Ljubljana, Slovenia: Traipsing in the New Eden

Brief note: As a consequence of me getting so far behind in these entries, I've decided to embark in a new form of writing that will be integrated into the posts. This will likely make them less narrative and more spur of the moment. More almost note-like because, well, it will be notes to myself which are incorporated. This will give you much more depth into the little nuances I come across and also how I feel at that moment. Accordingly, tenses will flip around and it might seem less cohesive. But have courage dear reader. We all must grow and evolve and Wanderlust is no exception. God speed.

What was it that made me so brazenly overlook Slovenia? Was it the location, tucked neatly away between Italy, Croatia, Austria, and Hungary? Was it because of all the pub for Croatia or Trieste or Budapest or Belgrade or Sarajevo? Was it because the name Slovenia in my mind conjures up the word "slovenly"? Whatever the reason, I nearly made a huge mistake in overlooking this amazing place. In fact, the only reason I ended up going to Slovenia was that I needed a flight to or near Croatia for Shengen visa purposes and there were no reasonable flights elsewhere.

Right before I left Mike's to tour the UK and Ireland, I booked a flight from London to Ljubljana, Slovenia for the 24th of August. It was my initial intention to spend just a day there and head on to Croatia, but after doing a little research it seemed at least 3-4 would be required. I booked into a hostel in Lj that during the school term operates as a dorm for university students. Upon arriving from the airport, which is situated considerably far from the city but thankfully has shuttle buses, I checked into my room only to discover that I was going to be the only one occupying what was a three person dorm room. Should make for a few good night's sleep. The room itself was a bit dingy but I suppose that's to be expected.

My first thoughts of Lj: "Why is it so damn hot? Am I back in NC?" It was 96 degrees F. Remember in Nice where white guys vacationed with their Asian girlfriends and everyone else sustained arm injuries? The first people I met- sitting on the bus from the airport- was an Asian girl who had a white boyfriend WITH an arm injury.

Since there was a fair amount of daylight left I decided to take a stroll and with my Slovenian labeled map I headed to the most noticeable feature: the Lj Castle. Along the way I passed by the aptly named Dragon Bridge.

Lj Castle is perched high atop a hill overlooking Lj (as seemingly all castles are). There are two options to get there, either pay €8 one way for a funicular or walk up via the steep paths. Not wanting to waste money and always loving a climb I made my way up on foot. In my opinion it's the better of the two because the breaks in the trees provide birds eye views of the town below.

The castle itself has been extensively restored and now features a museum, cafes, shops, an art gallery, and is even used as an impromptu performance hall

To go inside the museum and up in the tower it is a few euros but if you show up an hour before close it's half price. Plus they bought my "I'm a student but forgot my ID" line. The best views of the city are from the tower so it's definitely worth it.

I walked back down from the castle and into old town. One of the most stunning features of the old town is the Triple Bridge, so named because it is in fact 3 bridges. On the side of the bridge closest to the castle hill was something exceptionally unique. A local artist had set up canvases all around and was then posing nude on a chair and allowing others to come up and paint/draw her. I did not expect to find that level of experimental art while wandering Lj.

Also nearby is the town hall, a couple monuments, and the old church. Right across the bridge there was an ice cream vendor selling a very unique flavor which was just all the other favors mixed together. I wish I could remember the name- it was something like Kavko! I'm not big on ice cream but I had to try it. Next I walked up to the University and through the park and finally back into old town by the river. You can see photos of all that stuff on flickr. The riverfront around Lj is about as beautiful as they come with gently cascading water, weeping willows hanging onto the banks, and alpine looking villas colored in reds and pastels providing the backdrop.

I wrote at the time, "Ljubljana is amazing. It's like if Rothenburg odT and Venice had a child and then nestled it between some mountains." From there I walked a few blocks down where you can see an old Roman wall part of the original forum of the city. From there you can branch left and follow the canal back around to the main road which encircles the castle hill. Along the way you'll pass a gorgeous little church and a house where, if you're lucky, the lady who owns it will wave and smile at you from her balcony while she enjoys her tea.

