Why hello hello Readers!
I’m still in Hong Kong, but as an exciting aside, I’ve booked my tickets to Kyoto! It’s always a bit challenging for me to book flights as I’m pretty money conscious and feel a bit anxious while trying to coordinate flights/accommodations, but the good news is that I’m headed to Kyoto in July. ^^ Hello Dhamma Bhanu and more vipassana meditation!
As another aside…HK has the most amazing food. I went to the beach with a friend to go snorkling and we had probably the best pineapple bun I’ve ever had in my life (not to mention an egg tart with incredible crust – 100% not to be missed).
SLOVENIA! – Meeting Lea’s parents + Zucchini Fritters
Continuing along the road trip with Leti and Lea, we left Milano Maritima and headed East into Slovenia to visit Lea’s parents. They hadn’t seen each other in over a year so it was a really nice reunion. Lea has been vegan for a number of years now and her mom cooked some amazing vegan food…holy cow I can still remember those zucchini fritters!
Lea’s Mom’s Zucchini Fritters:
Unfortunately, I was only there for the frying part of this dish, but Lea’s mom kindly repeated what she put into the fritters. I don’t think I’d be a true foodie if I didn’t attempt to share the recipe. I think Slovenian’s cook more by eye than by recipe. At least, that’s what I learned from watching Lea and her family so taste as you go along! The method below is what I saw plus what I presume from my own experience, but I’m sure Lea can give me pointers when she reads this…
| Ingredients | Method |
| – 4 zucchinis grated – 1 onion, chopped – cumin powder – pepper – garlic powder – mixed Mediterranean dried herbs – plain flour (use ground oats if gluten free like our Ms. Lea!) – pinch of baking soda – salt – oil – mayo (to serve) | 1) add salt to grated zucchini and let stand for 15-20 minutes 2) squeeze out water from zucchini then add spices, chopped onion and baking soda 3) Add enough ground oats to bind dough such that you can handle it with your hands 4) Fry on medium heat on both sides until beautifully brown and crispy |
Ljubljana, Slovenia – The Capital
After a quick overnight at Lea’s parent’s house, we headed further into the country to enter Slovenia’s beautiful capital – Ljubljana (Pronunciation: Lube-lee-yana…not “L-jube-li-jana”). When I first conducted some travel research, Ljubljana came up as one of the safest travel destinations for solo female travellers. Not only is it safe, but it’s also incredibly peaceful, full of gorgeous nature and kind people.
After meeting friends in the park and eating delicious Slovenian snacks, Lea and Leti took me into the centre to view the sights and eat at her favourite falafel restaurant.
Bike share in Ljubljana: One of the reasons I absolutely loved Ljubljana is that they are super green. They have an incredible bike share program and it’s accessible…even to tourists! If you’re a tourist, you can download the app and pay 1€ for 1 week, unlimited 60 minute bike trips or…you can be a local and pay a whole 3€ for an entire year! If you want to go over 60 minutes, just park your bike at one of the spots and grab a different bike.
Ski Jumping and Lake Bled:
The following day we took a drive into the mountains to go hiking and drive around to Lake Bled. I opted out the hike as I was pretty tired from the previous days, but I still got the chance to enjoy a Slovenian lemonade while watching the ski jumpers practice without snow.
(For my North American friends, a lemonade in Slovenia doesn’t have any sugar. It’s simply LOTS of fresh lemon in ice-y cold water. Perfectly refreshing!)
Lake Bled (above) is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Slovenia; however, we didn’t stop there…we only passed through. We were a tad tight on time, plus it’s incredibly touristy. Not really my cup of tea as I prefer more of a local vibe. If you go to Slovenia, Lea’s recommendation is to hit up Lake Bled for a quick picture, then grab the local bus to Bohinj. It’s a 40 minute bus ride away, but WAY less touristy and even more beautiful than Bled. No picture for you here though as we didn’t make it since we were headed to the secret swimming hole the next day.
Secret Swimming Holes and Goodbyes!
Secret local swimming holes…this one can only be access by car and even though Lea and her friend are from Slovenia, even we had difficulties finding it. It’s not an official spot on Google Maps, only a location pin. A lot of these local spots seemed to be location pins…
Unfortunately, this was our last night together as Lea and Leti were heading back to London and I was staying in Ljubljana. We went back to have one last dinner with her parents then split off. I can’t help, but share pictures of dinner though. I swear cooking and baking runs in the family genes:
Being my own tourist:
Lea’s brother rarely lives in his apartment so I was fortunate to have accommodations for my stay in Ljubljana (thank you Lea’s family!). I spent the next while being a tourist and just enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere of the centre. It’s excellent for people watching, window shopping and grabbing a quiet picnic lunch by the canal.
While travelling around with Lea and Leti, I learned a lot of excellent tips. One that Leti mentioned was to always be open to meeting new people. “Strike up conversations with people in hostels or around and see where it goes”. Such advice led me to meet my friend Nass – a young chap from Strasberg who was also solo travelling in Slovenia.
Spending time with Nass was really cool because he encouraged me to do a few more touristy things. We ended up walking up to the castle to watch the sunset and also followed his tradition of getting McDonald’s in a new city. I thought it was a funny tradition at first, but he says that each country has its own specialty. Although I still rarely eat McDonald’s now, I still do take a peek at the menus in different countries and send Nass the McDonald’s heads up…did you know that the McDonald’s in Portugal is the only one to sell soup!? Weird.
Slovenia – final thoughts
Looking back on my travels through Slovenia brought back so many pleasant memories and really gives me a feeling of nostalgia. Lea, Leti and Nass – I hope you all are doing so well and I can’t wait to see you again in the future. For those considering Slovenia, it’s 100% a wonderful destination with a perfect balance of calm, nature, great food and culture. I can’t wait to return one day.
As for the next part of the adventure, it will be released on June 6th and the country is…Croatia! New faces, island life, little towns and beautiful sunsets.
Until next time!
~Tracy
World of Wandering Minds 