Weekend in Slovenia!

After another full week of class in Grado, the weekend rolled around and it was time for a new adventure. In spontaneous fashion, plans we're made Thursday morning for a two-day trip to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Come Friday afternoon 6 of us stood at the Grado bus station bags in hand, waiting for our bus to Trieste where we would then continue on to Ljubljana. 

As we boarded the first bus I felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety which left my heart racing. I sent a quick text to my mom at home explaining my nervousness. I was met with an encouraging and reassuring response which helped me to relax and calmed my nerves. Fortunately, travel plans went seamlessly. There was no running to catch trains, confusion, or craziness that characterized the trip to Venice taken the previous weekend. 

The bus to Ljubljana was very nice. The wood floors, fully reclinable seats, and coffee maker were almost comical for a bus. At this point it was dark outside and I began to feel tired, but I fought myself to stay awake and devoured any illuminated glimpse of the mountainous landscape that we drove through. Once in Ljubljana there was a quick walk across the street to our Hostel. Considering that I had never stayed in a hostel prior; it was a very memorable and cool aspect of the trip to say the least. 

We woke up early Saturday morning and traveled to Bled, Slovenia, famous for it's lake and cream cake. We trekked up the side of a mountain  to a castle that overlooked the lake. I was wearing sandals and a skirt, definitely not the best wardrobe decision. Regardless, the view was amazing and only got better with higher elevation as we made our way to the topmost terrace of the castle. The view left me, once again, in awe of its beauty and serenity (a common theme of my first two weeks in Europe). After everyone had their fix of the view we descended the mountain for lunch (and cream cake) at a lake side cafe. We returned to Ljubljana in the afternoon and spent the rest of the night exploring the city and its many bridges, stunning architecture, and cute cafes. 

Sunday morning we did some shopping and further explored the city. We caught our bus back to Trieste around 3 and made it safely back to Grado. It was very cool to get a small taste of a culture I have never been exposed to before. Although surprisingly everyone we came in contact with spoke English (I had expected a larger language barrier). This weekend  was an amazing experience. I will be forever grateful to my mom for claiming me down so that my nerves didn't get the best of me before departing Grado. And I will cherish the memories made! 

Ciao for now,

Elise