Slovenia ... the only country with the word LOVE in its name! And it's my country!
Given that all my family lives in Slovenia, I'm there several times a year. Yet I never write about it for I never know where to start. I could be philosophical about it - and outline how my nation influenced and molded me as a young kid, nostalgic about it - given that this is where I was born and grew up, critical about it - given that I was reared here and have the right to point out its shortcomings, or simply describe the geographical beauty of this very small country of 2 million people.
Instead, I've decided to simply write about what I do when I come here ... and short stop of describing every place that I would like to introduce you to for I'm proud of my little nation. Geez ... this is exactly what I do with the other destinations that I travel to!!
I'm born in a small fishing town on the coast of Slovenia called Izola, right on the Italian border ... population 3.5 million ... not!! more like 5,000 people! The coast is starkly different from the majority of the country by culture, language, food and geography. All that I need to say is that this was part of Italy a long time ago ... and thus has an Italian flavour to it in all aspects. While the majority of Slovenia has a very Austrian/Germanic feel.
What is beautiful about Slovenia is that it's a country in miniature: we have a small coast (cosatline is 36 km long!), we have the Alps and we have planes in the central district. You can swmin in the sea, go skiing in the Alps and go for long drives in the country-side ... all within a very short distance.
And to end ... I would just like to point out that we're not Slovakia!!!! We're S-LOVE-nia. Now don't make that mistake again!!
HOW TO GET THERE:
> Brnik International Airport, the main airport in Slovenia, is located just outside Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital. Our national carrier Adria Airways connects Ljubljana with most European capitals and European tourist destinations.
> Trieste Airport: this airport is actually closer to the Slovenian Coast than the Ljubljana airport, however, it is only served by Lufthansa (flights from Munich), Air France, Ryanair and some other local airlines. But given that there is no more border between Slovenia and Italy, this is definitely the easier entry point, if you can get a convenient flight.
> Discount airlines: unfortunately, the only discount airline that currently flies to Ljubljana is EasyJet (from London).
> moving around: public transportation is not very good in Slovenia so the best thing to do is rent a car at the Ljubljana airport. I do this every time now ... and it's very economical.
WHAT TO DO:
> Sky diving in Lesce: this is an incredible way to see my beautiful and small country. Goran and Blanka gave us a wonderful wedding present on 070707 ... a sky-diving trip in Slovenia. We were going to do it last year, but due to timing, it never panned out. So this year we gave it another shot ... and holy cow ... phenomenal experience! We went to this small airport called Lesce, which actually isn't far from Ljubljana and very close to Austria. We did a jump from 3000 metres above ground level (3500 m above sea level) ... and oh my gosh was it exhilarating! Don't worry ... this was a tandem jump with an instructor strapped to your back ... and he's the one that pulls open the parachute. I was totally calm as I boarded the small Cesnna ... still calm as we were climbing up ... but when we reached 1500 m I started to get a bit antsy. As I looked out the plane, I saw that we were climbing up the sides of the mountains, trying to utilize the updrafts in our ascent to jumping height. I could nearly touch the rocks outside! When we finally reached 3000 metres and they opened the canvas cover ... my heart was pounding. Suddenly ... Robin is out and hurtling down to the ground. I get to the edge ... lean my head on the instructor behind me as I was told to do ... and suddenly I'm out the plane and turned face down to the ground ... which is approaching me at 200 km/h ... free-falling! The view stunning. Lake Bled in front of us, mountains all around us, green pastures ... and me screaming for 35 whole seconds. Complete adrenalin rush. And then the parachute opens ... and suddenly everything is still and calm. I feel like I'm perched on a ledge high up in the sky ... and in front of me the beautiful Slovenian landscape. The whole 6 minutes were magical. My instructor points out Robin in the distance ... yeah, both are chutes are open ... phew! As we slowly fall down towards the landing spot ... you realize that there is nothing more magical than flying. A phenomenal experience. Thank you Goran and Blanka!
> Svetilnik beach in Izola: this is where I used to go swimming with my cousin Goran when I was young. It's not an extravagant beach ... but it's wonderful, right on the tip of my small fishing village. The summer days are long and hot, and this place is always full. You get a wonderful taste of the local summer life here. And this time we really went overboard ... since Robin came along, for the first time ever in my whole life (and that of my cousin and his girlfriend) we rented deck chairs and umbrellas ... 20 euros for 4! This is way to extravagant for us locals :-)
> Piran: if you're already on the coast, you need to visit the beautiful town of Piran. Coming from Izola, of course I want to say it's the most beautiful town on the caost. But truth be known, that title goes to the wonderfully Venetian-like Piran.
RESTAURANTS:
> Trattoria Na Burji (Nova Vas 57 - Tel +386 5 672 6042): do you want to try a fantastic Slovenian meal? Go to this great restaurant in a small town called Nova Vas, just behind the hilltop town of Korte. I won't even bother explaining where this is ... for you definitely need to get a map! Once there, you basically tell the waitress what you would like to eat ... or better said what you don't eat ... and they will surprise you. Get ready for lots of meat and fish ... and some fantastic local wine.
> Pizza: although an Italian would never admit it, but I think Slovenia has some of the best pizzas in the world! The place we went to this time is called Pizzeria Porto Apollo (Izola - APO Simonov Zaliv). I love pizza quattro stagioni or pizza with rucola and prosciutto (prosciutto is another food product that I think is superior in Slovenia than in Italy!!) Another place to try out a great pizza is right on the old square in the small harbour of Izola. The place is called Pizzeria Napa and you can grab a wonderful table right on the square, besides the church. And if you're in Lucija/Portoroz, the place to go is called Pizza Rustika (Obala 26 - right across from Hotel Metropole).
HOTELS:
Of course, every time I come home to Slovenia, I stay with my family. If I was to stay in a hotel all my family would get offended. But these are some of the hotels in Slovenia that I can recommend:
> Hotel Kempinski Palace - Portoroz: Portoroz iz the tourist capital on the Slovenian Coast ... and Palace Kempinski Hotel is where all the glamour is. Built at the turn of last century, it used to be the playground of the 'rich and famous' in the time of Yugoslavia ... but was abandoned and left to decay for nearly two decades (I think). A few years ago a Slovene consortium finally decided to restorate it and Kempisnki Hotels took over the management ... and it finally opened last summer. I was there several months ago and was impressed with the whole renovation job.
> Grand Hotel Union - Ljubljana: this is the grand and most luxurious hotel in Ljubljana. Diplomats, dignitaries ... this is where they stay.
Bojan Tercon
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