Back to Routine, Sort Of: Apr 27-May 3

After a week of afternoon drinks by the river, long dinners, and showing my mom around Ljubljana, this week was about easing back into normal life. Or at least a version of normal life that still involved castle walks and frequent coffee stops.

The week also included an incredible day in Vrata Valley with the Fabian family. We had clear views of the Triglav North Face, stopped at Peričnik Falls, and visited the Mountain Museum. I also learned about Jakob Aljaž, who purchased the summit of Triglav in 1895 and helped make it such an important Slovenian symbol. As usual, the day ended with great pizza in a local village.

The first order of business was seeing my mom safely back to Pennsylvania. Thankfully, her trip home was much less eventful than her journey over. Once she left, I had to readjust to a routine that involved fewer restaurant meals and significantly fewer afternoon glasses of wine by the river. It turns out I had adapted to vacation mode pretty quickly.

The timing of the transition was softened by an unexpected bonus: Slovenia essentially took the week off. Between the Day of Uprising Against Occupation and Labor Day celebrations, schools were closed and the city settled into holiday mode. The streets filled with tourists, street performers appeared throughout the city center, and there was a noticeable shift from people rushing somewhere to people simply enjoying being outside.

I used the slower week to catch up on some of the work that had understandably taken a back seat during my mom's visit. There were also plenty of long walks to the castle, afternoons spent people watching, and reminders that Ljubljana may be one of the best cities in the world for doing absolutely nothing productive and feeling perfectly content about it.

One afternoon I claimed a spot in Tivoli Park with a book and watched the city move around me. Another evening I wandered through the city center observing one of Slovenia's more entertaining traditions: elaborate bachelor party celebrations. One particularly dedicated group had the groom sitting in the middle of the street collecting money from passing strangers while his friends cheered him on. It was impossible not to stop and watch for a while.

The week ended with one of the more memorable adventures of my time in Slovenia: a hike to Polhograjska Grmada with Dora, her husband Matja, and their friend Rebecca. The hike was beautiful and also considerably more challenging than I anticipated. Dora had packed an incredible picnic for the summit, which we enjoyed while balancing on what felt like approximately four square feet of mountaintop surrounded by steep drop offs in every direction.

Of course, the story did not end there. On the way down we somehow managed to take the wrong trail and, after an hour of descending, realized our mistake and climbed all the way back to the top to start over. Then, as if the mountain felt the day needed one final challenge, my 25 year old hiking boots finally gave up and the sole detached itself mid hike. Somehow the flapping boot, the extra climb, and the navigational errors only made the day more memorable. We eventually reunited with Matja, celebrated with a beer, and finished the day with pizza on the way home. It felt like a very appropriate ending to the week.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•