We were very tired after our long ride to Ljubljana yesterday. The humidity and wind had taken more out of us than we had realized. It was so lucky that we arrived at Guesthouse Koprivec when we did as we were able to get the last available room. As we were confirming that we wanted to stay, other people arrived and also wanted rooms. We hadn't prebooked as we were concerned about storage for our bike. But no problem, Carlos (the owner) put our bike inside with his car in a secure place. This family run guesthouse is such good value, clean and comfortable, in a good location and with the added bonus of the friendly, accommodating family who run it. Carlos and his wife, "the boss", and their daughters are always there and very keen to do whatever they can for you. Highly recommended.
We knew that the weather was going to be bad today, but the heavy storms over night continued this morning. Violent thunder and lightning with heavy rain made it an easy choice to stay put for the morning in our room and relax. We finally headed out to explore, dressed in all of our raingear, and an easy 20 min walk took us to the centre of Ljubjana. Like Maribor, this city is very low key, yet beautiful and full of interesting things to see. We wandered the city and were enchanted by Ljubjana.
Our guesthouse is positioned between 2 train lines. We ate our breakfast on the balcony and watched trains go by frequently. The grafitti and this tiny transporter car fascinated us.
This was very strange for us to see - we couldn't figure out why so nmany young people were covered in felt pen markings. Barry talked to a young man and learned that it is the first day of high school and the tradition is for the upper classmen to find the first year students and mark them with the letter F. Some kids seemed to enjoy it, but others looked a bit freaked out by it.
The more we travel in Slovenia, the more we understand the importance of bee keeping here. As we have ridden through the countryside, we see the brightly coloured boxes for bees everywhere - honey is an important product, but also Honey Liquer. We liked the label of tandem riding bears.
Dogs are welcome citizens in Slovenia - they are granted access to any business when on leash. We saw many dogs that we enjoyed today, the tolerant family pet who lives with many little children, but especially the white dog bottom right, who was more curious about the pigeons than his food.
St. Nicholas Church is quite extraordinary, but we especially liked the bronze sculpted doors like this one. Note the worn brass patina of the well used door knob. The signs are requesting that entrance is only for prayer as Sunday services are ongoing.
Ljubjana, a historic city with a graceful unpretentious feeling, yet with a youthful energy due to the high number of students here. A scene like this makes you realize that apart from the introduction of electric lights and cars, the city is much as it was centuries ago.
Gustav Mahler - a beautiful sculpture revealing the sensitivity of the man and his music. We learned that he had been hired by the Landestheater in Ljubljana (then Laibach)and lived and worked here for 6 months. Mahler conducted his first major opera, Verdi's Il Trovatore in Ljubljana and went on to conduct 50 more in his time here.
This shows the iconic image of Ljubjana, the Three Bridges. There are a series of beautiful bridges here, but these three which are close together, are a landmark.
France Perseren is a beloved 19th century Romantic poet, credited for his inspiration of all subsequent Slovene literature. He is revered by Slovenes and his legacy is enormous. It speaks volumes that his statue is the centrepiece of the main square in Ljubjana (Preseren Square) and he continues to be a source of inspiration for the current generation and their Slovenian identity. The date of his death is now called Preseren Day and is officially the Slovene Cultural Holiday. As well, in 1989, one of his poems was declared the National Anthem for Slovenia.
Corn is always fascinating for us in Europe. We see so much corn growing, yet it is rarely for human consumption. It is usually kept on the stalk until it dries and is then ground up for feed for livestock. However, in Slovenia, we see that it is also grown for people to eat.
The funicular is a great way to get up the steep cliff to the castle. It is great to be a senior...as we were debating about what to do, the clerk offered us the discounted price for a combo and we jumped at it. Our ticket for 7 euros provides us with a return ride on the funicular, entrance to the castle and the various museums.
We are about to climb up to the tower to have a look at the 360 degree view of Ljubjana. We are going to try to see if we can see where we rode our bike yesterday.
There is an excellent museum at the castle which gives one an understanding of the history of Slovenia. Here is a bust of the beloved Tito, whose mother was Slovenian.
