If you’ve ever seen the movie Mamma Mia! (an all-time favorite of mine), then you are familiar with its gorgeous Greek Island back drop. Dazzling blue water, rocky beaches, and sweeping cliffs ignite a sense of romance and adventure, making it the perfect spot for the film’s ABBA-inspired story. Though Greece gets all the glory as the the setting for Mamma Mia!, what many people don’t know is that the franchise’s second film, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was filmed in Vis, Croatia.
Needless to say, Croatia boasts some stunning coastline. This summer, I got to spend a week enjoying it on the island of Pag.
Going on a beach vacation at least once during the summer is commonplace throughout Europe. Slovenians, Germans, and Poles alike pack up their cars and make the trek down to Croatia for a week or two, trading overcast skies and drizzly mornings for vitamin D and salt water.
My family and I did the same. We left the morning of August 2, excited for our week of sun, salt, and sand (pebbles, really). Along with natural beauty, we also looked forward to spending a week with some Croatian family!
The Slovenian and Croatian landscapes are truly special, providing my family and I a beautiful and scenic five-hour drive. After crossing the bridge onto Pag, we drove for some minutes through rugged coastland before greeting the town and our family members. My cousin, Robi, lives on Pag year-round with his wife, Irena, and son, Val. We saw them two years ago during our trip to Pag, and they also came to visit last Christmas because Irena and her sister, Matea, have an aunt that lives only 20 minutes away from me here in Texas. I got to know this part of my family better during their visit last year, and was very excited to reunite with them!
Instead of staying in town this year, we got to spend our week in a house just a short walk from a rugged beach, courtesy of Irena, Matea, and their parents. Our house was also only a 10 minute walk from Robi and Irena’s home. We spent most of our days on Pag’s pebbly beaches, enjoying sunshine and swimming aplenty. Residing in a bay, our views of the mountains beyond were spectacular.
During the hottest parts of the day, we went inside to rest up and make a big lunch — a Slovenian way of eating. While most lunches were at home, we dined in town a few times, enjoying the island’s beauty and fried calamari. One evening, Robi took us to Zadar, another coastal Croatian town, where we enjoyed some European seaside charm, life-changing ice cream, and a lovely sunset.
While our week involved plenty of relaxing — including watching the Olympics in Croatian — we were also quite active during our vacation. One of our adventures involved swimming from our cove to the beach right by Robi’s house, which took about 45 minutes. My dad and sister swam back with Matea (who gave us the idea to make the swim in the first place), but my mom and I decided we’d had enough and spent some time with Irena.
In a more grand escapade, our entire crew kayaked to the other side of the bay — minus Robi, who paddle boarded. This endeavor took nearly an hour, but it was worth the effort! We got to spend time on secluded beaches and see the normally far-off scenery up close. After the first beach, we kayaked about 25 minutes to another secluded spot and spent some time enjoying the water before making the 55-minute trek back. My arms resembled two limp noodles by the time we finished, and my right wrist even swelled due to poor form and over-exertion. Nevertheless, I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Adventures aside, one of my favorite parts of the trip was spending time with our Croatian family members. Whether swimming on the beach or eating crepes at their house, it was truly special to be in their company again. There is much more I could say about this trip — the incredible views, the unique landscape, trying mussels for the first time, nursing a kitten back to health, picking fresh figs, meeting a fellow American — but I’ll let the photos do the talking.
For now, I must move on to my time in Ljubljana (and beyond) before I lose your attention!
Ah, Ljubljana. Where do I even begin? For those who don’t know, I spent nine months living in Ljubljana after graduating high school, and I grew ever so fond of this “pocket city,” as a cousin of mine once described it.
I grew so fond of Ljubljana that I chose it as my “safe place” for an exercise I learned in counseling. Thus, it is a place I often go to in my mind, especially when I have trouble sleeping. I imagine myself there, in the city’s center, and I focus on the five senses: what do I see and hear? Smell? Feel? Taste? Having done this exercise countless times, to be walking through the city’s old town streets once again was surreal. I couldn’t believe I was there, the place I so often go to in my head, yet again!
Our first evening was spent shopping at Zara (it’s better in Europe, what can I say), getting caught in the rain, and having dinner with my Swedish friend, Kornelija, who I met during my gap year, and her father, who is Slovenian. They were gracious enough to let my family and I stay with them in their Ljubljana apartment.
The next day was spent visiting a friend of my cousin that we met while they were in town for my brother’s wedding back in March. He showed us all around his beautiful camp, treated us to delicious, local food, and gave us a tour of the grounds. After our visit, we headed to the Soča Valley for some hiking! We were in a very mountainous region of Slovenia, and it was truly breathtaking!
After visiting a waterfall, we dipped our toes into the icy blue river before some rumbling thunder threatened a down pour. Thankfully, we made it back to our car just as the storm was beginning. After driving through the mountains in torrential rain, we arrived in the Slovenian ski town of Bovec. We enjoyed cool mountain air and fresh sunshine while munching on hamburgers and chatting with a German family. After several hours without food, it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had!
The next day, my family and I split off. They went on a hike and visited an old friend of my mom while Kornelija, her friend from Sweden, and I made our way down to Izola, a town on Slovenia’s coast. We enjoyed swimming, ice cream, and good conversation before being nearly squeezed to death while attempting to get on the bus home — a long story. Let’s just say that using public transportation to get to the coast on a Slovenian holiday was not a good idea.
Thankfully, we got a ride to Lake Bled the next day with our good friend Hannah, who is a missionary in Slovenia. I met Hannah during my time in Slovenia through language school, and I got to visit with her in Maribor during the earlier weeks of my trip!
Lake Bled, as always, was nothing short of stunning, and the day proved to be a wonderful blend of relaxation and activity. Kornelija, her friend, and I hiked upon arrival, and the views were incredible — well worth nearly slipping off the gravel path a few times. Kornelija and I also swam to the lake’s island, a bucket list item for me! It was quite challenging, given the lake is fresh water, but it was well worth the effort. We took a lap around the island before heading back to enjoy the rest of our day, which consisted of pizza, sunshine, more swimming, ice cream, and catching up with friends.
My final day in Ljubljana was spent walking in town and through the city’s castle. The sky was heavy with clouds, and I felt heavy myself, knowing my time there was coming to an end. In the first of a series of goodbyes, we waved farewell to Kornelija’s friend, who was traveling on to Venice. While waiting for my bus, Kornelija and I got coffee with our old bible study leader, Lydia, who is also a missionary in Slovenia.
We said farewell to Lydia, and before hopping on my bus back to Murska Sobota, Kornelija and I shared a sentimental goodbye. As the bus made its way through Ljubljana, I observed the streets I used to roam with a nostalgic fondness. Tears fell as I reminisced on my gap year and how, similar to my trip two years ago, my time in the city was simply not long enough!
Long after arriving back in the US, I stumbled on a quote from The Return of the King that captures the way I feel about my time, and especially my friend group, in Ljubljana. The quote, spoken by Gimli, takes place towards the end of the The Lord of the Rings story, after the work had been accomplished, the darkness had been vanquished, and the fellowship was ready to head their separate ways, back to their respective corners of Middle Earth.
“We will send word when we may, and some of us may yet meet at times; but I fear that we shall not all be gathered together ever again.”
Like the various creatures that made up the fellowship, my friends and I were from different corners of the globe. While I have seen some of these friends at various points throughout the years, like Gimli, I know our little bunch will never be gathered together again. This reality gives me an even deeper appreciation for those few months in Ljubljana!
And who knows? Maybe I’ll be back some day.
If you’ve made it this far, I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read about my trip. In some ways, I feel as though I’ve hardly scratched the surface of my time abroad, but I hope this overview was enjoyable! Please enjoy some photos below!
Pursuing Peace 