Introduction to our Adriatic Adventure

It all started with a conversation with our travel companions in Turkey. We were discussing travel destinations and Dave and Diane mentioned Slovenia as being one of their favourites. Frankly we knew pretty much nothing about Slovenia, but in checking it out, it did seem rather lovely. Further investigation led us to discovering the highly recommended motorcycle tour company, Adriatic Moto Tours.  One thing led to another, and quite soon we decided that the Alps Adriatic Tour itinerary was the one we liked best with routing through Slovenia, to the coast of Croatia and north to the Dolomites in Italy. Well, that pretty much clinched it.  www.adriaticmototours.com/Guided-Tours/Alps-Adriatic-Adventure/Overview/ The company was great to deal with and before we left home, we had a great set of maps, travel documents and a day-by-day detailed travel itinerary booklet.

There are no direct flights to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, from Toronto, so we chose Jet Airways to Brussels with a connection on Adria Airlines. Jet Airways is a pleasant surprise with good service and nice meal service. An overnight flight with smooth connections. We have come a couple of days earlier than the start of the tour and booked a hotel in the old city. There is a driver from Adriatic Moto Tours to meet us at the airport and transport us to the City. That's a really nice touch. It makes everything so easy. By noon we're checked into the Adora Hotel and ready to explore. Just inside the pedestrian zone, the hotel proves to be an excellent choice; which we made by searching dozens of places online.

The area around the hotel is a nice mixture of shops, restaurants and homes. It's right at the base of the hill that dominates the city-scape with the Castle looming over everything. Our time clocks and food clocks are confused, so first things first we set out to find sustenance. It's raining, but the hotel thoughtfully provides large umbrellas, which are left in the lobby for guests to use. Rain must be a common occurrence!

Ljubljana is a charming city, set along the river banks, with nice bridges and gracious architecture. We do a brief recce of the immediate neighbourhood and find that we have covered a lot of ground by wandering somewhat aimlessly. It's clearly a people friendly destination. Despite the drizzle, the streets, squares and restaurants are very busy. 

In the early evening we meet Iva, our guide from Ljubljananjam for a walking food tour of the city. We stumbled onto this through Tripadvisor. The reviews were so enthusiastic we figured it would be a great way to get acclimatized to the local food culture. Turns out to be an excellent decision. Iva is passionate about food and the city and is a delightful and knowledgeable guide. Within minutes we feel as if we're out exploring with a friend. She has lined up a selection of contemporary and sometimes off the grid specialty places where the welcome is warm and the tasting is delectable.

At Repaete we have soup, salad and polenta with delicious roasted tomatoes and white wine. Moving on, we sample mezes, cold pressed coffee, gelato and mini cup cakes. At the end of the evening we relax with bottles of locally brewed stout. We've learned a lot from Iva about the food culture, the city layout and the alternative art scene. All in all a promising start to our Adriatic Adventure.