After leaving Austria, I had high expectations for Slovenia.  I loved Austria, and I only hoped my time in Slovenia would be as enjoyable and memorable.   Ljubljana, which I still cannot pronounce correctly, was a small town with a complex, almost confused, character.  It reminded me a adolescent child.  There was an obvious flair of rebellion.  There was graffiti, tattoos, parlors, and an almost punk vibe, yet it was coupled with the atmosphere that seemed torn between being a small, relaxing  European getaway and a party town.

My first impression of Ljubljana was when we arrived at our hostel and were greeted by this sexy mural.

Sexy accommodations were not exactly what my sister and I were going for.  There was also a hole in the door to the shower.  Peep show anyone?    However, despite the lovers embracing over our twin beds and the interesting bathroom accommodations, Slovenia turned out to be a one of the most picturresque places I have ever visited, and despite the complexity of my first impression, it was a quite charming.

In the city center, there were a plethora of outdoor cafes lining the Ljubljanica River with various cuisines and ambiences to choose from.  The first night we started at Cafe Romeo with margaritas – banana for me and raspberry for my sister.  I followed up my booze with a salad.

The river was alive at dusk, and in an attempt to continue to enjoy the atmosphere, the margaritas were followed with a few bottles of Radler – half juice, half beer, pure delight –  while enjoying the view and engaging in some highly entertaining people watching.  Needless to say, it was a good night.

On Tuesday, my sister and I took a bus to Lake Bled.  It was gorgeous.

We took a rowboat to an island in the middle of the lake and proceeded to do some yoga poses in odd places  - usual Fahle antics.

Being at Lake Bled made me feel as if I had stepped out of real life onto a pinterest board, and I kept taking pictures and ogling at the scenery with fascination and heartfelt appreciation for the organic beauty.

We we got back to Ljubljana we ate at a pizza joint, where I was graciously accommodated with cheesless pizza, and we had a plethora of new friends join us for dinner.

We finished off the evening with some vegan cake (yay!)  before boarding the night train back to Munich.

Overall, I couldn’t have been happier with our trip to Ljubljana.  Okay, I take that back.  I could have done without staying in a hostel, but aside from the sub-par accommodations, Ljubljana, coupled with the day excursion to Lake Bled, was the perfect low key city to visit before returning to Munich.