You find Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and our destination on Wednesday the 27th. Driving in from Bled in the morning, we found ourselves having to navigate Ljubljana's narrow streets (plus construction) in order to find a parking garage; eventually we succeeded in parking the car without incident, and proceeded toward Preseren Square, the central square of the city. Preseren Square, like much of central Ljubljana, lies alongside the Ljubljanica River, which divides the more medieval Old Town from the relatively-newer New Town; at various points, the river is spanned by several bridges, including the Dragon Bridge, the Triple Bridge, and the Cobblers' Bridge. For the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana is a relatively small city, with only around 280,000 people, allowing it to feel very human, without the rushed quality of large cities, such as Berlin. However, this is not to say that Ljubljana is a dull city, as it felt very vibrant, with university students, other residents, and tourists all enjoying the beauty of the city. And it is beautiful, despite the presence of communist-era apartment blocks on the outskirts of the center of the city. Ljubljana, which is basically in the center of Slovenia, was for centuries an Austrian city (Laibach), which explains why central Ljubljana looked so familiar to someone who has traveled through many German towns and cities. In spite of this German influence, Ljubljana's buildings also display Slavic influences (a building painted in Slovenian folk style) and Italian influences (the cathedral is Italian Baroque); indeed, I think this mixing of cultures (Slavic, Germanic, and Italian) in Ljubljana is one of the reasons that the city feels so vibrant despite its small size.
After arriving in Preseren Square, we crossed the river on the Triple Bridge, which is just what it sounds like: one bridge with three distinct parts (another way to think of it is as three interconnected bridges). In the Old Town, we explored the riverside market hall, which is contained in an Art Nouveau colonnaded building, and another market in a square by the cathedral. At the far end of the market hall we found the Dragon Bridge, so named for the large dragon sculptures at either end of the bridge; interestingly, the dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana, due to legends that Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts fame) founded Ljubljana, where he struck down a monster (the dragon). Perhaps more believably, the dragon symbol could also be connected to St. George, the patron saint of Ljubljana's castle chapel. From the Dragon Bridge, we explored a souvenir shop, where I bought some postcards of Ljubljana and a few souvenir magnets; from there, we continued on to the cathedral, which was about to close for the afternoon. Ducking past a German tour group, we slid into the church, which was quite ornate, as befitting its Italian Baroque style; in comparison with German and Austrian Baroque churches, this cathedral seemed much darker on the inside, although I'm not sure if that was a function of the decorative style or the direction in which the cathedral was facing. From the cathedral, we proceeded down the river a little ways (still on the Old Town side) until we found a promising Italian restaurant for lunch; appearances did not deceive, as the restaurant had the best pizza that I've yet tasted on this trip!
After lunch, we crossed back over the river to the New Town and ambled down along the river, looking at the architecture. Passing the Cobblers' Bridge (explanation for the name unknown), I took the opportunity for some artsy shots of Ljubljana, before we continued on our way. At a main road, we turned inland, and walked back toward Preseren Square on a different street, passing by French Revolution Square, so named because of Ljubljana's gratitude toward Napoleon for making the city capital of his new Illyrian provinces, and Congress Square, where we spent some quality time people-watching (and where I started planning my next shopping spree to make myself look more European). From Congress Square, we made our way back to Preseren Square, where we popped into a department store filled with lots of things I could never afford, before turning west, toward the government district. No sooner had I realized that we had yet to see Slovenia's parliament or other government buildings did we come across the parliament building, which is across the street from the Square of the Republic, dominated by two huge Tito-era skyscrapers that look utterly out of place in small-town Ljubljana. A bit farther down the street, we saw the US Embassy, which is situated inside a quaint yellow villa, quite a contrast to the massive US Embassy on Pariser Platz in Berlin. From there, we looked into the Serbian Orthodox Church, which does not date from Yugoslav days, but is more recent, a symbol of Serbia immigration into more-prosperous Slovenia. Leaving western Ljubljana behind, we walked back into the center of the city, where we stopped for a snack (I had delicious chocolate mousse) before retrieving our car and heading back to Bled. In Bled, we went back to the Okarina restaurant for dinner, where I had a good Greek salad and part of Mom's spaghetti. That night, I packed, as I (unfortunately) had to leave Slovenia behind in the morning to move on toward Salzburg.
