In Slovenia

We are at the last stop of the adventure. We will be here 3 nights. This morning we entered the EU for the second time on the trip (first time was Greece) and we are using Euros again. In fact it is the 3rd time we have used Euros. Montenegro, not a member of the EU, uses Euros from Germany. 

After driving across the border and getting our passports stamped, we arrived at the capital city of Ljubljana. A compact city that is both old and pretty. Slovenia has about 2 million folks, and about 250,000 live in the capital. It's about 1/4th the size of Zagreb. The place does not seem crowded at all. The old town is bustling with people shopping, walking, or sitting in cafes that line the streets. Since it was Saturday everyone was there. The people watching was great. 

Contrary to my normal routine, I bought a few souvenirs. Slovenia is famous for salt production, but I did not get any...it seemed strange to buy salt when I'm on a low sodium diet.

There was an old car show at the central square. We saw lots of old cute cars...tiny Fiats and Model A Fords, a really cute 1928 Dodge, a bunch of pretty  Mercedes Benz', and a 1954 Chevy BelAir. One old Ford had a Slovenian license plate and a California one too! There were 3 Hurdy Gurdies grinding out fun music too. A great way to be introduced to a city.

From the capital we drove about 30 minutes into the Alps to the resort of Lake Bled. While the name does not sound pleasing to the American ear, don't be discouraged by the name. At first glance the area looks like Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. The tiny lake is a mountain jewel with a tinier island floating just off center. Mountains soar from the lake, and if you look to the right, you see a castle on top of one of the mountains. Atop another mountain is a church. There is a path all around the lake, and there are small boats you can rent to sail upon the lake. This evening at 10 PM, there was a nice fireworks display! Tomorrow we will do some exploring around the lake.

For whatever it is worth, we have just stepped foot on our 90th country!