Newlyweds Carrie and Boris have gone off the beaten track to Bled for their honeymoon. Photo / Getty Images
Newlyweds Carrie and Boris have gone off the beaten track to Bled for their honeymoon. Photo / Getty Images
Old Etonian, party-addict and lame duck Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is a man of eclectic tastes. Nowhere is this more evident than his unusual choice of honeymoon location.
To celebrate his third and most recent marriage to Carrie Symonds, BoJo has taken them somewhere few think to go: Slovenia.
Enthused by his trip the outgoing premiere of Great Britain is now the country's biggest advocate. Outside the luxury eco resort Vila Planinka in the Julian Alps, the Times quoted the PM saying it was a country of "incredible things".
Last Sunday Johnson bid "a massive thank you to Slovenia, the only country in the world with love in its name".
The Soca valley in Slovenia. Photo / Unsplash, Ales Krivec
I suspect you'd be as infatuated by the country too, if you could find it on a map. The country existed in relative obscurity for international travel until recently. That is of course not Slovenia's fault. The tiny country of 2 million Slovenes is stuck between the clichéd nuptial travel destinations of Italy, Austria and Croatia.
Ljubljana - one of the most mispronounced and misunderstood world capitals - used to be a regional seat in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then briefly Yugoslavia, and now it's a rising star of the European travel itinerary.
Lake Bled is Slovenia's best known landmark. Arnaud Stecke, Unsplash
Lake Bled might be the most instantly recognisable attraction. Its sapphire-blue lake complete with fairytale island chapel and mountainous backdrops is a Laptop screensaver that draws shutterbugs from across the continent. However there are countless other less explored lakes and waterways through the foothills of the Julian Alps.
For the more adventurous holiday maker there is a mountaineering culture to rival any other in the Alps, Southern or European.
Kiwi mountaineers can appreciate the backcountry huts network. These range from hearty, catered hermitages - or 'kochka' - to space age bivvies. Though you won't see anything as garish as Orange corrugated tin in Slovenia. The Cantilever designed shelters at Kanin and Skuta have won European architectural awards.
The highest mountain in the country can be conquered by relatively novice hikers via guided via ferrata. The crystal rivers of the Soca Valley also contain multiple opportunities for adrenaline sports like rafting and kayaking.
The Skuta Alpine Hut. Photo / David Sousa, Unsplash
The office of Slovenian Prime Minister Rober Golob confirmed the Outgoing British PM Boris Johnson was in the country on a short private trip, but could not confirm if he had been scaling Mt Triglav.
The hills also make for world-class cycling, with Slovenian Tour de France legend Tadej Pogacar a national sporting hero.
South of Ljubljana are the Unesco-protected Postojna Caves. The Johnsons reportedly also visited these, which are home to blind Gollum-like salamanders. The local tourism board tries to make the creepy cave creatures more appealing by calling them "baby dragons".
The eco resort Vila Planinka on the Austrian-Slovene border. Photo / Love Slovenia
I'm not sure if the blind salamanders are more or less appealing than the local delicacies. Vila Planinka the Johnson's Honeymoon retreat lists "bear cheek" on the menu. Far from grizzly, the red meat is described as melt-in-the-mouth tender. It's a speciality meat that is also served by Chef Tomaž Kavčič of Slovenia's first Michelin-starred restaurant - Gostilna pri Lojzetu. Other novelty meats on the menu include horse and dormouse.
Bon appetite… or, as they say in Slovenian: Dober tek!
