Our Final Days in Slovenia!
June 29, 2024
Welcome back and hello from the lake!
We have had such an amazing time waking up to sipping coffee by the water! After a long few days of trekking it was time to get our group back together. Charlotte P and Mapp had become pros in this town by this point! They tried multiple restaurants, got to shop around, and even found the best gelato we have had yet! We all celebrated being back together with lots of laughs and burgers! We woke up for a quick breakfast of toast, apples, cheese, salami, and of course Marion’s favorite, a cappuccino☕️. It was then time to hop in the vans for a quick 5 minute drive to our rock climbing wall. First up was Olivia! It quickly became a race to see who could get up the quickest. William and Brady were neck and neck, but Brady came out on top🏆Not sure how he got up so fast! Sumpter was hanging out at the top getting the best pictures of all of us. We can’t wait to see them! For those who weren’t climbing at that moment, a game of President started down below. Brooke was our first president and ended up holding that position for quite a while. Once we all made it up and belayed down, we were starting to get hungry. So we got changed and went to get some pizza! They were HUGE! So we all decided to split a few. Addison, Charlotte P, and Charlotte D decided to split a pizza without realizing it came with a pound of arugula! They ate the pizza and left a salad behind! Everyone’s pizza looked SO good. There were no crumbs left behind, except Sammy’s crust.
We were stuffed, but it was time to go to Lake Bled! Once we fought the traffic we ended up on the crystal clear water looking at the most beautiful churches, and even the oldest castle in Slovenia! The views were breathtaking. We got to hop in row boats to go to the only island in the whole country! Mapp rowed Sumpter, Olivia, and Brooke; Charlotte P and D were rowing Marion, Lily, Addison; and William was on the oars for the boys boat. Getting to the island was only half the fun! Docking our boats we saw world record freshwater catfish swimming along the bank. Brady wanted to go noodle’n, but sadly he might have to wait until he gets home. At the center of the island there was a beautiful church surrounded with pink and white flowers. It felt like you could see them for days from there! It was a little toasty so Marion, Lily, and Charlotte D decided to take a swim before we all headed back to the mainland to go shopping. When we got into town everyone had their eyes set on something, most girls were looking for jewelry, cute bags, and maybe cute clothes while the boys were trying out all of the gelato places and discovered a fly shop! Marion and Olivia ended up getting matching bracelets, bags, and tshirts! Our town day flew by! We ended the day with pasta from a local Slovenian restaurant a few towns over and a perfect Moonup. Mapp and Sumpter decided it was the perfect time to end Moonup by running and jumping into the lake! Some debated not to follow, due to just showering… the hesitation didn’t last long after Brooke led the charge and was the first to join them. Then everyone else followed! Clothes on and all! Definitely worth the extra shower!
We woke up the next morning in time to have two cups of coffee! We enjoyed the panini press for breakfast with a side of plums, peaches, and apples! Marion and Charlotte D had to get in at least one cappuccino before we started our hike. It was a short drive down the valley to our trailhead. We hopped out and got ready to go see the Slap Savica waterfall! Our hike was filled with bridges over the river, beautiful views, amazing conversations, and of course, throwing rocks! Once we got to the waterfall it was stunning! We got there just in time too, it started raining right when we put our packs down, which was perfect timing to grab our rain jackets! Lily started a trend to put your jacket over your backpack and then put your arms through! Soon enough we all looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Overall, I think this was Brady’s favorite hike yet! We got to stop at the cutest mountain hut for delicious blueberry cake on the way back down. That was everyone’s favorite! After all of the hiking it was time to eat! We ended up at a cute valley restaurant overlooking the mountains. We all split pizzas, Mapp and Sumpter got trout, and William had the best pork ribs of his life! He was definitely a part of the clean plate club! We of course had to stop to get gelato on the way back to our hostel. Our afternoon was full of new merch and long naps. We woke up just in time for dinner! We ended up going to another local Slovenian place where they grilled out for us. It was SO good! Sammy has decided he’s no longer a picky eater and will now eat anything! After an amazing dinner, we came back to our hostel and hung out by the lake. Everyone decided to go swimming again! Brooke brought her camera so all of the girls were making sure to make the best of the views. William even hit us with some of his yoga poses! While the girls went to shower, Sammy, William, Sumpter, and Brady were having a rock throwing contest, who’s shocked? When it started to get dark (and the boys could no longer see their rocks) we decided it was time to have Moonup and play games! We played our name game a few times before Brady decided to get a new haircut!
