Tag Archive: Slovenia


Prague, my home for 1/3 of my life!

Prague, my home for 1/3 of my life!

I have had an amazing year since my family and I left Prague on July 31, 2014. In August 2014 we went to Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Montenegro. We visited Amber and her dog Paws, in the beautiful Slovakian countryside.

Amber's garden

Amber’s garden

We swam in the sparkling Adriatic Sea with our friends in Croatia.

The food was delicious! We swam and ate and ate and swam.

The food was delicious! We swam and ate and ate and swam.

We drove to some interesting seaside towns in Montenegro, and we swam in the beautiful Bay of Kotor.

It was hot and the water felt good!

It was hot and the water felt good! The dog liked it, too.

You can read more about our adventures in Montenegro here:

The Bay of Kotor, Montenegro….stunning!

We visited our Indian friends, Sally and Ram, in Slovenia. They took us to Lake Bohinj, and we had a delicious picnic.

Too cold to swim.

Too cold to swim.

Then we flew to the USA in September and visited friends and family in six different states over the next two months. We visited our friends in Oregon. We visited Auntie Robin at her amazing cabin in the mountains, in California.

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We stayed at my little cousins’ house in Indiana. We played legos, and went to the zoo. I had a surprise early birthday party, and I got Angry Birds Star Wars telepods.

I was so surprised because it was a week before my birthday!

I was so surprised because it was a week before my birthday!

We visited my Grandma, Grandpa, and sister in Wisconsin. We stayed at our friends the Zideks’ house. We spent time with friends and family, and celebrated my birthday two more times!

We went out for Mexican food for my birthday!

We went out for Mexican food for my birthday. Not my best photo!

We stayed at my cousin Morgan’s house in Minnesota, where we played Gamecube Super Mario Sunshine and card games.  Then we visited my grandparents, uncles, and aunt in Texas. We went to NASA in Texas with my uncle and aunt.

The original control room for the Apollo missions.

The original control room for the Apollo missions.

In November we flew from the US to Prague, and we stayed there a week. We stayed at the Antblads, our good friends from Sweden. We visited my wonderful school. I met my old friends, including my friends David and Robbie. I was sad to leave my great friends.

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We flew from Prague to Dubai, and we stayed a few days with the Bevans, our British friends. We swam and played in the Persian Gulf. We saw a camel racing farm in the desert.

I wish we could have seen the camels race!

I wish we could have seen the camels race!

We went by elevator up the Burj Kalifa building, the tallest building in the world. It is 2,722 feet (830 meters) tall! We saw dozens of the tall, modern buildings. You can read more about our adventure around Dubai here:

Beaches, Camels and Sand Dunes

Good-bye, desert!

This is us with our friends, the Bevans.

Next, we flew to Bangalore, India and stayed with our friends, Martha and Susheel, at their farm. They have five cute dogs, and I liked playing with them. I walked the dogs almost every afternoon by the lake.

On the farm

On the farm

We went to Susheel’s second farm in the countryside for a weekend. On the way we saw many interesting animals. Indian food is the most yummy food I have ever had.

On the way to Susheel's other farm.

On the way to Susheel’s other farm.

We visited other friends at their 40 acre farm called Bamboo Banks, located in the jungle. We stayed in a small, cute cottage with a garden. I swam in the pool while Mom was reading in the hammock. I jumped really high on the trampoline.

The horses came by for lunch while I swam.

The horses came by for lunch while I swam.

One morning the monkeys woke us up when they were playing on top of our roof!

One morning the monkeys woke us up when they were playing on top of our roof!

On a jeep ride we saw deer, peacocks, wild boars, and monkeys. We watched the elephants eat their food at the elephant camp.

Sometimes we drove really fast!

Sometimes we drove really fast!

So close! We had to be really quiet.

So close! We had to be really quiet.

You can read more about our adventures in the jungle here:

Bamboo Banks: paradise in the jungle!

After Bamboo Banks, we stayed three weeks with Granny Ingrid. Every morning Dad and I went swimming in Granny Ingrid’s pool. The Zideks, our American friends, came to Granny Ingrid’s house for Christmas. On Christmas morning I opened my presents. Then we went to a party with fancy cars and delicious food. India was the best vacation ever for me. We spent six weeks in India, and I loved it!

 

Granny Ingrid

Granny Ingrid

Last Christmas I was really into Super Mario Brothers!

Last Christmas I was really into Super Mario Brothers!

On the way with our not-so-fancy car. Seatbelt laws aren't the same here!

On the way with our not-so-fancy car. Seatbelt laws aren’t the same in India!

 

This was at the Christmas Day lunch party with Auntie Ingrid's friends.

This was at the Christmas Day lunch party with Auntie Ingrid’s friends.

We  moved  to Turkey in late December 2014. In Turkey I  went to a new school . We love having guests and showing them cool places nearby.

 

Termessos!

We hiked up a mountain to see Termessos!

We like going on boat rides with guests!

We like going on boat rides with guests!

 

There is a nice beach here, too.

We went to Side to see the ruins. There is a nice beach here, too.

