Thursday's Child: Ljubljana, Slovenia

One of the joys of travelling is discovering new places about which you know very little. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, was one of those places. I knew nothing about it, other than a conversation with a family of tourists we met in Munich, who told us Ljubljana was their favourite European city.

I was immediately curious about this hidden gem, and we were fortunate enough to visit it a few years later.

The centre of town is a pedestrian-only area, named Preseren Square after France Preseren, Slovenia's most-beloved poet. The lovely Franciscan Church sits on one of the corners of the square. A monument there is dedicated to Preseren, and it faces the window of his beloved Julija, the woman with whom he fell in love, and for whom he longed the rest of his life:

The Ljubljanica River flows through town and charmingly, has artwork posted upside down on its embankments, so you can view it right side up in the water.

With the river winding its way through town, Ljubljana is of course a city of bridges. The Dragon Bridge, guarded by four dragon sculptures, is probably the most famous and photogenic.

The photo above was taken just a short walk from the city centre. How many European capitals have this pastoral a setting so close to the centre of town?

Next week I'll be revisiting this beautiful city, with photos of Ljubljana Castle and St. Nicholas Cathedral.

Thursday's Child: Markets of Ljubljana

In some ways, Ljubljana is the most perfect little European city we’ve visited.  The capital of Slovenia possesses the glistening canals of Venice, the red roofs of Prague and the pedestrian areas of Istanbul.  But all of this beauty came with virtually no crowds. 

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, enjoyed the weekend flea market and outdoor musical performances, and marveled that so few others had found this perfect fairy tale town.  Our hotel was in the centre of the city, literally a minute from the pedestrian-only area of bridges, restaurants and stylish buildings.

The following day we visited the town marketplace.  The market, open on weekdays and Saturdays, seemed to cater primarily to residents rather than tourists.  It bustled with crafty locals carefully choosing fruit and vegetables – and a few hearty travelers carefully practicing their few memorized Slovenian phrases.

In the covered stalls, a few small shops sell cheese, meat and household goods.  The market sits a few feet from the glorious Ljubljanica river and its lovely pedestrian bridges.

Of course, there were a few touristy stalls in the marketplace, and the occasional tourist felt the need to pose by them: