Slovenia Overview

Overview

Slovenia is a country conveniently placed at the crossroad of many cultures. It shares its western borders with Italy, Austria to the north, Hungary to the east and Croatia to the south. But it shares more than just borders with its neighbours. Over the centuries it has become the meeting place of peoples. Despite its smallness (it is smaller than Scotland, with only 2 million inhabitants), it is extraordinarily diverse; each corner of the country reflecting the symbiosis of different influences, which gives them an unmistakable charm. There is an ever-changing geographical and cultural landscape: from the Romanic churches of the west to the Teutonic castles of central and northern Slovenia, from the coast over the Karst to the Julian Alps and further over ancient woodland all the way to the Panonian plain. Most travellers choose only to stay for a short period, in passing, whilst exploring a somewhat unknown part of Europe. The most popular destinations being the chocolate box capital – Ljubljana, and lake Bled, with its cute little island and the magnificent Alps in the background. However Slovenia most probably deserves a bit more attention. When going there, do not expect yet another eastern European country, only just starting its long walk away from socialism. Unlike many of the countries that have recently joined the European Union, Slovenia was never a soviet satellite. It was once part of Yugoslavia, which had a special status during the cold war, neither to the West nor the East – “unaligned”. Furthermore, Slovenia managed to emerge largely unharmed from the mayhem that ravaged most of the Balkans in the nineties. Combined, these features of the recent past make Slovenia what it is now, a modern country, decisively placed within its context of Mittel Europa. From a practical point of view, it is by no means cheap; the prices are similar to the Italian north east (far from the 50p-a-pint of Slovakia), but the people are friendly and many languages are spoken throughout the country, from English to German (especially in the north) and Italian (to the west). Culturally it has much to offer, however its beauty only reveals itself to the careful observer as it lays in the details. It does not posses the grandeur of nearby Venice or Vienna and sometimes its gems are somewhat understated and hidden, but offer intimate satisfaction to the determined explorer. On the other hand, natural wonders are not scarce, from the magnificent underground caves (the caves of Škocjan boast the world's largest underground hall – protected by the UNESCO), to the antediluvial forests of Kočevje or the ever mesmerizing Alps. Slovenia with its 70% of total area covered by forests, is an oasis of green in the urban jungle of the modern world. Fittingly, it offers a wide range of outdoor activities to go with the environment, from swimming to skiing, from leisure to extreme sports… When giving a brief overview of Slovenia one cannot go past the culinary diversity, which reflects the cultural vivacity. It is a sin not to take time and venture into the realm of Slovenian cuisine, especially because of the recent move towards “slow food” establishments. Furthermore, recent years have also seen a renaissance of high quality wine production – especially in the region of Goriška Brda, where French and Italian expertise are being put to good use in a most picturesque setting… Overall, Slovenia is much like a beautiful young woman, still a little bit shy and mysterious, largely undiscovered, but with the potential to hook you for life…

Highlights: Ljubljana, Bled, Bohinj, Otočec, Novo Mesto, Ptuj, Piran, Izola, Sečovlje salt pans, Štanjel, Škocjan, Stična, Pleterje, Vipavski Križ...