Slovenia
Slovenia: We Had No Plan and That Was the Point
We showed up to Slovenia with no itinerary. That was intentional. The idea was to figure it out as we went.
We landed tired and hungry after a long travel day. The first food we spotted was a McDonald's near Bled. Not exactly adventurous, but we were exhausted and it did the job. We figured out the kiosk, waited, and then stood there confused for a while because everything was in Slovenian and no one spoke English. After some trial and error, we grabbed our food and moved on.
The hotel in Bled was more upscale than we'd normally choose, but it had a view of the lake and we didn't argue about it. That night we found a local restaurant in town with good reviews. The portions were huge and the food was interesting—different than what we're used to, which was ultimately the point of being there.
The next day we drove through Triglav National Park and the Julian Alps via the Vršič Pass. It's one of the most scenic and slightly terrifying drives I've ever done. The road is narrow with tight switchbacks winding up the mountain, and I was grateful for the manual shift rental car because that kind of terrain demands real control over the vehicle.
We stopped at Lake Jasna and the Russian Chapel along the way. At some point we spotted a small restaurant and pulled over—not because we were hungry, but because it was the only building we'd seen in hours. I felt awkward walking in just to use the bathroom, so we sat down for lunch. We were the only customers, and even still, we noticed we looked out of place as Black travelers. Our race wasn't a problem, but it's always something we observe. The real challenge was the language barrier. The owners didn't speak English, so we ordered by pointing at the menu. They taught us how to pronounce the items and were genuinely delighted by our attempts. It was one of those warm moments that happens when you're intentional about immersing yourself in a different culture—the locals really appreciate the effort.
Then we drove straight into winter.
In about a minute, we went from fall foliage to six or eight feet of snow on either side of the road. It came out of nowhere, and on the way down the other side of the mountain, we drove back into summer. The mountain range does whatever it wants with the weather.
We stopped at Vintgar Gorge, which took some effort to find. I actually stumbled upon it even though we were actively looking for it. The whole gorge was beautiful and worth every bit of the search.
And then we accidentally drove into Italy.
We were following Google Maps and it gave us no warning that the road crossed an international border. A border patrol station appeared out of nowhere. I told the kids to get the passports out of the bag, handed them to the agent, and he pointed us to a gravel parking lot. We sat there a little nervous with no other documentation on us. This is exactly why I always carry our passports whenever we're out, and I was very glad I did. We made it through without any problem and were honestly on a high after that whole experience.
Just around the bend from the border was Lago del Pradil, one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen. We parked on the side of the road and walked over to take it in. It was one of those accidental discoveries that ends up being a highlight of the whole trip.
The next morning we walked around Lake Bled and got the photos of the church you've seen all over social media. We ran late getting back to the airport and had forgotten souvenirs, so the kids ran in to grab some while I returned the rental car. There was some confusion around our private transfer to the Croatia border that was frustrating to sort out, but we figured it out.
Slovenia surprised me, even without any expectations going in. The people were kind, there's nature everywhere, and the overall vibe is peaceful. It's the kind of place that gives you more than you came for, usually when you're not looking for it.