Last Tuesday, I decided to take a day trip to Brno, the Czech Republic’s second city. Amidst my boredom on the three-hour bus trip, I played around on my phone and started looking at coronavirus travel rules for various countries in Europe. Just for the hell of it. Exploring new places was a major reason for me moving abroad, and I had been waiting for far too long to spread my travel wings again. With all due respect to Brno, which is a very nice city, it just wasn’t going to do it for me. I needed to touch foreign soil and breathe non-Czech air.
As I went from website to website, burning through my mobile data due to the unfortunate unreliability of RegioJet’s in-bus WiFi connection, I was expecting to see the standard regulations…two weeks past the second dose (I was six days at the time), a negative test within 48 or 72 hours, recovery within the past six months. Yada, yada, yada.
Until I stumbled upon Slovenia.
Slovenia’s government website distinctly stated, “at least SEVEN days have elapsed since the second dose of the Comirnaty vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech.” In their eyes, I was fully vaccinated (or I would be just a couple of days following my Brno trip). No need for a test. For someone like me who has an irrational fear of COVID tests, this was clutch. Money in the bank.
I was going to Slovenia.
Now, I could have just waited until my full 14 days were up and done a trip somewhere else around the 28th or 29th. Knowing that I’m scheduled to return to summer camp on the 31st, that wasn’t going to work. I would’ve had to wait until my week at camp had concluded, and with the Delta variant on the rise in Europe, I feared that would be too late and that restrictions would make it very difficult by that point. Besides, I had been extremely impatient. I had an itch that needed to be scratched. I was tired of looking at everyone else’s Instagram posts from much more glamorous places around the world. It was my turn.
Admittedly, Slovenia had not been on my radar before I stumbled upon its COVID rules. I had heard some nice things, but I had been picturing my first post-COVID trip being to somewhere like Italy, Ireland, or Greece, places I’ve dreamed about visiting for many years.
Where could I go in Slovenia? The capital, Ljubljana, is nice but not somewhere that comes to mind when you think vacation. More on that later. The Adriatic resort town of Piran was another possibility. I love beach vacations, but Piran was, sadly, quite difficult to get to.
Enter Lake Bled.
I had known that it was a major tourist attraction. The pictures made it look beautiful and scenic. It seemed like a place you could spend three or four days and get some really nice pictures. Better yet, there was an overnight Flixbus that left Prague at 10 p.m. on Saturday night. I’ve always had this weird passion for overnight traveling. Most people just sleep through it; I don’t. It would be an 8.5-hour journey.
I needed to get away. Bled was a very peaceful place and an appropriate setting to clear my head. I had fallen into a terrible rut in which I simply wasn’t being the best version of myself. I feared that I had been falling short as a teacher, person, and friend. I’d been feeling extremely lonely and like I was neglecting my physical and mental health. My off time, which I thought I would appreciate, was turning into boredom and feeling like a loser because I wasn’t contributing anything to society, albeit for a short time. A part of me just wasn’t feeling enthusiastic about being in Prague and in Europe anymore. Maybe a few days to myself and out of the city would reverse that.
So, without further adieu, the trip log…
Day 1: Lake Bled
I got on the bus in Prague, and to my surprise, the driver only checked my ticket and passport. Did not care about the COVID vaccination certificate. I was somewhat grateful because I’d been concerned about that going in (I’d heard horror stories about people being turned away), but then again, just going on the honor system like that is risky and disconcerting. But I never noticed anything out of the ordinary from myself or others. The bus arrived in Lake Bled about twenty minutes early. Being that it was 6 a.m., the place was quiet and peaceful. I spent three hours simply walking around the lake in awe. It was even more beautiful in person. But knowing me, I had to take lots and lots of photos. There were a great deal of runners and cyclists around. Mostly, though, it was pure peace and serenity.
I had a delicious lunch of a cheeseburger (with Slovenian beef) and french fries. Nine euros. A solid deal. Then, I checked into my hostel. Once again, none of my COVID-related paperwork was checked, and they told me that I didn’t need a mask inside the check-in area. Now, Slovenia’s COVID numbers were not bad, comparatively speaking (less than 100 new cases a day on average), but to see things be so lax startled me a bit. Anyway, I was going to the hostel to sleep, not to drink, party or sing karaoke. And given that the surface issue is not really a big deal anymore with the spread of COVID, it was fine. I took care to maintain six-feet distance whenever I interacted with someone else. From what I could tell, no one had any symptoms or talked about being exposed. Onward.
