I lived in the capital, Ljubljana, for 4 years in the mid-90s. The whole region is very beautiful with diverse nature (snowy Alpine mountains, valley lakes, hilly forests, access to the warm Mediterranean sea). Gorgeous.
Slovenes in the capital city generally led very healthy lifestyles (a.k.a. health freaks). They're basically the Central European version of Colorado residents. They hike in the hills and mountains often, ski like professionals, canoe in the rivers, generally eat healthy.
They preferred to cycle everywhere instead of driving, just like the Dutch. They even had special separate cycle lanes, which were 'indented' so that they didn't have to worry about pedestrians or traffic. It was a very convenient, smart system and actually encouraged me to exercise more in the open air. If you needed to pop by the grocery store, you'd just put a quaint little grocery basket on your bike and off you go. I miss those days.
Many of the restaurants were mom-and-pop places, so the food tended to be quite tasty. In the valley areas they had good hearty dishes and along their small part of the Mediterranean coast they had freshly caught seafood. I was a kid in the 90s and some shopkeepers would give me treats for free when my family and I would visit the stores. So even though Ljubljana was a city, it felt like a quaint town.
In terms of temperament, Slovenes I grew up with were similar to other Alpine or sub-Alpine people like the Austrians and maybe the Swiss: they valued calm social order and neatness and were a bit reserved and not as outwardly emotional as other Slavic and nearby Mediterranean people. However, having Slavic roots, they tended to be more open and not as stiff as some Germanic people can be.
Slovenia is a comparatively small place so there was a distinct (and rather quaint) villagey feel there. They valued social tranquility so much, I sometimes called it a Sleeping Kingdom because nothing dramatic ever seemed to happen there. Because of that Alpine-style villagey preference for social harmony, they didn't seem to like drama queens or people who rocked the boat and disrupted their peace & quiet too much. So I'm not sure how Melania is coping with DJT and his constant drama.
Unlike other ex-Yugoslavian countries, they exited that union in a comparatively peaceful way, without much fanfare. Historically they tried to side-step most conflicts and, unlike the neigbouring Croatians, they didn't get involved much in the Balkan mess. As mentioned, they really value their peace & quiet.
Anyway, for any cycling enthusiasts, I'd highly recommend Slovenian nature paths.
