Part 2: Rural Slovenia
In the previous post, I reviewed various sightseeing locations around Ljubljana, Slovenia's charming capital. Now, I'll briefly go over a handful of great places to visit outside the big city. First of all, let's look at (arguably) Slovenia's most famous landmark: Lake Bled.
This is a lake in the towering Julian Alps of northwestern Slovenia, gouged out by alpine glaciers during the last Ice Age. In the middle you can find the iconic Bled Island, or Blejski Otok, on which a pilgrimage church has been built. One can actually set foot on this island after a short trip on a traditional Slovenian boat known as a pletna, similar to the Venetian gondola.
In my opinion, the best way to see the lake is to hike to a viewpoint known as Ojstrica. To get there from the main car park, you'll make your way along a lakeside boardwalk and then up a series of moderately tiring switchbacks. Note that at one point the route takes you up an extremely steep set of metal stairs and a certain degree of fitness is required.
Piran is a beautiful seaside resort town, nestled on a narrow peninsula on Slovenia's short coastline.
Some of the prime attractions include Tartini Square, seen in the picture, which was named after a famous violinist born there. Looming over the square is St. George's cathedral, seen in the background, the tower of which offers a spectacular view of Piran. I also recommend a walk along the side of the marina.
However, my personal favourite part of Slovenia would have to be its extreme northwest. This rugged land is brimming with stark and soaring scenery, and is home to the nation's famous mountain range, the Julian Alps. 
There are countless breathtaking peaks in the Julian Alps, including the 2.9 kilometre high Triglav (Slovenia's highest mountain), but unfortunately I only had the time to scratch the surface of the range. The best summit I saw would have to be Prisojnik, pictured above, which is 2,547 metres in height.
Also in the northwest is the Soča Valley, home to several beautiful gorges with emerald green streams running through them. The water has a iridiscent teal colour because it's clouded with a material called glacial flour; fine grains of rock produced by alpine glaciers as they grind against the mountains. The Great Soča Gorge is an amazing place to go for a walk.
Alas, that's all I have to say about Slovenia. By no means am I an expert on the country; during my time there I had to leave a lot of great attractions untouched, from Predjama Castle, a fortress built inside the entrance of a huge cave, to Maribor, a historic town home to a famous 400-year old vine. For this reason, I can't wait to return to the country some day soon. Hopefully these two posts have encouraged you to travel there if you can.
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