Leaving Slovenia was much more painful for me than leaving Berlin, because I truly felt that I could live in Slovenia! I can see myself visiting Lake Bled to partake of the fresh mountain air, and soaking up the sun on the Adriatic in Piran. I also really liked Ljubljana, which is my type of city (smaller, but still vibrant), and was the most authentically Slovenian place that we visited (most people were actually Slovenians, not tourists).
See you again, Slovenia!
After arriving in Preseren Square, we crossed the river on the Triple Bridge, which is just what it sounds like: one bridge with three distinct parts (another way to think of it is as three interconnected bridges). In the Old Town, we explored the riverside market hall, which is contained in an Art Nouveau colonnaded building, and another market in a square by the cathedral. At the far end of the market hall we found the Dragon Bridge, so named for the large dragon sculptures at either end of the bridge; interestingly, the dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana, due to legends that Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts fame) founded Ljubljana, where he struck down a monster (the dragon). Perhaps more believably, the dragon symbol could also be connected to St. George, the patron saint of Ljubljana's castle chapel. From the Dragon Bridge, we explored a souvenir shop, where I bought some postcards of Ljubljana and a few souvenir magnets; from there, we continued on to the cathedral, which was about to close for the afternoon. Ducking past a German tour group, we slid into the church, which was quite ornate, as befitting its Italian Baroque style; in comparison with German and Austrian Baroque churches, this cathedral seemed much darker on the inside, although I'm not sure if that was a function of the decorative style or the direction in which the cathedral was facing. From the cathedral, we proceeded down the river a little ways (still on the Old Town side) until we found a promising Italian restaurant for lunch; appearances did not deceive, as the restaurant had the best pizza that I've yet tasted on this trip!
After lunch, we crossed back over the river to the New Town and ambled down along the river, looking at the architecture. Passing the Cobblers' Bridge (explanation for the name unknown), I took the opportunity for some artsy shots of Ljubljana, before we continued on our way. At a main road, we turned inland, and walked back toward Preseren Square on a different street, passing by French Revolution Square, so named because of Ljubljana's gratitude toward Napoleon for making the city capital of his new Illyrian provinces, and Congress Square, where we spent some quality time people-watching (and where I started planning my next shopping spree to make myself look more European). From Congress Square, we made our way back to Preseren Square, where we popped into a department store filled with lots of things I could never afford, before turning west, toward the government district. No sooner had I realized that we had yet to see Slovenia's parliament or other government buildings did we come across the parliament building, which is across the street from the Square of the Republic, dominated by two huge Tito-era skyscrapers that look utterly out of place in small-town Ljubljana. A bit farther down the street, we saw the US Embassy, which is situated inside a quaint yellow villa, quite a contrast to the massive US Embassy on Pariser Platz in Berlin. From there, we looked into the Serbian Orthodox Church, which does not date from Yugoslav days, but is more recent, a symbol of Serbia immigration into more-prosperous Slovenia. Leaving western Ljubljana behind, we walked back into the center of the city, where we stopped for a snack (I had delicious chocolate mousse) before retrieving our car and heading back to Bled. In Bled, we went back to the Okarina restaurant for dinner, where I had a good Greek salad and part of Mom's spaghetti. That night, I packed, as I (unfortunately) had to leave Slovenia behind in the morning to move on toward Salzburg.
Leaving Slovenia was much more painful for me than leaving Berlin, because I truly felt that I could live in Slovenia! I can see myself visiting Lake Bled to partake of the fresh mountain air, and soaking up the sun on the Adriatic in Piran. I also really liked Ljubljana, which is my type of city (smaller, but still vibrant), and was the most authentically Slovenian place that we visited (most people were actually Slovenians, not tourists).
See you again, Slovenia!