to it, where you walk through the trees and there are little signposts and wood carvings of different fairytales. Walking through it at sundown, had a tranquil ethereal kind of vibe.
The next morning we set out on a 7km hike through the valley. We walked through Forrest’s and meadows and past little streams while taking in the massive mountains above. The hike I ended at the Rinka falls, and we climbed up to a tiny bar called the Eagle’s Nest to have some cold beers overlooking the falls.
Our hotel was super quaint, with a massive breakfast spread of homemade cured meats, homemade cheeses, and tons of other local goods.
The next day, we set off on our bike ride on the panoramic road. This 40km loop goes up through the mountains and would have been a brutal ride, but we did it on E-bikes which made it way easier. The loop takes you through rolling hills, meadows filled with wildflowers butterflies and bees, and other breathtaking scenery. We seriously felt like we were in the Sound of Music or something. Pure magic. At the top of the mountain, along with the tiny little local eateries, we found a cured meat vending machine. Wow… it’s insane that you can just get a slab of prosciutto from a vending machine here… they really are hardcore about their cured meats! The end of the bike ride was pretty steep downhill over windy roads, where we were left clutching our breaks for dear life. It was quite a ride.
In the morning, we go to pick up our rental car, and just as expected, when I’m done filling out all the forms etc, just as we’re about to get the car, we get flagged since my license is going to expire during he rental period. After some awkward back and forth, we come to an agreement with the guy that I will drive until it expires, and will have Yana drive the last few days. He hands over the keys. Phew.
A big chunk of Slovenia is in the Alps and we head out to go to Velika Planina, a plateau, high up in the mountains. On the way there, we stop in this little town Kamnik, where we tour a brewery and try some tasty beers. The only way to get to Velika Planina is to take a fernicular followed by a chairlift. We finally get to the top. All the photos we had seen of this place were amazing, but when we got there, there was a ton of fog and we could barely see anything at all. We tried hiking a trail, and then gave up because we literally could only see a few yards in any direction. Blargh.
Deciding to make the best of it, we get some lunch. the food is hearty Eastern European style. We had this buckwheat mush with pork cracklings and this sauerkraut stew with sausage. On the way back down to the fernicular, we saw lots of cows grazing… this area used to be full of shepherds who would herd cows. Yana tried to interact with some of the cows, but sadly the cows weren’t having it and just gave her unamused looks, lol.
We are off to go Slovenia for two weeks! Been wanting to go here for a while since it’s a kind of under the radar European destination full of stunning alpine scenery, lakes, and cute little European towns. We’ll be renting a car and doing a road trip all around!
Day 1 – Ljubljana
My day started off not too great. I had realized that my drivers license will expire a few days before the end of the trip. Not the end of the world, but I was worried about the rental agency having a problem with that if they notice. So, while frantically packing and doing other last minute shit, I put myself on the waiting list to go to the DMV. When my time comes up, I drive down there and enter to a mob of people and mad lines everywhere. It’s a total hell scape and I had just missed my number being called. I have to go beg someone to let me still get my license renewed, and he is not thrilled… “Seriously, dude? Your flight is in a few hours and you want to do this now?”. I beg some more and he agrees. I do all the things, the eye test, etc and just when it looks like I’m in the clear, he tells me that there is a hold on my license from Arizona. Whaaaa? I guess I’m now screwed and went through all this for nothing. Later, while packing, I am on hold w/ the Arizona DMV for 25 minutes to find out that I got a speeding ticket in Arizona in 2001, and I paid it, but there is some dumb $10 fine outstanding. You gotta be kidding me.
The flight is also a mess. We’re sitting next to some weirdo on the flight and get very little sleep. Plane arrives in Frankfurt late and we have to run, I’m not kidding, for 1 mile through the airport in multiple directions to try to catch the connecting flight that is about to leave. We barely make it and get on the flight drenched in sweat from running so much.
Anyways, all that aside, we finally arrive in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It’s a small town as far as capitals go (less than 300k people), and is an incredibly charming place… cobblestone streets, a river winding through it, and a laid back vibe. For lunch, we try some of the local food. Slovenia is squished between Italy, Croatia, and Austria, and the food is kind of a mix of all of those. We try some Strukli, which are kind of like sheets of pasta, rolled up, and sliced into fat discs. These come either savory or sweet. We also try some other meat dumplings with a tasty sauce.
There’s a castle on top of a hill in the middle of town, and we wander up there on the tree lined streets. We explore a bit, and then have some wine, taking in the awesome views of the city below. While food, coffee, cocktails here are all normal priced (slightly cheaper than SF), wine is dirt cheap and you can get a nice glass of wine for like 6 Euros. While having wine, Yana and I have a long conversation about the fact that I am about to get a Whippet puppy, and my some insane coincidence, someone sits down at the cafe with two Whippets. Crazy. As we leave the castle, and night is falling, we see tons of bats fluttering through the sky… a truly surreal nighttime castle scene.
We get dinner at this amazing Slovenian tapas spot on the river. Everything is super delicious, one of the dishes being raw crab, which I’ve never tried before. Afterwards, we hit one of the only cocktail spots in town, and I have this crazy cocktail that has pistachio ice cream in it. Yum.
This was it. Our final (half) day in Iceland. I woke up, tired as hell, rushed out to grab some final pastries and we frantically packed so we could be ready by the time the shuttle came. When we were finally packed, i looked over the details of the shuttle and it turned out that “hotel pickup” was actually a pickup at a bus station several blocks from the hotel. Oh crap. So we grab our stuff and rush over there. After waiting a bit, it doesn’t feel like the shuttle is coming, so I call the bus company and it turns out we missed the shuttle, but they said they would hold the main bus for 5 minutes if we grabbed a taxi to the bus terminal. We do. The taxi was $30 for a 6 minute ride (Sheesh, Iceland is expensive). We get over there and they tell us that they did hold the bus for *exactly* 5 minutes and now we’ve missed it. Uh, thanks. So now we have to take a taxi to the blue lagoon. This costs $160. Blargh. (Later, the fare onward from the Blue lagoon cost $115, so all in all $300 in taxi costs for the day. Fucking hell).
Anyways, the blue lagoon is one of Icelands most famous attractions. It’s a beautiful lagoon amidst black crumbly lava rock (in fact, there was a volcanic eruption here just earlier in the week and they had to evacuate the entire area). The water is a powder blue color with clouds of steam floating all around. Since it’s so close to the airport, people usually either do it first or last on their trip to Iceland. I’m super glad we did it last as it was the perfect way to cap off our trip. We spent three hours just bobbing around in the hot waters and relaxing. They have a swim up bar where you can get beers or slushies, and also a place where you can get all these fancy mud mask things. I decided to go for it and hopefully my face is now glowing as promised! Dammit, it better glow!
So that’s a wrap. Our little nine day trip to Iceland was done. It all just kind of flew by, but it also feels like we did *so much* with our time here. Waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, etc… Iceland has it all. A truly surreal and unique place, it’s so weird to think that nobody really came here before just like 15 years ago, and now it’s such a popular destination.
Though we saw pretty much everything we wanted to see, the one thing we didn’t get to see was the northern lights. Visibility was never that great during our time here, and it just never worked out somehow. Oh well, maybe some other time.
