(My Lovesong to Slovenia)
Wow, Slovenia, wow.
What was that? Sorry, it's hard to hear anything over the sound of all the AWESOME coming from Slovenia. I got in to Ljubljana (loob-lana, or loob-li-ana) two days ago, and spent up until today exploring what is easily one of the greatest cities I've ever experienced.
The picture above is the city of Ljubljana taken from the Ljubljani Castle, which is on top of a hill that rises in the middle of the city. The picture doesn't really do it justice, mostly because you can't really make out the Alps in the background.
Ljubljana itself is gorgeous. The old town area, where the river runs through the city, reminds me of some sort of awesome cross between Venice and Prague. Especially this time of year, with basically every day being a perfect spring miracle, the river is lined with outdoor restaurants, cafes, and markets. Locals here take a lot of pride in this part of town, and frequent it often (I don't think I could stay away for more than a day if I lived here).
The old part of town also has a ton of great nightlife spots, which we made good use of my first night in the city. My second night in the city, we went out to a part of town known as Medelkova - a former prison that, when it was shut down, was taken over by a group of artists and intellects, and turned into something they call an "Autonomus Cultural Zone" (read: hippie hangout). Besides a number of great bars and restaurants, Medelkova was home to the first womens center in Slovenia, and it also has Slovenias only youth shelter, with counselling and support groups for disadvantaged young people. We spent the night hanging out with locals in the "treehouse", which is exactly what it sounds like; a treehouse built by some artists in the middle of what used to be the workout yard of the prison. Slovenes know how to party.
The old part of town also has a ton of great nightlife spots, which we made good use of my first night in the city. My second night in the city, we went out to a part of town known as Medelkova - a former prison that, when it was shut down, was taken over by a group of artists and intellects, and turned into something they call an "Autonomus Cultural Zone" (read: hippie hangout). Besides a number of great bars and restaurants, Medelkova was home to the first womens center in Slovenia, and it also has Slovenias only youth shelter, with counselling and support groups for disadvantaged young people. We spent the night hanging out with locals in the "treehouse", which is exactly what it sounds like; a treehouse built by some artists in the middle of what used to be the workout yard of the prison. Slovenes know how to party.
Spending a couple days in the city was amazing - Slovenes are incredibly welcoming, and generally live a fun and relaxed lifestyle. Ljubljana is a place that I definitely hope to revisit.
After sleeping in a bit this morning (I had one too many beers in the treehouse), I hopped on a bus to Bled, one of the mountain villages to the north of Ljubljana, in the Julian Alps.
After sleeping in a bit this morning (I had one too many beers in the treehouse), I hopped on a bus to Bled, one of the mountain villages to the north of Ljubljana, in the Julian Alps.
Let me just say that this has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Most people are suprised to learn that Slovenia is one of the most verdant countries on earth - over 50% of the country is still covered in virgin forest. Bled is right on Lake Bled, which is a small, glassy, clean lake, with a small island home to the village church. Looking over the lake and the town, high on a cliff above the lake, is Bled Castle, which I'm hiking to tomorrow morning to catch the view. Bled is also the home to the olympic training center for Slovenian rowers, since the lake is always so calm. Being here on a beautiful spring Sunday is a serious highligh to my trip so far.
I spent most of the afternoon walking the circumference of the lake, listening to music and drinking in the scenery. Bonus highlight: pirate birthday party.
Other acceptable birthday themes while in Bled: Little Mermaid, Knights of the Round Table, Anchoritic Monks... etc.
This whole area of Slovenia is known for its adventure sports (hiking, rafting, jumping off cliffs etc.), something of which I'm exicted to partake in the next couple of days (the hiking and rafting part, not the jumping off cliffs part). I'll be spending the next 3 or 4 days moving from Bled to Bohinj to the Soca River Valley, then back to Ljubljana for a night before moving on. Stay tuned for more! Lovesies.
-C
No comments:
Post a Comment