A birthday in Slovenia: Autumn colors and the spirit of St. Martin’s festival

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. I was thinking about some cool days that I could write about today and I scrolled through the photos on my phone. I've been thinking of one wonderful day, my son's birthday, which we spent in Lasko, Slovenia.

Before we left, he celebrated his birthday with his friends, and the trip to Slovenia was a surprise. 😊

November felt like the perfect month to visit Lasko.

On my son's birthday the town happened to be celebrating the Festival of St. Martin, one of those autumn traditions that inspire you to feel the spirit of the season.

Lasko was alive from the moment we arrived. I love the autumn colors of the trees by the river, it's so soothing to look at such an environment. And everything was kind of slow and light.

On the square in front of the town church, people gathered to celebrate this day, which is obviously very important for the locals.

I was joking with my son that they actually they all gathered to celebrate his birthday. 😊 The scent of mulled wine was in the air. St. Martin's Festival marks the time when young wine symbolically becomes real wine, and in Slovenia it is celebrated with music, food, and gatherings that bring the whole town together. We also tried the wine, it was perfect. You could buy local products and handicrafts at the stalls. Lasko is known for its good honey, so this was a great opportunity to buy natural quality honey.

The festival usually lasts several days, and on this particular afternoon the main square was full of life. Traditional music played while dancers performed lively Slovenian folk dances. People stood around with cups of hot mulled wine in their hands, laughing, talking, and enjoying the warmth it brought on a chilly November day.

One of the highlights for us was the walk up the hill towards the Tabor castle tower overlooking the town.

Whenever we visit Lasko, we don't miss the opportunity to go up there and enjoy the stunning view of the town.

We enjoyed the fresh air and beautiful natural surroundings. I loved idyllic houses and imagined how nice it would be to live there. 😊

Reaching the tower rewarded us with a beautiful view of Lasko, the river Savinja below, the rooftops, and the festival atmosphere spreading through the town. Standing there with my son on his birthday, watching the colors of autumn and hearing the music from the square below, it felt like one of those rare travel moments that stay with you long after the trip ends.

After returning from the walk, a cake was waiting for my son as a birthday gift from the Thermana hotel where we were staying. He was delighted and very happy.😊

And that was just the beginning of the beautiful moments of that day. We had the best time in the thermal pools. In the following days, I will share more about the experiences from this trip and my third trip to beautiful Lasko, from which we always return full of beautiful impressions and the desire to return again and again.

Thank you for reading.

Jelena