#europe – Bri Right Back

Ciao, Venice!

Ciao means hello and goodbye in Italian. It seems to be a fitting title for my two days in Venice that conclude these travels.

Wow, this has been such a long time coming! Finally, Venice, my last new destination during my four month journey. As the start of my goodbye train, it was finally sinking in that this was the end of my adventure, at least for now. I’d have to leave my travel buddies to the rest of their voyages and return home. Looking back at my admittedly sparse journal, I can’t help but wax nostalgic for this unique time in my life where my only responsibility was to discover and live each day to the fullest. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Anyways, enough about my dumb journey..

In Venice, we stayed at a hostel called Wombats City Hostel Venice Mestre. It was a short train ride away from the city. I enjoyed my stay here. It had the feel of a hotel room but with a few more beds. The bar downstairs was great too. Upon looking them up, I see they’ve closed permanently due to Covid which is such a shame. Check out their hostels in Vienna, Munich and London- I’m sure they’d have the same vibe and uphold the same standards to be a safe bet for a great stay in those cities.

My first impression of the city was that I’ve never seen a place like it. I loved exploring the canals, bridges, and tiny alleyways. While in Venice, we mostly wandered around aimlessly getting lost amongst the canals between swigs of shared bottles of wine. We saw the Piazza San Marco, home to the Basilica di San Marco. I didn’t get to see the inside of the Basilica since I was dressed for the hot weather. It was gorgeous from the outside though.

Mostly, while in Venice, we drank, scarfed down pizza and gelato, and enjoyed every second of the time we still shared together, at least for this trip.

It was surreal to think of how I embarked on this trip alone and then happened upon such an amazing group to share this experience with. Goodbyes are the hardest but they’re especially tough when you don’t know if or when you’ll see those friends again.

I’m grateful to everyone I crossed paths with throughout my travels. Whether you gave me a ride to the airport, directions somewhere, a place to stay- you are a part of my story and I wouldn’t be the same if I hadn’t met you 🙂

So, if you’re still reading, thanks for taking this journey with me! And Europe, thanks for the memories- hopefully I’ll see you again soon!

Statue of Niccolò Tommaseo, comically known to locals as “Booksh*tter”

After Croatia, I headed to Ljubljana, Slovenia on a recommendation from friends. I didn’t know much about the country, but they insisted we needed to see Lake Bled. Now I’m here to tell you that you need to see it too! On the other hand, if you just can’t stand natural beauty and delicious desserts, you can go ahead and skip this destination.

My friends and I stayed at Hostel Vrba. This area has limited hostels so it might be one you’d want to book in advance. The rooms were comfortable and the owner was very friendly. It was also in a very nice area. Lake Bled has hostels too that might be worth checking out if you’ll be spending a majority of your time there.

Start off your visit by exploring the city. The city center is full of cute cafes and shops to check out. Ljubljana has several beautiful bridges to see, most notably the dragon bridge.

Take the funicular or the walk up to Ljubljana Castle to get great views of the city. You can get the best photos from up here, especially if you have a really tall friend to get those good angles. Thanks again, Lawrence!

While at the Castle, be sure to take a look at the art exhibitions there. I saw this beautiful textile exhibit when I was there, amongst others.

We were most excited to see Lake Bled in Slovenia and it truly didn’t disappoint. We took a day trip there but if I had a do-over, I would’ve stayed in that area itself so we could’ve spent more time there. It was just so gorgeous.

We rented some paddleboards by the lake and had a great time learning that we were not as balanced as we thought we were. You can walk up to the castle or take boats across the lake too.

I still can’t believe this place is real

If you have the time, take the trip to the Postojna Caves, a system of four interconnecting caves formed by the Pivka River over millions of years.

It was freezing in the caves but to me it felt like good ‘ol American air conditioning. I’d recommend dressing warm though as the underground train ride gets especially chilly.

We were budgeting pretty hard by this part of the trip, so we mostly ate homemade sandwiches and McDonald’s. However, you’d be missing out if you didn’t savor some of the baked goods Ljubljana has to offer. Štruklji is a pastry-like dish with meat and other fillings and was delicious. You should also try any type of pain au chocolat/ chocolate croissant-like pastries you can get your hands on. I don’t have any pictures of them because I ate them too fast.

I had an amazing time in Ljubljana and I can’t wait to visit again someday and maybe then I can finally learn how to spell it without spell check. Catch me in Venice, Italy soon!

Tag: #europe

Falling In Ljub With Ljubljana, Slovenia