Moravia, Czech Republic

Before we moved to the Czech Republic, I assumed it was all about the beer. Bohemia, the region of the country that holds Prague, the Czech Republic’s most famous city, is certainly all about that beer, so it makes sense that many a tourist doesn’t know much about Czech wine. Or that even such a thing exists, as I mentioned above!

Well, I’m here to tell you, Czech wine certainly shouldn’t be forgotten when visiting the country. Even better, if you have the time, a visit to Mikulov, the capital of Moravia, the primary Czech wine region, is delightful. If you go in the autumn, make sure to try some burčak, Czech “young wine” that is delicious and deceivingly strong.

Eger, Hungary

Eger is a must for any wine-lover when visiting Hungary. Only about two hours away from Budapest via train, Eger has a wine valley, known in English as the “Valley of Beautiful Women.” We visited Eger a few times because the valley has over a dozen little family wineries built into the hillside. So, you walk around, hopping from wine cellar to wine cellar and tasting some of the most delicious wine I’ve ever had–at insane prices. Wine tasting in Eger is one of my favorite experiences in all of Europe!

Tokaj, Hungary

Excuse me for the bit of last-place-I-lived favoritism, but the wine in Hungary is just that amazing! While Eger wins my favorite thanks to its red bulls-blood and I am all about the reds, Tokaj produces the best dessert wine around. The Tokaj region also happens to be on Lake Balaton, the largest inland lake in Europe and a gorgeous little spot! I mostly drank Tokaj in Budapest but the region itself is worth a visit.

Santorini, Greece

The wind is so strong in Santorini that they have different ways of growing the vines, which looks weird but helps produce amazing grapes, helped along by the famously volcanic soil. Like all of the other produce we tried on the island, the grapes are slightly sweeter. Make sure to get the local moussaka with your glass of wine, as well–Santorini eggplant is the best in the world, I’m telling ya!

Central & South Dalmatia, Croatia

Croatia is full of great wine regions, or so I’ve heard, but the only one I’ve personally experienced is in the south, on the islands of Korčula and Hvar. We tried so many bottles of wine on Korčula our host asked if we were having a party! Cue shame face…

Brda Region, Slovenia

We were privileged enough to tour the Brda region in Slovenia with Slocally after a night in their Herbal Rooms Homestay. It was bliss! We visited small, family run wineries and tried the new “hipster” wine–an orange wine! We wandered among the many colorful, autumn-themed vineyards. It was a foggy day but that just added to the atmosphere. The region is also full of cute little towns, like Šmartno, and well-worth a visit. This region is on the border of Slovenia and Italy, so it feels sort of like a mini-Tuscany, but with its own Slovene flavor.

Pelagonia-Polog, Macedonia

We didn’t tour this region of Macedonia while there (partly because I was pregnant at the time) but were able to taste several wines from this region. I knew nothing about Macedonia or its wine before we went, and I was pleasantly surprised!

Do you have some favorite off-the-beaten path wine regions? Share in the comments! 

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Slovenia is so magical that it is definitely becoming a travel hotspot. And pretty much everyone who is going to this awesome country is also going to Lake Bled.

I mean, can you blame them?

However, there is more to see and do in the area besides just stare, transfixed, at the lake (although no judgement if that’s all you want to do, everyone will understand). Many people visit Lake Bled in one day, as it’s an easy trip from the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. We spent three days there, though, and found plenty to do–here are a few ideas!

Lake Bled trail/road

Obviously, if you’re coming to Lake Bled, you’re going to see the lake. We both drove and walked around the lake–either of which I highly recommend! Who doesn’t want to see this gorgeous place from all different angles? I’ve also heard there are some good hikes in the area, that can give you a view from above.

Lake Bohinj

A short (and beautiful!) drive from Lake Bled is Lake Bohinj, which some people say is more beautiful than Lake Bled. I’m not about to start any debates on this here blog, but I will say that it is more than worth the drive. The drive itself gave us some of the best foliage of the trip, and a view of rural Slovenia.

Vintgar Gorge

Nearby Lake Bled is a little (and well-discovered) hike into the beautiful Vintgar Gorge. Beware, there will be crowds, at least in the autumn, but if you keep walking a little ways, you should leave most of them behind. The color of the water is almost unnaturally green, and it’s an easy walk into a lovely spot of this amazing country.

Row a boat to the island

Perhaps this may seem like a cliché thing to do–but it’s so fun! We also went on a morning that was…kind of perfect. The lake was like glass, the sky was clear, and the island sent bells ringing through the still air from its tiny little church. We didn’t actually stop at the island–just circled around it–but you could if you wanted to!

….Okay, I have a confession to make–mostly I just wanted to dump more photos of this beautiful country on ya. Just can’t resist! Here’s a few more, because I just can’t choose.

Linking up with Wanderful Wednesday and Faraway Files. 

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Or, you can look at these pictures and fall a little bit in love with Slovenia through them. It’s common to feel infatuation with Slovenia just through photos, don’t worry. It happened to me.

And then I went to Slovenia…and the rest is history.

For practical purposes, here are a few places you could go, or things you could do, to make you fall in love just a little bit harder…

Lake Bled. I could fill ten more posts with just pictures I took from here. It’s just that beautiful. Make sure to rent a row-boat to get close up views of that island!

Vintgar Gorge. Just a hop and a skip away from Bled.

Lake Bohinj. Bonus: the drive between this lake and Lake Bled is incredible, especially in the autumn.

Piran on the sea. Yes, that’s the Mediterranean–who knew?

A homestay in the Soča Valley.

A wine tour in the Brda region (Slovenia’s Tuscany).

A visit to the tiny UNESCO village of Šmartno.

