According to Cleo

Punat, Croatia

cleolouise — Mon, 23 May 2011 02:16:00 GMT

A two-headed pickled lamb floating in a mysteriously murky colored liquid and a traditionally-garbed monk, sitting blissfully in the shade, are certainly not sights one has the privilege of seeing everyday. However, in Punat, this is standard operation.

Punat, a deliciously small coastal town in Croatia-or might I say Republika Hrvatska-could most definitely be considered a hidden gem. While most tourists find themselves wandering about the historic town of Dubrovnik, I noticed that Punat was relatively serene, aside from the hum of the German language coming from the few German tour groups. In addition, when ordering ice-cream in my horrendously broken attempt at Croatian, the flirtatious ice-cream vendor kindly impaled my vanilla gelato with a small American flag- a token which shows the town of Punat has seen a significant amount of fellow American visitors before me.

When in Punat, it is almost mandatory to take a short boat ride out to a miniature island which houses a Franciscan monastery where four ( I believe it's four) monks reside. If praying in a peaceful environment appeals to you, Punat is the place to go. If viewing a collection of quirky and slightly disturbing artifacts, such as preserved animals, appeals to you, then Punat is still the place to go. Now why a monastery displays such odd items in a museum they control is something I simply cannot figure out. **Check out this nineteen year old's travel blog at www.wanderlusted-cleo.blogspot.com**

Bled, Slovenia

cleolouise — Mon, 23 May 2011 02:13:00 GMT

In the English language, the word 'Bled' usually has an unpleasantly negative connotation to it. In French, 'Bled' refers to a "village, dump, [or] godforsaken place". In the country of Slovenia, an enchantingly provincial town lies beside a sparkling cerulean lake where countless sunbathers relax on the grass hoping to attain a new level of bronze. This little town happens to be called Bled.After several hours of leisurely riding rented bikes ( a must do!) along the magnificent Lake Bled, it is only natural to want a short respite from the heat of the day, and what better way than to treat yourself to a Bled Cream Cake? Imagine a puffy white pastry with a gelatinous creamy filling on the bottom, a substance similar to whipped cream in the middle and a deliciously brittle coating on top. Pushing the metal prongs of your fork into this Slovenian delicacy causes the velvety cream to glide out from underneath, similar to a mousse. To put it simply, the Bled Cream Cake is heaven in disguise as a dessert.

Just a short drive away from Bled lies an otherworldly natural attraction, the Vintgar Gorge. Even pasting an entire slideshow including the copious amount of photographs I took hiking in the aforementioned location would never adequately represent just how magical this gorge is. So magical, in fact, that you half-expect a leprechaun to emerge from the wilderness. The water that trickles between the two massive stony slopes is the clearest, bluest blue I have ever witnessed. As if it couldn't get any better, the Vintgar Gorge is the home of Slovenia's highest waterfall. According to my travel journal:

"We went to the most beautiful place on this planet yesterday: the Vintgar Gorge. It was an epic hike along a trail on the side of cliff and by the end I felt like I had run a marathon, but it was so worth it. I would say it was breathtakingly beautiful..because I was out of breath from hiking and it was just that beautiful." **Check out this nineteen year old's travel blog at www.wanderlusted-cleo.blogspot.com**

Ljubljana, Slovenia

cleolouise — Mon, 23 May 2011 02:05:00 GMT

Anywhere in the world. Those four words are the only limits we have when choosing travel destinations. So why is it that I rallied my family into booking flight tickets to Slovenia this past summer? In my opinion, Slovenia seemed like the perfect hybrid of Mediterranean culture, the Alpine experience and some sprinkles of Eastern European flavor. Believe me, it was. Ljubljana [lyoo-BLYAH-nah] is the capital city of Slovenia; and, unfortunately, I realized about two days into my trip that I had been pronouncing the city's name wrong to a cringeworthy degree. Ljubljana, like most other renowned European cities, has the undeniable power to make anyone crave sipping an iced-coffee at a modern cafe along the cobblestone streets. Here is an excerpt from my journal entry after spending my first day falling completely in love with Ljubljana:

"Today began at 3:00 a.m. when we all woke up because of a nasty combination of jet-lag and pillows as hard as limestone. Luckily, the town is so quaint and i lovelovelove it here. We walked around for a bit on our own and ventured into the castle where we sat in the courtyard and ordered delicious ice-cream drinks."

I think that short little paragraph essentially captures the feel of Ljubljana: an enchanting city where people of all ages meander around on their bicycles, sip coffee, and rest on benches which line the scenic Ljubljanica river. Charming, now that I think of it, is another word that embodies the pleasant feel of Ljubljana. Charming also describes most Slovene boys, but I won't get into that here for the sake of any male viewers.

"Ne razumem! Ne razumem!" ("I don't understand!") is undoubtedly a valuable phrase to memorize when conversing with people in Slovenia. Luckily, the majority of citizens in Ljubljana spoke English fluently (with a thick Slovenian accent) and communication wasn't a problem at all. "Hvala" is "Thank You" in the Slovene Language and, in my opinion, is a word which is imperative to know when traveling throughout Slovenia. I know waiters appreciate it when you give your best effort at saying a word in their language, even if it's dreadfully mispronounced. They will always smile.

To conclude this post on the picturesque city of Ljubljana, Slovenia, I want to discuss the differences between what "hanging out" means in America, and what "hanging out" seems to mean in Ljubljana. Where I come from, the only way to spend time with my friends is to hop in my black car and drive at least ten minutes to a location where we all meet up. Perhaps we go bowling, see a movie, or spend time relaxing at each other's houses. In Slovenia, one simply doesn't need a car to have an active social life. Youth walk around the town square of Ljubljana and maybe sit a cafe for an hour or two before wandering down the paths by the river. To me, that difference speaks volumes about our two cultures.

**Check out this nineteen year old's travel blog at www.wanderlusted-cleo.blogspot.com**