Dana's Thoughts--
We came all the way to Europe to drive a Ford Fiesta? These were my first words when I saw our rental car. I think we were given a Ford because they knew we were from the U.S.A. The Fiesta has been a good little car so far and at times has made me even forget we are traveling in a foreign land.
Our first day of full travel was from Lake Balaton to Slovenia to Croatia. Our goal was to explore some of the Slovenian countryside before going on the Croatia. We had decided not to stay overnight in Slovenia because it was more expensive than staying in Croatia. We picked Lake Bled as our point of interest for the day. We got a little lost on the way because we were depending on our GPS to get us there and then Ben went off route and the GPS had trouble "recalculating." After an hour of wandering through a random city near Lake Bled we finally made our way there by lunch time. We found a cheap snack shop for lunch with the most delicious burgers ever. In order to visualize this burger open your hand as wide as it goes and then imagine a biscuit with all the fixings inside. Perhaps I was just really hungry from riding in the car, but it was so good. It was the kind of burger you feel guilty for not finishing--even though it is probably for the best if you don't actually finish it. I told Ben I wish I had a beard so scraps of burger could be caught in it and eaten later. Sounds gross, but it was that yummy.
After lunch we walked around Lake Bled and took in all its natural beauty. The water was so blue and clear you could see straight to the bottom. This is one of those magical places where you half expect to see a unicorn or a centaur to come out of the woods. If you are looking for a dreamy landscape this is the place. It is a perfect stop on your way to Croatia or going to another part of Slovenia. We stayed about two hours and then got back in the car for the rest of the way. This is where our "dream" like state of mind turned into more of a nightmare. Slovenia is beautiful, but like all places there are traps for those who don't quite understand the rules. So beware that as a foreigner in Slovenia you will be swept away by its beauty and also caught in its snares.
Ben's Thoughts--
I thought Slovenia was very pretty. However, I felt no love from Slovenia (The slogan for the country is "I Feel Love"). We had to buy a toll tag to travel the highways through the small country. That is all fine and good but that is where the normal line of thinking concludes. We bought a tag at a toll both. I look at it and it shows places to put it on the window. I tried to figure out how to stick it to the window while flying down the highway. Their was no visible place to peal away a sticker. The middle of the sticker began to fall apart and I though it might become invalid so I left it alone. So I looked at the placement options and saw that the lower left part of the window was available so I propped it on the dashboard in full view in the designated location option. Again, I am flying down the highway during all this.
So we go about the day and travel through several toll stations with no problem. Then on our last station before Croatia an officer stepped out and requested a few cars along with us pull to the side. I figured it was a checkpoint for passports since Croatia request passports. The officer ask me to get out and I did. She then asked me to hand her the toll tag. I did and she said that if the sticker is not stuck to the window than it is invalid and I had to pay a fine of 350 Euros. I looked at her and wanted to yell "BullSh*#!" I simply said that she must be mistaken. She said "No it is invalid." I responded with "No, it's valid I don't care what the books say." She said that the fine was 150 Euros since I was a foreigner. So in short Slovenia is pretty but you need to be careful about tolls and their "technicalities."
However, all was quickly forgotten once we arrived in Croatia. So the day was not ruined and we learned another hard lesson about traveling abroad.
(We will load pictures from our trip later when we have a stronger internet connection)
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