We woke up the next morning excited to go shopping! We just had to get to Ljubljana! It was a short car ride filled with all of our favorite songs. Once we got to our hostel we threw our bags down and hit the town! We of course had to stop to get lunch before making our way through the cute streets! Addison and Charlotte P got pesto ravioli, Charlotte D got the most amazing pizza, Lily, Sammy, and William all got carbonara with the best bacon anyone has ever had, Marion and Olivia split a goat cheese salad and pasta, Brooke got a salad with shrimp and Brady got his favorite, a margarita pizza. It was one of our favorite meals yet! We then went shopping around town! Can’t wait to show you what we got! We ended our shopping day with Pop’s burgers for banquet! They were SO good. William found a new love for spicy things on burgers while Olivia said she has never had better sweet potato fries. All in all 11/10 banquet!
We made it to the airport and everyone is on the way home! We have loved sharing our adventures with you, thanks for tuning in !
Mapp and Sumpter
Good morning from the Alps!
June 24, 2024
This morning we arose towards the earlier part of the morning and got ready for the beginning of our trekking. Our awesome LODs, Charlotte P and Charlotte D, got the group in good spirits and high attitudes! We set out for our tre king section of the trip deep into the Julian Alps of the the mountain. We started hiking and Marion and Olivia made it so entertaining , gossiping and laughing the whole way. Sumpter mesmerized the kids with stories from his high school experience and even got them singing made up songs. Sammy, William, and Brady were such troopers, giving the best encouragement. Lily, Brooke, and Addison were capturing every moment with not only their minds but their cameras too! After 4 hours we arrived to our first mountain hut and saw the other group! We made our way to a breathtaking alpine lake and had many, many, many, photo shoots. After, we enjoyed card games, thanks to William, and ate a very yummy dinner containing gnocchi and pork! Then off to bed!
The next day we were early birds and got up and at ’em. We ate a fulfilling breakfast and headed out to the trails. We stopped after a few quick minutes and saw a beautiful farm where we got to try freshly made cheese. Lily and Olivia loved it and helped clear the plate! Sammy and Marion enjoyed petting the two adorable Sheppard dogs we ran into. Then we were off again, stopping again when we saw bunkers from World War 1 with a quick and knowledgeable lesson. William, Brooke, Olivia, Marion, Brady, and Lily loved it and explored it till their hearts were content. Continuing to trek we made it to the next hostel three hours later. The kids are such good sports! When we arrived the kids were stoked for some good ole pasta, served with tiramisu which Olivia and Marion were ecstatic about. We then rested and walked five minutes to the closest village. Lily, William, Sammy, and Brady got tea and Olivia, Brooke, Marion, and Charlotte D got coffee, Brady loved his tea, but wished it was iced tea from Bojangles. We did some yoga with our favorites, Bugy and Jaka. We arrived back at camp had a yummy Barley stew and a donut for dessert, had one of our best Moonups yet, and then off to bed.
Today, we woke up at a similar time as the days before, had cereal and eggs for breakfast and were ready to seize the day! We hiked and hiked for hours, even did a mountain ritual along the way and finally made it to the new mountain hostel. A delectable meal was served for lunch. We rested and Lily and William even got to take a quick nap. Then we hopped up and headed out to take another quick two hour hike. Bugy and Yaka led the way and we made it to another fabulous alpine lake, had many more photo shoots, we had a dance party too! We have now returned back to the hostel and are ready for another spectacular dinner and Moonup.
