Eating Cream Cake in Slovenia

Towards the middle of 2018, I wasn't sure where was next on my travel list. That year I promised I would save money and spend it on my house, but then I got a shiny new job, which meant lots more shiny pennies and I thought, fuck the house, I want a holiday. My friend inspired me by backpacking around Bosnia, and I thought that I hadn't really got back to my backpacking routes since I came back from my 3 year backpacking stint around the world. So I thought, where can I go? Croatia had always been on my list but I felt the need to combine it with another country that I hadn't visited. So I looked around and thought Slovenia was appropriate. Little did I know just how cute Slovenia was, how much there was to do there, and how I probably should have done some research before I arrived.

The trip overall was quick as I didn't have many days annual leave from work. So I had around 11 days to explore both Slovenia and Croatia in one go. It made sense to work south, so I hit up Slovenia first and then travelled down and eventually flew back from Dubrovnik in Croatia. This then questioned, how would I get to Slovenia? Direct flights from Manchester are pretty non-existent and any stopover flights were expensive and took too long. So, I opted to fly to Zagreb and get the bus/train over the border. This was a longer task than I first imaged but easier and cheaper than trying to fly to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. So I flew to Zagreb, got an airport bus to the main bus terminal, then I had already booked a bus with GetByBus to Ljubljana. Simple.

Upon arriving in the Slovenian capital, even though fairly late at night, it was quickly apparent how adorable this city was. Stunning buildings, quaint fountains and an overall cute charm, which hadn't appeared in my brief visit to Zagreb. There was something extremely romantic about Ljubljana, from its cobbled squares, dimly lit streets and the typical man playing a guitar by a smooth flowing river. I instantly fell in love with this city.

But what did I get up to?

I only had a day and a half planned in Ljubljana before I got the bus to Lake Bled, which was my second and final stop in this wonderful country. Again, something I later regretted, having found out how much Slovenia has to offer. However, a lot can be covered in such a small amount of time, especially in this compact capital.

I stayed in an Air BnB right in the centre, among more cobbled streets lined with quaint restaurants, therefore I was in the perfect location to explore. On the first day I went for breakfast at a cute cafe near my accommodation and got the funicular railway to Ljubljana Castle. You can walk up, but with a ridiculous amount of steps up, the €2 ticket was worth it. The castle was small enough to look around in just a few hours and the cost was minimal so it's worth exploring the grounds and seeing the city views. You can pay extra for certain parts such as the Puppet Museum (weird and creepy...) and the viewing towers.

After the castle I donned the streets for bars, bars and more bars. Not the cheapest of capital cities in Europe but definitely not the most expensive by any means! After a stop off at a few riverside jaunts, I walked over to the great Tivoli Park, which essentially is just a park, and then stopped off for dinner at one of the restaurants which kept cropping up during my research, Špajza Restaurant. The restaurant felt like I was in the middle of a Slovenia home, with the friendliest of hosts. The menu treats were mainly pretty meaty, but trout is really popular here as well so I opted for that.

There is of course so much more to enjoy in the Slovenian capital such as the botanical gardens, which are a bit out of the centre, Metelkovo Mesto which is an autonomous culture zone and plenty of museums to sink your highbrow teeth into.

What up Bled

Day two involved getting a short bus to Lake Bled, which was easy enough to catch via Ljubljana's main bus station, at the cost of around €10. Only a two hour bus ride to the prettiest of towns, Lake Bled should definitely be on your Slovenian to-do list. Again, I had booked a fairly central Air BnB, which allowed me a good day and a half to see what this lake town and top Slovenia tourist spot had to offer.

Lake Bled is clearly a popular place among locals and visitors, and even though I travelled out of season in October, the town was still booming. So this may be worth noting if you actually visit during the busier times of the year.

There is plenty to keep you busy over two or three days, especially if you love a walk and a bit of nature. I recommend starting your walk half way round the lake then taking one of the guided walks at either Osojnica or Kuhovnica. You'll be able to find where these start from tourist maps around the lake, and the openings are pretty obvious. These two walks aren't for the faint hearted but the view is worth the sweat. You can see all over Lake Bled and take a few pics worthy for the gram.

After getting in your steps for the day, you might as well continue by walking up and seeing Bled Castle. At only €10 for the entrance, it is worth the visit and again the views. Watch out for the tourist buses though as it was pretty packed when I went.

I didn't actually make the gondola over to Lake Bled, as I spent most of my money on beer and the Bled delicacy of cream cakes (basically a fancy vanilla slice), but the small boat trip looked cute and there is apparently a really nice restaurant in the middle of the lake, as well as a quaint church. But if like me, you would rather spend more on beer than gondola trips to churches, then I'd recommend getting a few beers from the shops around Lake Bled and just chilling on the lake itself.

Heading out of the centre

If you have time, head a bit out of Bled centre to Vintgar Gorge, which is easy enough to get a bus to, and then I walked back. The gorge is impressive and has some mammoth walks around if you can be bothered, but again it was pretty rammed. You only have a small path to walk the actual gorge and you can be often held up in the path if people are cramming for pics. I'd suggest heading early in the day to get the place to yourself.

But what else?

