ON GERMANY, AUSTRIA & SLOVENIA

The first entry where a country isn’t getting its own post 🧐

It’s no shade to Germany, Austria or Slovenia, all of which are shriek worthy countries, it’s just that we moved through these three faster than the previous entrants, so it makes more sense to me, the author, to group them together.

In the span of 60 minutes we deplaned, got our bags, cleared customs, picked up our rental car and merged onto the autobahn. I believe this is what they’re referring to  when they say “German ingenuity” because 60 minutes from deplaning to autobahn?! Shivvers. Upon realizing there was no speed limit, Quintin became the motopapi we’ve all been waiting for him to transform into. A key attribute of any motomami or papi on the Radical Sabbatical ™  is coming dangerously close to crashing due to sheer joy sparked by your surroundings. My first clue that I was in for a long month was my motopapi almost crashing at each and every church we zipped past. I’ll remind you we’re in Germany so there are quite literally endless churches and Quintin felt the need to shriek “KIRCHEEEEEEE LOOOOK” at each and every one we passed.

Because I’m doing highlights per country rather than per city I’ve taken the liberty to extend my highlight to a more liberal highlights, outlined below.

Germany:

Easily, my top highlight from Germany was reuniting with a friend I hadn't seen since 2008, Franzie! When I was a sophomore in high school Franzie did a year-long exchange and in an extreme stroke of luck she lived right next door to me. We pretty much did everything together – walked to school, ate ice cream, I convinced Franzie to join the dive team because I was on the swim team, prom ... .basically the whole gamut of 15 year old girl things. When Franzie returned home to Munich, I took my FIRST EVER solo international trip to visit her and her family. Fast forward 15 years (I truly can’t fathom that I am old enough to fast forward 15 years on anything but here we are abiding by a skincare routine) and Quintin and I are in Germany, meeting up with Franzie, her parents and her toddler Sophie! Full circle. 

My second highlight is the dreamiest bike ride of my life. Please allow me to set the scene. We’ve spent all day meandering the English Gardens, reading our books under the shade of oak trees and sipping beers at the lakeside Biergarten. Heaven!

After we gorge on Ethiopian for dinner, the thought of waddling all the way back home is out of the question so we take advantage of Munich's fantastic commuter infrastructure and hop on some city bikes. As we set our Google Map to The Hotel Amenity, the sun begins its descent, casting a warm, golden glow across the cityscape. Pedaling along the designated bike lane, the buildings seemed to come alive, adorned with a soft, amber hue that dances across every surface. The Isar River mirrored the sky's cotton candy palette, its waters reflecting the beauty of the surrounding bridges and gothic buildings. Time seemed to slow, and the city exuded an almost magical aura, leaving me with a sense of wonder and contentment that only such moments can inspire (read: I was weeping tears of joy on my bike like an absolute sociopath but a perfect evening is a perfect evening).

The undisputed highlight was not the lightshow but rather having full view of Quintin for the duration of the ride. If I was loving it, this European architecture loving boy was having the time of his goddamn life.  Every inch of his being was excluding sheer bliss with his head bobbing, swiveling around every so often to ensure I was catching the sunlight bouncing off his beloved kirches. When we parked at the hotel I confessed that that might have been the best bike ride of my life to which Quintin retorted “I wanted to blast myself headfirst into one of those buildings so I could die that happy” Dramatic, but well put. 

In total we spent 10 days in Germany driving the Romantic Road, enjoying the Bavarian Alps, and visiting every church in Munich. 

Austria:

Allow me to introduce you to Lermoos, a small town right smack dab in the Austrian Alps. The window of our room exposed the prettiest vista I’ve ever had from the comfort of my own bed. In addition to the floor to ceiling windows, we had a patio where we could sit and sip our Nespresso and marvel at the beauty that is Austria. As dusk rolls in, so does the smell of cow shit which must be a regional phenomenon due to the winds changing because this followed us through Austria, Germany and Slovenia. What also rolled in was the music playing at the Apres Ski bar a stone's throw from our patio, an unexpected highlight.

The owner's music choice?! Old school reggaeton. The only emotion stronger than my shock was my pure admiration for this Austrian bar owner. Hearing Ivy Queen boom across the Austrian Alps is certainly not how I would have written it, but the only thing that proves is that I lack imagination.