Another day trekking! We got up extra early and traversed our way up and down the Julian Alps. We made a pit stop at the nearest cattle ranch, and the kids loved it. Sammy, Lily, Brooke, and Marion enjoyed playing with the cutest dog, while Addison, William, Charlotte D, Brady, and Olivia thrived whilst feeding the cows. We continued on and Sumpter, Lily, and Brady had a singing session. Many hours later we made it to the bottom. We were so proud of the major achievement we just accomplished! We then made our way back into civilization and ate a yummy lunch consisting of Chicken Fillet, fries, and salad! We rested, read, and competed in many games of ping pong. Sammy and Olivia ultimately being victorious. Later we surprised the kids with a big ole American dinner! Everyone ordered burgers and we ate then got gelato. We came back for Moonup, which was led by our amazing LODs, Olivia and Brady, and now we are off to bed. So excited for the new adventures ahead!
Now a few words from our sponsors,
Brady: Hey dad and mom miss y’all so much can’t wait to see y’all
Sammy: Hey momma and dad I miss y’all a lot but I’m having a lot of fun! Love and miss y’all can’t wait to see y’all!
William: Thank y’all so much for sending me on this trip! I love y’all and can’t wait to see y’all again!
Olivia: Hi parents! I miss y’all a lot and I’m super excited to see you soon, and go to the movies with you dad. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to go on a trip as amazing as this, I’m so thankful for y’all and all you do. I love u!!
Lily: Hey mom and dad miss you guys so much! I hope u are having so much fun in Ibiza. I can not wait to see you in a couple of days. Tell Jbird I love and miss him too. I love y’all!
Marion: Hey fam I love y’all so much and can’t wait to see you soon! We’re having so much fun but I hope your having fun in Kiawah see you soon!
Brooke: Hi Mom Dad and Ry! I miss you guys so so much but I can’t wait to see y’all Thursday. Slov is absolutely amazing. Love you all to the moon and back. Give Eddy some love.💗🦮😁
Addison: Hi! I miss y’all! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I’ve been having so much fun! Can’t wait to see y’all soon! Love y’all!
Charlotte P: Hey Mom, Dad, and Sophie! I’m having so much fun! Love y’all and see y’all soon!
Charlotte D: Hey Mom and Dad Im having a great time, I love it here! Love you so much and can’t wait to see you soon!
Mapp + Sumpter: hey mommaaaa we made it! Across the pond! Living life to the fullest! Couldn’t be more proud of our kiddos! Love you all so dearly!
Thanks for tuning into this episode of Slov B, can’t wait to see what our next episode holds! Come back for more!
Mapp + Sumpter
Our Journey through Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia!
June 19, 2024
Ciao!
We made it!
After a long flight and a few bumps in the road, we are excited to have finally made it across the pond! After we landed, we grabbed our stuff and hit the road to Croatia. We had to stop for pizza before leaving Italy! You’ll have to ask Lily, Charlotte D, Marion, and Olivia about their homemade Margherita pizzas. Right after lunch, we kicked things off with our first inside joke! Unfortunately, we were missing two members of our crew, but we agreed to surprise them: when Sumpter claps twice, everyone has to immediately drop and start doing the worm! 🐛 If anyone needs help, call Sammy—he’s a pro!
On our way to Croatia, Charlotte P and Sumpter were jamming out to Zach Bryan while everyone else was losing the fight to jet lag. Once we arrived, everyone was back up and at ’em! Since our campsite is right on the Adriatic Sea, we immediately threw on bathing suits and went to hang out on the beach! Brady and Olivia were making diving catches in the water with a tennis ball we found. We had the best day just getting to know each other. Everything was awesome, but we still felt a void without Mapp and Addison. Good thing we had our first LODs, William and Brooke, to keep morale high!
We woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day! We had an amazing breakfast and jumped in our van to go sea kayaking! We can’t wait to show you how beautiful the crystal-clear water is. William and Charlotte P got great shots while we were swimming in underwater caves. After exploring the caves, we got to do our new favorite activity: cliff jumping! Brooke was a little nervous at first, but after Olivia’s words of encouragement, they jumped hand in hand. After a little break to jump and swim, we started heading back. Sadly, we didn’t bring the speaker, but luckily we had Lily to sing us through our paddle back! All in all, sea kayaking was a success! Our best partner duo goes to Marion and Sammy—they absolutely crushed it!
