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| LJUBLJANA CASTLE PERCHED ABOVE THE CITY |
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| MY VINTAGE HAT |
This is our last day in Ljubljana and it ended on a not
so good note. Early morning, before heading up to the castle, I lost
my hat. It was not just an ordinary hat to me. I've had it for 25
years and it has been my hat of choice for most of those years.
That's a long time for a hat and it probably would qualify as vintage
and no doubt dated me some, but I didn't worry about that. To be
perfectly honest it was getting a bit worn and I cannot remember ever
getting a compliment on it, but it still felt good. At first I
thought it was a good excuse to buy a new hat, which I quickly did at
the daily central market, however, I do truly miss that old blue hat.
It was comfortable like an old pair of shoes. (Fortunately, I didn't
lose my old shoes.)
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| LJUBLJANA CASTLE WALLS |
Perched
high above the city, on a hill, is the magnificent Ljubjana Castle,
ever visible and a reminder of the area's history. Surveys
have shown settlements here as early as 1200 BC. The current
limestone structures, from nearby quarries, date back to the 14th century and the lords of Camiola. Later, it was used as a
penitentiary and now a tourist attraction and home to many cultural
events.
Some ride the funicular to the top just for the
panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside, however, we
included the time capsule tour by costumed and talented actors &
actresses presenting life in the castle during different time
periods. It was extremely well done. We also visited the Barbarism of
Torture exhibition and other museums. At the end, we opted for a
leisurely ten minute walk down to the city center on the old wooded
path.
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Čajna Hiša FOR BREAKFAST
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While in Ljubljana we stayed at the centrally located
Mescanka apartments with a river view. We had a small kitchen which
we didn't use because the local food was too good and inexpensive. We
also found a nearby favorite restaurant, Čajna
Hiša, where Ron could
have his morning omelet and cappuccino for 5 Eur. Sitting in this
cozy old cafe in the mornings, watching people pass by, was a daily
pleasure that I will always remember.
After a week in Ljubljana we packed up and walked one
km. to the bus station with our roller bags.We then enjoyed a
relaxing two and one-half hour bus ride to our next destination
through lush green meadows, flowering trees, farmlands, and with
quaint villages, old churches with tall steeples, and low mountains
in the distance.
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| PIRAN |
We spent our last three nights in Slovenia along the
Adriatic Sea in Piran—located in the southeast corner of the
country, just above Croatia. Sitting on a piece of land jutting out
to sea, it is considered the most beautiful of the Slovenian coastal
towns. It is across the sea from Venice and was part of the Venetian
empire during the 13th to the 18th centuries.
It is similar to an Italian coastal town or being on the
Mediterranean without all of the tourists and for less cost. Italian
and Slovenian are both spoken here.
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WALK TO PIRAN FROM FIESA
ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH |
We stayed at the Hotel Fiesa which has a great balcony
and sea view. The breakfast was good and we recommend it. Fiesa is
twenty minutes from the city center but the walk along the water to
get there offers spectacular views and we enjoyed it. It was a bit
challenging when we had to walk home one evening in the rain and
wind.
Piran (pop. 4700) is a picturesque old village on the
sea with winding cobblestone alleys, city walls from the 7th
century, a seaside promenade, churches with the clanging chimes,
lovely harbor, restaurants and taverns. The Tartini Square is the
heart of the town and behind it is a short steep walk up to St.
George's Church, built in the 12th century, one of eight
churches located here.
On our first full day we took a short bus trip over to
the neighboring seaport town of Izola. It's known for fishing, wine
(the one winery in town wasn't open when we were there), marinas, and
ancient buildings that made for a great walk.
This entire area is popular for hiking and biking which
we would have taken advantage of if it didn't rain on our last day.
The rain came with 34 mph winds and strong surf which was fascinating
to experience because our hotel was sitting right on the water. It
also gave us an excuse to stay back and relax for the day, which was
probably a good thing too.
When
we left the next day it was still raining and we were glad that we
had decided not to take the ferry to Venice. Instead we took a bus to
Trieste, Italy and from there it was a four hour train ride to
Bolzano in northern Italy. We arrived late in the afternoon;
fortunately the rain stopped so we could enjoy the lively city of
Bolzano before heading up to Castelrotto the next day.
Related posts: Vintage Walks--Lake Bled & Lake Bohinj, Slovenia
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