Ljubljana.
We arrived in Ljubljana after dark. We checked into our hostel, which was actually dormitory housing for the university, and set out to explore the city. Searching for food on an empty stomach is sometimes the most annoying part of travel. I tend to get a little grumpy when I’m hungry. Mike tends to want to find the perfect meal. It rarely goes well. We ended up eating the one food we were hoping to avoid: felafel. (Nothing against it, but when you live where we do you tend to eat it a lot.)
The next morning after breakfast in the dining hall we walked towards the center of the city. We were lucky to catch a free city tour just as it was leaving the square. Free walking tours are one of my favorite things to do in a new city. We were also lucky that our guide was an anthropologist and was very knowledgeable about Ljubljana and Slovenia in general.
To get started with our tour we went past Triple Bridge. There’s a main crossing in the middle and two smaller crossings on the sides. Originally cars were allowed over the main crossing and pedestrians took the outer sides. Now the center of town is a pedestrian only zone and people can cross the bridge any which way they like.
Our guide led us to St. Nicholas’ Cathedral to view the lovely dome. The main door of the cathedral depicts the 1250 years of Christianity in Slovenia and was dedicated to the pope. We were told that traditionally Slovenians are quite religious and we found this to be true later in our trip. (However, I checked out a few stats and it seems things are changing.)
Despite the warm weather, it was very pleasant to walk around the city. The buildings were old but charming and it never hurts to have a river winding through town. By the time our guide explained to us that a university education is essentially free (she paid about 20 euros, she guessed), I was feeling pretty jealous.
This street here will take you up to the castle on the hill…
but I insisted on riding the funicular. It’s not every day you have the opportunity to get your funicular on!
The highlight of the castle was essentially the view. We walked into a chapel briefly and were on our way out when a huuuge tour group was on their way in. It was comical as we waited at the door as a looong train of elderly tourists filed in. I felt a bit trapped.
Later we sat by the river at a cafe and enjoyed being outdoors in a pleasant place.
That night the city was having a festival with live music and street vendors galore. It’s always fun to be in town for a festival but eventually I grew tired of the music that had become “middle aged person jazz.” Mike disagreed but was nice enough to accompany me back for the night.
xo, jill
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