Ljubljana

One region of Europe that I had not yet explored in full was the Balkans. There’s several reasons to visit these countries in Southeastern Europe. First of all, it is much cheaper to travel within this region than Western or Central Europe. You also typically do not have to deal with the large crowds of travelers that you find in the rest of Europe. Perhaps one reason that most people do not travel to the Balkans is that not too long ago, in the 1990s, the region was engulfed in wars, as communism collapsed. All the violence is gone now.

The Balkans, and Eastern Europe in general, are full of cultural and historical wealth that most travelers miss out on. I had made it a definite goal of mine in 2018 to explore the Balkans. I had already taken a few trips into the region by July. During the summer the region became much more of a focus. With several daily flights between Zurich and Ljubljana, Slovenia, traveling there was an easy choice to make. 

SUNDAY, JULY 29TH

Flew with Adria Airways to Ljubljana late at night, just before 9 PM.

The flight was comfortable, and most of all punctual. So late at night there was no public transport from the airport to the city. Before departing Zurich, I found a taxi-share company by the name GoOpti online. They essentially drive minibuses at scheduled, regular intervals, and you can book a seat in advance. You only pay a fraction of what a regular taxi would cost. Deplaning was quicker than I thought, and I had booked a GoOpti that departed later, to have a time buffer. Some other travelers who had bookings earlier than mine didn’t show up. Thus, I got on a minibus into the city earlier than my actual booking.

When I arrived at the airbnb flat, I had arranged with the owner that I would pick up the keys from a keybox on the side of the building. The keybox wasn’t next to any door, so I still had to find the right entrance. The owner described the building’s entrance as the one with the “green door”. That door looked anything but green at night in the dark, so I started out by trying the wrong door. Oops. Eventually I found the right door, and made my way inside.

I knew that the apartment would be shared with other guests, with everyone having their own bedrooms. What I did not expect was that my room had a bunk bed, with only the upper bunk. This was not shown in any of the pictures online. All the other rooms were taken. The only alternative was booking an entirely different place, which would have been overkill. I unpacked my stuff and went to sleep. 

MONDAY, JULY 30TH

Woke up earlier than I had desired due to thin curtains. I usually don’t travel with an eye mask, but I wish I had done so this time. The curtains barely blocked out the sun, so it got bright in the room as soon as sunrise came around.

I showered, and then walked down the street from the apartment to a bakery, where I picked up breakfast to go. The bakery actually had a seating area. However, I wanted to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. I found a bench down by the Ljubljanica riverside. What I didn’t realize at first, was that the bench was just a stone’s throw away from the Dragon Bridge. This is one of Ljubljana’s most noteworthy bridges. It gets its name from the dragon statues at all four corners of the bridge.

It was a good spot to start the sightseeing for the day.

One of the main sights in the city is the Ljubljana Castle. It is situated on a hilltop just beyond the city centre. On my way to the bottom of the hiking path, I passed the Central Market on Vodnikov trg square.

It wasn’t super busy on a Monday morning, but there were plenty of vendors selling fresh fruits and produce.

I continued towards the castle. It takes about 10-15 minutes to hike up to the castle, unless you want to take the funicular.

Once you get to the top, the great views certainly makes the hike well worth your time. As you enter the castle however, it quickly becomes apparent there is not much actual “castle” left.

What remains of the castle dates mostly from the 16th century, but much of it has been restored and refurbished to make way for different exhibition spaces and restaurants.

One of the first spots I went to was the watchtower, for the best views of the city from the castle.

Some of the castle’s exhibits deal with modern fashion and puppets, which seemed out of place inside a medieval castle. One of the oldest remnants of the castle, which has not been modernised, is the Chapel of St. George, constructed in 1489.

In the basement below the castle, there are also some remains of the former Spanheim Castle’s walls. That castle was first built in the 13th century.

The history exhibit at the castle was definitely worthwhile, albeit short. It featured some archaeological findings.

The dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, when Slovenia gained its independence, was also covered in the history gallery.

Pictures of the Yugoslav army leaving Slovenia, which had become independent. 

