Rampant in Slovenia
Pastel-coloured buildings and cobbled stone streets, the chimes of church bells, squares with heroic statues. Looming further away, a castle on top of the hill, overlooking the entire city. All around me, people talking in a language I didn’t understand. It could mean only one thing – I was back in Central Europe. And this time round, I found myself in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Slovenia was the western-most nation in the former Yugoslavia, both geographically and culturally. Slavic in origin and dominated through its history by a succession of foreign powers, ranging from the French to the Hapsburgs and then to Germans earlier last century, it joined the other South Slav states to form Yugoslavia, but became the first to break away in the early 1900s, its declaration of independence triggering a brief 10 day war with federal Yugoslav forces.
And how fast it’s developed since. This is one country which bucked the post-Cold War Balkan trend towards messy and bloody disintegration. The economy is thriving, the country is peaceful and prosperous, and European Union membership was secured in 2004, when Slovenia leaped ahead even of countries such as Bulgaria and Romania. In January this year, the euro was adopted as the new currency, which certainly made my travels there this weekend much easier.
The core of Ljubljana is small and can be easily explored on foot, which was what I did for much of Saturday, wandering to Preseren Square at the heart of town, named after a national poet. There stood the pink-coloured Franciscan Church with its ornamented façade. And in front of it, spanning the Ljubljanica river was the delightful Triple Bridge (Tromostovje). Crossing over, I came upon a bustling Saturday market at the foot of the St Nicholas Church and then reached another bridge, the Dragon Bridge (Zmajski Most), built in Art Noveau style and featuring four statues of dragons, considered an emblem of the city.
I wandered through the rest of the city, traversing mostly quiet and deserted streets. Evidently, this remained a country that treasured its weekends, for all the shops were closed. I managed to take in some history at the City Museum of Ljubljana, close to a complex called the Križanke, the former seat of Teutonic Knights who once held sway over the city in the Middle Ages.
Later in the day, I took the modern all-glass funicular up to Ljubljanski Grad, or Ljubljana Castle, which occupied a dramatic hill over the city core. And with the weather bright and the skies sunny, it afforded visitors a wonderful view over the entire city.
On Sunday morning, I headed to Ljubljana’s main bus terminus and took an early ride to Lake Bled, some 80 km north of the city, close to the Austrian border. Despite its sinister sounding name, Lake Bled is actually one of Slovenia’s most insanely pretty locations. All the right features are there – a peaceful little lake, with an even smaller island in the middle, upon which an old church had been built. Perched on a rock cliff a hundred meters above the lake was a small castle (Blejski Grad). And in the distance, snow-capped mountains from Slovenia’s Julian Alps.
I arrived at Lake Bled even before the clock struck nine in the morning, and proceeded to walk the entire circumference of the lake. Don’t ask me how I managed to do that. I must have been out of my mind. It took me about two hours at quite an intense pace, and when I was done, I was pretty exhausted, satisfying myself with a cup of morning coffee, and then making sure I caught the return bus to Ljubljana.
The rest of the day was spent grabbing lunch and exploring the regular Sunday antiques market at the edge of the Ljubljanica river, before I departed for the airport, bringing to a close a very lovely weekend in this effortlessly elegant city. It had been a very enjoyable trip.
Travel Notes: I flew easyJet from London Stansted to Ljubljana’s Brnik airport. Accommodation was at the Grand Union Garni Hotel, situated midway between the main train and bus station and the centre of town. For yummy Slovenian cuisine, head to the Gostilna Šestica, located on Slovenska cesta, Ljubljana’s main thoroughfare. Good Italian cuisine is also available at the Gostilna As, close to Preseren Square.
Slovenia was the western-most nation in the former Yugoslavia, both geographically and culturally. Slavic in origin and dominated through its history by a succession of foreign powers, ranging from the French to the Hapsburgs and then to Germans earlier last century, it joined the other South Slav states to form Yugoslavia, but became the first to break away in the early 1900s, its declaration of independence triggering a brief 10 day war with federal Yugoslav forces.
And how fast it’s developed since. This is one country which bucked the post-Cold War Balkan trend towards messy and bloody disintegration. The economy is thriving, the country is peaceful and prosperous, and European Union membership was secured in 2004, when Slovenia leaped ahead even of countries such as Bulgaria and Romania. In January this year, the euro was adopted as the new currency, which certainly made my travels there this weekend much easier.
The core of Ljubljana is small and can be easily explored on foot, which was what I did for much of Saturday, wandering to Preseren Square at the heart of town, named after a national poet. There stood the pink-coloured Franciscan Church with its ornamented façade. And in front of it, spanning the Ljubljanica river was the delightful Triple Bridge (Tromostovje). Crossing over, I came upon a bustling Saturday market at the foot of the St Nicholas Church and then reached another bridge, the Dragon Bridge (Zmajski Most), built in Art Noveau style and featuring four statues of dragons, considered an emblem of the city.
I wandered through the rest of the city, traversing mostly quiet and deserted streets. Evidently, this remained a country that treasured its weekends, for all the shops were closed. I managed to take in some history at the City Museum of Ljubljana, close to a complex called the Križanke, the former seat of Teutonic Knights who once held sway over the city in the Middle Ages.
Later in the day, I took the modern all-glass funicular up to Ljubljanski Grad, or Ljubljana Castle, which occupied a dramatic hill over the city core. And with the weather bright and the skies sunny, it afforded visitors a wonderful view over the entire city.
On Sunday morning, I headed to Ljubljana’s main bus terminus and took an early ride to Lake Bled, some 80 km north of the city, close to the Austrian border. Despite its sinister sounding name, Lake Bled is actually one of Slovenia’s most insanely pretty locations. All the right features are there – a peaceful little lake, with an even smaller island in the middle, upon which an old church had been built. Perched on a rock cliff a hundred meters above the lake was a small castle (Blejski Grad). And in the distance, snow-capped mountains from Slovenia’s Julian Alps.
I arrived at Lake Bled even before the clock struck nine in the morning, and proceeded to walk the entire circumference of the lake. Don’t ask me how I managed to do that. I must have been out of my mind. It took me about two hours at quite an intense pace, and when I was done, I was pretty exhausted, satisfying myself with a cup of morning coffee, and then making sure I caught the return bus to Ljubljana.
The rest of the day was spent grabbing lunch and exploring the regular Sunday antiques market at the edge of the Ljubljanica river, before I departed for the airport, bringing to a close a very lovely weekend in this effortlessly elegant city. It had been a very enjoyable trip.
Travel Notes: I flew easyJet from London Stansted to Ljubljana’s Brnik airport. Accommodation was at the Grand Union Garni Hotel, situated midway between the main train and bus station and the centre of town. For yummy Slovenian cuisine, head to the Gostilna Šestica, located on Slovenska cesta, Ljubljana’s main thoroughfare. Good Italian cuisine is also available at the Gostilna As, close to Preseren Square.
2 Comments:
Amazing photos of the lake & mountains! DH
i've been in lake bled and ljubljana last year. lake bled is fantastic! the island the castle... it's the perfect place to take great photos! i can't wait to go there when it snows!
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