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Hvala Slovenia

July 24, 2013

Hvala Slovenia

23KrajnaVasSign

Let me start my vacation recap by telling you this: I'm not really much of a world traveler. 

We haven't been a huge trip taking kind of family. Yes, we've been to Jamaica and the Bahamas a few times. Yes, we went to Australia once back in 2006 as a foursome (which was an amazing adventure). But mostly, we stay pretty close to home.

But when Dan's friend of 30 years decided to get married, we figured it was time for just the two of us to have a little adventure together. Ergo, Hello Slovenia, the site of the wedding.

For the first part of our trip, we stayed in the capitol city of Ljubljana and spent our days in the city as well as venturing out on day trips to see some of the staggeringly beautiful landscape of the country.

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Hug

You know what comes in really handy on a vacation? A remote shutter release for self-portraits. 

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And a zoom lens.

Hydrangeas

Soca

Bohinj

We ate leftover margherita pizza while sitting on a bench with this view of Lake Bohinj. 

It was amazing to be in a country that goes from alpine landscapes to coastal vistas in less than 100 kilometers.

Piran

And don't even get me started on my favorite store of all, Piranske Soline.

Piranske

Sea salt to die for. Truly. (My favorite souvenir? This thing.)

Of course, the food was amazing every place we went.

Food

Food2

Slovenemeal

And Dan was definitly a fan of the Lasko, Slovenia's number one beer.

Lasko

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But the best part of the trip was being with this guy 24-7. Time to really talk about our lives, our love and how it all fits together.

Dan

Some of you who have read my blog know that Dan and I have worked really hard on improving our union, making many needed and difficult changes in an effort to live with a greater understanding of ourselves and each other.

This time together was a sweet and gentle reminder of how far we've come during the past three years.

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Krja

When we arrived in Krajna Vas, the tiny village where the wedding was being held and we soaked in all that was in store for us. A lovely wine tasting at the home of the mayor of Krajna Vas. (Proscuitto to absolutely die for, cured in his own wine cellar.) A traditional Slovene meal served in a restaurant normally closed for the summer, but opened for the wedding party guests. Nights sitting by the pool in the most rustic of homes imaginable, built in the 1500s, sharing time with old and new friends. And of course, drinking many glasses of teran, a Slovene wine exclusively grown and produced in the Kras region.

Rustic

Dinner

And of course, it was a supremely idyllic setting for a wedding. All of the hand-made touches were beautiful and personal. The bride, Kjara, had a lovely, romantic vision, executed with so much charm and style.

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Mason

Table

Setting

Honestly, I have 800 photos and all of them feel special to me. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to layer this into my Project Life pages for the week. I'm sure I'll think of something. For now, I'm designing a simple book I plan to print at Blurb to showcase all of the photos.

For now, I am savoring the sweet memories, and the sweetness even still of coming home to my children and the life for which I am so grateful to be living.

Kisskiss

At one of our meals, some of our new friends—these charming, beautiful young women who are friends of the bride—asked us about our relationship. How we came to be. How we knew. How we have made it last.

They found it a very romantic story to be sure, but we realized a little bit of fate and luck always goes along with hard work.

We've had a lifetime of lucky.

And to Chris and Kjara, we wish you much love and happiness in your lives together. As they say in Slovenia, na zdravje! 

Wedding

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments

  1. Nicky from Okotoks says

    July 24, 2013 at 9:11 am

    looks like it was good for the soul!!

    Reply
  2. Christine says

    July 24, 2013 at 9:13 am

    Looks like an awesome trip. The garden table setting reminds me of the movie Chocolat. Beautiful! And isn’t it just great to be at a wedding and realize how happy you are to be in your own marriage?

    Reply
  3. Kendra B says

    July 24, 2013 at 9:33 am

    OMGosh what a wonderful post!! What great pictures – what great memories you’ll have!!!