Sticking with the theme of music (this is Austria, afterall) a classical jazz concert in the Mirabell Gardens is the stage for my second Austrian highlight. Allow me to once again set the scene. It’s the perfect temperature; the throngs of tourists from earlier in the day have dissipated; the sun is sinking and I’m licking an icecream cone, promenading through these immaculate ass gardens, hand in hand with my handsome ass husband. Right as we hit golden hour, the gardens come alive with the spirit of the musical greats that hail from Salzburg as the sounds of Mozart begin crashing through the gardens. It was one of those moments that makes you stop midlick and marvel at your surroundings. A summer evening strolling through the Mirabell gardens, listening to the Salzburg Police Foundation Orchestra deliver a classical music concert. What could be better?

In total we spent 15 days in Austria, wheezing up the Austrian Alps and enjoying Salzburg and Vienna.  

Slovenia:

Admittedly, I could be seeing things through rose colored glasses because Slovenia has some of the prettiest lakes you’ve ever seen or dreamed of seeing, but nobody does a lake day like the Slovenes. My highlight was getting to take part.

The roads leading up to and away from the lakes are lined on both sides with kids scampering about, rearing to plunge into the frigid lakes.  Every scrap of lakeside grass is claimed by families and friends lounging about, enjoying the warm weather. Blankets, towels, umbrellas, warm beers, ice cream and people reading their books.  I don’t need to describe a lake day to you all because it’s exactly what it sounds like, but there were a few differentiators that made me admire the scene in Slovenia. 

In Slovenia nobody is throwing a fucking frisbee, playing spike ball or any other such nonsense that ruins the vibe for everybody but the two dudes throwing the frisbee. You know why? You go to the lakefront to relax and swim, not run around threatening the other parties by trampling them chasing a frisbee or hitting them with your spike ball. Take note, Denver. 

In Slovenia nobody is listening to their boombox aloud. You know why? That’s rude and we’re here to hear the kids shrieking with joy as they plunge into the frigid waters.

In Slovenia there are no motorized vehicles allowed on the lake so do you know what penetrates my nostrils? Not the smell of gasoline. 

I loved it because it was a low key affair where everybody acted like they had sense, there to enjoy the splendor.  There was no need for an SUV to fit all of your toys and coolers, there is no entrance fee, no privatized “nicer” area and no need to fear that your kid was going to get run over by a drunk asshole on a jet ski because again, motorized vehicles aren’t allowed on the lakes (and nobody was a drunk asshole). Everywhere in Slovenia, especially the lakes, is full of people out and about having good old fashioned fun. Nothing to do but lay out, swim and enjoy.

I’m not sure this qualifies as a highlight, but my “bud” of Slovenia is that it totally rearranged the way I think about vacationing. For years I’ve come across stunning picture after picture of Slovenia but when I clicked into said images and saw they were of Slovenia my default reaction was to dismiss the possibility of visiting because Slovenia felt random, unknown, small and far away DESPITE repeatedly coming across marketing that made me WANT to visit. I fell into a pattern of thinking “if I’m going to go all the way to Europe I need to see the Colosseum first, then I can go somewhere like Slovenia.” 

After having spent two weeks in Slovenia, I realize the folly of my ways. Random, unknown, small, far away and DIVINE. I used to unintentionally rank all the places I want to go and at the top were always the most well known destinations. They ranked at the top because I was most familiar with them, not because they most aligned with the types of experiences I seek out. I felt like “let me go ahead and cross these big items off and then as life goes on I can get to the ones that are less known because I’ll have already seen the Eiffel Tower.” It’s no shade to the Eiffel Tower, where I also cried upon glimpsing, but 7.5 months into the Radical Sabbatical ™  I want to gag rereading that sentence because why would I seek out popular over a place that calls to me? Especally knowing that certain places are sought out, while others are passed over, due to the ever present game of money, power and politics. I’m so grateful for the experiences we’ve had over the past 7.5 months because I can now more confidently suss out what sort of place I’ll most enjoy, regardless of what Travel and Leisure is telling me. 

In total we spent 14 days in Slovenia, fawning over Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Triglav National Park, the Soča Valley and Ljubjlana.