Europe – “Riding the Rails” – Ljubljana, Slovenia (9)

Ljubljana, Slovenia, is a lovely city. It is, however, a bit off the “beaten path,” so, it was with a tiny bit of anxiety that we left Salzburg for the journey. Our concern was making our train connection as we only had a 10-minute window to change trains. Fortunately everything went smoothly with our first train running right on time, which allowed us to catch the second train without a problem except we could not locate our coach. It turns out that even though we had specific coach and seat reservations, such a thing did not exist. It was open seating for everyone.

We arrived in Ljubljana and found our way to the taxi stand and had our first bad experience (on this trip) with taxi drivers as our first driver took us to the wrong hotel. The hotel name was similar to our hotel, but close “don’t cut it” in this case. So, with the assistance of an understanding hotel receptionist, we got another taxi. He, at least, got us close as the hotel is in a walking-only area, although he could have gotten us closer. . .oh, well. When dragging luggage, closer is better.

Although obviously not the easiest hotel to find, the Vander Urbani Resort, is ideally located for being a part of the lively scene in Ljubljana. As in many European cities, a river runs through Ljubljana adding to the picturesque quality. In Ljubljana the riverbank has been officially designated as a “public good” for relaxing walks and nature. Hence, there is a walkway along the river, and restaurants are located all along each side.

For our first night I had made a dinner reservation at a restaurant called Apertivo. It was near the hotel, and, I had a map. So, we found the address but not the restaurant, but, we knew it had to be there. It was, although reached through a passageway. . .not obscure if you knew where to look. We had a wonderful dinner with the table being open to the outside area. Walking back to the hotel was a breeze.

Ljubljana was founded in the 13th century as a trading center for the Hapsburg Empire. The city has been a Roman camp, an Austro-Hungarian outpost and capital of the Yugoslav Socialist Republic of Slovenia. Now its only designation is capital of Slovenia, although it is vying for the 2025 European City of Culture. The city is actually built on marshland with Ljubljana on the largest marsh in the country. The castle overlooking the city was built in the late 15th century.

The castle is reached by a funicular from a square in the old town area. We had lunch reservations at the restaurant in the castle, Gostilna Na gradu, so, we made our way to the funicular and on to the castle. The restaurant is located in the castle looking into the courtyard. The menu choices, food and service were all good.

Ljubljana has lots of good strolling and shopping streets in the old section. The squares and streets are all alive with activity. The street musician pictured below was in the same spot each time I passed during the two days we were in Ljubljana. I should mention that I am partial to accordionists as I played for years.

Too soon our time in Ljubljana ended. There is a real vibrancy to the city that is infectious and makes you want to stay longer, visit another shop, try another restaurant, or seek out another site. All of that is true, however, I probably need to add a few caveats. Once you leave the old town area and the area immediately around it, it becomes quite “pedestrian” very quickly. There are also hospitality issues that definitely need improvement. We had another frustrating experience with taxis as we left. We had to walk out of the pedestrian only zone before there were taxis available. Then they (all three that were available) would not take us to the train station as it was not a big enough fare. After having enjoyed and had such great experiences, leaving with that kind of ending made us both a bit angry and sad at the same time. However, the train rolls on, and, we will be on that very early morning train.