Day 5 , 24 July 2019
Slovenia
After what I’ll call “My best night “in Europe, it was time for the next country, Slovenia. The reason I had chosen Slovenia was “Lake Bled “and “Soca river valley”, look it up on Google and you’ll
know why.They look heavenly and when I first saw the pictures, I instantly decided to pick this country for the trip.
Let me put some light on how I'd decided on the countries to visit. I'd met a friend, Harsh, in zostel on my Gokarna trip ( I'm big time zostel fan ). Co-incidentally he worked with a travel company. When I told him that I'm planning Euro trip he gave me a list of places that are not so common for the regular travellers.I checked all those places and shortlisted whatever caught my attention .Hence, Slovenia topped my list because others were regular famous countries.This country is very underrated I would say. Not many travelers go there but I’m glad I did. It ended up being my favorite country. My next 4 nights were in Slovenia.
I had booked a blabla ride from Budapest to Ljubljana for 20 Euros, that was pretty cheap. The car owner was supposed to come at 10 AM, it was a 6-hour drive. I packed my bag, had my coffee -breakfast with this view from my hostel.
I wanted to explore the actual European life when travelling. So, I tried to travel with local people whenever possible. That way you get to learn more about the place, culture and history. Only a local can tell you the hidden gems of the town, isn’t it?
While I waited for the blabla guy , I again took a small walk around hostel . It reminded me the walk last night with Peter. The day view was so different. I just soaked it all in before leaving this beautiful city which gave me my best memory.
Soon Michael and his GF picked me up. And then began the 6-hour long road trip. This couple was on a month-long trip themselves, so we exchanged lots of stories and information about our journeys. Its fascinating what a simple conversation can teach you. I love to learn about people through their stories, it’s my favorite way to know someone.
Also, you have just one life, you can’t have all the experiences in life. Why not learn from someone else’s ??
It was turning into a great road trip, those highways, the beautiful scenic views around and the local songs. The couple had already covered Slovenia so they told me about the do's and don'ts for my trip. Halfway through our journey, Michael stopped the car at a hotel for a refresher. I had my usual coffee, and we were on road again. Good thing I learnt about the people there is they would just take a month-long break from work whenever they want and get on the road. I know its not possible for us in India, but I really loved this concept.
Since I didn’t get to sleep much last night, I took a nap in the next half of this trip. When I opened my eyes, we were in Ljubljana the capital of Slovenia. Another goodbye to these wonderful people . I was so sleepy I forgot to click a picture with them ,Sigh !! Lesson learnt.
Never after that I missed clicking picture with someone I really liked !
I reached the hostel. It had its own kitchen and was much colorful and vibrant than my last one. I chose my hostels depending on how long I'm staying. For this hostel I paid almost 40 euros for two nights. It had a good vibe. Many young people from around Europe were on their summer break and were staying in this hostel. It felt good amidst the hustle. I sat in the common area planning my next day, taking inputs from these people.
The hostel staff and girls in my dorm were helpful in deciding about my plan for the next day. I met a girl from US, she was in the bed above mine. We were discussing about the places to see the next day and I discovered a new place near Lake Bled named Vintgar Gorge. Look it up, you’ll love it.
All this while (right from deciding on visiting Slovenia), someone was helping me with my travel across the country. She was my Instagram friend from Slovenia Petra. We had connected on a travel group and she guided me with my city of stay, inter-country travel, hostel area and food. I can’t thank her enough.
There’s wasn’t anything planned for this day as I was tired with the journey. It was around 6.30 PM, another 2 hours for sunset. I took a stroll with no maps and internet on my phone.
Just clueless wandering around the city. Upon heading out, I heard the church bells. I followed it and man, what a view I got myself into.
Now remember, I had already made up my mind that Prague was the most fairy tale like city and then next Budapest last night, had left me speechless. But here was another addition to that list. 30 minutes of walking and I was sure I had found the best place. Each city had been wonderful in its own way but this one blew my mind. I was so happy in my heart that I couldn’t contain it. And that’s when I started my vlogs to share the happiness with my friends on Instagram. This city made me happy inside out. The people seemed very laid back and joyous, the street artists here were another level. The entire vibe was liberating and positive. I heard GOT theme being played on a violin somewhere and damn, wasn’t that the best!!!! I just followed the sounds and explored beautiful people, places, art and what not. Each lane was making me merrier.
It was finally dark,I returned to the hostel.Most of the days, I would eat my protein bars and fruits through the day and cook if the hostel had kitchen.I Cooked myself omelet and toast, wrote the beautiful experience of the day in my diary and went off to sleep. Next day was supposed to be my dream day!!
Day 5 ended leaving me very positive and happier at heart.
Learning for the day :You never know what's coming, until then assume you got the best and embrace it!
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