Ljublijana, Slovenia

Slovenia is quite unique.  At the junction of the Julian Alps, Adriatic Sea, and Pannonian plain, and bordering the countries of Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, Slovenia has the best of both worlds. It has Eastern European charm with a Western European mindset.

Ljubljana, the capitol of Slovenia, is a five hour drive from Zagreb. The hardest part of the journey was finding a place to park once we arrived in Ljubljana as the Saturday market was still underway.  We finally parked (only 5 minutes away) and walked to our hotel, Kollmann Apartments, which was located right on the river.  It’s an old, traditional townhouse with apartments on the two upper floors and hostel on the first floor. We had room number 3, a very basic room with a small kitchenette which overlooked the Ljubljanica river.  We stayed for 3 night for EUR 258. The location of our apartment, between the Triple Bridge and Cobblers’ Bridge, couldn’t have been better.  The Triple Bridge (Tromostovje) designed by Joze Plecnik, a famous Slovenian architect, is the heart of the city.  The night view with all three bridges lit up is spectacular. The Tourist Information Center is located just a few steps away from the bridge and a good resource for maps and information.

We discovered a great restaurant on a square across the river from our hotel, Paninoteka, and made this our morning ritual for breakfast. The next morning we joined the free walking tour which began at 11:00 am and lasted 2 ½ hours.  Our guide Janas or John was a former university professor and was very knowledgeable. We covered the history of the city and its squares, which go back 6000 years. It was a Roman town at one time and later threatened by the Turks, but was never occupied by them.  Napoleon occupied it for 4 years. After WWII, it became part of Yugoslavia under General Tito. In 1991 it was the first former Russian state to become independent and accepted by the European Union, an accomplishment the Slovenes are very proud of.

Ljubljana definitely has a European feel and is now on the circuit of European capitals to visit. Despite the numerous tourist boats going down the river, the city with its many bridges and pedestrian-only streets in the old town, has incredible charm.

The next day we took the funicular up to the castle and did the tour, history museum, and the viewing tower.  The tour lasted an hour and had a different format than most castle tours. Actors, dressed to reflect the various periods of the 500 year history of the castle, told stories from a specific period at the various stations of the tour.  It was very well done. The walk down the hill back into the city only took 15 minutes.

On Sundays, there is a flea market along the river with vendors displaying their goods. I was delighted to find several interesting craftsmen (jewelry and scarves) in Ljubljana.

The next morning we walked to the central market which is by the Dragon Bridge.

 

Excerpt from my article, Mountains, a monastery, and reminder of war – a self-drive tour of the Balkan countries, published in the September, 2015 issue of International Travel News.