Jet Lagged Gianna

It took me about two days of travel to get to Slovenia. I caught a shuttle bus from my hostel in Biassa (yes, I actually got it right this time) to the train station in La Spezia. From there, I took a train to Milan which arrived late. I had to sprint through the station to make my next train, looking like a lunatic with my massive backpack. I was barely inside before the doors closed behind me.

The train brought me to a town called Venice Maestre, which is nothing like the beautiful city of Venice. I stayed in a hostel there for one night.

The town had no restaurants and seemingly only Asian grocery stores. I bought a 50 cent packet of vegetable instant ramen and some paprika Pringles. My dinner was a little sodium heavy to say the least.

The next morning, I woke up early to take a 5 hour flixbus across the border into Slovenia. I got an entire row to myself, which made the trip 500% better.

I got off in Ljubliana (or Ljubljana?), the capital of Slovenia. I was meeting up with two of my college friends. They would be the first familiar faces I see in weeks.

I met them at their Airbnb and took my first non-communal bathroom shower in a long time. It was wonderful. Afterwords, we set out to bikes find some lunch.

We stopped at a little bar next to the river and ordered orange wine , bread with olives, and other tapas style snacks. It was so lovely to see people that I knew. I love making new friends, but this was just easy.

One of the most beautiful aspects of Ljubliana is the river that runs through it. If you ever visit, I recommend you take a boat tour, which is exactly what we did. Seeing the city from the water gave me a different perspective, and the cool breeze felt amazing in the summer heat.

When the boat ride was finished, we explored the small city on our bikes. Ljubliana is such an easy town to bike in because the center of the city doesn’t allow cars on the roads. Afterwards, we had dinner at a restaurant called Marley and Me (read more about eating vegan in Ljubliana here).

Ljubliana is an up and coming popular tourist destination. The lack of massive hoards of tourists was one of my favorite aspects of the city. Most of the people living in the city are still kind and welcoming towards visitors. They seemed excited to use their English to speak to us.

The next day, we headed for the main tourist attraction – Ljubliana Castle. We opted to take the funicular up the steep hill to get there. The views from the top were breathtaking. Ljubliana is such a green city, surrounded by mountains.

Inside the castle was a nightmare for some, and a wonderland for others. There was an entire museum dedicated to Slovenian puppets. It was horrifyingly entertaining.

We took the funicular back down and found ourselves in the midst of an open air market. Hundreds of vendors were selling hats, sunglasses, jewelry and clothes under bright white tents. A man from Brazil caught us looking at his crystal necklaces. He convinced me to buy a rose quartz necklace. “For you, only 5 euros,” he said. I couldn’t say no.

“This will help you because you’re a woman and women cannot control your emotions,” he said after I had already purchased it. I left feeling unsure about who I had just given my money to. But hey, at least the necklace was cute. Rose quartz is the crystal for unconditional love. And apparently controlling one’s emotions?

We headed to the bus station. My friends were off to Lake Bled, and I was staying in Ljubliana for one more night. I bid them farewell, then walked to the main square for my free walking tour.

Ljubliana is so quaint. It almost reminds me of a miniature Paris. Pastel colored buildings line the cobblestone streets and dragon statues dot the city, giving it a fairytale feel.

Three long hours later, I was starving. The tour was great, but I think 3 hours is a bit much, especially in the summer heat. My tour guide recommended Abi Falafel to people looking for a cheap, healthy meal.

The restaurant was packed with locals, so I knew it was going to be good. I got a standard falafel plate which was freaking INCREDIBLE. Top 3 falafels I’ve ever had. And it wasn’t expensive at all, especially for European standards.

I stayed at a hostel called the Vila Veselova that night. It was located on the outskirts of town and looked like an old haunted mansion. I was resting on my bed, trying to decide where I would go for dinner. The hostel kitchen was giving me weird vibes, so I decided to eat out again.

My new best friend entered the room.

“Hey, my name is May,” she said cheerfully.

“I’m Gianna!”

May was super bubbly and talkative. I quickly found out that she was from Norway, but had lived in America as an exchange student for a year. Her English was perfect.

I stood up from my bunk, “I’m going to grab dinner. Do you wanna come?”

She thought for a moment, “Oh, well I ate before this but…”

“What did you have?” I asked.

“A vegan cake,” she said, “What are you going to get?”

“A vegan burger,” I said.

We stared at each other. Friendship level 100 was met.

May was a foodie like me. Excitedly, we made our way to Organic Garden, a popular restaurant with lots of vegan options. I got a massive red burger and she got the hot dog.

She told me I was the first vegan she’d ever met. Norway is a very vegan friendly country, she said, but everyone she knew ate meat.

After dinner, we headed back to the hostel. We found two guys sitting in the garden and joined them. One was from Ireland and the other was American. The American was super interesting – he and his wife had saved money for 3 years so that they could quit their jobs to become full time travelers. That is my definition of relationship goals.

We found a bar on the river and sat outside for hours drinking cherry beer and talking. Everyone seemed to have a different idea of America and politics and the world. It was fascinating to hear so many different perspectives.

We all woke up feeling pretty ill the next morning.

At breakfast, May booked her hostel in Lake Bled. This was another instance where I wished I hadn’t pre-planned my trip. I had already purchased my bus ticket to Croatia. Lake Bled is supposed to be insanely beautiful, and I will definitely be visiting next time I’m in Slovenia.

Despite our ailments, May wanted to see the castle. I agreed to go with her because my next bus wasn’t until late afternoon. We decided to hike up the mountain this time. If you have the time, I recommend the hike. It’s prettier and much crowded.

Next we got matcha at a cafe and then did some shopping. May was definitely more boujee than me. Shopping was not part of my budget, but that didn’t stop me from trying on everything that looked cute. It was so hard not to buy the long, flowy blue skirt that made me look like a princess.

We decided on Loving Hut for lunch because it was near the bust station. We got massive plates of food from the buffet. I loved having a vegan foodie to eat my way through Ljubliana with. May was so much fun.

Alas, another hard goodbye was said before I boarded my 5 hour bus to Croatia.

Up next –> Krka National Park – A Bucket List Destination

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