May 8
My train from Zagreb arrived in Ljubljana just after 3:00 pm. This was my second stop at this station in two days, but unlike the day before, this one was planned. I would be spending the next two nights in the city.
I exited the station and was pleased to find a bit of sun shining through the clouds.
I always use Google Maps to plan my walking routes from the train stations to my hotels, so I knew that this walk would be special, especially once I reached the Ljubljanica, the river that flows through Ljubljana. There I had my first look at the Triple Bridge.
The middle bridge of the three dates to the 13th century. The two smaller bridges were designed by the architect Jože Plečnik and were added in 1932. They were originally foot bridges to complement the larger bridge, but now all three are part of a pedestrian only zone. The Triple Bridge was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021.
There are many bridges in Ljubljana.
I had chosen the Galaria River based on its location along the river.
The hotel is a converted 18th-century mansion. As a heritage property there was only a small sign to indicate that my hotel was behind the door.
I rang the bell and was admitted. I followed the minimalist signage to the stairway. Had I better studied the confirmation email, I would have known that the reception was on the third floor, although I am not sure how that information would have helped. I just kept climbing. A young guy on the way down encouraged me, “You can do it!” I made it to the reception and after I registered was sent back down two levels to my room. I was a bit annoyed that I had carried my bag up and then went back down.
My room had modern fixtures but was basic and small. The hotel called the design minimalistic.
I went out to get some supper. The walk along the river was fabulous. Ljubljana was quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite cities.
The hotel had provided some restaurant recommendations. I first tried a dumpling restaurant that turned out to have only counter service and was quite busy. There were no available tables inside, and I was not thrilled with the outside area, so I decided to go to option two, a restaurant that was along the river path. There I was given a choice between a table in a busy spot or one outside. The inside spot did not look good, so I chose the patio. Then, just before I sat down the two ladies at the adjoining table lit up cigarettes. I turned around and asked again about an inside seat and was now offered one in a different spot, but for “one hour max”. This limited time offer was now becoming a theme on this trip. I agreed and was shown to a table across from the washrooms, so not really in a fantastic location.
I was soon joined by a group of three, one being Fritz.
His parents asked if it was okay. I told them it was fine. Fritz was a good boy. He is from Germany. Dogs are allowed everywhere (at least here and in Fritz's home country). Fritz did not know what to make of this strange man who kept talking to him. I had a local ravioli. It was very good, almost at the ‘Oh My God” this is good level, but the company was the best part.
There were two things that were common in restaurants and cafés here but never happen in most of Canada, and certainly not in Newfoundland. One was sharing space with doggies (that was great) and the other was sharing space with smokers (not so great).
I took the short walk back to the hotel. Since the reception was two floors above my room, I did not see anyone. I never saw the staff after check in. This was a pattern on my trip, and I wondered if it is somewhat of a holdover from Covid, related to the “no contact” check in. Even though I had booked all hotels, I only had what I considered a normal front desk service about the half the time.
I decided that I should do a bit of laundry and then called my ladies in Newfoundland. I was happy to have a full day ahead to explore the city.
May 9
I had another difficult night of sleeping with my cold. But morning came, and I was ready to go. I could sleep when I was back home.
I turned on my computer and it promptly shut down. This was common with my old Surface Pro. I assumed that it needed to be charged, so I plugged in the adaptor and tried again. Nothing happened. Had it died? I suspected the power adaptor. Power supply had been an issue with the overpriced tablet from the beginning. I was using my second replacement power adaptor, but those replacements were done through Amazon with delivery to my home in Newfoundland. I was far from home, so delivery seemed a bit problematic.
This was an annoyance but not a disaster, since I was using my phone for all the important things. It held my train and hotel apps and my saved emails, so I still had all those details. The train app contained my all-important Eurail pass. I had an email and a printout with my plane ticket home.
I could continue with my travels. What I could not do was download and process my camera photographs. I was really going to miss that.
Because there was little that I could do in the short term, I put my computer away and went out to be a tourist. I walked around the corner to a café and had a great breakfast of eggs Florentine along with my cappuccino. Note the slight change in beverage as I had figured out that I was better off with cappuccinos in this part of the world, i.e. close to Italy.
I really loved the architecture. There are two styles of buildings in the older part of Ljubljana. Much of the earlier construction was influenced by a connection to Venice and done after an earthquake in 1511. Another earthquake in 1895 necessitated further rebuilding, but now the city was part of the Austrian Hapsburg empire.
My first stop was at the Town Hall. It was originally constructed in 1484 and was renovated in 1719. The courtyard had an art show.
