Plitvice Lakes and the Slovenian Capital

Our final day in Zagreb required an early start uncustomary to our recently surrendered student lifestyle. We boarded a two and a half hour bus from Zagreb at the crack of dawn to venture deep into rural Croatia, with our destination to be the country’s largest and most impressive national park, Plitvice Lakes. With over 20 separate bodies of water, filled with crystal clear water and all falling through one spectacular waterfall after another, Plitvice was quite simply spectacular. We made sure we were well equipped for the day ahead, donning our comfortable shoes and bringing along our packed lunches we had constructed from a local market in Zagreb. 

After an exhausting day, the early starts continued to plague us – this time it was leaving Zagreb and heading in the direction of Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana. For a relatively short distance, we were kept tentatively on our toes for long portions; courtesy of the frequent border checks we encountered. The fact that this was our maiden voyage using our rail pass certainly didn't help and every causal glance from a border guard we would then see as being a mistrusting and suspicious glare. Despite this, we crossed the border without fuss, and the route became much more relaxing and picturesque as the train snaked through beautiful green valleys and clung to the side of Slovenia's striking mountains. 

Ljubljana has a wonderfully quaint yet lively atmosphere, with its streets and buildings kept in pristine condition alongside the beautiful river Ljubljanica running through the heart of it. The ‘triple bridge’ serves as its main attraction, joining the central town square to the rest of the city. Then there is the unmissable castle district, a looming fortress that still watches over the capital atop its lofty hilltop perch.

Ljubljana's castle

University of Ljubljana

The lasting memory we will probably take from Ljubljana is the charming, relaxed nature of the people and the streets that we wondered through. All along the river there were cafés, bars and restaurants, all alive with a whole host of young travelers and locals – we even stumbled across the city’s university, which looked more suited to a president than the country's latest batch of young and talented student population.

'Triple bridge' at night