My cabin. I shared with three boys.

I went camping twice in Cirali; once with my school, and once with our church. This is the cabin I shared with three boys.

The mountains are not far away.

The mountains are not far away.

It has been a good year.  I like living in Antalya.  I like the mountains, the nice breeze, the sea, and the ice cream (dondurma). You would love it if you came here.

 

 

 

 

 

Julian Alps, October 2012

Julian Alps, October 2012

We went to Slovenia for our midterm break last October. Many outside of Europe may ask, “where is Slovenia?!”  Slovenia is the northern part of what used to be Yugoslavia. We did five day trips from the capital city, Ljubljana, and on this particular day we drove through the Julian Alps.   It was stunning!  You can see more photos more  here:

Slovenia: one of our all-time favorite European countries!

Hi, I’m Nate.  This is the end of my second year of living in Prague.  It’s been another very fun year of adventures!

In September I celebrated my birthday with my friends from school.

Cake, friends, presents...what can be better?

Cake, friends, presents…what can be better?

In October we went for a week to Slovenia.  That’s part of the old Yugoslavia. It’s next to Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and Italy.

This is the view from the castle on the cliffs above Lake Bled.

This is the view from the castle on the cliffs above Lake Bled.

See the little island near the end of the lake with the church spire?

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Dad rowed us to the island.

We rang the church bell!

We rang the church bell!

Another day Dad drove us through the Julian Alps.

Look at THAT!  Pretty cool place for a picnic!

Look at THAT! Pretty cool place for a picnic!

We climbed around a five hundred year old castle built into a cliff. Read about the robber baron who got shot by a cannonball while sitting on the toilet:

Slovenia: one of our all-time favorite European countries!

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Doesn’t it look like a place from Lord of the Rings?

In December we celebrated Christmas TWICE!! Once in California and once in Milwaukee!

At my Auntie Robin's house on Christmas morning!

At my Auntie Robin’s house on a sunny California Christmas morning!

In Milwaukee I got to see my sister, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. I got to meet my new twin cousins!

I got to hang out with my big sister, Sam.

I got to hang out with my big sister, Sam.

In February we visited our Turkish friends.  We had a blast!  We ate tons of great home cooked food. We went to a cafe on the Bosphorus.

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See the cat behind us?

We went on a cruise on the Bosphorus with friends from Prague.  It was a VERY rainy day!

Hanging out with the Myers.

Later that day we tried dessert with chicken in it!!

The red one is the Turkish flag.

The red one is the Turkish flag.

After Istanbul we went to visit our other Turkish friends in Ankara.  It was so fun!

Istanbul is amazing!

Istanbul is cool!

In April we went to Seville, Spain for our Easter Break.  Our friend Ana Maria and her family showed us the Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions.

Mom says this tradition is hundreds of years old!

Mom says this tradition is hundreds of years old!

You can read about our adventures in Seville here:

Celebrating Semana Santa in Seville!

This is the procession in front of the float,

This is the procession in front of the float.

Next, we went to Granada at the end of March into the first week of April.

The Alhambra!

The Alhambra!

Mom and Dad slept late every day.  They let me watch lots of Spanish cartoons on TV. I love Cosmic Cat! You can see more photos of Granada here:

The Alhambra: a photo essay

It was fun exploring the Alhambra, but we got drenched at the end!

It was fun exploring the Alhambra, but we got drenched at the end!

One day we went for a day trip to Cordoba to see the Mezquita.

It was a mosque built in the 900's.

It is a mosque built in the 900’s on the ruins of a Visigothic church from the 600’s.

See, it looks like a mosque, right?

See, it looks like a mosque, right?

But there's a big cathedral that pops out of the middle of the mosque!

But there’s a big cathedral that pops out of the middle of the mosque!

The cathedral was built in the 1200’s after the Spanish kicked out the Moors.

You can read about more Spain adventures here:

Renting a car in Europe: Six lessons learned

In May we went to Herrnhut, Germany for a weekend retreat with our friends from church.

The view from the prayer tower.

The view from the prayer tower.

Just being silly!

Just being silly!

June was a CRAZY month! Prague got flooded and my school was shut down.  I went to school in a hotel for a week! Then we had visitors from India.  Next, Sydney and her family come to stay with us and we took them to the Summer Fayre.  It was a blast!

i got launched in the air!

I got launched in the air!

Walking home with Sydney after Summer Fayre.

Walking home with Sydney after Summer Fayre.

Sydney and her family are traveling around the world for two years!  You can read about their adventures here:

http://travel-junkies.com/

It’s been a really fun school year.  I’m excited for summer vacation.  On Monday we leave on a road trip to Germany, Italy and France. Then we’ll come home for five days, and after that we’ll go to Israel.  It’s going to be fun!

The most spectacular country you have never heard of!

The most spectacular country you have never heard of!

My friend Heidi told me that Lake Bled, Slovenia was one of her favorite places in Europe. Slovenia is the northern tip of the old Yugoslavia, and borders Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. See the map here:

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=aaplw&p=slovenia+map+images

So we decided to go there last October, during our one week midterm break.  It is now one of my top three favorite countries in Europe!  It is a hidden gem. We rented a car and drove there from Prague, through the Austrian Alps during the peak fall season–wow!!

