Ljovely Ljubljana

Serbians are serious about their Easter holiday so we took advantage of the four day weekend and went to Slovenia to check out Ljubljana. The six hour drive stretched into seven since the border crossing into Croatia took a bit longer than we anticipated on Friday morning. The drive was incredibly pleasant, if a little expensive. Aside from the expected gas-price shock, we were amazed that it costs 15 euros to drive across Croatia (each way). And I thought Delaware was a rip-off. 

As we passed into each new country the scenery improved, as did the roads. It's quite surprising how the character of the land distinctly changes at the border. This was especially the case when we crossed into Slovenia. It was like driving onto the set of The Sound of Music. Little towns with red roofs dot the hillsides. Each one surrounds a  church with a tall steeple. We passed through patches of rain but it was still a sunny day so the grass and trees were bright green and the trees all had their spring flowers on them. Ljubljana is not a large place. Only 265,000 people live there so we didn't even see the city until we got off the highway and drove into it. From our hotel window we had a nice view of Ljubljana Castle which sits above the city.

After dropping our bags at the hotel we headed right out into the city center which was only a few blocks away. We were thrilled to see people actually drinking beer at the bars and not just coffee. We weren't in the Balkans anymore. The next morning we would discover just how deep the Austrian influence ran when the beer drinkers were out again at 10 am. Not loud and rowdy beer drinkers. Just brunch beer drinkers. Very civilized. So, we started our evening in a smoke-free pub with a pint of Guinness. Then, well, of course, we located the Mexican restaurant! 

Saturday was probably the most perfect day for sightseeing I have ever been a part of. It was in the mid 60's and sunny in the morning. We headed back to the center of the old part of town, Preseren Square and briefly considered joining a formal tour. 

In the end, we trusted ourselves to Rick Steve's guidance and, after quickly reading the book, began our day by walking through the open market. This market is sort of like Eastern Market in DC except 1,000 times cuter. People cruise through on their bicycles, complete with baskets, to load up on flowers, bread, vegetables and cheese. We hit the hot spots and popped into a few stores as we made our way towards the Dragon bridge, which seems to be in all the pictures of Ljubljana.

Then it was time to head upwards, Ljubljana Castle sat high above us. There is a funicular you can take, and a little "train" that drives on the road. But there are also a couple walking paths you can take up to the top. Since the weather was so cooperative, we decided to hoof it. The walk along the wooded trail made us feel a million miles from Belgrade. The sunshine, fresh air, space, and lack of honking horns was just what we needed. In the end, the Castle was cute but not much to look at. We got a few good views from the top but the main tower was under repair so we couldn't get to the very top. 

In the afternoon the sun died down and it started to sprinkle on and off. We took shelter in stores when necessary and continued our walking tour through some of the city squares. We ventured outside the old city center to check out some lesser sites. For example, the fairly unattractive office building with the "world's largest digital watch" and the first Slovenian skyscraper which is a towering 12 stories. Ljubljana, once known as Emona, was connected with Jason and the Argonauts. As a result, there are a few fairly interesting small collections of Roman ruins with good signage. There is also one large Orthodox church, and the very adorable U.S. Embassy that looks like a chateau.

All of this was followed by a 2.5 hour nap before we could get up and walk some more. This time for a little stroll along the river on our way to dinner. Which, by the way, was lovely. I'll tell you all about the restaurants tomorrow.