

As my spouse and I discovered on that first and our most recent visits, Ljubljana is a wonderful, lovely and immensely entertaining capital of less than 300,000. The city manages to look and feel much larger, yet its small scale is precisely why Ljubljana is a perfect place to spend a few, pleasant days easily exploring the many architectural and historical highlights, stylish shops, great restaurants and many outdoor cafes full of friendly residents enjoying great weather. Ljubljana also has its own Central Park, Tivoli, which offers a green escape just to the west of the central city. You can easily walk to all the main attractions and sights in Ljubljana and there are plenty of places to stop for a break along the way. Both our visits have been in early May when the weather is generally fine; warm days and pleasant evenings with everything in full bloom and only the chance of rain showers to plan for. I am told that Ljubljana is a great city to visit in all seasons, including when it wears an occasional blanket of snow.
On both visits, we booked lodging through Apartmaji Sobe, an apartment rental service run by friendly, English-speaking locals, which has a good inventory of studio and one-bedroom apartments in or near the center of town available for a few days or a week or more. In both cases, we enjoyed the convenience of a kitchen and washing machine in addition to a comfortable sleep in a great location, all for around 100 euros a night. The agency also offers convenient transfers from your apartment door to the airport, as well as to and from other locations around Slovenia, including Lake Bled. I also note here that, in addition to the folks at Apartmaji Sobe, virtually everyone we met in Ljubljana spoke perfect English.
THE CENTER OF IT ALL: For visitors, Ljubljana's best feature is that most of what you want to see and do is conveniently located on or near both sides of the Ljubljanica River, which runs through the center of the city. The river divides the city between the old and new towns. Old town is on the right bank of the Ljubljanica with its medieval and baroque buildings; the crown of old town is Ljubljanski Grad, Ljubljana's ancient castle perched high on a hill overlooking the city with views of the Alps in the distance. There are now two ways to reach the castle; you can hike up the scenic path as it rises above the rooftops of old town, or you can ride a new funicular that whisks you from the base near Glavna trznica, the city's main market, to the entrance to the castle museum and central courtyard. The roundtrip fare on the funicular is about 4 euros. Either way, making your way to the top of the castle tower is a great, essential Ljubljana experience and the view is really thrilling. There also is a restaurant and a few galleries located just off the central courtyard of the castle, so you can spend a few hours exploring, shopping, admiring the view and enjoying a meal. Back down below are the beautifully maintained streets of old town with their cafes that feature outdoor seating, many along the banks of the river. Old town also is home to the city's 15th century town hall, which presides over a courtyard featuring a replica of the fountain of three rivers. The original fountain, which dates to the 18th century, was removed in 2006 for preservation and is now housed at the National Gallery.
CROSSING THE RIVER: The trip across the Ljubljanica is less than 100 feet but that did not stop Ljubljana from constructing several beautiful and architecturally impressive bridges. There is the Tromostovje, or Triple Bridge, which actually is three separate, adjacent spans. Slovenia's most famous and prodigious architect, Joze Plecnik, designed twin additions to the original central span, which was built in in the 19th century, to make it easier for pedestrian and vehicular traffic to cross the river efficiently and safely. The result of the three balustraded bridges is monumental and the Triple Bridge, now pedestrian only, has become a symbol of the city along with the namesake feature of the Dragon Bridge. This vehicular bridge is crowned with four, fierce dragons that have become another icon of Ljubljana. Legend has it that Jason, of Greek mythology, found his way to the area around Ljubljana after he took the Golden Fleece, whereupon he encountered a fierce dragon that he slayed. The legend and the dragon have come to symbolize Ljubljana and its long, proud and often difficult history.
Once you make the trip across Triple Bridge from old to new town, you are on the left bank and in the middle of Ljubljana's main square, Presernov trg, or Preseren Square. Perched at the center of the square is the bubblegum pink, 17th century Franciscan church. The square is named after another famous Slovene, France Preseren, who was a tragic figure but an accomplished poet in the 19th century. On this side of the river, you also can spot several outstanding examples of the architect Plecnik's prolific designs. His work, which is described in many guidebooks as Secessionist, was so prolific and left such a mark on the city, in part, because he answered the call to help rebuild Ljubljana after a devastating 1895 earthquake left much of the city's buildings in ruin.
Walking around Ljubljana and admiring the work of Plecnik and other great architects is part of the attraction; the central city is particularly blessed with beautiful architecture. Stopping for lunch or just coffee or a glass of excellent Slovenian wine is another. In fine weather, virtually everyone seems perched at his or her favorite outdoor cafe spot along the riverside embankment with the weeping willow trees arching gracefully over the water. During our visit, we enjoyed a lot of cafe-stopping, taking breaks from the sights or a visit to Tivoli Park or some shopping. As in Zagreb, Ljubljana has several interesting local stores offering stylish clothes, shoes and crafts. While the city's museums are not blockbuster by any means, they do offer a chance to see Slovenian art, which is something not easily done outside the country. The National Gallery, located near the beautiful gingerbread American embassy, houses a nice collection of Slovenian art in a grand, Secessionist-era building that also includes a more modern wing.
Another signature feature of Ljubljana is its youth. Slovenia's largest and most prestigious institution of higher learning, the University of Ljubljana, is scattered among several impressive buildings on the left bank and the regular influx of nearly 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students gives Ljubljana a youthful edge. I suspect this also is one reason why Ljubljana has a fairly ubiquitous presence of, and tolerance for, graffiti. While sort of off-putting to me personally, particularly when it mars a beautiful building, I do get the point that this form of expression may, in some ways, be part of making up for the time when free expression in the former Yugoslavia was not so easy. Ljubljana's relative youth also gives its nightlife a certain edge. One interesting example is Metelkova, a heavily graffitied complex of bars, nightclubs and a hostel housed in former Yugoslav army barracks. There are different venues within the complex located near the train station. We visited on our last night in town to check out Klub Tiffany, a gay bar, which turned out to be closed. I was a little disappointed because it seemed like a good "bucket list" thing to do: visit a gay bar housed in former communist army barracks. Next time, perhaps.
And, there will be a next time because our love affair with the capital of Slovenia has only intensified with our most recent visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment