#476 The Year of 50: Dungeons and Dragons

This entire trip was definitely a tale of two cities.  What a contrast between tiny Montegiove, Italy, population 95, and the bustling city of Ljubljana, Slovenia, with just under 300,000 residents. 

Ljubljana is the capital and largest city in Slovenia.  After World War II, it became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  Slovenia became an independent country in 1991 and is part of the European Union.  But enough about the history, let’s get back to the second week of the trip! 

Besides the contrast in size and inhabitants, there was quite a disparity in the temperatures.  Tucked in the mountains, Montegiove was warm during the day, but comfortably cool in the mornings and evenings.  Ljubljana was just plain hot.  Stiflingly hot.  And our hotel air conditioner didn’t work well. 

Tammy and I slept in the first morning and spent the afternoon wandering and getting a feel for the city.  Since we were trapped on a train the day before, we needed our exercise and decided to climb to the top of the hill to tour the Ljubljana Castle.  It's quite interesting with many different features:  a photography exhibit, puppets, dungeons and the castle tower, which provided a spectacular view of the city and river below.  And we quickly learned that Ljubljana is the city of dragons. 

A lovely view of the Ljubjanica River

One of the dragons at the Dragon Bridge

After a huge dinner of goulash and a side salad that could have served as a main course (I ate every bit of it), we relaxed on a boat tour of the Ljubljanica River.  We capped the night off with an Aperol Spritz at Lockal, a bar located near the Butcher’s Bridge, also called the Love Bridge.  Similar to bridges in Paris and Venice, lovers put a padlock on the bridge as a symbol of their eternal love. 

Goulash and polenta, with a "side" salad.  Delicious!

Love Bridge

The next morning we explored more of the surrounding city area by kayaking on the river for a couple hours.  It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle and see houses and gardens.  I even saw the backside of a naked older man in the distance as he worked in his garden.  You never know what you might see out in the “wild.” 

Our evening consisted of a “free” city bike tour.  We noticed the ad in our hotel and emailed to make a “reservation.”  I inquired if they had bikes big enough for Tammy (who is 6’3”) and myself.  “Of course!” we were told. 

We arrived at the instructed meeting point and met our group, consisting mainly of younger guys staying in the local hostel.  Jan, our guide, walked us to a parking garage where he kept the bikes in a locked closet.  I tried to not be a bike snob, but these bikes were less than ideal.  And not large enough for Tammy and me.  We made do on the 2 ½ hour tour.  They were rusty and had low (or even flat) tires.  As I rode along, I thought, “This is a risk-management person’s nightmare.”  No waivers.  No helmets.  I put my fears aside and enjoyed the tour.  Jan was informative and entertaining.  What a rebel I was with no helmet!  After the tour, we had a nice dinner at Most, not far from the Lock Bridge.  (This restaurant was so good, we went back again the next night.) 

Taking a break along the Ljubljanica River

Our third day was a big one – traveling almost 60 kilometers to Vintgar Gorge.  We took a taxi and arrived early to beat the crowds, and I’m thankful we did.  You can enter from either end, but after walking from one end to the other, we needed to go back from whence we came to catch our ride.  It was way more crowded on the walk back and not as peaceful.  Our walking tour took about two hours total.  We didn’t rush, but could have spent more time there if we didn’t have to catch our taxi. 

I highly recommend visiting the gorge.  It was wonderfully cool after a few days in the city heat.  The experience was absolutely beautiful - peaceful with the sun streaming through the rocks as it rose overhead, yet powerful with the water rushing through the jagged rocks and the roaring waterfalls. 

Our driver dropped us off at our second stop – Lake Bled, which is 6 kilometers south of the gorge.  Lake Bled is like being in a fairy tale.  Which is what Tammy said about 20 times during our afternoon there. 

We toured Bled Castle and then decided to walk all the way around the lake.  The path around the lake is approximately 7 km.  We were told it takes one and-a-half hours to walk around the lake straightaway.  We took our time, stopping to explore different sites along the way.  I didn’t realize how close to the edge of the lake the path would be, and how tourists just jumped into the lake wherever they wished.  There is a dedicated beach area, but otherwise, it’s a free-for-all.  I wish I’d worn a bathing suite under my clothes. 

Lake Bled Castle

Tammy had heard about a scenic spot at the top of a hill with an aerial view of the entire lake.  Of course, we had to see it.  There are actually two hills (Ojstrica and Mala Osojnica).  We took one of the paths and I believe we chose the former.  It took us 30 minutes to hike up and 30 more minutes to get back down.  The path is very steep in places, and very rocky.  Though strenuous, the hike was pleasant due to the cover of the trees.  Occasionally we would pass other hikers headed down the hill and ask, “How much further?” or “Is it worth it?”  We received varied answers as to the hike’s length, but everyone agreed that the hike was worth it.  So we kept on.  Then we saw this.  

I wish I had a photo of my face upon seeing these stairs. 

We conquered the stairs, but found a new challenge in that the path became more confusing and we walked around in circles a bit before finding the lookout point.  As you can see, this view was definitely worth it. 

The trip down the hill was a little more uneventful.  And even though I didn’t wear my bathing suit, I took a dip in the lake anyway.  I jumped in wearing my quick-drying hiking shorts and sports bra.  It felt amazing and I know I smelled better after the long hike. 

After that climb, we rewarded ourselves with lunch and the famous Lake Bled cream cake.  

Our last adventure of the day was taking a boat to the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary on Bled Island (could the name be any longer??).  Tammy wanted to rent a boat to row ourselves to the church.  The price was the same, but I was happy to let someone else power the boat after our  hike.  If I ever make it back there, I’d love to try the SUP to the island.  (Another risk-management nightmare – no life jackets on the boat!)

There are 99 steps from the dock of the island up to the church grounds.  You can get married at the church, and it's said that if the groom carries the bride up the 99 steps, they will have a long and happy marriage.  And the bride must remain perfectly silent.  I'm sure that's an interesting experience.  

Agh!  More steps!  These are the 99 steps at the church.

I will note here that we took a bus back to Ljubljana.  Time was not an issue on our return and it was much cheaper than a taxi. 

We spent the rest of our time in Ljubljana doing a little more biking (we rented from a hostel), checking out the market and other shops, and enjoying the city. 

My intent was to write about my trip sooner.  However, due to my lateness, I am able to share a story from a few months ago.  I attended a local travel expo and while browsing, I overheard one of the men from a travel company tell a couple, “There’s not much to do in Slovenia.”  After they finished speaking with him, I walked up behind them and admitted I had overheard what he said to them.  The man immediately said, “That’s not true!” and we laughed as we compared our visits.  

Slovenia was never on my list of places to go.  I’m thankful it was on Tammy’s radar and that I agreed to accompany her.  I would recommend it to anyone, especially first-time European travelers.  It's easy to get around in the city, with a lot to do in Ljubljana proper, and within a relatively short driving distance.  Most everyone speaks English.  All the restaurants we went to had English menus.  It may not be the easiest place to get to (from Italy anyway), but it’s well worth the effort.  Just like the fantastic view of Lake Bled.