Thursday, 29 May 

Ljubljana 


Occidental Hotel


Weather - Sunny, Max 25c


Lovely Ljubljana! We had a wonderful day in an amazing, beautiful city and we saw it in perfect weather. We headed out with a plan to see the castle, the markets, the cathedral and anything else which attracted our attention. 


The city was looking brilliant in the early morning sunshine.



We first headed to Ljubljana’s key landmark, the castle which overlooks the city. We were keen to climb the castle’s Outlook Tower and ramparts to have 360 degree views. Apparently the climb to the castle is quite steep so we opted to catch the funicular railway to take us to the top. We also wanted to experience the 70m long ride. It only took about two minutes in the all-glass cabin to arrive at the castle. 



We climbed the steep wrought-iron staircase to get to the top of the tower and walk around the ramparts. We had clear views of the city and its landmarks and the distant mountains with the remains of the winter snow.




Our castle ticket allowed us into exhibition areas within the castle walls. We first visited the Museum of Puppetry, a permanent exhibition. We thought if we didn’t like it we’d have a quick look around and move on but we were enthralled. Apparently puppetry has a great deal of significance in Slovenian culture. 



I was particularly taken with the puppets which emerged during WWII. The puppets were used as part of the partisan fight lampooning the enemy as well as entertaining. It included Hitler and Eva Braun. 



The “In the Embrace of Inmpressionism” exhibition was in the castle’s largest hall and it was terrific. It showcased four Slovenian Impressionists. The 15mins video with accompaning sound effects covered the walls, ceiling and floor and immersed us in the artists’ work. 



Julia took a photo of me whilst I was taking a photo. I’m in the dappled light which was projected around the castle’s hall.



When we came down from the castle in the funicular we had to have a photo of the kangaroo water fountain outside the station. The water came from the roo’s mouth and went into its pouch. It seems to have an obscure background as to the reason for a kangaroo in Ljubljana. 



We had late morning tea and Brian and I shared the traditional Gibanica cake. It was delicious with its multiple moist layers of pastry, cottage cheese, poppy seeds and apple. Julia and Henk shared an enormous Bled Cream Cake. 



We tried to visit the city’s cathedral but it wasn’t open for visitors today. We moved onto the foot bridges which cross the Ljubljanica River and are tourists’ attractions. One bridge, the Butchers’ Bridge is also known as Ljubljana’s Love Bridge. Countless people have put a padlock on the bridge, a symbol for their love, and thrown the key into the river. There were hundreds of locks and it was hard to see if anymore could be added.



The dragon is the symbol of the city and it is frequently seen throughout the city. The Dragon Bridge has four large impressive dragons at the entrance. It is often called “the mother-in-law bridge” because of its fiery nature.



We wandered the extensive open air market with a mixture of clothing, accessories, fruit, vegetables and plants. The plants and spring flowers were beautiful. 



We returned to the hotel in the mid afternoon and re-met at 6.30pm to go to dinner. On our way we met fellow travellers, Heather and Tim who were drinking champagne on the cobbled footpath outside a jewellery store. They had been offered drinks to celebrate the store’s opening and we joined in also. The more the merrier! The theme was pink and there were plenty of pink cocktails, balloons and macaroons. There were too many to go into the store to see their wares.




We loved the elegant, beautiful pedestrian city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. We were fortunate to see it at its best in perfect weather with its aqua green river winding its way through the city. It has a positive energy and we loved the busy outdoor cafe lifestyle and countless bicycles silently and effortlessly making their way around the city.. Tomorrow is the last day of our tour as we return to Zagreb where we started our adventure almost three weeks ago. 




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