Ljubljana
was definitely one of those places that took us by surprise. Although it is the
Slovenian capital, it’s a relatively small-sized town, which gives quite a unique
touch to it. Not to mention it’s surrounded by mountains and the nature is
literally a stone’s throw away. What impressed me the most in this place though,
is that it is filled with subtle, almost humble beauty that isn’t all that famous – it’s really like a rough diamond. And in spite of its
size, the city has such rich cultural supply!
Everything
is within a walking distance: squares, the castle of Ljubljana, the cathedral,
all the bridges (that are plenty!), major shopping– and restaurant streets and
so on. We actually just strolled around aimlessly, letting the city itself
guide us as we walked along. To point out a few highlights (especially
if you don’t have too much time to wander around), I would say the walk up to the castle, not only was
the view from the top beautiful but also the walk itself was enjoyable.
Secondly,
I really enjoyed the bridges –
especially the Dragon Bridge, which
is the very symbol of Ljubljana. These bridges look back to a lot of
history, and won’t leave anyone who's even slightly interested in art (or history) cold. Another cool bridge is the Butchers’ Bridge, and don’t let the
name fool you, it’s actually symbolizing eternal love and has love padlocks attached all over it (so be sure to
bring one with you)!
Aside
from all the sights and things to see, what I recall whenever thinking about
Ljubljana is the extremely genuine and laid-back atmosphere that eventually left me with great, warm memories. It’s
most definitely a place where you can just go to take it easy, spend a few hassle
free days, and then continue exploring all the natural richness of Slovenia that’s
all around it. A place, where it’s more than convenient to combine a unique
city experience with nature activities. And that’s also what we did. Next, we
were headed towards the coast and the
Skocjan Caves Regional Park – one of the rare natural treasures in the
world.
TIPS & LINKS
General information about Ljubljana can be found on Visit Ljubljana and Lonely Planet.
