And just like that, we are back in Europe. It’s been just over 100 days of being on the Deveroad (#titledrop) and it’s both flown by while simultaneously feeling like a very long time without a routine. Exercise, bedtimes, meals and pretty much everything changes weekly in spite of my recurring to do lists. The kids, however, don’t seem to mind since the quantity of ice cream and playgrounds far exceed our routine at home.
Our stop over in Europe for the next month before heading to Asia is centered around our graduate school (go CU Buffs!) friend’s wedding in Austria and, conveniently, a little event called Oktoberfest in nearby Munich. More on those in the next post. For the first part, we wanted to find some less traveled areas of Europe and take advantage of the fall shoulder season.
Also, a few people wanted to know the latest details of where we were heading to next. I created a new page: Year Abroad, for a look ahead which will eventually include the more logistical aspects of our trip. If anyone wants to come meet us along the way or has been to these areas/has recommendations, we would love to hear from you!
Where Are We?
Our first stop for Europe Part 2 is 2.5 weeks in Slovenia, a smaller country of 2 million people, just south of Austria and east of Italy. Technically we flew into Croatia (Zagreb), just over the border, to take advantage of the cheapest flight and car rental combo. We found out there was a reason it was the cheapest: another 1 am Turkish Airlines layover in Istanbul and a rental car with a lot of … character. The first car they offered us literally had the rear bumper falling off, but we swapped it for a “better one” that had 100k km and at least a degrading bumper still attached. Emmett, however, saw past its rough exterior and was a big fan of our, as he put it, “blue race car” and truthfully I enjoyed driving our Renault Meganne (manual of course) around the mountains of Slovenia, packed to the roof with suitcases and groceries.
Car drama aside, why Slovenia? Friends (Thanks Katie!) and well-targeted Instagram reels showed us a country with beautiful lakes, mountain hikes and charming cities that were relatively quiet compared to some of Europe’s more popular destinations. As foodies, we also appreciated the country’s rising presence on the food scene with a focus on locally grown produce and honey, a personal favorite. Fall is also a great time to visit the area and we enjoyed the foggy mornings and fall harvest activities.
Our itinerary went Lake Bled Area -> Piran -> Bovec. Everything in Slovenia seems to be within 2 hours driving of Ljubljana (capital) in the middle so it’s easy to see a lot from one location. We spent the majority of our two weeks in Slovenia in the small village of Hrase. It’s 40 minutes north of the capital and near the picturesque Lake Bled. Madeline found a really cool accommodation on an active apple orchard, staying in the apartment above the family’s home. We ended up being there during the actual harvest and the kids loved watching all of the activity and associated fresh apples and cider they gave to us. The host family had four boys and we enjoyed talking about life in Slovenia with the parents while the kids rode bikes around the yard or patiently waited for the three new barn kittens to brave coming out from under the pallets of freshly picked apples.
After exploring the mountain lakes, we met up with our friends from Colorado, Adam and Cary, to see other areas of Slovenia before both heading to the Austrian wedding. First we spent two nights in Piran, a small town on the equally small Slovenian coast along the Adriatic Sea and loved walking the narrow streets, munching on amazing seafood along the way. After that, we headed to Bovec, the “Boulder, CO”, according to AI, of Slovenia for another two days, set in the heart of the Julian Alps. We hiked along the clear, turquoise Soca River and Cary taught Mae the difference between lichen and moss, which blew her mind. Now every time we hike Mae comments on which ones she sees.
Madeline and I both loved Slovenia and are already planning to come back sooner rather than later. If you like lush green forests surrounding mountain lakes with dramatic peaks in the background, this is the place for you. The people were beyond kind and accommodating to our minimal Slovenian and two young kids and always happy to give recommendations for places to eat or visit. It was also interesting to contrast South Africa with the 2nd worst income inequality in the world with Slovenia, the 2nd best in the world, back-to-back. It definitely felt more contiguous with a stronger sense of village pride and community across the country.
Favorite Experiences
Places
Here were some of our favorite activities from the trip! I put these on a map at the end of the blog along with our accommodations if you want links and more information.
- Gorgeous Gorges – Slovenia had multiple turquoise water gorges to explore. Of the three we went to, Vintgar Gorge was our favorite. This hike was a win-win, offering both a unique way of seeing the Radovna River as well as an interactive hiking adventure through forest and pastures for the kids. We donned our helmets and walked on suspended wooden walkways through the narrow, limestone valley, watching trout swim in the crystal clear waters below (I’m bringing my fly rod next time). After making it through, we hiked up and around along a path with a well thought out story, activities and puzzles for the kids to solve. Best of all, there was a reward (a hardcover story book!) if they completed everything. If you have kids, do this hike! It’s popular (for a reason) so get there at opening!
