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sLOVEnia

SLOVENIA travel blog

Abandoned Place Cemetery Food Novo Mesto

Big Berry Slovenia: Experiencing Bela Krajina Through the Five Senses

big berry slovenia Slovenia has no more secrets for me. Ha. However, I knew the rural area of Bela Krajina lesser than other regions. Except for a few times when I drove across it heading to Zagreb, I hadn’t been in Novo Mesto and its surroundings since Rock Otočec 2008. And even if I still hang on truly, madly, dearly to the memories of that crazy weekend, nine years later I’m trading mud wrestling for the charm of a landscape resort –Big Berry– nestled into this unspoilt corner of Slovenia.

Food sLOVEnia

Raise a glass to Slovenian craft beer makers

When I was living in Slovenia, the beer scene was made up of merely the two pale, weak, national lagers: Union, brewed in Ljubljana, and Laško, named after the town near Celje where it is produced. As I was from the Celje area as well, I was for the ‘team Laško’, which implied believing in the Slovene saying ‘you drink Laško and you pee Union’.

Festivals Ptuj

Kurentovanje: the Slovenian Carnival Parade you shouldn’t miss

Kurentovanje in Ptuj Slovenia Carnival parade

…which unfortunately, this year, I will miss! :-(

(but I won’t miss the opportunity to ramble about how much I love Slovenia, and so… here we go!)

Kurentovanje is the traditional Carnival festival taking place in Ptuj, the oldest city in Slovenia, located in the North-Eastern area of the country. When I was living in Slovenia, Ptuj was one of my favourite day-trip destinations: next to a beautiful lake (Ptujsko Jezero), Ptuj has many interesting churches and monasteries, a Castle, Slovenia’s oldest wine cellar, a great thermal spa (Terme Ptuj), lots of storks nesting on its red roofs and, during this time of the year, the coolest carnival ever!

Ljubljana Me, Myself and I

Living in Slovenia: postcards from the future

Each time I’m back I play this odd mind game I used to play when I was living in Slovenia: I watch myself from the outside doing the grocery at the historical Ljubljana’s farm market on Pogačarjev Trg, reading a book at the open-air libraries, having a coffee on the Ljubljanica banks or dancing the night out at Metelkova Mesto.

Cemetery Industrial Archaeology Ljubljana

Ljubljana off-the-beaten track

The best way to explore Ljubljana on and off the beaten track is by renting a bike and going around.

Ljubljana is the smallest capital town in Europe, and it is perfectly equipped with bike lanes. If I managed to ride all around Ljubljana, I’m sure anyone can! :-) And if you need a place to rest and take refreshment after the trip, check out my Ljubljana food guides” (vol. 1 & vol. 2).

Ljubljana Video