Our lunch looked a little different—we had the opportunity to try local Slovenian food! Everyone got handmade pastas and fresh meats. We even made a game out of the lemonade! It was sour but so good! Brooke and Marion tried not to make a face when drinking it… not sure they were very convincing. Then we found another new favorite activity: frolicking! Not sure what it all entails, but we’ve been having the best time frolicking through green, tall grass in open fields! William, Brady, and Sammy led the charge! Then we decided it was time to get competitive and played DON’T TOUCH MY ROCK! 🪨 Even our guides joined in on the fun! If you need a teacher, Olivia is your go-to! Sammy, more determined than anyone else, thought he found a good strategy but sadly never won. Good news for him—definitely not our last time playing! I’m sure he’ll be the new champ soon! We then headed off to different cliffs to jump off! While we were laying out, we got the best surprise yet—Mapp and Addison finally made it!!! 🤗 We gave them the warmest welcome by making them jump and join everyone in the water! Addison was ready for everything and anything despite fighting jet lag! We couldn’t be more proud of her!
After a beautiful afternoon swimming, we headed back to camp, stopping for gelato on the way, of course! We couldn’t read or pronounce most of the flavors, but that made it more fun to pick and point randomly! We all rated our first gelato stop 10/10. Shortly after we got back to camp, we had dinner—nothing like dessert before dinner! Everyone enjoyed fresh calamari for an appetizer, but Marion wished she got it for her main meal! 🍽 After a tasty dinner, we ended the day with Moonup by the water and under the stars!
Croatia treated us well, but it was time to move on to Slovenia! We woke up bright and early, packed up our stuff, and hit the road! Our drive was so pretty! We drove through the countryside of Slovenia, passing vineyard after vineyard. Then we came into the wine country region they call the “Tuscany of Slovenia,” and let me just tell you… it was breathtaking! We climbed to the top of a lookout tower where we could see Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia! Sammy was not a fan of the top, so he stayed close to the middle, even when we took pictures! Once we were done admiring the view, we headed off to our cooking class. We were stunned to find out we were on a hillside overlooking tons of vineyards. It made our lunch views insane! We all pitched in to make vegetable soup, pasta with zucchini and ham, turkey in sage sauce, mashed potatoes, and peach pie for dessert. Olivia and Brooke made the pasta while Addison, Marion, William, and Charlotte D cut the veggies. We can’t forget about Sammy and Lily cutting the ham, Brady peeling potatoes, and Charlotte P making and rolling the dough for the pie! Everyone was pitching in, taking over the kitchen! Once your job was done, you got to peel and slice peaches! After all the practice, Lily, Sammy, and Charlotte P are the first people I’m calling next time I make a peach pie. Once everything was cooked, we sat down overlooking the beautiful countryside and got to eat everything! I think our clear winner was Charlotte P’s peach pie—it was literally to die for!!! A close second was definitely the vegetable soup—Olivia and Brooke got seconds! We didn’t want to leave, but sadly we had to. It was time to see the Julian Alps!
As we drove through the valleys and mountains, we saw the bluest water you have ever seen in the river! It looks JUST like Glacier Freeze Gatorade. We can’t wait to show y’all pictures! We followed the river for a while until we popped into a valley where we could see the Julian Alps perfectly. It got us excited to explore in just a few short days! Even better is our campsite! We have a volleyball/badminton net, basketball hoop, soccer, and so much more to do while we hang out! So, of course, as soon as we arrived, we had to get a volleyball game started! With Sammy’s power, Addison’s serves, and Lily, Olivia, and Marion’s positive motivation, Charlotte P, Charlotte D, Brooke, and William had some tough competition. Brady and Sumpter were too busy playing ping pong to join in! It was hard to pull us away from all the fun! We ended the day with a unique dinner of gnocchi topped with sour cream and cheese, a Moonup under the moonlight, and a game of Mafia. Lily (the mafia) won in just three turns—the quickest win we’ve seen!
