LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA

Tuesday, November 26

Early in the morning, my friend Heather and I headed to Slovenia to pick up her passport. She had her purse stolen in the States, and has been trying to recover everything since then. We didn't pass up the opportunity to explore a new city just 2 hours away from us.

After parking near the train station (for only 4 Euro/day) we crossed the well-known Dragon Bridge into the main part of town.We asked a sweet old lady to take a photo of us in front of the Bridge. It took her several tries to get us and the dragon in the photo. She was sweet to be so patient with us!

We started out at the central market.

 We walked up to a man selling what looked like tomatoes. I asked what they were, and he cut a few pieces and just handed them to us. They were the most delicious persimmons. Heather bought a few for breakfast. What a tasty way to start the day!

This colonnade next to the market was also designed by Jose Plecnik and ensures protection to the market stands even in bad weather. Plecnik was an architect from Ljubljana. He designed what seems like most of Ljubljana.

I think these sculptures are supposed to be dragon skulls.

Right across from the market was one of many bridges designed by Plecnik. 

Here's Heather getting down with a creepy statue. :)

Ljubljana quickly became one of my favorite cities I've visited. It's a quick and easy walk to all of the main sites and everyone speaks English! We stopped in a little cafe to warm up and get some coffee. Heather and I noticed that we were the only people eating inside on a FREEZING day. Everyone else was outside with down jackets, blankets, and a cigarette in hand. I think there are actually more smokers in Slovenia than there are in Italy. (and that's saying a lot!)

We then headed down to the main square. Here's Heather standing on the Triple Bridge (designed by Plecnik) with the castle in the background.

I'd just like to point out that their main church in the main square is pink. Oh, Ljubljana!

A couple of girls our age wanted their picture taken on this bridge, so we asked them to take our photo too. :)

Looking back toward the Central Market along the Colonnade.

After taking a quick break inside the info center to help warm up, we walked to the castle funicular.

Going up! There's a building in the background that's triangular shaped. We overheard a tour guide saying that the people of Ljubljana were very upset by this building because they thought it was a huge eyesore. Supposedly, it looks like a staircase leading up to the mountains in the background from the street view. (Yeah, I don't think the citizens of Ljubljana understood it either.)

A map of the castle

We started off in the cathedral in the castle. You might notice that there is only one angel on the ceiling; the rest of the artwork are family crests. There was also only one cross hanging in the church. It seemed like a church of politicians.

There was a sweet man doing calligraphy inside the church. I can't believe he works in there all day; it was so cold! He was very nice, and kept giving Heather and I little works of art. He asked if I he could write a persons name on a card. I said, "Nicolas." He said, "Oh, is that your mother?" No...No that's not my mother. 

After we finally escaped the calligraphy man, we headed to the top of the castle. It was so windy and COLD!

A couple offered to take our photo, and then we ran back downstairs.

St. Nicholas' Cathedral

On our way we noticed these very unique looking doors on St. Nicholas' Cathedral. The only info I could find on it is that the six men were archbishops of Ljubljana, and these doors were placed here before the Pope visited in 1996.

It was such a beautiful and sunny day! But boy, was it cold.

We asked around for some good food recommendations. Since Italy mostly has Italian food, we headed to a place that served Thai food. Pad Thai! Oh, how I've missed you!

The last place I wanted to visit while we were there was Tivoli City Park. We didn't have a great map, so we wound our way through the city streets until we could find it. We did happen to come across yet another one of Placnic's bridges. 

Looking back at the castle from the town.

This building is actually a church. I had to do a double take when I was looking at a map. It's the Ursulin Church; it was built in the 18th century. It definitely looks more residential than like a church.

Still heading to the park, Heather and I stood in front of this building for a few minutes. It really stood out considering it is covered with statues of naked people. We later found out that this is the Parliament building. The sculptures show men, women and children working and playing. Parliament is supposed to represent everyone equally, and these statues depict that well.

We finally made it over to Tivoli Gardens which covers several square miles of Ljubjana. It was beautiful at sunset, but I imagine this place is a great escape from the city when it's green!

We had a quick and very brisk walk back to our car to head home. It was a fun- filled day. Slovenia is definitely under-valued. It's a beautiful country with friendly people that speak English! Let's go back! :)