After a refreshing two-hour nap (like I said, I don’t sleep on those buses), I decided to hike to Mala Osojnica. This was a place just outside the city center with three different viewpoints of the lake. The hike took me over an hour and was extremely physically demanding. I had to push myself outside of my comfort zone in climbing the mountain. I believe the highest point I reached was about 2,000 feet above sea level. But I refused to quit until I reached the top and was extremely proud of myself. During my rut, I kind of lost interest in doing most things and was meandering dangerously close to my comfort zone again. It also showed me that my body, despite being covered in sweat and almost falling several times on the tricky terrain, was capable of more than I thought it was.
After the arduous journey, I decided it was time for a reward. I went to a traditional Slovenian restaurant and had a veal roast. It was yummy and well worth the 15 euros. Then, it was back to my hostel to wrap up the day.
Day 2: Bled Castle, Vintgar Gorge, and the St. Catherine’s Church
I began the day with another hilly walk up to the top of Bled Castle. This was nothing compared to the hike from the day before, as it only took me 20 minutes to get to the top. I looked at the castle and didn’t pay the price to go in; I’m not much of a museum guy and really just wanted to see it from the outside. It was okay; just another castle, really, but the views of the lake from the top were breathtaking.
Following the castle, I took an hour-long pilgrimage to Vintgar Gorge, which had been recommended by the hostel staff and one of my “hostelmates.” Is that a word? Anyway, to continue…I recognized that getting into the gorge would cost me 10 euros, and being that I was in budget mode, I almost didn’t go in. But you know what? I would only be in Slovenia once. I took the plunge.
And boy, was I glad I did.
The gorge, 1.6 kilometers long, is legitimately one of the most beautiful, memorable, and unique things I’ve ever seen. I had to be extremely careful not to drop my phone or bag in the water, as the paths and bridges were extremely narrow and creaky. But it was so cool! I would absolutely recommend Vintgar as part of any trip to Bled.
I hiked back and came across St. Catherine’s Church. While you could only see the outside and couldn’t get in, it was worth the trip. The church is over 600 years old and contains fortified walls. In fact, a treasure (from a French general with ties to Napoleon) was once found there. The best part of this, however, was the viewpoint, offering another tremendous view of the town of Bled.
I went to lunch at a pizzeria. This was the first time on the trip that I was asked if I was recovered, vaccinated, or tested (the RVT rule as they call it). Though the host did not ask for proof, it felt so good to tell him that yes, I was fully vaccinated. I had a big tropical pizza with chicken, and yes, believe it or not, pineapple. It was amazing, and I was able to save some money by having the leftovers for dinner. The rest of my day was relatively quiet from there, but I did decide that I needed to stay another night because I was having so much fun and still had a lot of places I wanted to see. Leaving on Tuesday night just wasn’t going to cut it, so I arranged another night at the hostel and changed my bus trip, with only a small cancellation fee, for the ride home. I also had a conversation with a English girl who was living in, drumroll please…Brno. Small world. Well, not that small as she could have said Prague, but still, it’s nice to meet people with things in common.
Day 3: Ljubljana
Honestly, I went into this trip without much of an itinerary. Spontaneity is the spice of life. I knew that Ljubljana and Lake Bohinj were two key sights I wanted to see, but I didn’t know which day to do which. I could have saved Ljubljana for Wednesday and just left from there, but I already booked my bus ride home (again). Plus, Tuesday’s weather was iffy, so I figured Ljubljana might be easier to do in the rain, and I had more time on Tuesday and thought the capital might need more time.
Before my hour and 15-minute excursion to the capital, I had breakfast at a cafe in Bled. I had a wonderful ham and cheese omelette, a yummy croissant, and the best orange juice I’ve ever had. The Olympics were playing on the TV and terrible covers of classic songs played on the sound system. But the place was very nice.
I went to Ljubljana (would that be a great spelling bee word or what?) on an Arriva bus. 6.30 euros for the way there and the same price to head back to Bled. The Arriva drivers, along with their Flixbus counterparts, were the real MVPs of my trip.
As soon as I arrived, the heavens opened up. And for the first two hours, the rain just stopped and started. It was very frustrating, as these were not merely showers or drizzle. It felt like I had to run for cover every two minutes. Finally, the weather did make up its mind to stay sunny and I got to see a number of the city’s attractions, such as Preseren Square, the Ljubljana Cathedral, the Triple and Dragon Bridges, Tivoli Park, and the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius (the Czechs reading this will know all about them). The one thing I didn’t really see was the castle. It’s perched high on a hill and my legs were jello from the last two days. That and the mud from the repeated rounds of rain would have made the hill quite difficult to climb. Given that I only gave myself about five hours, though, I was happy. It’s a nice city with a chill vibe and some good charm, but it could easily be done in a day or two.