- Lake Bohinj – Lake Bohinj is the less famous mountain lake in the area (than Lake Bled), but more rugged and no less beautiful. We rented bikes with a kiddie trailer and rode a well marked bike path through farms and quaint villages surrounded by mountain peaks. Along the way we had to stop for multiple cow crossings and the kids enjoyed giving me encouragement as I labored up the hills along the route. At the lake, we stopped along the path to swim at the Bohinj Campground (which had its own restaurant, souvenir and ice cream shop) where we sat on the beach while Mae and Emmett used the big rocks to make pools for themselves in the shallow water.
- Ljubliana – The capital city of Slovenia, we found Ljubliana to be the perfect balance of new and old European, picturesque but not a terrifying place to find parking. The central area straddles the river, with plenty of photogenic bridges crossing over it, including a “lock” bridge which Mae was fascinated by. We did our best to explain love to her and she melted our hearts when she said that our family needed to put a lock on the bridge. We loved simply walking along the river and stopping for a pastry or coffee (flat white for me, matcha for Madeline) here and there.
- Piran – Piran is a small town on the sliver of Slovenian coastline. We heard Slovenian, Italian and English while walking around and found that the sites and cuisine were equally mixed. The narrow, cobblestone streets are as classic as you can get for a town on the Mediterranean, with shops, bakeries and simply cool, old doors at every corner. The Walls of Piran were a highlight and worth the few euro entrance fee, despite the heart attack of shadowing Emmett in his “I do it phase” climb up the stone stairs of the towers.
- Bovec Mountain Roads – Driving the passes and mountain roads around Bovec offered stunning vistas of mountain peaks with foggy, forested valleys dotted with sheep. As a plus, there were turquoise rivers weaving in and out along the way. Madeline only requested pulling over for photo ops 100 times.
Food (& Wine)
Slovenia had excellent food not only in the restaurants, but in the markets and road side kiosks. Madeline found plentiful satiating vegetarian options (the sauerkraut + bean stew, Jota, was favorite) and I have a special place in my heart for the Karst Prosciutto, said to rival even Jamon Iberico, which it assuredly did. Our only regret was that many of the restaurants required advanced reservations, which we usually failed to think of until the day of, so make sure to plan a night or two ahead.
- Restaurant na Kležnek – AKA the airport restaurant, this place was on a small airfield with an outdoor deck that overlooked the airfield, a beautiful village, and, of course, a perfect playground. To say Emmett was in heaven is an understatement. I think his brain was short circuiting trying to decide between using the slide and watching the airplanes land. The food and beer were also top notch.
- Ljubljana Central Market – In the center of Ljubljana is a daily (except Sunday) market with fresh produce, bread, cheese, meat and all the off-brand athletic wear you could want. We loved trying all the seasonal produce (figs and grapes when we were there) and the vendors loved giving the kids little treats. On Friday’s, there is also the Odprta Kuhna (Open Kitchen), which is a bunch of phenomenal food stalls that extend the market. Many of the Michelin Star and up-and-coming chefs in the city have booths here. We went twice, and Madeline would probably have come every day, had it not been a 40 minute drive into the city.
- Honey – Yes, I’m dedicating an entire section to Slovenian honey because it deserves it. 1 in every 200 people in Slovenia is a bee keeper and as you drive through the country you see beautiful sheds of colorful boxes all around that are the beehives. They of course have tons of varietals and my favorites were the chestnut and pine honeys. Mae and I for a dad-daughter day went to a honey festival. The number of bees flying around greatly outnumbered the people, but no one seemed to mind and they were the friendliest bees I’d ever met. We tried dozens of honeys, learned the anatomy of a bee and voted for the best apiary in the region.
- Pirat Piran – Piran was known for its seafood and this restaurant on the waterfront was said to have the best. All of our dishes were top notch, but even cooler, the owner came out to talk to us several times after bonding over his wife being from Monument, Colorado. Small world. The fish was good, the wine better and we all had a great meal while the kids played under the table.
