After my time in the Alps, I was faced with a challenge that needed to stay true to a few parameters:
- Stay within Central Europe to ensure I could make it back to Germany for a wedding.
- Visit a country that I have never been to.
- Do not catch a plane.
- ENJOY!!!
The biggest challenge was staying central to the general area around South Western Germany while also ensuring its a new and fresh place.
After some deep thought, I decided to spend 2 weeks in Slovenia, my journey there involved getting dropped off to Feldkirch from Brand where an overnight train and 2 buses would make up my sojourn to Ljubljana, Slovenia's charismatic capital. A journey which would take me 4 nights and 5 days, I was in no mad rush to get to Ljubljana given how weary I was after hiking through the Austrian Alps for 3 days.
If you've never heard of Ljubljana or have been on the fence about going to see it, stop putting it off and go. Ljubljana is a gorgeous little city and is a perfect 2-3 day stop as part of a wider Slovenia trip. Slovenia is blessed with the Adriatic Sea, Triglav National Park, an alpine region, wine regions and all sort of other terrain, in a country that takes only 3 hours to drive across. Talk about convenient road trip?
Here are some shots from my time in Ljubljana, I have put a video together for your viewing pleasure.
My journey as seen from google maps!
Ljubljana has so much charm, you're reminded by everything about this city that it a perfect mix of Eastern Europe and Central Europe, what with Italy on its Western border, Austria to the North and the Eastern block to the East.
The evidence of this "cultural melting pot" phenomenon can be seen in Slovenia's language, architecture, food and general attitude and way of life. A distinctively slavic sounding language, regal architecture which wouldn't be out of place in an Austrian city, Eastern European dishes like goulash and pljeskavica are readily available, as are wonderful ranges of pasta, pizza and schitzels. Oh, did I mention that it feels like everyone is on holiday in Ljubljana? It is such a...how would you call it, a chilled out buzz, that blankets the city.
They love dragons, this is one of 4 large dragon statues on Ljubljana's famous Dragon Bridge.
Ljubljana castle towers over the city and casts a watchful shadow over the city at certain hours of the day, a splendid place to watch the sunset might I add, you'd do well to take your better half up there with a picnic and a bottle of wine for the end of day light show from the sun, magical!
Metelkova, an area in Ljubljana that used to be the Barracks for the Yugoslav army in Slovenia. It was squatted in 1993 and has been turned into an incredibly edgey art district which hosts some very interesting parties or massive hangouts, particularly on weekend nights! It is definitely an assault on your visual sense.
If my drone could talk, I imagine that it would be bellowing "LJUBLJANA IS BEAUTIFUL" endlessly, not wrong though. Truth.
Thank you steem pals! I hope you enjoyed the video! Follow and upvote if you did, its greatly appreciated and my only hope is that you got something for your own journey or feel even a tiny bit inspired by some of what I have shared, it makes it all worthwhile!
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