Nestled between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea, in a beautiful corner of Europe often ignored by international visitors who flock to nearby Veneto or the Dalmatian Coast, is Slovenia – a nation that gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.
As one of those travelers who was flocking to Venice, I accidentally stumbled into Slovenia several years ago only as a consequence of failing to get a train ticket to Italy. Once there, I decided to explore its impressive karst caves and the unadulterated natural beauty of Triglav National Park, before returning to its historic capital, Ljubljana, to sample the local culture.