It feels strange to be leaving Croatia today. We really enjoyed it, but I also think we will enjoy exploring new places on our drive back to Sweden.

Stefan trying to find where he parked the car.

Lillian returns from her sleepover super happy. She chats away as we walk to the grocery store. I love how happy she is to have spent time with a friend and that she is so excited to tell me all about it. They stayed up very late, so I expect some crankiness later today. Maybe she’ll nap in the car.

Back at the apartment, we hang out and have lunch before loading the car. We get on the road around 12:30pm, much later than expected. We are going to Graz today, but the drive is so short (only 2 hours) that we hope to spend some time in Slovenia on the way. Maribor looks like a great little town to stop in.  

We drive a couple hours to Maribor, Slovenia. It sits on a river, and the old town is small and pedestrianized. Before any other sightseeing, we walk up to the best ice cream place in town. We get the last available table outside, and the kids order ice cream. I get a piece of cake and a cappuccino. The cake is super light and amazing. The kids’ ice creams are gigantic. Definitely wasn’t prepared for that. The funniest is that they immediately go for Stefan’s ice cream since he isn’t at the table when the server brings it!

While we sit outside, enjoying this lovely snack and warm weather, we remark how this feels so much like Austria. We are back in the Europe we are used to. 

We walk through town. There’s a memorial and a beautiful church. I love the low entryway. Then we pass a strange free art exhibit. Lillian’s the first to notice it, with the windows designed to look real, like “frescoes!”.

We walk down to the waterfront and pause for a glass of local wine at an adorable cafe on the water. The trees hanging overhead, the flow of the water nearby…it’s enchanting. The kids find a dog water fountain nearby and drag Oliver over there again and again.

We have to head on to Graz soon, but first we must walk a few more minutes down the water to the world’s oldest grapevine. It’s climbing up the front of a building now used as a museum and wine shop. The kids are not impressed. Lillian says, “I don’t believe it.” 

We walk back to the car and begin the drive to Graz.

We drive into Graz, and the first impression is this is a small town with a beautiful stone old town. The clocktower sits up on a hill overlooking the town. We drive directly into the center of it all and park in a loading zone by the main square.

Our Airbnb host meets us at the corner and escorts us upstairs. There’s an elevator to get our things up easily, and arriving into this apartment is like coming home. Her son, almost 3, sits on the couch watching cartoons. My two join immediately, which provides me and the host time to chat. She doesn’t live here anymore, but it makes a difference that they did. Everything is very nice.

After they leave (and I turn off the tv), the kids discover the toys in their room. There are books and a train set and even some Legos! It’s awesome.

It’s about 7 so we go out for dinner. First we must walk through the main square right next to the apartment. The kids are ecstatic when they spot a hot dog stand. To be fair this is the nicest hot dog stand I’ve ever seen. And they serve beer, so we stop. The kids’ hot dogs are two buns stuck together with hot dogs inside them. It’s really cool, and the kids love them.

 There’s a great steak place a couple blocks away, but it’s fully booked. We call another spot in town, and it’s booked as well. We end up at the place just around the corner that serves traditional Austrian food. We are seated on the large patio, and it’s lovely. Sometimes maybe we try too hard and need to just take chances sitting down somewhere close. The food here is very good. I am really happy to be in Austria. The flavors are rich and comforting. And of course we end the meal with apple strudel.