hiking in sLOVEnia

 

Sunday morning we picked up our rental car and drove to Slovenia.  I have so many photos, I decided to depart from my usual chronological style and do a few blog posts by subject.  So this post is all about hiking in Slovenia.  

 

We stayed in an apartment in Zirovnica. This was a beautiful apartment (for a fraction of the price of Venice) and within walking distance of this reservoir, a playground, and countless hiking trails.

 

We could also walk to this restaurant that featured a swing set for the kiddos, a live bear in an enclosure, and ridiculously large portions. Check out Rob's pork ribs and salad. We took the leftovers and had them for dinner another night.

 

We hiked every day in Slovenia and loved it.  Rob loved it so much that sometimes when the kids and I were worn out we would relax at the house and Rob would head back out to climb another peak. Not all of our hikes worked out perfectly though.  We had read about a waterfall nearby called Pokljuka and we headed out.

 

The day was beautiful, and so were the woods, but the trail was rough and very isolated.  We hiked and hiked without coming to a waterfall. Eventually Rob and I stopped and looked around and decided to turn back.  We didn't say it out loud until we got to the car, but we were both feeling a little uneasy and getting a bit freaked out by the isolation and the possibilty of bears and wolves.

 

Back by the apartment, there was no shortage of natural beauty.

 

The sign says these stairs are for fitness.

 

Here we are at the top.  

You can just see Toby at the bottom of the fitness stairs (which ended in a ladder) in the top right corner of the photo.

 

Another day we hiked to the Slap Savica (Savica waterfall) above Lake Bohinj.  There were 550 steps or so, but the kids did it.

 

Worth every step.

 

It was very beautiful.

 

As was the view out over the lake far below.

 

They were working on replacing all of the wood railings along this trail so we were able to enjoy the Slovenian folk music of chainsawing on this hike.  Seriously, not a day went by in Slovenia that we didn't hear a chainsaw at some point.

 

This is the kind of vacation that we love.

 

Loads of time outdoors, enjoying the beauty of nature.  As Charlotte pointed out, "Mother Nature is really an artist."

 

And of course, no hike would be complete without the reward of some sladoled (ice cream) and some time spent skipping rocks and feeding the ducks.  Rob wants me to put another trip to Slovenia on the calendar as soon as possible. But wait, there's more Slovenia to come!