Across the pedestrian only road is the Ljubljana Cathedral which dates from the early years of the 18th century. The dome was added in 1841. The beautiful frescos were done between 1703 and 1723.
I stopped at the Ljubljana Central Market. I had a coffee but did not try the milk vending machine.
I was on my way to the Ljubljana Castle which sits on a hill overlooking the city. I had a choice of walking up the hill or taking the funicular. I rode. A funicular is a train. I can't pass up a train ride (although it did not count as one of my 32 Eurail rides). When I bought my ticket, the charming young woman said, "You look like you might be a pensioner." Yes, I do. I am. I got a great seniors discount. The funicular was added in 2006, so it is a recent addition to the historic castle complex.
I joined a small queue. I was soon sent in as the last passenger on a car, which meant that I was in the back. I had thought that I might walk down when I was finished at the castle but now vowed to take the funicular so that I could be in the front.
With its commanding view of the city, there has been a fortress on Castle Hill since at least the 11th century. Most of the buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries.
I went through the museum and a photo exhibit showing images by Marjan Ciglič, a Slovenian photojournalist.
The highlight of the castle is walking up the spiral staircase to the tower. The views of the city are amazing. It was clear enough that I could see the Alps.
I spent some time in a Slovenian history exhibit and saw this wall painting of the “Dance of the Dead” in the Gunpowder Room. I think it was a replica but have not been able to find any information about it.
The castle is used for functions so on this day a big white tent dominated the courtyard. I guess it is great for revenue and wonderful for those people attending the festivities, but it eliminates any chance for visitors to enjoy being in the middle of the castle.
I lined up for my ride back down on the funicular. A car was almost loaded, and they asked if there were any singles to take the last place. I knew that person would be in the back. I kept quiet. The car left with that space empty. I was now the first passenger on the following car and took my place in the front.
The Ljubljana Dragon is the symbol of the city. Four fierce dragons guard the Dragon Bridge. There is a story that goes back to ancient Greek times when Jason and his Argonauts were said to be in the area, and he killed a dragon. Dragon killing appeared to be quite common in the area, since I saw St. George and his dead dragon in Zagreb. It seems a bit inconsistent to then have the dragons be the symbol representing power and courage, but the dragon sculptures guarding the bridge are impressive.
I walked along the river, still marvelling at the beautiful city.
There were many sculptures.
All cities must have a bridge that is covered in locks.
There area is packed with restaurants and cafés. There are also lots of places to buy gelato.
I continued my walk along the beautiful riverfront. I had mentioned the architect Jože Plečnik as the designer of the triple bridge. He designed the wonderful river walk, parks, plazas, as well as buildings in Ljubljana.
Prešeren Square is named after France Prešeren, a renowned author and poet. Prominent features are a sculpture of Prešeren and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation.
But the best part is the area’s popularity with all the people enjoying themselves, especially the children.
My ultimate destination for my day in Ljubljana was the "Skyscraper”. This structure, built in 1933, was at that time the tallest residential building in Europe. But since it is only 13 stories tall, it is now not so big for a skyscraper. However, it is big for Ljubljana and has a café and observation deck on the top. I was only interested in the observation deck.
There is a small elevator to the top floors, with a maximum of maybe three passengers. Two young men held the door for me, so that I could join them on the way up. As we exited, they informed me that I had to take their photograph, and it had to be with my camera, not my phone. I explained that camera photos would take some time to get to them, especially with my computer issues. One got my contact information and was sending me messages before I got home, looking for the photo. I had to tell him to be patient and was finally able to send him a couple of shots.
It was especially great walking since it was a big pedestrian only area. That allowed for lots of outdoor dining.
I thought about one of the outdoor places but found myself on a quiet street and walked into the Taverna Tatjana. It had a real old-fashioned vibe. A lady manager, probably the owner, greeted me and gave me a table inside. The two servers were also older women. There seemed to be a party in the back. I suspected a family affair. I had an amazing seafood salad followed by a seafood pasta. Yes, that is a lot of seafood, but it was all very good. At end I was given a complementary digestif.
The sun was setting as I made my way back to the hotel. My short visit to Ljubljana was almost over. I could have stayed for a long time but had only booked the two nights. I would be on the coast the next night.
I returned to my minimalistic room. Normally I would have downloaded all my photographs from the day, but all I could do was flip through them on the little camera screen which was not the same at all.
Back home with functioning technology I put together this little video.
This featured blog entry was written by Bob Brink from the blog Searching for Magical Moments.
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