Found this old travel blog draft in notes in my phone from way back when Alex & I were galavanting around Europe in a campervan! My mind doesn’t work or edit fast so these blog entries would take me hours & I felt that I owed it to my dear 26 year-old self to post it.. also, great mems!! The date it was last edited in my phone in notes is 16th October, 2012…
Crossing into Slovenia was much easier than we'd anticipated. We were mostly worried about the Vignette card, which we new we had to purchase before travelling on any toll roads. Compared with the other road services we've had to deal with, the process was super easy. We pulled up to a booth at the border, had a conversation with a girl who spoke fluent English, secured our Vignette card to Dory's windscreen & away we went. The window of the booth was even on Alex's side, making my role redundant.
We knew we were no longer in Italy the instant we hit Slovene soil. The magnificent mountain views are intense & intimidating, the forests are dense, dark & dreamlike, & the caves are like the jaws of giant pirañas - It was like discovering a lost world! I thought of Jack & the Beanstalk, as we drove past mountains that disappeared high into the clouds, leaving size to the imagination - I was also praying that the roads ahead stuck to sea level!
In search for the only campsite in Postojna (Postojnska), we were subject to an interesting turn of events. Tommy did her usual thing & had us driving along an ominous, off-road track, which lead to a back entrance with a locked gate. About a Kilometre into this drive, just as the road was at it's hairiest & I was urging Alex to turn around, a car appeared out of nowhere & crashed into the side of the road in front of us. As you can imagine, we were slightly freaked out, especially when more & more people were climbing out of this tiny car, screaming at one another in an unfamiliar language. Luckily, no one was hurt, so they moved their car to the side so we could squeeze between them & the cliff edge. Though shaken, we were relieved to have escaped a serious Slovene domestic.
No thanks to Tommy, we eventually found the front entrance of the campsite & curled up to a few Master Chef episodes before sleeping off the adrenaline. The site was located in a great spot in the woods, however, being low season, it was eerily empty & it didn't help that Alex kept raising the topic of bears. Also, the showers weren't the greatest so that's always a sure sign we're only going to be staying one night.
The next day we took Dory sightseeing. First, we paid a quick visit to Predjama Castle, which is unique for it's wacky position - It's literally built into a cave on the face of a cliff! I guess it's a good way to avoid paying for land, hehe. We didn't enter the castle, though, as we read that most of the appeal is in the exterior &, besides, we were saving our money for Postojna Cave (Postjanska Jama). We knew instantly that we'd splurged on the right attraction - the experience blew us away! An open-top train carried us deep into a huge, creepy cave, where a tour guide led us further in on foot. Among many things, the guide explained that we were surrounded by stalic mites that were over a million years old. Pretty wild stuff!
It didn't take long to drive to Ljubljana that afternoon & there we found that Slovenia was full of many more surprises. Alex was in heaven with free wifi wherever we went, it was spotlessly clean, the people were extremely friendly, & traffic actually stopped for us at zebra crossings - which was sacrilegious in Italy. Riding our bikes around was a breeze with such courteous motorists!
Alex & I cycled in to the old town on our second day in Ljubljana. After an effortless ride, we rewarded ourselves with a cappuccino & sat in Prešeren Square, watching the pedestrian traffic on the Triple Bridge. The old town is beautiful & easy to admire in it's pristine state. There aren't many hot spots for tourists, just wifi, but what Ljubljana lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. After replenishing with a falafel kebab, we hit the funicular & enjoyed a 'specticular' (hehe) view of the mountains. We then made our way back to base on foot & shuffled down the steepest path either of us had ever encountered.
Slovenia may be a small country but it has a lot to offer & I wish we'd had more time to tour it properly. Unfortunately, we had to remind ourselves that this visit was purely practical & our priority was getting to Hungary. We'd already spent more time in Slovenia than our itinerary allowed. So, with heavy hearts, we said goodbye to this new & exciting world, but not before taking a brief detour through Bled.
Bled was absolutely beautiful but I'm still a little sore that I didn't get a chance to ring the wishing bell. Instead, I stood at the water's edge & made my wish. Despite my minor disappointment, it was the perfect way to end to a scenic stroll around Bled's magical lake. We rushed back to Dory seconds later & Alex stepped on her gas, lol - next stop, Hungary!
Sarah