    Reply
  4. Stacy Simpson says

    July 24, 2013 at 9:38 am

    Beautiful photos – thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. mary says

    July 24, 2013 at 9:54 am

    Wow – absolutely awesome post today. Loved your photos. Loved your reflections even more…

    Reply
  6. April says

    July 24, 2013 at 10:14 am

    Looks like an amazing trip. Beautiful wedding set up too!

    Reply
  7. BettyLou says

    July 24, 2013 at 10:23 am

    Great post, love the wooden container for salt. You didn’t, by any chance, bring any extra back, did you?

    Reply
  8. muptegrove@central-bank.net says

    July 24, 2013 at 10:26 am

    Will you please share your book and give thoughts on working on the book through Blurb just wondering.

    Reply
  9. Paige S. says

    July 24, 2013 at 10:43 am

    Absolutely stunning pictures.

    Reply
  10. Maureen says

    July 24, 2013 at 10:45 am

    Martha Stewart would be proud of that table setup. Gorgeously elegant simplicity. It sounds as if you had the trip you and your marriage needed and deserved.

    Reply
  11. amanda says

    July 24, 2013 at 11:04 am

    Thank you for sharing! I am so glad you got honeymoon with your honey!

    Reply
  12. Anna Ely says

    July 24, 2013 at 11:13 am

    Beautiful place isn’t it. My niece and her husband and children are living there. Her husband is with the Marines and the Embassy. I love all the pictures she posts of the region! It would be wonderful to see!

    Reply
  13. bdaiss says

    July 24, 2013 at 11:21 am

    *gasp* How gorgeous! I admit, my one desire in life is to travel. Any where. EVERY where. I think Slovenia just went on my list. (Unfortunately I do already travel a LOT. It’s just to all the same places every year. Hazard of the job I suppose.)

    So glad you had a delightfully wonderful adventure!

    Reply
  14. Ann says

    July 24, 2013 at 11:29 am

    Cathy

    I wanted to share with you what I did with Project Life last year when we went on our road trip. I took a map, cut it up and put in the pockets, took a few photos from the trip, i.e. a photo of hubby and me and the journaling said something like – gone for two weeks. See mini book for more details.

    Sounds like you had a great trip. Beautiful pictures. ~Ann

    Reply
  15. karen says

    July 24, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    Looks like you and Dan had an amazing time. Love your photos.

    Reply
  16. Christine K says

    July 24, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    What a wonderful trip. Your pictures are AMAZING! I am leaving on a trip to a faraway place in a few weeks and your pictures inspire me. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  17. Leigh says

    July 24, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    Beautiful post and pictures. Thank you sharing.

    Reply
  18. heidig says

    July 24, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    Gorgeous pictures and wonderful story! Thanks for letting us take a peek.

    Reply
  19. Kathryn Benfiet says

    July 24, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    Absolutely stunning photos. What a gorgeous country. I’ve been happily married for 30 years to the love of my life and there’s nothing like time away from real life to connect and cement your marriage. So glad you and Dan had that time…you’ve both worked hard to get to this new and wonderful place. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  20. Nat says

    July 24, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    So many thoughts:

    1. Congrats on getting the big trip with alone time. My husband and I make long trips together a high priority but it’s been a while since we’ve taken one and we were just discussing making sure we have time to connect.

    2. Really interested to see how you handle documenting this. I do an initial photo purge when I come home. I do a photobook just so I have something quickly that I can hand people to show soon after the trip. The rest I struggle with. I don’t do PL, traditional scrapbooking only. I’ve scrapbooked a couple of big trips but I’m still struggling about the “right” way (right meaning it makes sense to me).

    3. Totally adding Slovenia to my list.

    Reply
  21. Keianna says

    July 24, 2013 at 4:13 pm

    These photos are beautiful. TFS

    Reply
  22. Annet M says

    July 24, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    Lovely! My husband’s step-aunt and her family live in Slovenia and we’ve never been. This just fires that desire up more. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  23. Jennie says

    July 24, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    Really enjoyed your photos, Cathy! What a great trip.