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It was an eight hour drive through gorgeous landscapes!

Ljubljana

We stayed a week in Ljubljana, the capital. Ljubljana is so picturesque!

The view from the castle!

The view from the castle!

In the Old Town area.

In the Old Town area.

Check out the blue October sky!

Check out the blue October sky!

It was heavenly to enjoy a meal at an outdoor cafe along the river in the third week of October!

It was heavenly to enjoy a meal at an outdoor cafe along the river in the third week of October!

Food is always better when eaten outside!

Food is always better when eaten outside!

Each day we did a day trip to the following places: Piran, Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the Postojna Cave, and Predjama Castle.  Each day our mouths dropped at the incredible beauty of this tiny country, slightly smaller than New Jersey.  Let the photos speak for themselves!

Piran is a beatiful town on the coast of the northern Adriatic which has been compared to the famous southern  Adriatic jewel Dubrovnik.

Breathtaking!

Breathtaking!

Ok, maybe not warm enough for swimming:)

Ok, maybe not warm enough for swimming:)

We stumbled upon this little church.

We stumbled upon this little church.

We wandered through the winding streets.

We wandered through the winding streets.

The architecture is similar to what you find in Venice.

The architecture is similar to what you find in Venice.

Boats everywhere!

Boats everywhere!

Lake Bled’s stunning landscape in the Julian Alps is breath-taking. A translucent lake,  a wooded island with a baroque church at the top; a cliff-top castle overlooking the lake, all with the dramatic Julian Alps as a backdrop.

View from the castle walls.

View from the castle walls.

We splurged and had lunch here...can you blame us??!!

We splurged and had lunch here…can you blame us??!!

The island in the lake with a baroque church.

The island in the lake with a baroque church.

So hard to choose just five photos of this place!

So hard to choose just five photos of this place!

The views were epic!

The views were epic!

The Julian Alps are tucked between Italy and Austria. We drove through the stunning mountain scenery at the peak of the fall colors. We stopped at a deserted, pristine Alpine lake.

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We even had it to ourselves!

There were 48 hair pin turns to go through the Vrsic Pass.  Scary, but the scenery was amazing!

It was a glorious day!

It was a glorious day!

Perfect picnic spot, all to ourselves...ok, it was in October:)

Perfect picnic spot, all to ourselves…ok, it was in October:)

After you reach the summit of Vrsic Pass, you descend into the Soca Valley. The Soca River is a beautiful turquoise blue. I was surprised to learn that this area was the location of brutal fighting between the Austrians and Italians during World War  I.  Besides loss of life in battle, at least 60,000 soldiers died in avalanches.

I was so glad Andy did the driving!

I was so glad Andy did the driving!

Did you know that Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms begins in the Alps around the frontier between Italy and present-day Slovenia? At that time Italy was allied with Britain, France and Russia against Germany and the Austro-Hungarian empire. The novel’s main character is Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an American who volunteered for the Italian army because the United States hadn’t yet entered the war.

The Battle of Caporetto  took place from late October to mid November of 1917, near the town of  Kobarid.  The battle was named after the Italian name of the town of Kobarid.

The town of Kobarid, the setting for Hemingway's Farewell to Arms.

The town of Kobarid, the setting for Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms.

The Postojna Cave system is the longest cave system in Slovenia (network of 20 kilometers).  Postojna Cave is the longest publicly-accessible depth of any cave system in the world. Its Grand Hall often serves as a concert venue for up to 10,000 people! The caverns and stalactite formations were astounding!

The entrance to the cave.

The entrance to the cave.

We took a little mining train deep into the cave,  and then hiked through the 5 kilometer-long trail.

Nate's favorite part of the day:)

Nate’s favorite part of the day:)

It is about 12 miles long!

It is about 12 miles long!

It was first discovered in the 17th century, and became a tourist attraction in 1819.

It was first discovered in the 17th century, and became a tourist attraction in 1819.

Predjama Castle was built in the middle of a vertical 123-metre high cliff  more than 700 years ago.

It's a very "Lord of the Rings-ish" sort of place!

It’s a very “Lord of the Rings-ish” sort of place!

The  most famous of all of the castle inhabitants was the knight Erazem of Predjama, who rebelled against the Holy Roman Emperor in the 15th century. He retreated to Predjama Castle, which was besieged by the emperor.

We were the last visitors of the day.

We were the last visitors of the day.

The legend says that Erazem was able to withstand the siege because he had access to the outside world through underground caves beneath the castle.  However, he met a sad fate:  he was betrayed by a servant and was unceremoniously killed by a cannonball while sitting on the toilet!

Not far from the famed toilet with a view!

Not far from the famed toilet with a view!

The boys went exploring!

The boys went exploring!

The view to the village.

The view to the village.

So, do not delay…plan your trip to Slovenia. Experience it for yourself first hand!  We are looking forward to going back next year. Any recommendations for other places to see from those who have been there?