Slovenia - an extraordinary adventure
01.07.2024
How do we even begin to describe Slovenia and all the incredible things this country has to offer?
Let's just face it: the fact that our knowledge of this small nation on the edge of the Balkans was limited is a gross understatement. Unfortunately, we are not the only ones, I believe most Swedes have never set foot in this country. Nevertheless, the Swedes could be found everywhere. On our first night in Ljubljana when we sat down at a bar for a drink after dinner, we ended up next to a couple from Fagersta (a small town a couple of hours from Stockholm). And the next day, when we decided to make a quick stop at the picturesque Lake Bled, of course we ran into a Swedish family there as well. But at our final destination - the village of Kanal ob Soči, so small that it is possible to make a sightseeing tour around the entire center in five minutes - there were no foreigners at all. This became obvious to us during the second night when we went to a concert with a Slovenian band and the organizer greeted the audience and especially "our foreign guests from Sweden" welcome. By the way, the concert was magical, with singer Boštjan Pertinač mixing different musical genres from folklore and country to Balkan rhythms and klezmer.
And there is a lot in Slovenia that is nothing less than magical. The train journey through the country offers an incomparable display of a fairytale landscape that knocks you out completely. High, green mountains, yellow sunflower fields, deep valleys with rippling, crystal clear turquoise water. Small picturesque alpine villages and grazing cattle in pastures. The capital Ljubljana is a cozy little (only 280,000 inhabitants) city with cobblestone alleys, bridges (with the iconic triple bridge) over the canal winding through the community, lively outdoor restaurants and bars, art galleries, classical baroque buildings, castles and churches and green parks. Nice and relaxed atmosphere and friendly people who all speak English. How has this little gem managed to stay so undiscovered?! "I have to come back here and spend a few months to write my next book!" was the first thought that struck me as we strolled around the old town.
Kanal ob Soči, or rather the village of Goringa vas, was the home of our host Jakob. He has lived most of his life in the house he grew up in, which he today shares with his mother. In the garden behind the house, he and his family grow vegetables such as zucchini, lettuce, radishes, cucumber, pumpkin, tomatoes. The first evening we invited Jakob out for dinner at one of the village's two restaurants. The second he treated us to homemade Slovenian dinner consisting of dumplings, chicken legs and salad. If you were to rate Jakob's performance as a Couchsurfing host, he would get nothing less than full score. He made a huge effort to make his guests' experience just perfect. In addition to offering food, letting his cozy attic with mattresses on the floor as a place to sleep, showing around the village and telling about its history, he is openminded and warm, genuinely curious about his guests' home country and culture. During our time here, we also participated in the Soča Outdoor festival, which takes place in the beautiful Soca valley by the river of the same name. Many of those attending the event take part in the running competition, which offers races in different distances. As we weren't that keen on running in the sizzling heat, we opted for kayaking and rafting instead. An incredible experience!
On the last day, we were invited by Jakob and his sister with children to a special service in a church in the neighboring village. The local priest has had his ministry for an impressive 50 years and this of course had to be celebrated. After the ceremony, food, pastries, fruit and wine were served outside the church and the event turned into a folk festival. Several villagers were curious about us and came up for a chat. Once again we were struck by how well everyone speaks English, even the older generation.
We are incredibly grateful to have been able to spend these days at Jakob's home and enjoy the nice atmosphere in Kanal. The trip through Slovenia has really made us wanna come back for more! Just imagine how many amazing things there are to experience here that we had no clue about.
Just to give a few examples of events worth coming back for:
* The diving competition in August, when lunetics jump 17 meters from the bridge into the canal
* the fish festival
* the heavy metal festival in Tolmin
* the cheese festival
This is what we did in Slovenia:
Visited Ljubljana and had dinner in the beautiful old town
Participated in the Soča Outdoor festival
Went to a concert by the extraordinary Boštjan Pertinač
Swam in the Soča River
Let's just face it: the fact that our knowledge of this small nation on the edge of the Balkans was limited is a gross understatement. Unfortunately, we are not the only ones, I believe most Swedes have never set foot in this country. Nevertheless, the Swedes could be found everywhere. On our first night in Ljubljana when we sat down at a bar for a drink after dinner, we ended up next to a couple from Fagersta (a small town a couple of hours from Stockholm). And the next day, when we decided to make a quick stop at the picturesque Lake Bled, of course we ran into a Swedish family there as well. But at our final destination - the village of Kanal ob Soči, so small that it is possible to make a sightseeing tour around the entire center in five minutes - there were no foreigners at all. This became obvious to us during the second night when we went to a concert with a Slovenian band and the organizer greeted the audience and especially "our foreign guests from Sweden" welcome. By the way, the concert was magical, with singer Boštjan Pertinač mixing different musical genres from folklore and country to Balkan rhythms and klezmer.
And there is a lot in Slovenia that is nothing less than magical. The train journey through the country offers an incomparable display of a fairytale landscape that knocks you out completely. High, green mountains, yellow sunflower fields, deep valleys with rippling, crystal clear turquoise water. Small picturesque alpine villages and grazing cattle in pastures. The capital Ljubljana is a cozy little (only 280,000 inhabitants) city with cobblestone alleys, bridges (with the iconic triple bridge) over the canal winding through the community, lively outdoor restaurants and bars, art galleries, classical baroque buildings, castles and churches and green parks. Nice and relaxed atmosphere and friendly people who all speak English. How has this little gem managed to stay so undiscovered?! "I have to come back here and spend a few months to write my next book!" was the first thought that struck me as we strolled around the old town.
Kanal ob Soči, or rather the village of Goringa vas, was the home of our host Jakob. He has lived most of his life in the house he grew up in, which he today shares with his mother. In the garden behind the house, he and his family grow vegetables such as zucchini, lettuce, radishes, cucumber, pumpkin, tomatoes. The first evening we invited Jakob out for dinner at one of the village's two restaurants. The second he treated us to homemade Slovenian dinner consisting of dumplings, chicken legs and salad. If you were to rate Jakob's performance as a Couchsurfing host, he would get nothing less than full score. He made a huge effort to make his guests' experience just perfect. In addition to offering food, letting his cozy attic with mattresses on the floor as a place to sleep, showing around the village and telling about its history, he is openminded and warm, genuinely curious about his guests' home country and culture. During our time here, we also participated in the Soča Outdoor festival, which takes place in the beautiful Soca valley by the river of the same name. Many of those attending the event take part in the running competition, which offers races in different distances. As we weren't that keen on running in the sizzling heat, we opted for kayaking and rafting instead. An incredible experience!
On the last day, we were invited by Jakob and his sister with children to a special service in a church in the neighboring village. The local priest has had his ministry for an impressive 50 years and this of course had to be celebrated. After the ceremony, food, pastries, fruit and wine were served outside the church and the event turned into a folk festival. Several villagers were curious about us and came up for a chat. Once again we were struck by how well everyone speaks English, even the older generation.
We are incredibly grateful to have been able to spend these days at Jakob's home and enjoy the nice atmosphere in Kanal. The trip through Slovenia has really made us wanna come back for more! Just imagine how many amazing things there are to experience here that we had no clue about.
Just to give a few examples of events worth coming back for:
* The diving competition in August, when lunetics jump 17 meters from the bridge into the canal
* the fish festival
* the heavy metal festival in Tolmin
* the cheese festival
This is what we did in Slovenia:
Visited Ljubljana and had dinner in the beautiful old town
Participated in the Soča Outdoor festival
Went to a concert by the extraordinary Boštjan Pertinač
Swam in the Soča River