Picking up where I left off last time because don’t we all just love a good cliff hanger?
I’m on the bus on the way to Ljubljana, Slovenia and I’m sitting next to Devon and we’re chatting the whole way there and she and I got to know each other a little better, considering we had literally met the week prior. We get to Ljubljana around 7pm and check into our hostel. I freaking loved it, it was so cool because it used to be a prison and the private 2 beds all had funky layouts and the doors were jail bars (there were two sets of doors, a solid metal one and then the bars).
We all took a lil break to chill and then went to grab dinner at this Mexican place nearby which was pretty cheap and tasted fantastic (I don’t know if I’d call it proper Mexican but ya know it was close enough). Then we went to this bar called Ferdinand and had some drinks and played card games for a couple of hours. There was this GORGEOUS gray cat there sitting on a chair right next to our table so of course we gave her so many pets and a lot of attention. Also during this time we realized the deck of cards we were using was messed up so we talked to the group of guys next to us to try and fix the decks. And we pet the cat more, obviously. We finally headed back home around midnight and decided that the next day we would take a short day trip up to Lake Bled since the bus was cheap and it was only like an hour and a half away.
It was nice to get a good night of sleep and I woke up early to get some breakfast before heading to the bus station to catch our bus to Bled. It was pretty cold, and I had only brought a light jacket with me from Sweden since I hadn’t planned on traveling any further north. When we were nearing Lake Bled on the bus, I swear I entered a fairytale. It didn’t look real, it was so mystical that I felt like I was in a movie or something. Being an avid fantasy book lover, this was my DREAM. We decided the first thing we would do was go up and see Bled Castle, and man was it a HIKE. But oh so worth it. The view was stunning, and the castle was so pretty, unfortunately we did not go inside because it was kind of pricey and we be ballin on a budget. But the view itself made it worth it. The sun was shining on the lake, the snow on the surrounding mountains was glistening, and the green of the trees was almost glowing from the reflection of the sunlight on the lake.
After that breathtaking view, we hiked back down the cliff and decided that we’d go around the entire lake before heading back to Ljubljana. When we first got down from the cliff, we realized it was much busier than it was when we arrived. We saw these people at the edge of the lake feeding the ducks and this big, beautiful swan that was just so elegant, and was definitely getting spoiled. We continued and every section we went through we got a whole new perspective of the lake and castle. I was definitely pretty tired and hungry by the time we were halfway around, because it was like 6km, but eventually we arrived back at our starting point which was this super cute and popular café. We went in to grab a small bite to eat and I got some coffee while the others grabbed some food or coffee as well. The sun was fully out by then and the café was packed, but we only stayed there for about an hour before we had to catch the bus back to Ljubljana.
On our way back, I tried to sleep because I was absolutely exhausted but I couldn’t manage to. So, when we got back, and Devon and Lydia said they wanted to go check out the Ljubljana castle I opted not to and so did Alex. I was so exhausted and just needed a few hours to decompress after so much back-to-back traveling. So, I literally laid in my weirdly-shaped hostel bed and read my book for a bit. Then texted everyone to see if they wanted to meet up for dinner soon, as one of the Slovenian guys I met gave me suggestions on where to go. We originally were going to go to the traditional Slovenian place, but apparently, they were ‘full’ (they were in fact not but whatever), so instead we went to Pop’s Place which was bomb. I got this specialty hot dog which was so good, and everyone else also enjoyed their meals and their drinks. I, personally, don’t like beer so I typically never get any but they each tried a new one they’d never had, and I had a sip and Devon’s was SO good. It was like this cherry flavored one I’m not sure what it was called but it was unique.
*um so I took a week break from writing bc I went to Paris to visit a friend (will be in the next update or the one after) so I kinda forgot what I was saying oops*
I think after dinner we went to a dessert place and tried some Slovenian dessert (I don’t remember the name of it so sorry but it wasn’t that great so you’re not missing out on much). It was a really cute place and had some interesting artwork on the walls and ceiling. After awkwardly trying to pay for our lil sweet treats, we then went to a souvenir shop (mostly because I’m determined to get SOMETHING everywhere I go). So I got a little keychain and a magnet, and then we went back and after our very long physically demanding day, or at least it was to me because I’m lazy, and we relaxed, packed up our stuff, and went to bed, since the next morning we had to get up early to catch our bus to go back to Zagreb.
I managed to roll myself out of bed early enough to grab some breakfast with everyone else before checking out of our adorable little prison cell and heading to the bus station.
Side note: PLEASE please pleaseeeee dress accordingly. And until it’s like actually summertime I suggest always bringing a heavier coat than you think you need. I was so cold, thankful I didn’t get sick, but it was not fun especially with the amount of walking we did.
Okay, now back to regularly scheduled programming: I like couldn’t find the bus for a solid 15 min which scared the crap out of me because you’re supposed to be there so much earlier than the departure time, but apparently it was just late because we were standing at the bus stop and then it pulled up and everything was fine. This bus was double decker so we all sat at the top and at the very front of it too where you have like this panoramic view which was so cool.
Side note: FlixBus’s do typically have assigned seats and we did have ones assigned to us, however we made sure no one was sitting there and that the bus wasn’t completely full before doing so.
The ride back to Zagreb was uneventful with pretty views, and we got to the Zagreb bus station and then went to a café for a little bit since we had time to kill before heading back to the airport. Which, our uber driver was so cool and he was giving us a bunch of tips for like the party scene on the southern coast of Croatia, and he was asking us all about where we were from since we were all from North America.
Then I bought some stuff at the duty free store in the airport after going through quite literally the easiest airport security of my life. Btw, take advantage of duty free, because in a lot of countries some items might be WAYYYY cheaper, plus they’re all tax free. Then got on the chaotic flight back to Gothenburg, with screaming children once again OF COURSE. sigh That was a whirlwind of a trip. I feel like Ms. Frizzle after she like journeys through someone’s insides to show her students something new.
Anyway I think that’s all I got for you, stay tuned for some ramblings about my homesickness, Grace and I’s football cake, a wild tie-breaker hockey game, a theme-park blowing up, and my trip to see my bestie in France!
Your silliest goose (or swan ig) xx
-mor