The sun woke us up bright and early to go canyoneering! Before heading out, we had sunny-side-up eggs on toast, slices of cheese and salami, and jam to put on our toast! Then we regrouped, threw on bathing suits, and were ready to go! Once we got there, we all signed our lives away and grabbed (many layers of) wetsuits! A quick drive and hike led us to a beautiful canyon above the Soča River. Sammy wouldn’t stop taking pictures! Then, before we knew it, it was time to suit up! You should have seen all of us struggling to pull the wetsuits over our legs after a little hike—a lot of pushing and pulling. William was the first one dressed and ready, not sure how, but he looked so good! Once we were suited up, it was time to do our first slide! Addison took the lead with Sumpter while Charlotte P and Mapp were our caboose! Pretty sure Lily GoProed the whole thing from the top of her helmet. Can’t wait to see that angle! Sammy was on it with the videos, whether it was sliding down, jumping, rappelling, or just admiring the views. We ended the canyon with a HUGE waterfall rappel that we then dropped down into a pool of glacier water! One last refreshing plunge. We all agreed this was one of our favorite mornings yet!
We then went back to camp and had chicken and dumplings soup for lunch! We were able to lay out, play a little basketball and ping pong at camp before we went to the river to swim and hang out for the afternoon! The river was the same crazy blue color that we just can’t get enough of! It was also glacier water, so we all decided to take another polar plunge. Brady was first, and second, and also third… we couldn’t get him out of the river! The girls decided to find a nice rock to lay out on while the boys found targets across the river to throw rocks at. Not sure what’s with boys and throwing rocks, but we have almost mastered it! We ended our afternoon with gelato again and exploring a Slovenian market. We spent most of our time trying to figure out what all the snacks were and ended up with some amazing ones and others… we probably won’t be getting again. We made it back to camp just in time for our special guest’s arrival—Hayes came to visit! He had a blast getting to know the kids and seeing them cook! Cook? Yes! We got to cook again! This time we grilled traditional Slovenian food! Brady took over the potatoes again while Marion, Lily, and Charlotte P cut the veggies! We, of course, couldn’t do it without William tending to his fire, which he built with Addison and Charlotte D! Once the grill got going, Brooke, Brady, and Olivia started throwing everything on! They cooked everything to perfection. Don’t worry! Sammy oversaw the whole operation! We ended the night reflecting on our water-filled day with s’mores by the fire! I think Addison found a new love for chocolate-covered graham crackers! After a long day in the sun, there is nothing better than a cookout followed by s’mores.
The next morning, we woke up ready to whitewater raft! We just couldn’t get enough of the alpine river polar plunges (and wetsuits). We split the rafts into two epic groups! Marion, Lily, Addison, Sammy, and William joined Marco, one of the wonderful raft instructors, while the other group included Brooke, Olivia, Charlotte P and D, and Brady! We even leaped off of the rafts! After this new adventure, we headed back to the campsite. The girls took a small day hike and explored new areas of the wild! We then spent a few hours bonding, chatting, dancing, and with Lily leading us in song, singing too! As time went by, we decided to head into town to experience the local culture. All the kids got more gelato, while Brooke and Olivia decided to get cappuccinos and Marion and Brady got iced tea. Marion, Lily, and Sammy showed us their new handshakes and their “cosplay,” whatever that means. We headed back after stopping at a couple of adventure stores with Sammy and Brady in charge of the aux! When we arrived back at camp, William, Charlotte P, Charlotte D, Addison, and Sammy did their model walks and had a friendly competition against team two, consisting of Lily, Marion, Brooke, Olivia, and Brady. We then gathered around the table and had a feast consisting of chicken, stew, and grits. Marion, Brady, and Lily joined the clean plate club—safe to say, I think they loved it! Brooke, Olivia, Lily, and Marion had a photo shoot with Brady behind the camera—who knew he was a photographer! We, of course, had to have dessert, so we cooked pancakes! Our chef awards go to William, Charlotte P, and Charlotte D! We stuffed our faces with Nutella too! Our guides then taught us the rules of the hiking we will face tomorrow. The kids are super excited. We then had Moonup and played a very entertaining game of heads up seven up. Off to bed!
Stay tuned for our trekking adventures!
Talk soon,
Mapp and Sumpter
Safe Arrival in Slovenia!
June 15, 2024
Hello Slovenia Families!
All students have landed safely in Slovenia and the group is excited for hiking tomorrow! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure.
-Moondance HQ
