Slovenia in Swedish eyes – Part 2

 

The Swedes really liked Ljubljana right at the start: we took a walk in the lively streets of the old city centre with Ljubljanica river running in the middle of the city. We crossed the Dragon bridge and were amazed by the Triple Bridge. We got on a funicular and got to Ljubljana castle for the view. We spent the most exciting hour in Room Escape. These kind of attractions became very popular and TheKey is one of the most interesting that I visited. Even our dog Lia helped us solve the riddles and find the key, which would enable us to escape the room. But even her dog senses and some hints couldn’t help us to discover every mystery of Da Vinci and Sherlock Holmes rooms. 

 

 

We couldn’t find time for Ljubljana museums. But we wanted to visit the House of Experiments. The house is suitable for people of all ages. Here you will discover science in a fun way – with help of more than 50 fun interactive experiments. Every thing in there has humorous writings and fun instructions. We planned a short visit but the magical world of physics and mechanics was so attractive that we stayed for many hours. After a fun visit we treated ourselves in one of the best Ljubljana cake shops Cacao, which is located in the vicinity of the Triple Bridge. It is hard to decide which ice cream to choose since there are so many. You can choose between classics and some interesting combination like fig with walnuts. Yum! Of course they also offer delicious cakes, tasty breakfasts and refreshing drinks. Especially inviting are smoothies and herbal teas. The cake shop has some tables inside the nearby house. The room in the first floor is especially inviting with the views from its window. 

 

Night walks in Ljubljana streets were something special for our Swedish friends. The goodbye was really hard. The oldest daughter Alva decided to stay two weeks longer.

 

Maribor, the second biggest city in Slovenia, amazed us by its idyllic location by the Drava river. We saw some shops, admired the oldest vine in the world and took a walk to the park. On the way we stopped in one of the oldest cake shops in the city – Ilich. The cake shop is located in the old city centre, which is reserved for pedestrians. You can sit at the table on the street and choose the ice cream from the ice cream fridge near the tables. Mango flavour was our favourite. The choice is big and tasty and the ice cream is home made. They also bake cookies, cakes and even make their own jam. The cake shop is located in an old house with beautiful arches. To conclude the day, we headed to the other side of Drava riverbank where one can find the newer part of the city with shopping centres. We concluded our trip to Maribor with visiting coffee house Kavarna Q. It is famous for delicious sandwiches, salads and other delicious treats. But trademark Teta Frida is the thing we remembered the most because of the sweet cakes and other desserts. You will have to try the ice cream and the cakes and see, which is better.

 

 

We also visited Spodnji Duplek to entertain our dog. Lia got the company of an Australian Shepherd and they were running around the lake. The lake is perfect for dogs and a little less for people, but you can water ski or try wakeboarding. We decided to do that the next time. 

 

There wasn’t enough time or will to visit the mountains. We only visited Velika Planina where we were accompanied by cows and beautiful views at pretty wooden houses, which were once home to shepherds. They still live here in summer so you can buy sour milk, cheese and other delicious dishes.

 

 

Alva also had to say goodbye too soon. She left Slovenia from Ljubljana airport. We still don’t have direct connection to Sweden so she had a stop in Warsaw. Restaurant Avionček at the airport offered her some last views on Slovenia. From there you can see the airport runway and the Alps on the other side. In the restaurant you can enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and eat a sandwich, burek or cakes. I’m not even going to mention the delicious ice cream... The terrace is the best point of the airport where you can see your loved ones leave for an adventure or be excited for their arrival. You can also visit it just for an unusual trip.

They were amazed by Piran, getting lost in its streets, the attractive Ljubljana, charming Maribor, castles, the nature and kind locals. The visit exceeded all of their expectations and they left Slovenia without a single bad experience and with a thought of returning.