Lovin' Ljubljana 2

We've completed our 3rd and 4th days in Ljubljana and we're still lovin' it.  We might even yell "Ljubljana WOW".

Monday's main event was a tour to Lake Bled.  Almost everyone we'd spoken to about going to Ljubljana had told us it's a must do.  We booked an afternoon tour which gave us the morning to check out the Central Market.  It has many outdoor booths selling clothing and some produce.  The indoor market seemed small with no fish sellers, probably because it was Monday.

After crossing by the Triple Bridge . . .

. . .we went for a lunch of burrata, pizza, and wine.  We are really enjoying the Slovenian wine!

Our Lake Bled tour began with a ride of about an hour before reaching the Bled Castle.  Yes, yet another castle.  The climb up to the castle was steep but, thankfully short.

When we reached the castle, we had sunshine which made for good views.  Soon, it clouded over which was also a good thing because it was very hot.

We walked around the castle and grounds before getting to the highlight of the castle visit . . .

. . . which is the famous Lake Bled Cream Cake.  It was so good that Linda ate both of our pieces.

The next part of the tour was a ride in a wooden boat, a pletna boat, to the island.

When we got to the island, we could climb the steps to the church, but we opted to walk around the island (it's pretty small).

But, partly around, we took a wrong turn and wound up taking a steep path up to the church.

After coming down to the path, we completed the circuit around the island and had time to do another circuit in the opposite direction before getting the boat back to the mainland for a beer.

As we waited for the ride back to Ljubljana, we watched the storm clouds build.  It had been thundering and we hit a few sprinkles, but missed any serious rain.

The guide for the tour was excellent.  We had some interesting people on the tour - a family of 5 from Brazil and, most fascinating, was a young woman from Mongolia.  She runs a company selling Korean cosmetics in Mongolia.  Her English was flawless and one of 4 languages that she speaks.

Back in Ljubljana, we went for a light dinner at the Most Wine Bar.  Most is Slovenian for bridge and the Most Wine Bar is just over the Mesarski Most, the Butcher's Bridge.  It was a nice experience.  The server offered a suggestion for a couple of orange wines to taste.  We had never had orange wines and I  liked one of them.  He then brought Linda a white wine to taste which was good.  Both wines went well with our tapas.

I also indulged in a dessert wine - a semi-dry chardonnay/pinot blanc blend.  I tell you, these Slovenian wines are really outstanding.

Tuesday morning was kind of laid back until we walked to Tivoli Park with a picnic lunch.  We passed the Opera House and the National Gallery on the way.

In the park, it was time to picnic.

We then walked up to, what I guess is called, Tivoli Castle, a castle on a smaller scale.

Walking back down, we passed again through a very interesting art exhibit which is one part of, "The Oracle: On Fantasy and Freedom".  The concept is that The Oracle explores the idea of a symbolic place where all things wonder about life, freedom, and peaceful coexistence.  There are about 30 boards with paintings from different artists, each with a meaningful quote. Expect to read some of those quotes in my blog posts.

In the evening, we took an hour-long boat ride on the Ljubljanica River.  The first half hour of the ride took us through the old town area.

For the second half, the boat went the other way to the marsh area.  And we were the only passengers on the boat for that segment.  

After the boat ride, it was, of course, time for dinner.  We went to The Restaurant which is located at The Hotel.  And, once again, the wine and the food were excellent.

As in many cities, there is a tradition in Ljubljana of putting a lock on a bridge and throwing the key into the river to symbolize your everlasting love.  The Butcher's Bridge is full of locks.

After dinner we walked to the Grain Bridge. There are far fewer on the Grain Bridge and we spotted a couple of places where the locks had apparently been cut off, perhaps to symbolize failed loves!

We don't need no stinkin' locks to symbolize our everlasting love!

We now have one full day remaining in Ljubljana and we continue to love the place.  If there is one disappointment for us, it's the amount of graffiti we've seen.

Maybe one of the quotes from The Oracle Exhibit should make us look at graffiti in another way:

"Order is the pleasure of reason, but disorder is the delight of the imagination."

Paul Claudel

Peace, blessings, and Wonder,

Linda and Larry