In order to get to the castle, I had hiked uphill from the north. I decided to leave the castle by walking downhill on the south side. This was very convenient, because the trail terminates at the southern end of the Old Town area.

I walked back up through the Old Town, past the Stari trg square. The streets here are pedestrian only, and are lined with many beautiful and colorful buildings.

Some of the buildings here have particular history, others are just ordinary apartments. There’s plenty of restaurants, cafés and shops along the street.

In the heart of the Old Town is the Town Hall. It’s possible to visit the inside of the building on guided tours on Saturdays. Since I got here on a Monday, I had to make do with just seeing the courtyard. That part of the Town Hall is open throughout the week. It features some murals, including a historical map of the city.

The city is also proudly displaying some awards, such as being named the Green Capital of Europe in 2016.

Just a couple of minutes walking past the town hall is Ljubljana’s Cathedral of St. Nicolas. It’s been the site of a church since the 13th century, but the current structure was erected in the 18th century.

It’s got remarkable bronze doors, with sculpted scenes depicting the history of Christianity in Slovenia. These doors were installed in 1996, to commemorate a visit by the Pope.

Inside the church is a picturesque combination of pink marble, white stucco with golden decorations, and lots of baroque frescoes.

Around the corner from the Cathedral of St. Nicolas is another city landmark, the Triple Bridge. As the name suggests, it is not one, but three bridges, and they are placed immediately beside each other.

It’s difficult to get a good photo that shows this. From the castle hill some of the surrounding buildings block the view. The reason for the three bridges was that the main bridge was built first in 1842. It was used by horse carriages as well as pedestrians. In the early 1930s, Slovenian Jože Plečnik decided to make two pedestrian bridges on both sides of the main bridge. Nowadays all three adjacent bridges are just used by pedestrians anyway. 

The Triple Bridge leads across the Ljubljanica River to Prešernov Square. This square is pretty much the very center of the city. It was crowded with summer tourists.

There’s plenty of nice façades on the square, and some unique architectural styles.

One of the buildings that is located at Prešernov Square is Ljubljana’s Franciscan Church. It immediately stands out on the square with its pink color. Inside the 17th-century church is plenty of marble, and large frescoes across the ceiling. 

Because I was in the heart of the city, I decided to have lunch now. It was easier instead of walking further away and coming back. It was a bit earlier for lunch than I had planned. This meant I had some time on my hands. I couldn’t decide exactly where to go for lunch, so I went to three separate places for an appetizer, the main course and the dessert! I first went to a small hole-in-the-wall called Klobasarna, which serves one thing only, traditional Slovenian Kranjska klobasa sausages.

For the main course, I went to a restaurant called Güjzina, which specializes in dishes from north-eastern Slovenia. There I had some dumplings covered in sauce, with buckwheat and potatoes.

I don’t always do dessert and I rarely eat ice cream. However, Gelateria Romantika is an ice cream shop with awards from magazines around the world. I guess I had to give that a try as well.

Had a chocolate waffle with some ice cream, and it was delicious.

Just a couple of blocks south of the Gelateria Romantika was the National Library. It was open but only for students of the University of Ljubljana. Visiting hours for non-students was later in the afternoon.

I decided instead to explore two nearby squares, the Kongresni Trg and Trg Republike. Kongresni Trg is actually more of a park than a square, and it has a few statues. One of these is a copy of a gilded Roman citizen from the 4th century. The original is in Ljubljana’s National Museum. The Republic Square also has some statues, but these are from the communist Yugoslavia era.

Surrounding the Trg Republike are a pair of socialist skyscrapers and the Parliament Building, constructed in the 1950s.

The Parliament Building has a socialist design as well. However, the bronze sculptures around the front entrance are actually noteworthy.

From the Trg Republike, I walked south to see best remnants of Roman walls.

During Roman times, Ljubljana was known as Emona. Along Mirje street, there’s a approximately 200 meter long section of well-preserved walls from what used to be Emona. It’s not possible to climb onto the relatively low walls. There are a couple of portals though, where you can walk through and see the walls from the other side. 

