Every extended winter weekend, we have only one desire: to go somewhere with a lot of snow! As it has unfortunately not been in Zagreb for years, we headed to the place where we know we’ll find it: Slovenia! We know Slovenia well and are happy to return to it, both to “old places” that we already know well and to places we have not yet been to. This year, we decided on the latter! In that name, and in desire to find a good accommodation for January, I already started researching in November. The choice first fell on the Vogel ski resort, but my passion for researching more didn’t let me alone. She encouraged me to dig a little deeper, and as a result, I discovered Pokljuka, which is close to Vogel and charmed me from the first pictures. Of course, new research followed, this time on Pokljuke! If you haven’t heard of the Pokljuka ski area (which many haven’t because it’s not very popular), know that it is located on a plateau in the Triglav National Park. It extends at an altitude of 1,200–1,500 meters and is about 215 km from Zagreb. And so we set off on a new, this time unknown, adventure!
While we drove up the hill towards Goreljak, the mood in the car kept getting…worse! In spite of the stunning scenery, we failed to spot even a single snowflake, much less the knee-deep snow I had hoped for. And when the GPS “said” that we were only 10 minutes from the accommodation, everything fell apart.
But you know that feeling when unexpected happiness replaces disappointment? Well, that feeling overwhelmed us like an avalanche – when, 3 minutes from the end of our path, we saw a pile of snow that welcomed us calmly and carefree! Just like our accommodation in Pokljuka. The first requirement for looking for accommodation was a warm winter house or cabin where the atmosphere is really snowy, so we could completely blend in with nature and the atmosphere – and, no less important, that we can take all the food we have left at home from the holidays.
Zalin’s mountain paradise is all that! Our accommodation was exactly what I was looking for – a cabin at the end of the road in a small, cute village. Since the hut is literally the last house in the village, served as our backyard – which is a great experience if you love the wild and have kids with an adventurous spirit! It has everything you could possibly need for a weekend in the snow, including a wood-burning stove, a kitchenette, a small living room, four beds for adults and one small bed for a child, a cooking stove (which immediately brought me back to my childhood because we dried orange peels in such a stove, which made the whole house smell fantastic), and, I’ll say it again, the forest is like a private backyard! The host of the hut welcomed us warmly, and gave us a wonderful surprise gift of 10 fresh, home-made eggs and a variety of home-made brandies and liqueurs as well as a warm welcome. The ideal aperitif for a more enjoyable winter!
I’ll describe the rest of the week day by day, just so you know how to organize yourself as best as possible if you’re coming for the weekend like we are. Well, let’s go!
Friday
We left Zagreb on Friday, a non-working day (Epiphany). The trip started early in the morning because, before arriving at Pokljuka, we wanted to walk around Bled and Lake Bohinj, which I definitely recommend to you. They’re on your way if you go to Pokljuka and are a great introduction to a real winter weekend! We also had lunch there, so we came to Pokljuka rested and full. This gave us the energy to immediately throw ourselves into what we came for, which is snow! We put on our ski suits, took out our sleds, and went into action, from which we returned to our warm house. Because of the perfect atmosphere, we lit a fire and slept like logs since 8 p.m. What fresh air, nature, and action in the snow do – not only for kids, but also for us adults!
Saturday
The top plan was skiing and snowboarding! Since the biathlon was being held that weekend, we stayed around the Pokljuka sports park. The nature and atmosphere are ideal for entertainment, and I was additionally delighted that there are no crowds at all! There is a lot of kid-friendly content. Near the hotel, there is a ski lift to the top of the hill, at the foot of which is a small ski kindergarten, i.e., a ski school for children – and not only older pre-schoolers and schoolchildren! There were a lot of kids Liv’s age, even those significantly younger than her. In such a team, she immediately got on her skis and couldn’t wait for it. Moreover, she managed to get down from a small hill alone, and that was a moment to remember! A face full of pride, a smile under the cap… you know what it’s like when kids manage to do something by themselves, without the help of us adults and our “distraction”! In addition to the skis with which she’s already comfortable, we took the opportunity to introduce her to the board, for the first time, purely to see if she would like it too. Of course, she does; she has a border dad – apparently, she inherited it from him!
After skiing and snowboarding, we set out to explore the surrounding forests, which for me, who likes to brag about my knowledge of nature, ended up quite amateurish – namely, I managed to fall into knee-deep mud that “hid” near the stream. I must admit, I was really scared because it just pulled me in like in a horror movie. Don’t let that happen to you because it’s not a crazy good feeling. Watch where you’re going, and if you see a stream nearby, know that there is no little bunny waiting for you there! When you’re not looking down, look around, because the scene is truly idyllic. All around us were small houses or huts that looked wonderful under the snow, literally as if you had stepped into a fairy tale. Not to mention fresh air and peace – all of us who live in the city need that!
This is the first time in a long time that it was difficult for me to go home. If only we had stayed another day or two! The place is ideal for a vacation like I haven’t experienced in the last 10 years (#work).
Sunday
With a heavy heart, we say goodbye to the house and go to the promised Aquapark Bohinj. I didn’t do much research about it, but since Slovenia is known for its spas, I knew it couldn’t be bad. And I was not wrong. Bohinj Aquapark is a small but quite sufficient aquapark for Sunday enjoyment in the pool. It has everything needed to keep kids (and adults too) satisfied. There is a small pool for babies, a large pool that’s connected by small bridges that look really cool, two large indoor slides (a hit with the kids), a jacuzzi, and a climbing wall from the pool. The ticket can be purchased for 3 hours or for the whole day. Children up to 4 years old don’t pay a ticket; for adults (and a child of 12 years old), tickets were 45 euros. We stayed for about two and a half hours, which was quite enough for us.
After swimming and returning to Zagreb, we of course stopped for lunch at the Štrud’l, which I recommend. In addition to having excellent strudels, all the food is homemade, with local specialties, but mostly those on a spoon: ricette with dried meat, sausage, iota with sausage… everything you need after a winter weekend!