On the way back to the hostel I stopped at the store as got some pesto and a cheap Slovenian wine that I was going to eat with some pasta I had left from Scotland in a quiet night at the dorm. The kitchen of the hostel, however, was a bit bereft of supplies.

I was able to make do with the "pot" and there was one spoon so that's what I ate with. If you are wondering what the paper is on the right: it is the sheet music for 'Let it snow.' Thank god, what kitchen is complete without that? As I ate my pasta (whole wheat rotini with pesto which I've suddenly become a huge fan of) in my stifling non-a/c room, I wrote the following, "Hot as balls. Bargain Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like Franzia. But it will do. Flip flop prints all over the walls from quashing mosquitoes." The last part, of course in reference to the fact that to remotely cool the dorm I had to open the windows which allowed in mosquitoes, ruthlessly hunted by yours truly.

The next miring I planned to take a bus up to Lake Bled. On the way I passed a sign that was so funny it's worth posting the picture here. I believe it means it is a school zone an watch out for running children, but it looks like "Watch out! There are so many children they are literally bursting through walls!!"

Onto Lake Bled. Let me first say that Lake Bled is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I could easily spend a week there, biking, hiking, swimming, or just lounging about. They have immense campgrounds if that's your thing and also little bed and breakfasts scattered around if you are a tad more refined. But The first thing you see as you approach the lake from the town is Bled Castle which hangs precariously from atop a massive rock outcropping.

The second thing you notice is how blue and shimmering the water is. For fresh water it's unlike anything I've ever seen. I could spend a lifetime traversing lakes and maybe never find one this color again. One one side of the lake is the castle and the church with the main town. Behind them the Slovenian Alps provide an amazing backdrop.

The third most noticeable feature, an probably my favorite is the island in the lake which houses a church. Every so often bells ring out from the church sending a cacophony of chimes echoing across the water. You can take a rowboat out to the church if you want to go in (no motorboats on the lake), or just swim out there if you just want to walk around. From the far side you can get the most picturesque views of the church, but it looks good from almost any angle. Another place worth a flickr visit.

I spent the next hour or so swimming around in the lake (very refreshing) and then gathered my stuff and headed up to the castle. Bled Castle was built in 1011, by the Hapsburg's and has been extensively restored. Similar to Lj Castle it has a museum, cafe, and a restaurant with spectacular views of the lake and surrounding countryside.

Also, there is a special tiny room with a really tiny window that was built facing the church on the island so the family could gaze out on the lake and the church when they pleased. As I was leaving the castle, a trumpeter and herald came down the stairs to announce the day's events as in the old days. A bit cheesy but still good fun. On the way back to the town (where apparently a marathon was being held), I happened upon a massive (almost 4 foot high) swan swimming in the lake. I was a bit tired and out of it so I didn't notice the girl behind the tree who overheard me mumble to the swan "whoa, you are fucking huge dude." She must understand English because she turned around and looked mortified. Haha.

On the way back up the hill I was noticing the passersby and wrote the following note: "This land is filled with lean sharp jawed women with powerful hawk like eyes that are cunning and as keenly perceiving as they are penetrating. The women all have long tanned lean legs and love to show them off with the shortest short possible, as if everyday was a leg competition."

The ride back to Lj was nearly as beautiful as the lake. Endless corn fields- neatly rowed. Imposing mountains all around. Houses, towns, buildings poking up where there is the even slightest break in corn. On the way in I noticed a plane towing along a glider. On the way out I saw something completely new: a glider airplane trailer.

The next and final day in Lj I planned to take a bus to Postonja where I could walk about 6.5 miles up the hill to the town of Predjama where the incredible Predjama Castle is located. Unfortunately for me, the particular day was going to be one of the rainiest in Slovenia in weeks. As soon as I stepped off the bus in Postonja it started absolutely pouring. I hid under an overhang for a while until it slowed and then started making my way toward Predjama. I got maybe 2 miles before it absolutely started pouring, amidst a thick blanket of fog. Really not an ideal place to be walking alongside a road. I took one picture but then had to put everything in a plastic bag for fear it would get ruined.

