Ljubljana (280,000 population) enchanted us from the very start. It’s a beautiful city—compact and dedicated to being green (both in terms of trees and plants which are everywhere and ecologically). The city sits on both sides of a bend in the Ljubljanska River with coffees shops, restaurants and stores lining a promenade along the river. It’s relatively quiet during the day. But it comes alive at night with locals and tourists walking the promenade, stopping for dinner or a coffee or an ice cream…enjoying one another and chatting the night away.
No cars are allowed in the city center, but there are lots of pedestrians, bicycles, scooters and such. Also they run a free electric shuttle (like a large golf cart) to get disabled or older people around. There are lots of bridges to cross from one side of the river to the other, so good connectivity. Ljubljanans are very serious about recycling. They have 4 categories: organic waste, paper, glass and packaging. It’s really easy to separate into those categories…and the “drop boxes” for the items are conveniently located on every block. It is all free except for non-recycled stuff—you pay for that, as it should be. The water is great and free drinking water fountains (and bathrooms) are everywhere. Under the drinking spigots are bowls for pets. The city has received numerous international awards for being pet, pedestrian, bicycle-friendly, as well as green. While tourism is important in Ljubljana, it is also the largest city and the capital city of Slovenia. Crowning the town is a fairytale castle, flags waving. It’s such a lovely place!
We found our AirBnB quickly and moved right in. Anybody interested can check out our place: River View Apartment in the Historic City Center. It was without a doubt the best place we have stayed as yet in terms of location, comfort, kitchen supplies, bathroom—everything was super nice. While it didn’t have a/c, the old stone building was cool inside and we had fans. We opened the windows to cool air when we returned each evening from our day’s activities. See view from our window below. The boxes in the foreground are the recycling bins which connect to huge receptacles underground.
The highlights of our week in Ljubljana are several. On the day after our arrival, we experienced the Open Kitchen. Dozens of restaurants set up booths in a square near the farmer’s market and provide every kind of food imaginable, from Argentine steaks to Spanish paella to Thai fried noodles to African stews. All this was complimented with wine and beer booths as well as dessert options. We were in “hog heaven” as it were. We sampled several dishes, sharing each other’s plates. This happens every Friday throughout the summer from 10 am to 9 pm…a really nice tradition. We should think about organizing something similar in our various home cities. (Open kitchen and farmer’s market pictured below.)
Then we decided to buy a tourist card that gave us free entrance to several attractions. Of course, Roger wanted to get in as many of the attractions as he could within the 24-hour time limit. First we took a guided city walking tour, which included a funicular ride up to the castle. Next, we took a tourist train, exploring sites a little farther than we could go on foot. Finally, we took a river boat cruise along the river just before sunset. The next morning, we picked up bicycles at the Tourist Information Center (still on the card because we were still within our 24 hours) and rode to the huge city park, finally finding the bicycle trail that encircled the entire city. The 20-mile trail is called the Trail of Remembrance and Comradeship. It is essentially a bike and walking path through overhanging trees, gardens and parks. In WWII, the city was surrounded with barbed wire by the Axis powers to prevent partisans from leaving (we were assured that they got out anyway)—the trail reflects where the barbed wire used to be. While we crossed car roads in places, usually there were no roads in sight. It was a wonderful 2 days “living on the card.” Pictures below are our boat ride down the river, overview of city from castle, and bike ride.
A couple of days later, we had a walking food tour where we tried the local foods. Our first stop featured fried sardines and another even smaller fish. The latter were like small potato chips even with the heads, bones and all…crunchy. We took more care with the sardines by removing the little skeletons. Both were good. Next we had a charcuterie plate of ham, prosciutto, olives and cheese followed by a traditional Slovenian goulash with 3 meats instead of one. We were told that one the meats had to be wild. Ours was beef, lamb and wild boar…they couldn’t find a bear that day. The next stop was traditional sausage with horseradish and mustard sauces and bread. Finally, we had a local dessert…a choice of chocolate or white cake. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. At each stop, local wines were paired with the food (of course!). I’m getting a little tired of processed foods like prosciutto and sausage, but the local guides assure us that they don’t use nitrites and other chemicals. This food actually comes from the farm.
Finally, we spent a day walking around Tivoli Park, a beautiful 1,200 acre park extending right into the heart of the city. It was formed in the 1800s by combining the grounds of several mansions. There are treed paths crisscrossing the hillsides of the park and we got lost several times. But fortunately, with Roger’s maps.me (ugh!) app, we found our way home. As a treat for all our hard work, we had an iced coffee just outside of the park. It was the “best ever” iced coffee, in the words of our grandson.
Interspersed with all this activity, we managed a few days of quiet to read, cook and wash clothes. It was a heavenly week. We love Ljubljana.
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