Slovenia

We arrived in Piran at around 8:00pm, dropped our stuff at our apartment and went to find a restaurant that Carmen had heard of , but the lineup was way too long so we headed for the main square to find a place to eat. The square was busy with pedestrians, rollerbladers, dogs, and a free concert.  We sat for a while after our meal, and watched and listened.

The next morning we wandered the town and found a small vegetable market where we bought some plums and strawberries, and then a grocery store where we bought some yogurt. We took that back to our place and ate breakfast.

After breakfast we lathered up with sunscreen and went for a swim in the Adriatic.

The water was so clear, and there were lots of swimmers everywhere along the seawall.

After the swim we decided to try the busy restaurant from the previous night for lunch, hoping to beat any crowds. And we did. We got there just as they opened, there were only a few people in front of us.

Baked mussels in tomatoes and cheese, fried anchovies with chopped garlic, and some much needed roughage, chard and potatoes. So good.

Piran is a tiny seaside town with no shortage of places to eat and drink, so that’s what we did. That and nap. For dinner we went to the same restaurant that we went to for lunch. Yes, it was that good.

The next day we headed off to Ljubljana which turned out to be an absolutely delightful city. The capital of Slovenia, bursting with cafes, restaurants and bars. We were able to get into our apartment a bit early, and just like every time we reached a new destination, we were dying for something to eat. First stop, Klobasarna. A small vendor that specializes in Carniolian sausage.

But food isn’t the only thing Slovenia is good for, it has a long and tumultuous history spanning over a thousand years, where foreign oppression was a common theme. It really wasn’t until the early 90s that Slovenia became truly independent, after they announced they would separate from Yugoslavia. Of course that did come without a fight, albeit a small one compared to the rest of the countries that made up the former communist state. Since then, Slovenia seems to have thrived, Ljubljana putting that on full display.

Ljubljana’s famous dragon mascot on the Dragon Bridge. Built in 1900, was one of the first reinforced concrete structures built in Europe.

The cafe-lined, cobblestone streets of Ljubljana.

This ornate door on Ljubljana’s cathedral was made by a local sculptor,  depicting the long history of Ljubljana and Slovenia. At the top is Pope John Paul ii, who blessed the door when he visited the city in 1999.

The pink church. It was originally painted red, but the paint faded, and they just kept painting it pink.

Slovenia has some of the best drinking water in the world, according to the internet. There are fountains everywhere, encouraging people to use less plastic.

This is a fresh milk vending machine located in the city’s market. It is refilled by local farmers. You can buy an empty bottle at the machine or bring your own, and only cost €0.70 for half a litre.

Yes we bought some.

Ljubljana had a lot going on. A super cheap bike share program, sign up for €1 for a week or €3 for the year, and only pay more if you use a bike for longer than an hour. They had multiple free electric “taxis” that would pick you up and drop you off anywhere in the city center. A community/cultural hub with multiple workshops (wood, ceramic, glass, metal, textile, food) with modern and up to date tools like 3D printers, and laser engravers, all available for people to use.

Slovenia surprised us. It showed us what a small European country could accomplish and inspired us to think about exploring fewer bigger cities, and to point our attention to the lesser known, smaller ones.