July 4, 2026
Slovenia Day Ten: Souvenir Tattoos, Wild Strawberries, and the Worst Airbnb of the Trip
“Dragons, bees, strawberries- what could it all mean?”
🗺️ Today’s Plan
- Bus from Piran to Ljubljana (last possible bus before missing the tattoo appointment)
- Check into Airbnb, do laundry
- Tattoo appointment at Astraya Tattoo Studio, 2:00 PM
- Wander Ljubljana, find Štruklji, pack for tomorrow’s early flight
🚌 The Last Possible Bus
Got to the Piran bus stop two hours early and was still last in line just from wrestling my bag on board. Breakfast beforehand at Café Neptun: cappuccino (€3), chocolate croissant (€1.80), ham and tomato grilled cheese (€3.80). €10.50 to Ljubljana, cheaper than the trip out to Piran had been. Passed the wait reading This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, an Isekai where the heroine is an actual adult with a job instead of a teenager, genuinely won me over by chapter three.
🏠 The Airbnb Situation
Dropped bags at the lockbox since check-in wasn’t until 3:00, but the place was a mess on arrival anyway, moldy, dark, up a spiraling staircase on the “third floor” that’s actually the fourth. Genuinely looked like a Harry Potter closet. AC was cranked at least, so that was something. Lesson filed away: skip the ultra-budget stays and just get a hotel next time.
🍕 Pizza Burek and a Common Thread
Grabbed a pizza burek from Burek Olympia (€3.50), which tastes exactly like a hot pocket, just bigger and cheaper. Wandered past the central market (touristy, not really my thing), the Triple and Dragon Bridges again, and got a mango gelato (€3.50) before thrifting a bit.
On the walk to the tattoo studio, my GPS died right as I got close, and in the moment of restarting my phone and panicking, I looked down and realized I was standing on wild Alpine strawberries, the same tiny ones from Bled and the Alpine tour. Starting to feel like a real motif for this trip: sweetness, childhood, a little bit of whimsy showing up right when I need it. Gosh I just love it!!
On to the tattoos! I’ve gotten travel tattoos ever since my first planned-all-by-myself to Thailand in 2023, which you can read about {here}, and I am so glad that I have! Since then, I’ve gotten a blue Portugal Azulejo tattoo, Oceanside oranges, and in TWO DAYS I’m getting yet ANOTHER travel tattoo in London of the hermit lamp from tarot to commemorate my first solo trip! Read about that in my 24 hours in London blog post {here!}
🐉 The Tattoos
Astraya Tattoo Studio, run by Janja, tucked into the bottom floor of an apartment building.
Both tattoos came out better than I imagined, light, delicate, exactly the size I wanted! Janja and I talked about Dungeons & Dragons the whole time, and she told me I sounded like a great teacher, which might be my favorite compliment to receive. My heart felt so warm. She did everything she could to make me feel comfortable and safe and heard. She made sure I took my time in deciding if the location and size were right for me. Janja also mentioned, almost apologetically, that Americans are better at small talk than Slovenians. It flipped something for me: my own awkwardness at small talk isn’t a personal flaw, it can be just cultural. Reframing it that way felt genuinely freeing.
Total cost was €180, with the €50 deposit already covering part of it. I paid the remaining €130, plus an extra €20 on top, and insisted on it as a tip even though she repeated that tipping isn’t expected there. She got visibly a little flustered by that, disappeared into the back room, and came back with a rolled, ribbon-tied print of her own artwork, a gorgeous mermaid (Odyssey, anyone?) illustration, as a thank you. A genuinely sweet, unexpected gift! WOW!!
🥟 Štruklji, At Last
Made my way to Slovenska Hiša – Figovec for cottage cheese štruklji (€5.20) and gibanica (€8.80), both good, plus a glass of orange wine (€5.80) that turned out too sour for my taste (I need a little sweetness or fruitiness to balance that kind of acidity, but glad I tried it).
While eating, I got to watch a full bachelorette scene unfold, a bride in a short white dress trailed by twenty friends in matching pink shirts, taking photos with a passing police officer and handing candy to kids. Apparently a known local tradition, similar to the groom hazing rituals I’d heard about earlier in the trip. Wonderful, completely unplanned entertainment!!
The waiter also noticed my Thai sak yant tattoo and greeted me with “sawat dee kah,” and I got to respond with “kop kun kah,” a small, warm moment of recognition. How cute! I ADORE travel!
🧺 The Rest of the Evening
Back at the moldy apartment, showered, started laundry (which the machine stretched to well over two hours because of course it did), and aired the place out as best I could. My second skin over the new dragon tattoo started peeling early in the shower, which is apparently normal but still nerve-wracking this fresh. Alarm set for 5:00 AM for the flight out tomorrow. Rough lodging aside, this trip has still had the fewest bad stays of any I’ve taken, so I’m choosing to count that as a win.
🧭 Traveler’s Guide
Getting a tattoo abroad
- Bring exact cash in useful denominations if you can lol; Slovenian tattoo studios generally don’t expect tips, though you’re welcome to offer one as a genuine thank-you!
- If you want a “one tattoo per country” travel tradition, it’s best to get something that reminds you of the trip and is unique to that country- a traditional tile for Portugal, sak yant for Thailand, lemons for Italy, etc.!
- Ask your tattoo artist if they’d like healed photos afterward, most seem to love that.
Ljubljana food to try before you leave!
- Štruklji (savory cottage cheese version) at Slovenska Hiša – Figovec.
- Gibanica, a layered pastry dessert.
- Pizza burek from Burek Olympia if you want a cheap, filling bite on the go.
Lodging tip
- If a listing looks suspiciously cheap for central Ljubljana, it probably is (oof). A hotel may be worth the extra cost for peace of mind, especially on a last night before an early flight. One night stays are NOT worth it for an Aibnb- what was I thinking? Hotel check ins are way easier and are often cheaper.
What I Learned Today
- Self reflection and reframing what could be a perceived personal flaw (bad small talk) as a cultural difference! This can completely change how you feel about yourself.
- Kindness given without expectation (like an unrequested tip) sometimes comes back in unexpected forms, like a hand-wrapped art print.
- Travel makes small connections with strangers (the waiter saying sawadee kha!!!) SO much easier and so much more memorable.
- Bad lodging is still just one uncomfortable night, not the whole trip. It’s all fine in the end.
📸 Traveler’s Notes
| Favorite moment | Standing on wild Alpine strawberries right before my tattoo appointment!! Woah! |
| Kindest interaction | The waiter’s “sawat dee kah” greeting after noticing my Thai tattoo |
| Best food | Cottage cheese štruklji at Slovenska Hiša – Figovec |
| Biggest surprise | Being gifted a mermaid art print by my tattoo artist 🙂 |
| Favorite VIDEO | See below! |
Tattoo!
💶 Expenses
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bus Piran to Ljubljana | €10.50 |
| Breakfast at Café Neptun | €8.60 |
| Pizza burek | €3.50 |
| Mango gelato | €3.50 |
| Tattoos (total, incl. deposit + tip) | €200 |
| Cottage cheese štruklji | €5.20 |
| Gibanica | €8.80 |
| Orange wine | €5.80 |
| One night Ljubljana Airbnb | €130 |
| Total: | €245.90 ($279.60) WOOF! Plus airbnb is $427.42 YOWZA! |
⭐ Overall Rating
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Tattoo experience | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Food | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Lodging | ⭐ |
| Unexpected kindness | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Would I get a tattoo in every country I visit from here on out? Absolutely!!!!! It’s my favorite travel tradition so far.
