I dont know where to start....Slovenia has taken me by complete surprise. So far, this country has far exceeded my expectations. I spoke to my friend, who had been to Slovenia before, and she told me, yes Ljubljana is a beautiful city, but a trip solely to Slovenia is probably not worth it; its good as a complementary country to transit or stopover while you are in E. Europe. So, my prior expectations of Slovenia wasnt so grand. But the moment, I stepped off the plane, and was met with crisp air and soft snow falling on me, I just knew I was going to love this country.

So, I arrived in Ljubljana astonished to find snow everwhere, atop roofs of buildings and houses, on top of every hedge and tree in sight, forming walls along streets....I had no idea. When I checked the weather of Slovenia before flzing out all the forecast said was mild sleet and rain. I had no idea it was going to snow, let alone be greeted with existing snow. Strangely, despite the snow, its not so cold. There are nights in London that are even colder than here.

This morning, I took the bus to Bled and Bohinj, two destinations to the west of Ljubljana. They were the most amazing bus rides. I had taken some cases to read with me, but I just could not even for one second lift the papers to my eye level, for fear I would miss a (yet another) beautiful scene of snow-covered forests, cathedrals, rivers. I was seriously mesmerized by the surroudings. Im astounded by Slovenias natural beauty. I have not seen such stunning views of mountains and lakes in my life. While, memories of the Himalayas and Swiss Alps rushed back to me, they didnt quite prepare me for the Julien Alps and its two famous lakes, Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled. The lakes just looked magical. They could together literally set the scene for C.S. Lewis Narnia. Before leaving London, I had seen photos of Lake Bled and I was really excited to see it. But wow, Lake Bled in winter with all the trees all around the lake were blanketed with snow was breathtaking. In fact, I took so many photos that my camera ran out of battery.

I was originally going to stay at Bled tonight, but I have returned to Ljubljana. One of the reasons being, I still have so much to explore in Ljubljana. Im staying my second night at Celica Hostel . The hostel is the best I have stayed in my traveling history (I know, the quality of accommodation seems to just get better for me...maybe Im just too used to Asia, in general, which have comparatively poorer looking rooms). Celica Hostel has a cool concept. Its basically a prison turned art-gallery turned hostel. They have rooms that are supposed to resemble prison cells. I stayed in Cell 104 (if you want to see the photos on their site) last night. Unfortunately, Im not staying in a cell tonight as all beds are full, and I hadnt booked since I thought I was going to stay in Bled. So, instead Im staying in a 14-person dorm tonight and it seems all 13 are guys. What luck. I cant stand snoring. I was really hoping to get some decent sleep. Last night, I had such wonderful sleep that I really wanted to return to this hostel to have another.

Tomorrow is going to a long day. Im going to start tomorrow with a dosage of the local Saturday market near the Cathedral, indulge in local treats, and thereafter explore the old town, the castle, market square and Ljubljana famous bridges.

Im off now. I will probably update at Jaimes house. Im flying into Stanstead Airport tomorrow night and instead of heading into London, Im going to spend the remainder of my weekend in Cambridge. Im ready for cocktail-ing with my girlfriend and a wholesome home-cooked meal (Ive been noticeably slack..with trying too many restaurants).