    Reply
  24. Aliza Deutsch says

    July 24, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    Those photos are beautiful. Every, single, last one. That w edding looks beautiful.

    Reply
  25. madeline St onge says

    July 24, 2013 at 6:06 pm

    You have totally made my heart happy Cathy. So glad you and Dan could reconnect again
    keep on keeping on

    Reply
  26. Paulette says

    July 24, 2013 at 6:48 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing Cathy! Living life wide open is a good thing :o)

    Reply
  27. Laurie says

    July 24, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    Gorgeous photos. I love to travel and you have convinced me to add Slovenia to my list of places I want to visit. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  28. SherriS. says

    July 24, 2013 at 8:36 pm

    I’m not the only one that loves your photography and yes, now I want to go there too. Glad you both had a wonderful time!

    Reply
  29. Cynthia H says

    July 25, 2013 at 2:08 am

    Love love LOVE your pictures and narration. Glad to hear you had a good trip.

    Reply
  30. Maruša says

    July 25, 2013 at 3:53 am

    oh, your writing and all the photos just made my heart very warm. I love it when someone visits my country and is so excited about it, because it really is beautiful. I am happy that you enjoyed your time here and ‘hvala’ for this post!

    Reply
  31. RitaQ says

    July 25, 2013 at 6:35 am

    Awesome photos & captured memories. Totally looking forward to seeing your finished/sample pgs of photo book. Of course there will be templates?!!!
    Since this is such a special book, you might want to consider printing it at Adoramix – their quality is amazing & the pgs lay flat. I printed my daughter’s wedding bk with them & there is NO comparison to a Shuutterfy or Blurb bk. They are pricey but worth it for special projects. Note… I have no affiliation with them. I still use Shutterfly for everyday, fun books.

    Reply
  32. Mary Kate says

    July 25, 2013 at 10:10 am

    LOVE seeing these photos. I did an internship for Mercator in Ljubljana in college in 2001. It was a crazy, incredible experience. I can’t say enough good things about Slovenia and what an amazing place it is. Truly hope I can make a trip back there someday. In the meantime, I think this winter I will make it a project to get all those old photos out and Project Life them!

    Reply
  33. Sue Alg says

    July 25, 2013 at 10:40 am

    Awesome trip and such beautiful photos. What a great memory.

    Reply
  34. Leora henkin says

    July 25, 2013 at 11:21 am

    Inspiring as always! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  35. J3SS1C4 says

    July 25, 2013 at 9:19 pm

    Looks like this was such an amazing trip, with plenty of amazing food! Glad you guys were able to spend the time away together! And I have to say, the bride has amazing taste for her wedding, the photos here look amazing! 🙂

    Reply
  36. Madel says

    July 26, 2013 at 7:13 am

    Long time lurker, first time commenter. Just glad to see you’re back and that you and hubby had a great time. The pics are lovely! Looking forward to your album of the trip 🙂

    Reply
  37. Lida says

    July 26, 2013 at 7:53 am

    So enjoyed your vacation photos, the photos really showed how beautiful Slovenia is. Glad you had such a great time!

    Reply
  38. Vigdis says

    July 26, 2013 at 3:46 pm

    Looks like a wonderful vacation. Haven’t been there, but to Prague and Montenegro. Which have some of the same type of enviroment.

    Wanted to share what I do: When I have a special event that I have tons of photos from – I have the weeks in PL with some of the photos I love the most so the weeks are not missing from the PL story, and some short type journaling to tell about what we were doing. The rest of the photos I use in an own photobook which tells all about this event 🙂 This will also happen with the trip I got home from today – from the Island of Majorca, Spain.

    Reply
  39. Jennifer says

    August 12, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing…my paternal great grandparents are from Ljubjlana and my dream is to go there some day and experience life in Slovenia!!!! Thank you again 🙂

    Reply

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