I myself was not so lucky. I marched 2 miles in the downpour until I finally reached this little restaurant. I was completely drenched down to the boxers- shoes soaked all the way through. This woman in the restaurant took pity on me and offered me a coffee and cheeseburger. I wasn't really that hungry but anything to get out of the rain. The coffee was as expected but when the burger came out I nearly had a heart attack- it was massive! Not thickness but it was probably 9 inches wide!

Despite not being that hungry, I was so grateful I ate every single bite. After I was done, she asked where I was going and I said Predjama. She offered to draw me a map with a shortcut but just then a young guy pipes up and offered to give me a lift the remaining 2.5 miles! I love Slovenian hospitality. When we reached Predjama, the rain had finally subsided and I caught my first glimpses of the castle.

Predjama castle was built initially in 1200's into the rock face and surrounding caves as a defensible fortress. It was built to it's current form in 1570 an it's most notable inhabitant was Ezraem Leuger, the "bandit knight." As I got closer the castle became more and more incredible and I noticed something interesting. To the bottom left you'll notice a field and a little viewing box that looks like

a bus stop. It is here where they hold annual jousting tournaments! Awesome.

You enter the castle through the main (and only) gate and proceed up through a series of rooms in the first tower. Wooden bridges connect this tower to the main building and it becomes instantly apparent that the castle is literally built into the walls of the cliff.

Despite its age, this castle had everything- a kitchen, audience room, dining room, toilet, heated living room, lookout post, chapel, and even a torture chamber. And speaking of the bandit knight, during a siege of the castle he was done in by a projectile that hit said toilet- pointed out by a traitor in his midst. If you keep climbing the castle there is a narrow wooden footbridge at the top level that leads you up into the caves. As the very back of the caves is a secret passage that winds through the mountain and brings you out safely by the river on the other side. Very Lord of the Rings.

From the main terrace you also get some nice views of the very small town of Predjama. By the time I has finished touring the Castle it ha started pouring rain again. Not wanting to make the 6.5 mile trek in the rain again I waited by the exit until I heard someone speaking English. It was a couple and they were asking one of the ladies how to get to Postonja. Boom. I walked up and said, "excuse me, are you going to Postonja? I can show you, I'm going there myself and could really use a lift in this rain." They accepted and off we went. Turns out they were a couple from mainland Greece vacationing in Slovenia and Croatia. We had a lovely little chat and the next thing I knew I was back at the Postonja bus station. In a bit of a mystic mood, I had the following thoughts on the bus from Postojna to Lj:

"When you are young you're full energy, piss and vinegar. Everything is exciting. You see in everything beauty and the world exists for the pursuit of joy and dreams. The young sees things how they could be.

When you are old you are skeptical, suspicious, and weary. Everything has been done and the new is foreign and not to be trusted. You see in everything sorrow and the world exists as a reminder of failures and forgotten dreams. The old sees things how they were.

This is why I love to travel at this age. I see things with eyes unclouded. I perceive both the beauty and sorrow in all things simultaneously. The world exists as both an opportunity to be capitalized on as well as a cautionary tale of unsuccessful ventures. I see things how they were, how they are, and how they could be. I could not do that at any other age."

Back in Lj it is still raining and I'm tired after a full day. I headed back to the hostel to cook the rest of my pasta, have some wine, and plan out the first half of my Balkans trip which up to that point was nothing but a vague idea. I succeeded in planning through Sarajevo which was about 1 week out. This included a very aggressive itinerary the next day: Piran, back to Postonja, then on to Zadar on a night bus. As I was planning this an immense storm broke out dumping down sheets of water. I opened up my windows and as I ate, drank, planned, and wrote I was serenaded by a chorus of falling water and caressed by the cool misty after-effects.