Ljubljana. A charming little capital!

Predjama Castle, former home of the area’s Robin Hood figure. Also it’s a castle built into a cliff, so…

But really, all it took was one look.

That’s how some of the best love stories begin.

Linking up with Emma, Angie, Polly and Tiffany! 

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When I first learned about the Herbal Rooms Homestay, I had to look up where exactly in the country it was–it’s somewhat off the beaten tourist path of Lake Bled and Ljubljana. Since we had already decided to rent a car, though, I knew it wouldn’t be a problem to drive less than two hours, from Ljubljana, to a lesser-known part of the country.

We drove to the Herbal Rooms from Piran, through small villages and gorgeous vineyards, which we would visit the next day (more on that later!).

The sun happened to be setting just as we drove through, and let me tell you, it was picturesque!

We arrived at the lovely little house that is the Herbal Rooms after dark, but were immediately welcomed into the warmth–with a pair of slippers each, how cozy!–by Vesna and her family.

^^don’t you just love wood stoves? This one heats their whole house!

After meeting the family, we went to the guest floor to drop off our bags and check out our rooms for the evening. I was immediately charmed by the thoughtful details, the retro flair, and, as it is the Herbal Rooms, after all–the homemade potpourri and soap.

Soon, we were invited to join Vesna for a cup of her specially homemade tea, using local herbs, such as chamomile, peppermint, rose, citronella and wild thyme.

^^oh and did I forget to mention the HOMEMADE CAKE?!?

For anyone who is concerned about a homestay being awkward, you don’t have to worry about that with Vesna and her family. It immediately felt like we had known Vesna for years, as we chatted about our respective lives and learned more about her business and home. We finished our tea (I am not lying when I tell you E had four cups all by himself), ate (too much) cake, and headed up to test out our herbal pillows. I sometimes sleep with a little satchel of lavender, so I wasn’t too skeptical about these herbal pillows–until I felt one! It seemed so strange and crunchy, like a pile of leaves, that I couldn’t imagine it would be a comfortable pillow.

^^checking out the pillows

However, Vesna’s assurance that the sound of the pillows was natural and would not impede sleep turned out to be true. After about a two-second adjustment, I fell into a deep sleep and slept over 9 hours–which is  a record for an insomniac like me! I’m kicking myself for not buying one of those pillows while I had the chance–they are only 15 Euros, after all.

The next morning, we were scheduled to leave early for a tour with Vesna to the nearby Brda wine region, but not before I checked out the peaceful view:

And not before homemade bread, jam, coffee and more tea!

And, of course, not before quick tour of the pretty little garden.

If you can’t tell already, I highly recommend a stay with Vesna and her family–but stay longer than we did! One night was not enough, although we left feeling very rejuvenated. Could it have been the herbal pillows…?

Thank you so much for the hospitality! We can’t wait to come back :).

If you’re interested in home charm, getting a view of Slovenia through a local’s eyes, visiting the incredible Soča Valley, and experiencing the relaxing sleep of a true herbal room, you can find the Herbal Rooms homestay on their website, on Facebook, on TripAdvisor, and on Twitter.

STAY TUNED for a review of our tour experience in the Brda wine country with Vesna! Oh Slovenia, I miss you already.

Disclaimer: I was invited to stay with Vesna and her family in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are, always, my own! 

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I suspected Slovenia would be amazing and I was RIGHT.

E and I spent seven days hiking in the fall leaves, boating on Lake Bled, tasting wine with locals, finding unique castles, driving and exploring to our heart’s content.

It was the best way to end my favorite month. I can’t wait to share more about every destination!

Another thing that has ended recently is the Bake Off Bake Along with Amanda and Ala.

The last few weeks, between work and travel, I haven’t been able to participate as much as I hoped–but I knew I had to rally and make the final bake!

I went for the technical challenge, which is the very-British Victoria sandwich sponge cake, that I’d never heard of until the Bake Off itself.

I went for a marbled version and I was quite impressed with how it turned out, flavor-wise, even though I failed at the “sandwich” part and over baked it.

Also we only had four raspberries left, so my decorations weren’t quite up to par (and no, I don’t know how we ended up with just four, so random!).

It’s fun to look back at all of my other bakes: like my first cake, my fabulous bread, my terrible pastries, and this incredible cake that might be the best thing I’ve ever made. I’ve learned more than I expected–especially when I think back to that first cake! Rather than being put off baking for the rest of my life as I feared might be an outcome of this challenge, I’m looking forward to getting back into the kitchen and making my favorite thing–bread!

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10 Reasons NOT to Visit Slovenia

1. There is green postcard-like scenery everywhere. I guess one can get tired of that very quickly.

2. They do have a coastline too, but who would want to see these views?

3. Wine is like their national drink. Everywhere you go, people will have a vine yard all for themselves!

4. The food will make you gain some extra pounds. Who wants that to go through that during vacation?

5.  The most iconic location is an island in the middle of a lake. Disney fairytale much?

6. The symbol of the capital is a dragon and as we all know, dragons are super scary.

7. Ljubljana’s city center looks like a mini Prague but without too many tourists. Who will want to visit such an underrated place like that? Gimme overcrowded touristic locations!!

8. During the summer there is an Open food festival every Friday where you can eat all kinds of dishes from all over the world. Ugh, calories…

9.  Their desserts will give you a sweetness overload.

Source

10. There is also lots of beer though, but who wants to drink that during the holidays?

So isn’t Slovenia incredibly freakin’ awesome!?

Of course I was kidding the whole time. Slovenia is so great and y’all should visit it because word is spreading around!

I hope I really took you to this little beautiful corner of the world. The adventure awaits!

From the sunny side of this,

Isabel

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