After wandering around the airport in Venice in a confused haze) trying to find our bus (yes...at the airport...) IT finally found us, and we headed off to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The geography slowly changed as we left the burbs of Venice and then almost immediately the moment we crossed the border from Italy into Slovenia. We passed by green rolling hills and snow capped mountains in the distance. Chris commented how green it is, compared to Australia... then stated that pretty much everywhere is green compared to Australia! Slovenia is a pretty mountainous country and full of evergreens. Some of it actually reminds me of home.
Although Ljubljana is the capital, it isn't very big at all. The downtown is most definitely "doable" in a few days at a slow pace. A river runs through the middle of town and a number of scenic bridges cross over it with the best one being, of course, the Dragon Bridge! How awesome is that? It has 4 statues of dragons at the bridge heads.
During our travels, sometimes we arrive in places with our research already done, but more often lately we arrive first and then look up any questions about the history, etc, later. That allows us to play a little game we enjoy which involves making up our own interesting stories. We're usually quite far from the truth, but thoroughly entertained. What can we say? We're still interested in the actual history, it's just fun to use our imaginations!
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| One of the dragons guarding the bridge. Just missing fire breath! |
We walked around the picturesque historic downtown for a few hours. There is a hill in the middle of the city that has a castle on it with old dungeons. Of course, we hiked up to the top and even though the Castle itself isn't very big, it did provide great views of the city.
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| Ljubljana |
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| Beautiful architecture in Ljubljana with castle in the distance |
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| Castle Wall |
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| Franciscan Church |
On our second day we caught a bus to the small town of Bled. Bled has a beautiful small lake that can be walked around in a couple of hours, which is what we did. We must have taken 70 pictures of the hilltop castle and church in the middle of the lake. You can imagine how addictive it becomes. The view just kept getting better and better as we rounded the lake. I think the best view is when it's framed by the snow capped mountains in the background.
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| Town of f Bled |
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| Wow scenery! |
From our short stay in Slovenia I have to say what a nice surprise it was. We didn't really know what to think. It is a very clean orderly place with rich historical architecture and the people are very warm and kind. I wouldn't hesitate recommending anyone spending at least a few days here.
During our stay, we shared an apartment with Chris which was not far from downtown. Having a bit more space that feels like a home away from home to roam around in is always nice and catching up on the laundry (even some sewing), even nicer. We shared good home cooked meals and lots of laughs with Chris who thankfully has the same sense of humour as we do.
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| Figuring out where to go next |
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| Walking around Lake Bled |
We hopped on a train to Zagreb, Croatia a few days ago. It was nice to be on a modern fast train again! It was so smooth it felt like we were riding on silk rails. (Or maybe we're just comparing the rickety train in Tanzania that felt like it was a 52 hour long train wreck!). This of our first time in eastern Europe and we are really enjoying the people and culture. Most people speak a bit of English and appreciate our efforts at a few words in their language. Up next, Croatia!!!
Jamie and Dy