- Winery Pri Starčih – On the drive from Piran to Bovec we stopped by a winery, Pri Starčih, where we had booked a last minute wine tour the morning of. We initially showed up to an empty winery before getting a hold of the owner who hurried out to give us a private tour and tasting of their small winery. We walked through the cellar where her parents where corking the bottles, up the freight elevator where we had to check to make sure the family dog wasn’t under it before moving and through the vats of just harvested and fermenting grapes. The Teran grape wine and platter of local meats were scrumptious.
Family Moments
- The Cows’ Ball – Celebrating the return of the cows from the mountain pastures for winter, the Karachi Bal, or Cow’s Ball, in Lake Bohinj had live music, food/beer tents, kids area and, of course, cows. Mae got her face painted with a unicorn on her cheek and both her and Emmett ran through multiple bouncy obstacle courses with dozens of local kids. The main event saw us all line up along fences, like at the end of a race, to watch the farmers in traditional dress walk their prize cows down to the holding pens with huge laurels of fresh wild flowers around their necks.
- Jellyfish on the Piran Beach – A funny experience, our family along with Adam and Cary went to a beach near Piran for a swim to beat the heat one day. We were disappointed to see the sea full of what looked like jellyfish, but also confused since the sea was still full of people. After some serious Google image searching, we decerned that they “likely wouldn’t sting us” but took as good 10 minutes of watching others to get up the courage to jump in ourselves. No jellyfish stings were sustained, but we all had a good laugh deciding who would try first.
- Per Emmett (2 Yr Old): Favorite moment was “Bikes” – Emmett loved riding the small bikes and tractors around our farm stay in Hraše. Rain or shine, he was out there rolling over the rocky driveway, pretending to get gas or new tires for his “car”.
- Per Mae (4 Yr Old): Favorite moment was “Seeing the cats” – Mae really loved seeing the kittens at our farm stay. She only asked if we could bring home one as a friend for Rudy (our cat) a few times.
- Per Cary (35 Yr Old) favorite moment was “Pirat Piran” – Cary loved our meal and host at Pirat Piran. Overall she noted the friendliness of everyone we came across in Slovenia.
- Per Adam (36 Yr Old) favorite moment was “Castle Walls” – Adam also loved our meal at Pirat Piran, stuffed squid was his favorite, but since Cary picked that his second favorite memory were the Piran Walls overlooking the city.
Tips & Lessons Learned
This is where we put all of the things we learned along the way about traveling in the region as well as traveling with toddlers.
About Slovenia:
- Driving – Driving is definitely the way to get around and for those that love driving, the mountain roads and passes are exceptionally fun. Overall, it was easy to navigate and find parking just about everywhere. You did need to buy a one time digital vignette (aka toll pass)to drive on the highways which you can do online, at the border or apparently cops will sell you one when they pull you over for not having one…
- Adventure Sports with Kids – We were torn on Slovenia before coming here that it wouldn’t be ideal for small kids when there are so many adventurous activities like hiking, rafting, etc. But here, nature is a way of life and that means families too. There were numerous kid-friendly hikes and we had a hard time choosing between them! There were also many playgrounds and kid-friendly menus. Our kids were even welcome at nicer restaurants and the winery we visited. Slovenia proved to be a place ideal for all ages!
- Where we Stayed – We opted to stay in a smaller village on a farm outside of the main tourist areas and are convinced this is the best way to see Slovenia, especially with young kids. We had extra space to roam, but were able to make it to most places in under 30 minutes of driving. Madeline and I loved taking turns going for runs through the countryside while the other laid in the outdoor hammock with the kids playing in the yard. Final thought is that we liked Lake Bohinj better than Lake Bled for the lake related activities (hiking, biking and swimming). See Lake Bled, but it’s absolutely worth the extra drive to the further lake.
About Traveling with Toddlers:
- Find Hikes/Museums with Kids Activities– On our travels we’ve been on several hikes and to historical locations that have activity booklets for kids to follow along with. These have always been a highlight for parents and kids alike since it extends their attention span. It’s also the only way we can get Mae to walk long distances without bribing her with chocolate.
- Daily Routine – Despite a lack of routine, we tried a new approach where we went places in the mornings and had nap and afternoons in. Previously, we’d switch it up more between mornings and afternoons. This worked really well as it built in predictability with the kids (and us) and made it easier to get moving.
Closing
Thanks for reading everyone! In my next post I will explore if toddlers are party animals. Follow along as we give our kids way too much sugar and let them stay up way too late for weddings and Oktoberfest!
Wonderful experience for all of you and the people you encounter. Continue traveling safely and God’s Blessings.