Arvi ja Leah aeg reisimiseks: Ljubljana

Ljubljana

We had a quick, 2-night stop over in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana to break up our trip down to Dubrovnik. Neither of us really knew what to expect but were presently surprised at the small capital with a romantic little old town.

When we arrived we headed straight for the town’s main attraction, the Ljubljana Castle on the top of the hill over looking the city. The walk up to the castle was nice and inside the castle walls is a little courtyard with galleries and restaurants. They have really utilised the rock of the hill, integrating it into walls and staircases.

Castle walls

Castle tower

That evening we went out for a traditional Slovenian meal with an Egyptian actor/doctor we met in the hostel. Arvi had a stew of boar and deer meat with potato dumplings and I had a tasting plate of various Slovenian meats, sausage, pastries and dumplings. Our hostel also gave us a coupon for a free drink so we sampled a delicious glass of Slovenian red wine, served cold.

Boar and deer stew

selection of meats

The next day we did some sight seeing around old town. We joined a free walking tour and learnt a lot about Ljubljana’s history and current way of life. We found it interesting to learn that Slovenia did not fair too badly under Soviet rule, as the government was not as strict as in other Soviet countries. For example, Slovenians were able to travel freely around Europe, unlike many other Soviet countries. Slovenia was also lucky to come out almost unscathed during the split of Yugoslavia. Being the first Country to leave the former Republic of Yugoslavia, war only lasted 10 days before moving down South to Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia, where it lasted a devastating 4 years in which many cities were destroyed. We were also surprised to learn that 65% of Slovenia is covered in forest; there have even been bear sightings in Ljubljana! Slovenians love nature, with many residents of Ljubljana heading to the forests on weekend to hike or pick wild mushrooms, which we saw many street vendors selling in town (much to Arvi’s disgust). There are also some weird, abstract looking art fixtures around old town, which gives the city a real interesting twist.

the Ljubljanica river

Town square

Weird sculptures

Locks on the love lock bridge

From the Dragon bridge

After our tour we headed to the Markets for lunch where we feasted on fresh fried sardines and Bureks, a delicious bundle of greasy pastry encasing either meat or spinach and cheese.

Flowers in the markets

Arvi's meat burke

Fried sardines

We then walked to a little village that had once been abandoned Soviet army barracks but have been turned into a haven for artists to express themselves and display their work. The buildings are covered in brightly coloured artworks, murals and sculptures. By night, this area becomes filled with young people and students visiting the many bars and nightclubs that open up after dark.