A Day in Ljubljana - Day 4

A Day in Ljubljana - Day 4
A lazy morning with a late start at 9:30 for a walking tour of this cute little city. Of course, it is gray and threatening rain again.
The architecture here is relatively modern for Europe, as there was a large earthquake in 1895 which destroyed most of the town, and it was rebuilt in the early 20th century with an art nouveau theme. The name is thought to come from early Slovene "to love" as it is a lovely town. They are proud that Slovenia has "love" in it. There is a high mountain in the center with a castle dating to early Roman times. There have been many conquerors, from the Romans to the Huns to the Magyars to the Venetians to the Hapsburgs. This is on a trade route between Europe and Asia so everyone came through here.
There is a river running through the center of the old town with multiple bridges. The whole center is for pedestrians which is nice. There is the famous Triple Bridge which was originally a car bridge with two pedestrian bridges on either side(now all pedestrian), The Dragon Bridge, and others. The dragon is the symbol of the town, and there are dragons everywhere. The old Jewish quarter is still there, but most of the Jews were expelled in the 1500s. Our guide reported that the Jews had been invited to the city from Trieste in Northern Italy because the town was expanding rapidly and needed money lenders. She went on to say that they charged too much interest and so they did not remain welcome here for very long. Nevertheless, there is still a street called Zidovska Steza which translates as "Jew Street".
In the market square, along with the fresh fruits and vegetables, there was a "milkomat" machine which would dispense fresh milk into your bottle. There was also a cheese machine. Coming to a mall near you???
We took the funicular to the top to explore the castle. They have some excavations which were interesting. The rain stopped us from roaming too much. The view from the top was nice.
We walked down a steep and narrow and wet path (when we could have taken the funicular) back into the town. We found a restaurant just as the skies opened up again. I had John Dory fish, which I later found out was St. Peter's fish. Very nice. Ann had a salad with all kinds of grilled shellfish which was delicious.
Did a little shopping and rested at the hotel.
We met the group at 5 for a boat ride along the river, and to see the bridges. Of course, it rained, but the boat was <mostly> covered...
Dinner at a little restaurant we found along the river, with Vicki and Erika, cousins on our trip. Ann's seafood barley risotto was very good; my grilled tuna salad was only fair.
We walked around a bit now that the skies had dried up for a while, and saw that the castle was lit in green. Ljubljana has been designated a "green" city for its efficient use of energy, so there is lots that is green. To be sure, the city flag is green and white, so I am not sure that was completely the reason.
In a side square was a huge crane with a hanging restaurant. For €89, you could have dinner 300 feet in the air. You have to be strapped in, and you a hanging there with nothing under you. I'm not sure I would want to try.
Tomorrow to the caves, and back to Croatia.

Ann's additions:

I must admit that before arriving in Slovenia, I knew very little about this country other than it had been part of the former Yugoslavia. So, here are some interesting tidbits I have picked up.

Slovenia is a country of approx 2 million people, 280,000 of which live in Ljubljana. The country is bordered by Italy to the north west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the east and Croatia to the south, with the longest border. Slovenia was the first republic to declare its independence from Yugoslavia followed by Croatia. And compared to what happened in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, Slovenia and Croatia had a relatively easy path to independence.

Like Croatia, higher education in Slovenia is free, with 55,000 students attending the university of Ljubljana. Medical care is also provided to all residents. Taxes to support the universal health care and education are high with income taxes beginning at 35% and reaching as high as 50%.

Stephen J. Rockower, MD