June 9, 2021
Last night, I consulted Azk.hr for bus routes to Ljubljana but ended up purchasing my ticket on Flixbus. I took the light rail to the bus station early this morning and found my bus. Everything went smoothly until we passed the border to Slovenia. What I am guessing were police came on the bus to check everyone’s passports. They asked me some questions about being in the Schengen Zone (Slovenia is in it but Croatia isn’t) and needing a visa to enter. I told them I thought Americans didn’t need a visa normally and I hadn’t seen anything unusual about that regarding COVID. They took my passport and then made me get out of the bus to explain myself. It turns out that the police officer was just terrible at communicating and had assumed I stayed there on my student visa from study abroad. None of it made sense and once I spoke to the female officer she told me it was fine and let me get back on the bus :). This was overall a very weird encounter because the police officers were not wearing uniforms but instead jeans and t-shirts, which I haven’t seen in any other country…Slovenia is just different I guess?
From the few blocks I caught a glimpse of on the bus, I can already tell the city is beautiful. I head to Hostel Tresor to settle in. This is a pretty cool hostel because it is the previous home of bankers. There’s lots of common space, but not much space to sit. It has a great location, decent rooms and beds, and luckily for me, it is pretty much empty. I should be able to get lots of work done here.
I head out in search of Tacos Patron for a bite to eat. It’s a decent taco place for Eastern Europe but the meat was a bit dry.
Now it’s time to do some site seeing. It’s still pretty early and the weather is perfect. I make stops at Triple Bridge, Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Franciscan Church of the Annunciation, Preseren Square, and Dragon Bridge. The city center is an absolute fairytale.
For dinner I head to a Bosnian grill, Das Ist Walter. The food is delicious and cheap. I also liked the Das Ist Walter beer. I wasn’t too sure what to order, but everything ended up being delicious! A delightful first day in Slovenia.
June 10, 2021
Today is an admin day. There’s a grocery store called Spar City near the hostel so I head there to get some breakfast food and snacks. I discovered the hostel has self-service laundry (which I much prefer because I am particular about it) for 6 Euro (wash and dry), so I wash pretty much everything I have.
For lunch, I’m excited to try a pho restaurant called Dobro Jutro Vietnam. I order chicken pho and fried spring rolls, which are both absolutely delicious. This pho tastes like the freshest I’ve ever had. The price was worth it, but I would have liked a little more soup.
After a day of admin and work, I head out to Tivoli Park to do some exploring. I snap a picture of the National Gallery on my way. The park is beautiful and I listen to Rick Steve’s Guide to Ljubljana as I wander around at dusk.
June 11, 2021
Today I mostly had to do homework, but the good thing is my friend Eric has arrived! I met Eric in Split in the hostel. He left for Vienna to visit a friend and his next stop is Venice, so I told him to stop by Ljubljana for the weekend.
When Eric arrives we’re both starving. Luckily Ljubljana has a summer food festival named Odprta Kuhna (outdoor kitchen) that happens each weekend, and it’s already open. It’s a quick walk to the square across the bridge. There’s lots of different foods to try and it’s all pretty high quality and with decent portion sizes. I recommend going with a couple of people so you can try more things. We tried some Egyptian food, barbecue ribs, and a walnut cake, as well as craft beer. It ended up pouring rain so it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but still worth it for the food.
June 12, 2021
Today, Eric and I have decided to head to Lake Bled. We rush to the bus station and purchase tickets for the hourly bus, then hop on. We stop at a random café for beer and pizza because we skipped breakfast (it’s never too early for beer and pizza). Next, we walk around the perimeter of the lake, which takes about 2 hours at a leisurely pace. On the far side, we attempt the Ojstrica Bled Hike. It’s a short hike to an iconic viewpoint, but it is super steep. We didn’t end up going to the highest view point because we were told it wasn’t really much better and was another steep hike upwards.
When we return to the other side of the lake, I suggest we stop at Park Hotel Cafe for Kremsnita Bled cake. This is the signature cake of the area so we order one to share along with some beers. It’s a unique cake, which I really enjoyed. We get to watch a crew competition on the lake while we eat our cake. We head home from the same bus stop that we were dropped off at.
For dinner, we head to The Wok with our new German friend Marvin. It’s pretty good and right near the hostel so worth a try if you are looking for a quick bite. Ljubljana doesn’t seem to have a huge nightlife scene, and certainly not right now. However, it’s Saturday night and the weather is perfect so Eric and I try to make the best of it! We grab beers on the water at one of the many cafes. I try Loo-Blah-Jana Apple Cider which is pretty tasty. Then we walk along the water and cross the many bridges. At night the bridge lights are green because Ljubljana is known as the greenest capital in Europe.
June 13, 2021
The second excursion Eric and I have chosen is Postojna Cave. Again we run to the bus stop to grab tickets for the bus. Things go smoothly at first but then, traffic hits. It seems like there’s some sort of biker weekend happening which turned a 45 min ride into 2.5 hours. We had bought tickets in advance for the cave which were kind of expensive, so we were lucky to make it just in time. Even though it’s a bit expensive, you get a unique electric train ride through the cave and only have to do a little walking to see a really cool cave system. There’s restaurants that have popped up due to the tourist attraction, but not much else to do. Half a day is enough for this excursion.
We grab food near the bus stop at Slascicarna Majlont. They happened to offer crepes, so I took a gamble on them and it paid off. A win for me! We eat them on the bus home so we don’t have to wait another hour for the next bus.
After a rest we go cafe hopping on the water. First we stop at Slovenska Hisa. I got a Union beer which tasted like dirty water. I also got a kiobasa and prosciutto plate that was pretty good. It was served with traditional bread mush and fermented cabbage, which was really interesting. Next we stop at Promenade for more beers, and then we make a third stop at a place that we still don’t know the name of for beers and fries.
Check Out My Guide to Ljubljana ⧉
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