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| slovenia |
| ljubljana, lake bled |
| Yes, it's pronounced, Loob-lee-ana, not L-jub-l-jana, as I originally thought. Slovenia was the first fromer Yugoslavian republic to kick out the communists and hold free elections. The capital city is now a picturesque medieval town filled with fancy restaurants, cafes, fountains and plazas. It seemed like a very cultural little place, there were festivals, concerts and galleries everywhere. And every young Slovenian reminded me of Janeane Garofalo or Ethan Hawke (in Reality Bites), they were artsy-fartsy folk. |
| Ljubljana |
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| (Left) The Slovenian flag at the top of Castle Hill and (above and below) views of the old town from Ljubljana Castle tower. |
| Who's that guy in front of the door to the Cathedral Saint Nicholas? |
| A photo of the map of town at the train station. We took a digital photo and used it to guide us the hostel. |
| The beautiful baroque Robba Fountain. |
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| Who's that guy at the fancy red Mexican restaurant? |
| (Above) A wrought iron dragon lamp in the castle, (center) me after getting off the train from Zagreb and (right) the staircase up to the tower of Ljubljana Castle. |
| This emerald green lake, just an hour or so northwest of Ljubljana, is nestled in a mountainous valley called the Karavanke Range that joins the Julian Alps of Austria. The lake is filled with carp and trout and the water is said to have certain healing properties. In the early 1900's, it was a fashionable and extremely popular health resort. There's a castle above the lake and in the center, a small island with a church. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time Linda and I were there. We had a nice apartment which worked out because there wasn't much to do outside in the rain. |
| Lake Bled |
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| (Left) Bled Castle on the hill overlooking the lake at night and (above) Lake Bled and the small island with a church as viewed from the castle. |
| (Left) Hiking up to the castle and (above) inside the castle courtyard. |
| With an apartment and kitchen, we could cook, pasta, pasta, pasta. |
| Yes, that's a litre of beer. |
| (Right) Looking out the window and (below) another shot of the lake and Bled Town. |