Monday, November 7, 2011

Highlights of Slovenia

We are back from our quick road trip to Slovenia.  I think all of us in the family agreed that heading deep down into the caves of that area was the highlight of the trip!  It was a great adventure, but also very...dark.  :)  So, no pictures of that but if you ever get to Slovenia that would be my #1 recommendation!

Here are a few other things we really enjoyed on the trip.  For some reason I am missing the pictures from the beginning of the trip so I'm hoping my husband can help me recover those!  Fingers crossed - if so I'll post a few more of those later in the week.  But for now...



This was a shot from a little town we drove through...


The fall foliage was brilliant
Here's a funny/not-so-funny story:  Our first morning we went out for a little hike to enjoy the surroundings.  It was one of those magical fall mornings...a misty sunrise, cool and crisp...lovely!  Just what I'd imagined for some much needed R&R.  Suddenly, we started hearing gunshots.  Uh-oh...does that mean...hunting season?!?!  That was the end of that romantic notion for our trip. Needless to say we didn't venture out into the forest again...


I took this picture in the once-deserted hill top town of Stanjel, now an artists' colony. 

Just a pretty window.  :)


We saw a lot of sculpture, almost always depicting struggle and war. 
I found that to be an appropriate and fascinating representation of their somewhat recent history.

I found some really beautiful, rustic doors to add to my collection.  Notice how they did the numbers for two dwellings for this shared entrance...


 
The charming harbor town of Piran on Slovenia's brief coastline, wedged in between Italy and Croatia.  The gray skies don't do it justice! 

Love the unusual spellings.  
I'm sure I slaughtered all of the Slovenian words I tried to pronounce.  Ouch.

 Gorgeous rolling hills and farmland were the norm...

The close proximity of Italy definitely comes through in the architecture as you get closer to the border... 



We spent some time at this square in Piran and this lovely railing caught my eye.

We stopped off in Udine, Italy on the way home.  What a beautiful town! 
I'd highly recommend it for incredible architecture and some of the most charming coffee bars I've seen.

We ended up coming home a day early.  It's a long story, but let's just say it had to do with a whole lot of loud, Slovenian accordian music played directly below our sleeping quarters, until 4am.  :) 

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

11 comments:

Acquired Objects said...

What a beautiful area of our world! Now I'm wondering if all of Europe is built from stone? I love it and that "just a window" with the iron work, amazing! Thank you for taking us along of your little getaway it's stunning!

Taylor Greenwalt said...

What gorgeous pictures. Danni is in Europe now. Cant wait to post her pictures.

Rachael @ Roco Rennie said...

Wow what lovely shots - I love the colours of autumn in the trees - gunshots not so much he he. Hope your well xxx

Anonymous said...

sounds like you had a wonderful trip...beautiful pics of your trip ...love the walled garden especially and the harbor too..
I know I shouldn't laugh about the loud accordion music... :)
best,
maureen

Sharon Lee Johnson said...

What beautiful architecture and countryside. I adore that metal grille on the window. I will have to add this onto my ever growing list of places to visit. x Sharon

Thoughts on Design said...

What a wonderful trip. It sounds like you've come back rejuvinated and ready to take on the world!

Your little story at the end of your post reminded me of Sally's and my stay in Rome. The hotel we had reservations at could not give us a room the day we arrived... Several guests had decided to extend their stays and couldn't be asked to leave... So they found us a room in a small hotel down the street. It turned out it was right over the exhaust from a Chinese take out place and directly across the street from a disco. Double whammy! We marched right back to our hotel the next day and Sally politely explained in fluent Italian, as only a red headed Irish gal could, that she was pregnant and needed a room with no noise and smells. We were given the best room in the hotel!

Cheers,
John

Mona Thompson Providence Ltd. said...

Gorgeous pictures, Barbara. Thank-you so much for taking us along for all of your travels. You should write a book someday. XO, Mona

Meghan @ Wishful Thinking said...

Slovenia is definitely on my radar now! I just can't get over the beautiful colours of the forest! Glad you had a good trip!

The Buzz Blog said...

What a treat to see a new place through your eyes, Barbara. Each of these pictures could be a postcard!
xxoo

Kara Murray said...

I agree with Mona that you should write a book some day! I love living vicariously through you Barbara!

The Vintique Object said...

Now I am extra envious of your trip. Slovenia looks incredibly old, rustic, charming, and mysterious.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...