Well there you have it. My short but sweet filled (cream cake filled) trip to Slovenia. I really didn't know what this country had to offer until I got there and it really is such a cute and scenic place. From my Air BnB hosts I was recommended to visit other popular parts of the country such as Piran a cute coastal town, Postojna Cave and Bovec for more thrilling adventures. Next time I'll hopefully have more time and I'm sure all these places do cream cake too, so I'll be set.

My top five European cities

When thinking of my top five European cities, it is actually quite difficult, as we all know how much this continent has to offer. Whenever I meet travellers who have never been to Europe, I find that they often think they can cover off Europe in a few weeks. I’ve lived in Europe for over 27 years and I haven’t even touched the surface. Even though we may be a small continent, we sure make up for it in terms of culture, cuisine and history. Every European country is vastly different from the next, and the same goes for the cities as well, but I think I’ve managed to narrow my European city ventures down to my top 5.

Budapest

Ruin bars, an old city, Turkish baths and cheap beer. What is not to love? One of my fav European cities is the Hungarian capital, Budapest. I have only visited once but I’d happily visit again and explore the nooks and crannies of this place, as my first trip did result in a lot of hangovers…

I’d recommend to spend a few days here, explore the beauty and history of the old town, grab a few drinks from the ruin bars (popular ones are Szimpla and Instant), then head to the baths and relax in the heat. Or, consider taking a boat trip down the Danube to nearby towns and suburbs of this capital and see what else is on offer.

Paris

I am in love with Paris. Some say they find it underwhelming when they arrive, that actually Paris has some quite grimy parts, but that’s why I love it. The majority of the city, or the bits you see as a tourist are inspiring! Beautiful architecture, ornate statues and generally just incredible sights. I can walk around this city for days and I’d still find that I am in awe of it’s beauty. I also need not really mention the food that the French capital has to offer. Pastry, wine, cheese, bread, but why aren’t the Parisians fat?! Maybe they save it all for me?

Anyone that hasn’t been to Paris, needs to really go. It may not be the cheapest European capital to stay in, but you can get by with the right tricks and the right deals. I stayed for 3 nights, with flights from Manchester included for just £200 on a last minute deal. Yep I probably spent more whilst I was there, but I do love a grog au rhum after all.

Prague

I have been to Prague trice now and I still haven’t touched on what the Czech capital has to offer. A smallish European capital, as you can walk around the main sights and hotspots but there is still plenty to do over a few days. Prague is getting more and more popular each year, and with that comes more and more expense, but I find that it is still a relatively cheap European capital.

You will find a big mix of history and culture, plus more modern and edgy parts of the city. Head to the John Lennon for graffiti heaven. Or for a more scenic day, walk on the Charles Bridge and listen to local musicians playing along. Head over to the old town and explore great views teamed with great wine. Or head just a little out of the city centre to see Sedlec Ossuary, which is a type of church made up of over 40,000 skeletons…

Salzburg

This may be an odd one to add onto the list but I couldn’t get enough of this Austrian city and it’s charm. Salzburg may be most popularly known for the location from the Sound of Music, or for the birthplace of Mozart. Therefore, the culture and history of this city has so much to offer the average traveller.

When you picture a typical Austrian town (or at least when I picture it), then everything that is pictures is all envisaged within Salzburg. Freshly made pretzels sold my local vendors, beautiful European architecture, incredible mountain views and good beer. This city is worth adding to your European Must-Do’s and it’s worth a day or two of your time. Easily accessible from Vienna on the train and everything is moderately priced. But a lot of the beauty of this Austrian city is the buildings and nature, so you can tick a lot of free things to do off your list.

Manchester

Last but not certainly not least, is one of my favourite cities, and my current home, Manchester. I moved to Manchester two years ago, after only visiting once or twice and mainly making the trip to use the airport. I can’t believe this amazing city was on my doorstep for so many years and I never really bothered to visit. The city has so much to offer and it has that great Northern British charm about it. From great bars, great restaurants, beautiful buildings and a lot of history as well.

For example, did you know that Emily Pankhurst, Antony Burgess and so many incredible musicians were born here. With that, then comes a lot of culture and history. The music scene in this city is incredible and you can enjoy a vast amount of live music and comedy for a great price. There is also a fantastic sense of community and people are really proud to be from this Northern powerhouse, plus it’s easy to understand why. When the tragic bombing happened at the Ariana Concert last May, it was overwhelmingly brilliant to see the whole city pull together and show how incredible we are at been there for each other.

I don’t plan on moving away anytime soon as I really do love it here, and after all, I still have so many more bars I need to tick off.

This One Time, I Was Interrailing Around Europe...

When at University, it's difficult to come across someone who hasn't interrailed, and it's even more difficult to find someone on your travels throughout Europe who isn't interrailing. At £280ish a ticket for one month, you can't argue against the price and the idea of riding the rails (unless you're not from Europe, then they charge over double the price!) I've come across many different routes, as it's not hard to have the freedom of making your own niche trip; however most routes are pretty similar so I'm going to provide you with a few ideas for those who want to trail a backpack around Europe and sleep on trains for a month.

I interrailed for just under a month back in 2010. Western and middle Europe was my port of call. Starting in Paris and ending in Brussels. 8 countries, 14 cities: