On a 3-day weekend in March 2022, we headed to Slovenia, a small country tucked between northern Italy, Croatia, Austria, and Hungary. Slovenia is a beautiful country full of mountains, forests, vineyards, spas, castles, and a small bit of coastline on the Adriatic Sea. It was formerly part of Yugoslavia, and became an independent country in 1991. We first heard the country recommended from a wine blog that we follow, Wine Folly.
We flew into the capital city of Ljubljana (pronounced Loo-blee-yana) and stayed in a great Airbnb in the Old Town.
With 3 days to enjoy Slovenia, we knew we wanted to explore Ljubljana’s Old Town and visit the famous Lake Bled. A tour of the local Union Brewery was a surprise addition to our itinerary.
Old Town Ljubljana
Ljubljana is nicknamed the ‘City of Dragons.’ Legend has it that the Greek hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts founded the city after Jason slayed a dragon living nearby. Now the dragon is used as a symbol on the coat of arms, as a protector of the city. The Dragon Bridge in Old Town has excellent, large, fierce dragon statues, one on each corner.
The Old Town is lovely, with the Ljubljanica River running through it. Walking paths and café tables line the riverfront on both sides. The weather was nice, and with the sun and warmth, vendors were busy selling gelato. Coming from cold and grim winter weather in Germany, this was such a treat.
The Castle sits on a hill, overlooking the Old Town. An old fortress, surrounded by woods and gardens, it offers magnificent views over the city and the very green countryside.
Slovenia is a green belt, with bountiful agricultural land. Arriving on a Friday morning, we were able to enjoy the outdoor Central Market both Friday and Saturday. The colors of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers are amazing, and in addition, many treasures and souvenirs are for sale around the market square.
All weekend, we ate great foods and enjoyed local wines. Everyone we encountered was friendly and spoke English. We highly recommend Le Petit Cafe, a charming French-styled café that serves the “big English” breakfast. We also really enjoyed our dinners at riverside cafés with a view of the castle lit up at night.
Continuing to find Guinness on our travels, we visited 2 pubs. One is an English pub with an excellent Guinness pour, and the second an Irish pub with unique décor.
Lake Bled
We booked a ride out to Lake Bled, a must-see destination, less than an hour drive from Ljubljana.
Lake Bled is popular with tourists during the summer, but in March it was very quiet, a beautiful, peaceful place. The lake is haunting, with a bit of fog and mist rising from the water. The Bled Castle sits on a hill above the lake, providing far-reaching views, including of the Julian Alps.
A very pretty path runs from the castle down to the lake, almost 100 steps downhill, through gardens and woods.
Bled Island sits in the middle of the lake, featuring a picturesque pilgrimage church of the Assumption of Mary from the 12th century. The area of Lake Bled is full of photo opportunities.
We sat at a lakeside café enjoying the views, drinking tea, and eating Bled Cream Cake. Wow, this cake is a work of art, and possibly the most delicious thing we’ve ever tasted. It is somehow as light as air, consisting of custard, vanilla cream, and thin pastry.
Union Brewery
For our last day of the weekend, a local guide recommended that we go on the Union Brewery tour. After an easy walk through town to reach the brewery, we were able to buy tickets at the door and join in the first tour of the day. What a fun and interesting brewery! We started with a Virtual Reality headset to watch a short video. After being inside the world of the headset, our guide made sure no one was going to fall over before heading on with the tour.
The history of the beer starts in 1864, when Union was started as a small family business. It is now a part of Heineken International, since 2015. The vintage marketing materials were very clever, showing a sense of humor, and of national pride. The tour ends at the brewery’s own pub, which has a nice big patio area. It was a perfect time for lunch, sitting outside in the beautiful weather.
What a wonderful 3 days in Slovenia. Drawn at first by the report of up-and-coming wines, we ended up finding not only the wines, but also so much more to appreciate.
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