Not far from the Roman walls was the Plečnik House, where Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik used to live. However, it was closed for Mondays. I turned around and continued on foot back towards the north. My next spot on the to-do list was the National Museum of Slovenia. 

The National Museum has an extensive collection. I spent at least an hour and a half inside to explore most of it. The archaeology sections of the museum were quite stunning, with some items being more than 3,000 years old. Some of these include swords and golden jewellery from various ethnic groups and periods.

One of the most noteworthy items on display is the “Vače situla”. It is a highly embossed Celtic vase from the 6th century BC. It was located in a town east of Ljubljana.

Within the museum you’ll also find the original Roman “Citizen of Emona” golden statue from the 4th century. In addition to these things, there’s a collection of Roman gravestones.

A couple of streets north of the National Museum of Slovenia was the city’s Serbian Orthodox church, the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church. It may sound odd that there’s a Serbian Orthodox church in Slovenia. The fact that the church was constructed in 1936 gives a good clue why. At that time, Slovenia belonged to Yugoslavia, which at the time was a monarchy. The capital of Yugoslavia was Belgrade in modern-day Serbia. Thanks to Yugoslavia, the city of Ljubljana gained a small ethnically Serbian minority.

The inside of the church is covered all over the walls and ceilings in modern, colorful frescoes. Such is the norm with most Orthodox churches. 

Next I returned to the National Library, as it had opened for non-student visitors in the meantime. As you enter the National Library, the black marble columns stand out.

The old-fashioned reading area is quite interesting to see as well.

There’s even a small exhibition about the history of the library, which stood completed in 1941. The exhibit includes pictures from when a German bomber crashed into the building in 1943. There’s also some ancient books on display.

Following the library, I visited the Church of the Holy Trinity. It has a white-washed and very modest interior, in comparison to other churches in the city.

After having walked between all the sights thus far, I bought a public transport card. I used this in order to take the bus out to Zale Cemetery and back. It’s located on the outskirts of the city to the northeast. It’s where the notable people of Slovenia are buried. Zale Cemetery is also home to entire sections of Italian, Austrian and German soldiers’ cemeteries from both world wars.

For dinner I took the bus back towards the Old Town area. I tried asking around at a few restaurants, before deciding to eat at Druga Violina. The restaurant stands out, because they have a mission of hiring people with mental and physical disabilities. They help with small tasks, such as bringing the food to the tables and collecting dishes when you’re done. The food is quite good and cheaper than other places in the Old Town of Ljubljana. Add in the fact that you’re helping a good cause, and it makes for a nice experience. I had a sandwich as an appetizer, followed by a pasta dish. For dessert, I picked a fruit pie.

Having eaten, I returned to my apartment, before going to a local nightclub for some dancing and fun. 

TUESDAY, JULY 31ST

Nothing on the agenda would open before 10, so I slept in. Or at least I tried. Once daylight came around it was pretty bright inside the room, thanks again to the thin curtains.

For breakfast I went to the same bakery as Monday. This time I simply ate the pastries inside the bakery’s own seating area.

The first stop on the day was the “Early Christian Centre Archaeological Park”, an excavation of remains from the ancient Roman city of Emona. The town of Emona was the predecessor of Ljubljana. It turned out there are actually two such sites. They are however in different parts of the city, although within a 10 minute walk of each other.

The main site, closer to the city centre, is the most interesting of the two. It features a couple of floor mosaics that are well-preserved. Even though none of the remains reach above your knees, it’s still possible to imagine that these used to be separate houses.

Signs explain the history of the site in more detail.

Oddly, the other excavation site didn’t have anyone selling or checking tickets. You could just walk in and out as you wanted. I did anyway have a combined ticket, but I still found that peculiar. At this location there were also some walls of several different houses remaining.

The experience was a bit disturbed by three groundskeepers though. Their lawn mowers and loud equipment didn’t really help the atmosphere.

