Ljubljana

This city is complex to spell but very easy to fall in love with!! It is the capital city, full of university students, a historical Old Town Center, lots of green space, and a river lined with outdoor cafes. There are also plenty of bridges spanning the river Ljubljanica.

This is one of our favorite European cities, for sure! We had a guided tour and then plenty of time to wander on our own. Much of the architecture of the city was designed by the local architect Joze Plecnik.

The relaxed and charming pedestrian-friendly Old Town is clustered around the castle high on the cliff. It was fun to just stroll the many interesting squares, people watch, do some window shopping, and see the classical/modern architecture rebuilt after earthquake damage in the 1900s.

Ljubljana Castle

A key landmark of the city is Ljubljana Castle. It is kind of an architectural mishmash (earthquake damage on two separate occasions), with most of it dating from the 16th century. We took a funicular ride to the castle, then walked to the top of the Watchtower to get an amazing view of the city.

We saw the city from another perspective with a cruise along the 𝙇𝙟𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙟𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧. We sailed past suburbs, sports clubs, and many interesting bridges.

Walkways and lots of cafes along the river provide so much outdoor activity for residents, right in the midst of the city.

The dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana and we saw them everywhere! Legend has it that Ljubljana was founded by Jason & his Argonauts..…they stopped in a marsh where a dragon dwelled ….and, of course, Jason killed the dragon!

So today, the dragon is a protector of the city. Or, they say, it could have been St. George!

These intricately sculpted bronze doors to 𝙇𝙟𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙟𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙡 were created for Pope John Paul’s visit in 1996. It has images of 6 of its bishops.

Slovenia was an unexpected surprise!! This country really does have it all and I wish we had more time here.

---

September, 2021, Traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel