Auronzo.

Fear and trembling.

Heading home to meet up with the daughter, her partner and an Australian couple who've been living in England for a while. The owner's husband at the hotel in Bled insists on dropping me to the station and he's worried that I haven't had breakfast so he stops at a pastry shop for me. He loves Australia, he's been there three times for rowing competitions, Slovenians are sports mad he tells me. In the summer Lake Bled is filled with rowers.

I take the bus to Villach in Austria and then take the train to Venice. Settled down, I stare out into the landscape and suddenly there is snow! Lots of it! The excitement of a person who comes from a hot climate to see this wonderful white wintered landscape is profound. I'm reading a book about Russia and the Jews during WW2 in the winter, working on the rail lines and I am transported to an emotional imagining of what it must have been like for them, the back breaking work with hardly any clothes, scant food, in below zero temperatures and I am in awe of the human spirit of survival. I pull myself back into the present as the snow disappears as we make our way down to Venice.

I meet up with the family and we pick up a hire car, a Jeep with snow tyres. I'm slightly nervous as I've never driven in snow and ice conditions. It rains all the way to Auronzo, I am hunched and tense over the wheel in case of black ice and it rains most of the way. The trip is slow. We arrive, I shrug the tension from my shoulders, we shop and buy an essential relaxant - ingredients for a Spritz. That night, the sun sets, 24 carat gold and then pinks and amethyst hues over the mountain and a full moon starts to pop up, pale gold.

The landscape has changed so much, rich reds, burnt orange, ochred trees. The next day I pick up our visitors and we go for pizza. The sister-in-law mumbles and shakes her head when she knows that we are lunching on pizza. In her day, pizza was only consumed at night. We survive the experience and as usual, on our way out, they set out chilled glasses of homemade Limoncello, cloudy and fragrant. We spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around the edge of the chilling lake, catching up.

The next day we decide to go to Lake Misurina. There is a mention of snow but there's always a mention but it rarely happens. Suddenly we see quite a lot of it and suddenly we enter into a world of white, magical and dangerous - as further along, we discover. Up in front of us a Porsche pulls to a stop and beyond it, other cars have stopped. There's hardly any room to turn and the snow is almost a metre high on the sides. I try to move the car but we just slide. I am thinking we may be spending the night in our Jeep or trying to turn back and having to pay the excess for damage on the car - worst scenarios. Then the Porsche makes a run for it and slides into the bank but then rights itself and so I hand the wheel over to our male driver and we hold on tight, our hands sweating, my foot on a pretend brake and we skid around and slowly, without using the brake, head back down the hill. We all breathe again and see the snow plough arriving and then they close off the road. Biggest adventure outside my volcano climb in my life!

We visit Cortina the next day, snow is at a distance and the roads ploughed and safe. There's a beautiful store there called the COOP and I make some Xmas purchases, a small Xmas tree, candles, mugs, a tablecloth. It'll be our first Xmas in Italy. On the way back we pass distant snow covered mountains, churches on hills. I make rabbit stew with olives and polenta for dinner - a typical Auronzane meal. And I make Bombardinos as the temperature begins to plummet. Too cold for snow, we're told but we're ever hopeful.

We awake to a light dusting of snow but rain dissolves it. The visitors are leaving us and in a couple of days, we also will be on our way to different locations.

Lake Bled.

A beautiful interlude.

It's raining as I leave for Lake Bled but the autumn colours are only enhanced by the rain, everything varnished to brilliance. When I arrive at Guesthouse Mlino, they say my room has a strange smell and that would it be ok to go to another hotel down the road that was cheaper. Well yes, of course. Breakfast would be free at the first hotel because of the inconvenience!

They walk me over and deposit me into friendly hands. The owner asked if I'd like to come with her to a medieval town she had to go to but I'm wanting to stay and wander here. I open my doors to a terrace that overlooks the lake with the famous island in view and beyond to the castle on the hill. The sun is trying to make it's way through the clouds and when it does, suddenly beyond all this beauty is the snow capped mountains.

I lunch at a recommended restaurant a few doors down - Porcini soup with profiteroles, thin slivers of delicious porcini, fried crisped prosciutto and parmesan. It's wonderful!

Then I wander around the lake to the church. It's raining slightly but I am in awe of the colours of the trees. I have a hot chocolate at a cute cafe by the lake to escape the drizzle and then I walk and walk. It's just me and a group of Chinese, we don't care about the rain because this place is so beautiful.

The next day I take the local bus to Lake Bohinj, the largest permanent lake in Slovenia. We pass by beautiful wooden farmhouses and thickly wooded hills and valleys. There's a small church there and nothing much else to do in the cold weather, in summer it's the place to swim, as is Lake Bled. I'll have to return.

Returning, I book for a ride to the island on a pletna, a traditional boat that takes us over to the island. The water is pristine, smooth as silk and the sun has made it through the clouds again. We wander around the tiny island and look at the small museum and then head back.

Lunch is at my original hotel, buckwheat ravioli with a mushroom and sour cream sauce, which is heavy but delicious. Another long walk through the village and it's beautiful little shops to work off lunch!

On my way back, I stop off at the expensive Hotel Park for the famous Cremeschnitte, it's basically a huge vanilla slice with a lot of cream, not my thing but when in Slovenia....

That night I feast on fish at the hotel I was to have stayed in. The lake is full of fish, so fish I must try before I leave. It's delicious.

The atmosphere is warm and inviting, a tiny basket of rye and wholemeal buns accompany every meal here, they're also a staple of breakfast with boiled eggs, cured meats and so many different types of berry jams. Slovenia is unique and even though I'm leaving tomorrow, I know I'll be returning.

