Ljubljana, Slovenia
I woke up today at 09:50, showered, dressed, got ready, and made it out to Prešeren Square in time for the free walking tour through Ljubljana at 11:00. There was a large group of people assembled at the steps of the Franciscan Church and they split us in twain (even then, both groups had about thirty people each). Our guide (a woman, who – according to reviews online – is the best) started our tour by taking us to a model of the city in the square (I’ve seen the same style models in other cities in the Balkans; either they’re copying each other or it’s an old Yugoslavian thing); she then explained to us about the statue of the poet France Prešeren with a muse (a topless gal that caused the bishop to plant three trees in front of the statue to keep parishioners walking out of the Franciscan Church from seeing it and being roused to sin – this was around the turn of the last century) and a relief of his real-life muse (a merchant’s daughter) on the building across from the statue in such a way that their sculpted personifications can stare at each other for eternity. Next, we walked to and across the Triple Bridge, before continuing on to Butcher’s Bridge, passing by all the Greek-inspired butcher and dairy stalls built along the river (flanking both sides of Butcher’s Bridge). We then continued on to Dragon Bridge (dragons are the symbol of Ljubljana thanks to the story of ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and historians identifying the location of the dragon in that story at the head of the Ljubljanica River) before turning back and walking through the Central Market, which sells many items, but mostly fruits and vegetables from small family operated farms, making them extra delicious. After passing through the market, we walked to the Church of St. Nicholas and were explained the imagery on the bronze doors at the main entrance (made especially for – and featuring – Pope John Paul II, for his visit to the city). Next, we walked past the Town Hall and through Stari Street, before coming to a small shop where we all tried some local liqueurs (I had a shot of blueberry liqueur with two blueberries soaking in it). We then walked to Cobbler’s Bridge and on to the corner of Congress Square, next to the main building of the University of Ljubljana. Finally, we made our way past the National Library and to the old Crusaders Monastery, which had been converted in to an outdoor summer theater venue by Slovenia’s premier architect, Jože Plečnik (who was mentioned over and over again throughout our tour, since he had contributed much to the city of Ljubljana during his incredible career). We then finished the tour at 13:30; I tipped the guide and walked back to the Ljubljanica River and Stari Street to take some more photographs, despite the rain (it sprinkled some while we conducted the tour; however, once the tour was completed, it began to rain more heavily – luckily, this only lasted about twenty minutes). After taking some more photographs around the city, I walked back to the hostel, stopped off at the market next door to buy lunch (cheese, salami, almonds, a fried chicken salad, balsamic vinaigrette, some aloe drinks, and beer), and returned to the hostel to eat my lunch and buy a ticket for Calcio Storico Fiorentino, which was to go on sale at 15:00 today . . . at least according to the website yesterday. At 15:00, I went online to buy my ticket, but instead discovered that tickets would not go on sale until 10:00 on June 17th (we’ll see). So, I finished my lunch and watched two episodes of ‘South Park’ instead. I then relaxed in the hostel for some time before going out again to buy another aloe drink (these things are really refreshing and tasty) and another beer. Later on, after 20:00, I worked on the website some and typed away on my laptop. Around 22:00, I exited the hostel with my camera and tripod and took several nighttime photographs throughout the city. I then returned to the hostel and worked on my laptop for the remainder of my night until going to sleep at 01:30.