The combined ticket I had also included the extensive City Museum of Ljubljana. In the museum’s basement is a reconstructed street from the Roman city Emona. It has been made with some remains that were originally unearthed below the museum. Some of the most prominent pieces in the museum’s collection are Langobard gold-sheet crosses from the 6th century.

However, nothing tops the most famous piece in the museum, which is actually just a wheel and it’s axle. Discovered close to Ljubljana, the wheel and axle, composed of different sorts of wood, has been estimated to be around 5,200 years old.

It is believed to be the oldest wheel unearthed worldwide. The fact that it is still somewhat intact is remarkable.

The exhibition at the City Museum of Ljubljana continues into modern times. Some of the more recent items that stood out to me were postcards showing the city in the 1890s.

For lunch, I crossed the Ljubljanica River and walked to the southern part of the old town. The restaurant had a peculiar name, “Gostilnica 5-6 Kg.”, which describes the ideal size for a suckling pig. As you can imagine, it’s not exactly a vegan restaurant. The menu is almost all pork, in various shapes and sizes.

Not far from where I had lunch was the Plečnik House. I had tried to get in the day before, when it was closed. This time, on a Tuesday, it was open. Jože Plečnik was a famous Slovenian architect. He designed many of the important buildings in Ljubljana throughout the first half of the 20th century. He had a unique personality, and to most people, he came off as quite strange. Plečnik was however very passionate and perfectionist about his work.

I got a tour of the complex where he lived. It included two joined houses and a pavilion where he used to do most of his work.

The next spot I wanted to visit was the Museum of Contemporary History, which was much further north of the city centre. It was difficult to find a recharge station for the MetroCard. It was the only option for paying for public transport in the city. I decided to just take the bus anyway. Not my fault that there’s only so few spots in the city that you can place more money on the card. 

The Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia deals exclusively with the 20th century history of the country. It briefly covers the initial formation of Yugoslavia, going into greater detail regarding the WWII occupation of Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav Partisans, which contributed to the liberation of Yugoslavia, are celebrated.

There’s also plenty of interesting photos from the post-war era of rebuilding and industrialisation.

As communism collapsed and Yugoslavia split up into individual countries, the Yugoslav armed forces invaded Slovenia. The fight of the Slovenian army for independence is also highlighted. The tail of a gunned-down Yugoslav (Serbian) helicopter is on display inside the museum. 

The last museum that I visited in the city was the Railway Museum. It is housed in an old railways workshop, north of the city center. It was a relatively long, but do-able walk from the Museum of Contemporary History. The Railway Museum features a collection of about a dozen old locomotives from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Yugoslav period.

There’s also plenty of objects from the time of the Yugoslav Railways company, including its several logos throughout its existence. These are compared to the logo of the modern Slovenian Railways, known as “SŽ” locally. 

In a separate building, there’s various signaling equipment. There’s also a public announcement microphone and numerous gauges that were used for monitoring the conditions of the railway networks throughout the country. 

It was shortly before 6 PM, and a bit early for dinner. So I took my time and went for a long walk downtown. I decided on having a seafood dinner by the river at a restaurant called Ribca. Ljubljana is centrally located inland, but Slovenia does have a stretch of coast along the Adriatic Sea. The seafood was inspired by recipes from that region. It was definitely a good choice. 

When I returned to the apartment, the sun-soaked private bedroom I rented had gotten very hot. I needed to get to sleep early. It was not easy to sleep, particularly given the fact that the sun wouldn’t go down until after 9 PM. Only then would it start cooling down. There was no air conditioning in the room. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1ST

Early morning wake-up, after which I just packed all my bags. To sleep in slightly longer, I neither showered, nor had breakfast. I figured I’d get some breakfast at the airport, and I would just shower once I got home. Just past 5:30 AM, I left the apartment and dropped off the keys in the key safe outside the building. I walked over to the nearby central train station, to find a taxi to the airport.

Fortunately the airport in Ljubljana is relatively small, so passing the check-in and security is very quick. This meant I had plenty of time to get something to eat.

I flew back to Zurich with Adria Airways, a comfortable flight on a relatively small plane, which arrived on-time.