Postcard from Slovenia

Triglav Summit

My trip to Slovenia ended weeks ago and I am finally getting around to posting a few thoughts. Such an inspiring place, so much to say about. I'll start with these few words and hope to post more later. 

On the way to the summit

After many steps, tons of rocks, some fixed cables and a few stretches of via ferrata, my partner Mike and I made it to the top of Triglav, Slovenia’s highest point. My first attempt in 2003 was thwarted by rain and I'm glad the weather cooperated this time. I think of myself as a rugged Montana girl, yet the mountains of Slovenia left me reconsidering my burliness.

The trip up Triglav was part of a five-day hut-to-hut hiking trip in Triglav National Park in Slovenia. From the moment Mike and I left the trailhead, each day brought steep, rugged, and rocky terrain. 

Spikes, red dots, huts - hiking in Triglav National Park

Where others might have seen obstacles, Slovenians were undeterred marking routes with red and white dots painted on rocks, trees and the ground, and installing fixed chains, metal spikes, and ladders into the terrain when elevation change or exposure presented a challenge.

Hiking in Triglav tested my stamina and pushed me to the edge of my comfort zone in terms of exposure. (Not Mike, he has a better head for exposure than I do.) After five days, our bodies pounded and knees screaming “No more,” Mike and I were glad to lounge by the Sava River and take a rest day.

Zelenci Springs

Metelkova Mesta, Ljubljana

Heading to another valley, Triglav national Park

Some photos...

MetelkovaMesto is an old army barracks taken over by squatters after the fall of socialism. Today it is filled with public art and graffiti, and is home to a thriving underground art and music scene. It was quiet when we were their but apparently the dilapidated buildings house clubs, art studios, and performance venues, and apparently the location comes alive at night. You can read about it by clicking on the link below. Such an inspiring repurposing of an old space.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/24/metelkova-ljubljana-abandoned-barracks-europe-squat

Lock Locks, Ljubljana

Love locks are a common sight on bridges throughout the Balkans. These are in Ljubljana .

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/serbia/articles/heartbreaking-origin-love-locks

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More on Slovenia

https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/search/label/slovenia