‘This is lovely!’, I am thinking as I slowly walk ahead. In front of me the crystal clear waters of the river Kolpa leisurely flow. Behind me the plush mobile homes are still asleep. And everywhere I look, I see green. Lush green pastures, tall verdant trees. It is beautiful and peaceful and what I love the most about it is the dewy feeling of the wet grass.
Almost immediately my black jelly shoes get wet and the dew drenches my toes and heels, making me feel awake. It is seven o’clock in the morning. Time when I am usually up at home getting breakfast ready, planning for the day ahead, frantically getting things sorted and organised, all the while secretly wishing that I could simply slouch back to bed and spend the morning asleep.
Here though I feel relaxed. Fully connected with the green world, yet world apart from the imminent problems the Brexit result has created for our little EU/British family only a day ago. In a continent abuzz with the news, with people overwhelmed by worries and emotions all over social media, suddenly I realise I have this luxury to be away from it all for a little bit in order to recharge, rethink and ultimately try to come up with a new perspective about what lies ahead for us.
But then, this is what travel does for you. It opens up a new horizon or three. It shows you that things can be done differently and that life continues no matter what. So, I savour my little luxury of being here, enjoying this dewy morning in Slovenia.
We had left Vicenza – our current hometown in Italy – on a scorching Friday afternoon. Windows wound down to let the breeze in we traveled in our little red car across the border with Slovenia loving the (not yet lost) freedom of not having to show ID’s. Then we crossed the country from end to end all the while relishing its green hilly beauty of picture-perfect villages with spacious houses, enormous wooden barns and white churches with high-peaked bell towers.
Wild flower meadows alternated with fields of green corn and golden wheat.
We passed by the Postojna Caves, the capital Ljubljana and then the road meandered through the hills until we reached our destination – the brand new Big Berry glampsite.
It feels good being here. It is relaxed, with sweeping views opening over the fields with grazing cows on one side. On the other is the river Kolpa which is in Slovenia on our side and in Croatia on its other shore. I look across the water. A tall blue slide stands still, daring the wild ones to go down at a heartbeat’s speed and splash straight into the river. A jungle swing is right by its side, offering yet another fun way to get yourself wet.
Later on in the day I see a couple of Croatian boys doing just that. They grab the swing, run straight forward and once above the water, they let go. The water splashes high up, just as they cut straight into it. Cue a mad laugh.
It is still early morning now and the river runs quietly. I walk up and then down its shore, getting my bearings around the glampsite. To the right of our mobile house – home from home for a blissful long weekend – are the barbecue shack with its seating area in the shade of a big tree…
…and the relaxation pods – soft red mattresses under white roofs where you can snooze the hot afternoons away.
To the left is the beach volleyball pit where later in the day a tournament takes place.
And then I find my favourite spot.
A floating pontoon has been suspended on the river giving you the chance to paddle in the clear waters without getting wet above the calves of your legs.
I sit on the wooden ramp leading down to the pontoon, feet firmly placed in the water. The early morning sun is bright and strong and the river is cool. Tiny little fish dart back and forth at the bottom of the pontoon. A red canoe sways a little further away from me.
It feels good!
A perfect moment still in time. I savour it through and through.
N.B.: We were hosted by the brand new Big Berry Glampsite on the river Kolpa in Slovenia which is about four hours drive time away from Vicenza and offers seven mobile homes for the glamps at heart. As usual, all opinions are entirely my own.
Do you sometimes feel like you want to leave it all behind for a few days? Have you experienced your own dewy morning? Let me know!
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