This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from September 15 to September 21. We split the week in Slovenia (one of our favorite countries so far—heart eyes!!) between Bled and Ljubljana before taking a bus to Bratislava, Slovakia, on Saturday.
Favorite thing we ate: Jonathan was beyond excited to return to the Balkans for one primary reason: ćevapi (and ajvar)! We ordered some of our favorite Bosnian foods at Sarajevo ’84 in Ljubljana [above left], which was recommended by our free walking tour guide. Megan’s favorite meal of the week was “Grandmother’s lunch”–coconut rice, veggies and chicken [above right]–from a Zimbabwean booth at Open Kitchen in Ljubljana (see more below).
Favorite thing we drank: We went wine tasting in Ljubljana and tasted cviček: red wine (including wine from the oldest grape in Europe) mixed with white wine. Not white grapes mixed with red grapes—it’s finished wines mixed together! Sounds gross, right? But its uniqueness made it Jonathan’s favorite drink of the week [above left]. Megan really enjoyed her “Forest Rusalka” cocktail in Ljubljana: gin, blackberry spirit, elderflower syrup, lemon and sparkling water [above right].
Favorite thing we did: Jonathan’s favorite activity from the week was hiking Mostnica Gorge [above left] near Lake Bohinj: a less popular (but still gorgeous) alternative to the better-known Vintgar Gorge near Lake Bled. Megan’s favorite thing from the week was exploring the Open Kitchen in Ljubljana. Every Friday from March to October (weather permitting), local restaurants and wineries set up booths at the city market, which creates an awesome food fair for locals and tourists alike [above right].
Biggest splurge: As mentioned above, we did a wine tasting evening in Ljubljana. It was a good value, IMHO (39 euros/person for seven wine tastings and snacks over 1.5 hours), and we paid a little extra to sample chocolate pairings with some of the wines.
Best deal: We were pretty excited to find Balkan prices again in Slovenia! At Sarajevo ’84 (where Jonathan had his beloved ćevapi), we paid only 17.60 euros for two meat dishes, two drinks, a salad and a side of ajvar.
What we’re reading: Jonathan is about to give up on The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, and Megan is considering abandoning Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe by Simon Winder. So I guess it was a so-so week for reading. But Megan also read and loved Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson, one of her most anticipated reads for this fall.
What we’re watching: I realized I haven’t updated this section in a while, but recently (not all this last week haha) we watched When They See Us on Netflix (highly recommend!). Megan also watched Unbelievable (the first episode is slow, but it’s worth it!), and Jonathan has been watching the documentary series Dirty Money and Rotten.
Total walking distance: 52.37 miles (We only hit 5 miles 6/7 days this week, but we walked 12+ and 14+ miles the two full days we were in Bled, hence the high total.)
Up next: Bratislava and Vienna
Featured image: Ljubljana Old Town & Castle at night