Dinner was McDonald’s. Budget mode, friends. Although no time is a bad time for Chicken McNuggets.
Day 4: Lake Bohinj and the Julian Alps
My finale, or bonus day, if you will, began at the same cafe with the great orange juice and repulsive cover music. I had a chicken burger for lunch. Yes, I started the day with lunch…again. What can I say? I’m a late riser in the summer time and don’t regularly eat breakfast. I know it’s terrible, but that’s another topic for another time. The burger was fine and appropriately priced at nine euros.
The main item on Wednesday’s agenda was Lake Bohinj, the largest permanent lake in Slovenia. Before my trip, I had no idea what it was, but one of the hostel staff mentioned it to me. After Googling it, I decided it was a must-see. After taking another Arriva bus there (3.60 euros one-way, 7.20 round-trip), I got to the lake. It was MOBBED. Full of people and cars. Compared to Bohinj, Bled was basically a Florida Panthers game. Frustratingly, the abundance of tourists made it difficult to get good pictures, but the lake itself did not disappoint. Both Bohinj and Bled are unique lakes because of their bluish-green waters, and they look even more gorgeous in person. The town also contains the Church of St. John the Baptist situated beside the old stone bridge. The church is believed to be over 1,000 years old.
Bohinj was awesome. My only regret is that I didn’t bring a towel and go swimming. There were people boating and paddle boarding, but those aren’t for me. Still, it was nice to look out at the lake and just think about life.
The very best part of the day, however, was the Julian Alps. On the edge of Triglav National Park, there were some top-notch and up-close views of the mountains, and they were exhilarating. I could have stayed there and looked at them all day. But the mountains reminded me of something far more important. I’ve had to climb an awful lot of mountains to get to where I am today. My TEFL course, the visa process, multiple job hunts, and COVID. All this coupled with the constant battles with my mental health. So yes, while the views were some of the best I’ve ever seen and put the Czech Republic’s mountains to shame, that special symbolism was what really did it for me.
Back to Bled for one final dinner. I chose a restaurant called Spica. I asked if I could sit inside and the waiter told me that was only for RVT people. Luckily, I was a V (although they again did not ask for proof), so I sat inside, six feet apart from anyone else. Being that it was my last night, I wanted to splurge a bit. I had deboned chicken drumsticks which were to die for. Only 13 euros, too. And I simply couldn’t leave Bled without having its trademark Bled cream cake. It, too, was delicious, but if you try it, you may need a few minutes to figure out how to eat it.
As I said before, I have a thing for overnight traveling. Because I wanted to maximize my time in Bled, and because the departures from Bled to Prague are not exactly plentiful, I was scheduled to take the midnight bus out of town. It was risky, because if the bus didn’t show up or I was turned away for some reason, I’d be stuck in Bled with no place to stay. Since it had been 14 hours since checking out of the hostel, my phone was almost dead, and I needed the phone to show the driver my ticket. This could have ended really badly…
But it didn’t. The bus showed up, 15 minutes early at that. My phone made it with about 20 percent to spare. Phew. Out of the woods.
Or were we?
About a half hour into the trip, the bus stopped at the Slovenia-Austria border. We were informed that we needed to get out of the bus for passport control. I remember this being odd because there had been nothing of the sort on the trip there. I later Googled it and saw that Austria has indeed instituted border controls on its side of the Slovenian border.
So for the first time in my life, I had an interaction with a border guard. He scanned my passport, asked me where I was going, and let me go. Yes, he spoke English. No questions about COVID status. I don’t think anyone was actually detained, but it was still nerve-wracking, especially at 12:30 in the morning, when normal people on the bus (not me) were sleeping.
Final thoughts
I loved every minute of this trip and would highly recommend Slovenia. The country is environmentally-friendly, its scenery is awe-inspiring, the people are very friendly, it’s very safe, and the cuisine is good and reasonably priced. I was so pleased the trip went off without a hitch after all the concerns I’d had coming in. It provided me with some much-needed relaxation and soul-searching time. Coming back to the reality of Prague was painful, even though many people certainly have worse realities.
Which part was my favorite? Honestly, as cliche as this is, I’d say my favorite part was the entire thing. There wasn’t a moment when I was bored. I was just so happy to be on foreign soil again for the first time in 17 months, so it wouldn’t have taken that much to amuse me. But Slovenia was well worth it, and I’m so happy it could be my first post-COVID trip.
So if you feel safe doing it, get out there and travel! Life’s too short not to embrace new experiences and even step outside of your comfort zone a time or two!
The world is waiting for you.
Czeching Out the World of TEFL 