Ljubljana - Slovenia.

I fell in love!

A female taxi driver picks me up, it's a rarity in Italy but she says there's ten in Trieste, she's Romanian, starting a new life here. I have an excellent coffee at the bar at the bus station. The woman came from China five years ago and loves it in Italy. She greets everyone with a smile and a cackling laugh and I am so amazed at how people start their lives in a new country. The bus is late and I chat with a group of South African women who are here for a gender equality conference.

The journey to Ljubljana boasts stunning autumn scenery. The man who picks me up is gruff but when I ask about Slovenia he warms up, telling me it's cleaner than Italy where he says the gypsies have taken over...? In Slovenia, he says, they sell drugs but no one is murdered. A good combination I'm supposing. He drops me at my hotel and then tells me that he owns it. He is multi tasking.

My hotel is right on the river, there's some blue sky poking through and when I look out my window I can see the castle and the autumnal colours of golds, russets, the buildings of lichen, moss, dusty pink. I can't wait to explore.

I head towards the old centre By the river, Sloveska Hisa restaurant beckons me. I sit on a stool by the river, my companions are fat sparrows which I don't see in Australia anymore but Slovenian ones are alive and very content. I order a vegetarian platter of cheese, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit and the wine is 1.80 euro here!

Over a beautiful old bridge, there's a wine festival and food festival. I try chocolate flavoured red wine with a red wine chocolate truffle. Walking through the beautiful squares, I come across a man and his emus, as you do in Slovenia on a rainy afternoon.

The shops are beautiful, arty and creative. Chestnuts are roasting on the corners, the river winds through the town, old bridges spanning it every now and then. No cars, just pedestrians. I follow the scent of roasted flavoured almonds, caramel and spiced perfumes emanate from carts along the street. It's Saturday and people are everywhere enjoying their beautiful town.

The chilly air makes me search for a cafe to warm up in. I find the cutest old fashioned one and have thick hot chocolate. There's a little table for the kids with drawing equipment, a little boy of 2 and his sister are drawing contentedly.

I head home for a rest but that doesn't last long. A full moon skirting the the church spire outside my window draws me back out. The town is fairy like, lights strung across the streets. I eat at Marley and Me, friendly waiters, more cheap wine, a chicken dish with pancetta cream, potatoes with a crisped parmesan chip garnish and salad. Later I walk to Lolita's for dessert. This place is gorgeous. I have a pistachio marzipan covered strawberry sponge. It's amazing how you become a dessert and hot chocolate person when the temperature drops below 10 degrees. This place has exceeded all expectations.

I go to bed exhausted and wake ready to explore again as I look out my window and there's a trash and treasure market below along the river bank. I wander but can't buy, can't carry much back. So I go in search of a coffee shop and find Le Petit Cafe with French music and French newspapers wallpapering the walls. I stop for a coffee and then I'm off the Castle.

It's a steep walk but I pass through forests that look like the jigsaws of old. The autumn colours of the tree backlit by the blue and grey skies are so beautiful. The castle dates back to the 11th century, with extensive overhauls. I go back to Lolitas for a brunch of strudel filled with cottage cheese, walnut paste and poppy seeds and a piece of a famed apple cake with a strudel topping called Prek murska Gibanica, the name and ingredients of which are protected by law. Then I walk through another part of the town until it's lunchtime, I can see the Slovenians heading into the old inns that are peppered through this part of town. I have vegetables with a baked cheese, slathered with cranberry jam.

And then I find the most beautiful porcelain shop. The outside and inside is amazing. The woman who makes these beautiful creations has made porcelain for the Queen. I hesitate to buy because of the price but I chat with the creator's husband who says I look like an artist. He tells me they're away for a couple of days but to come back for a coffee. I feel I will then buy something. Coming out of the shops, I am met by the sun set in a deep azure blue sky, the city made golden in the afternoon light.

I booked a driver to take me to Piran rather than spend the day trying to get there by public transport. It ends up being Gorazd, the taxi driver/owner of the hotel! We drive by groves of persimmons, grapes and olives near the coast. Piran is beautiful, coloured buildings lining the square, the sea lapping it's shoreline. I lunch at an Italian restaurant on a fantastic seafood pasta dish. It's pouring but that makes the town reflect in the still puddles.

On the way back we went to the famous Predjama castle. A castle dating back to the 1200's built within a cave mouth for protection. A robber baron lived there in the 15th century, attacking the surrounding estates and towns. Supposedly he was killed sitting on the loo by a stray cannon shot. My driver said it wasn't worth paying the money to visit but I wish I had.

Next day, I go back to the porcelain shop, Catbriyur and buy a jug, it's exquisite. We have a coffee together and then I'm off with the cranky taxi driver to see another couple of towns but the rain is getting worse. I visit Malador and Ptuj which is pronounced Tui. Most places are closed because it's not tourist season but I find a cute restaurant for lunch. On the way home he buys me a special donut which is stuffed with apricot jam. He then reveals he has bought places in Piran and Lake Bled and has another hotel in Ljubljana. Here I am thinking I'm helping him out because he's trying to pay off the one I'm in!

It's my last night here, I walk back through the beautiful town, the air is crisped and there's a chance of snow it says on my phone. Maybe it will, maybe it won't but this town is so beautiful, the people so lovely. I pass by the markets, full of interesting winter vegetables and beautiful wreaths made of dried flowers.

Later, I go to a champagne bar just because and then I have dinner somewhere else, a rich chicken tomato stew behind the river and after I buy some of those spiced caramelised nuts for the trip tomorrow to Lake Bled. Ljubljana, I love you.