Ljubljana, Slovenia

     The last stop on our Eastern/Central Europe tour was Ljubljana, Slovenia. And all I can say is, what a great way to end a trip. We had no expectations of Ljubljana nor of Slovenia but both turned out to be great places. We found a couchsurfing host immediately and they turned out to be the one of the nicest couple we'd meet on the trip. When we arrived to the city, we had to find an ATM. This proved challenging as the ones all around the train station were out of money. After finding money, we then had to purchase a travel card so we could use the buses. It was a big relief to finally arrive to their house and drop off our bags. They gave us some maps and showed us a few points of interest and set us off to explore their city. Like most of the other countries in this part of the world, Slovenia has belonged to several large empire including the Romans, Habsburg, and, most recently, Yugoslavia. Slovenia was the first country to leave the Yugoslav Republic and set off a firestorm of controversy and fighting when they made the move. Getting around is fairly easy as over 92% of the population between 25 and 62 speak a second language and 72% of that same sample speak a third. Slovenia is one of the top multilingual countries in the EU.

     Ljubljana is filled with beautiful and interesting architecture. Lots of the buildings have bright colors and fun designs on them. Preseren Square is the main center of the city and became a place of high importance due to its having a city gate from medieval times at the site. The older buildings were damaged in an earthquake and the modern baroque structures of today are what replaced them. The square is named for the statue's namesake, France Preseren, a leading poet of Slovenia. He is depicted with his muse. Another popular building is the Urbanc House on the square. 

     The city centers around the Preseren Square and Ljubljana Castle at the heart of the historic part. There are several bridges throughout the city and Preseren Square connects to the side with the castle via the Triple Bridge. It was constructed after the original wooden bridge burned in a fire. Originally, there was only one bridge but it was expanded to provide two additional bridges for pedestrians. Now that that part of the city is 100% pedestrian, there are is a triple pedestrian bridge.

     Down the river from the Triple Bridge is the Dragon Bridge. It was built by an architect from Vienna when the city was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is sometimes referred to by locals as mother-in-law bridge.

     The Butcher's Bridge is covered with interesting sculptures and locks left by couples in love. They usually sign their names and put the date they leave the lock on the bridge. 

     Robba's fountain sits in front of the Town Hall at the base of the mountain of Ljubljana Castle. It's a celebration of the joining of the Sava, Krka, and Ljubljana Rivers. The original is preserved in the National Gallery and the copy is in front of Town Hall.

      The Town Hall has a famous clock tower on top and sits at the heart of the old city.

      Down the street from the Town Hall is St. Nicholas Cathedral. The site was once host to an old Romanesque Church that burned down. Afterwards, the diocese took the opportunity to construct a Cathedral in it's place. This was later burned down by the Ottomans. In the 18th century, an architect redesigned the church in its present Barqoue style and boy is it over the top Baroque. Look at the paintings on the ceilings and the elaborate doorways to enter the church.

     There's a nice walkway along the river that provides shade and a great view of the city.

     There is a cable car to take you up the hill to Ljubljana Castle but we elected to walk. Be warned, it's a bit of a steep climb.

      The location of the castle was once inhabited by a Roman fortification but this was demolished to build a new castle with proper towers for defending the city against the Ottomans. It also had a couple of peasant uprisings to contend with as well. When the city changed hands in the 19th century, so did the castle and its uses. It was used as a military storage facility and then a prison once returned to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1905, the city bought it and turned it into a museum. For just a few Euros, you can tour the castle and get a 3-D museum tour. It is a guaranteed 20 minute nap.

     The views from the different parts of the castle and the walk up are incredible.

     Once we finished at the castle, we wanted to see one more spot before having dinner at a local pizzeria our couchsurfing host recommended. It's compulsory to visit the Congress Square of Ljubljana as it holds a powerful place in Slovenian history. It has a park, referred to as Star Park due to its shape. Surrounding the square is a famous church, the philharmonic, the Kazina palace(one of a few buildings to survive the 1895 earthquake), and the University of Ljubljana. The square was the site of a celebration of freedom from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, joining the Yugoslav Republic, the protests that began the process of leaving the Yugoslav Republic, and celebrating freedom once again as a sovereign nation. What an inspiring place it is and beautiful too.

      After walking around the square for a bit, we went to Pizzeria Foculus. It was a great recommendation from our host and we enjoyed the dinner a lot. We spent the evening hanging out with our host at her house instead of going out because we had an 815 am bus to Venice. Getting to Italy from Ljubljana can be a bit of a challenge as the the trains only run to Trst and from there you can connect to Italian cities. Overall, we had a great time in Ljubljana and hope to visit more of the beautiful Slovenian countryside one day along with Lake Bled.

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