Day 9: Bled to Ljubljana

After our last buffet breakfast this morning, Karyn and I farewelled the rest of our group and then caught the bus to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It took 1.5 hours but it will really nice to see the countryside between Bled and Ljubljana. Once in Ljubljana we said goodbye to each other and then headed off to our hostels. I left my pack at the hostel and then went for a walk.

A large area in the middle of the town in Ljubljana is pedestrian only which made it easy to walk around. 100m from the hostel was the centre of the town which featured the Triple Bridge as well as the second oldest church and some of the oldest buildings. The cobbled streets were long and there were many cute shops that I went into. It was nice to walk alongside the river which runs through the main town centre, separating the old town and the new town.

There were also some market stalls along here which were selling Slovenian souvenirs. I also tried to walk further out of the main part of town but ended up walking through a 500 metre car and pedestrian tunnel only to end up back in the same spot! Not sure how that happened. It had been grey and a dreary all morning but suddenly it poured heavily and the streets went from being bustling to very quiet! I sat undercover and ate (another!) pastry for lunch and waited for it clear up a little.

Once it reached check in time, I headed back to the hostel and checked in. The hostel was located within an old bank and they had tried to keep with the bank theme. Each room was a different currency and so I was in the Israeli New Shekel room. I quickly left my stuff on my bed and then headed out to the front of the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation from which a free tour was starting at 3pm.

The tour was fantastic!! It was 2 hours and 45 minutes and covered all of the main attractions in Ljubljana centre and

the cost was based on what you were happy to tip the guide. I found the Ljubljana and Slovenian history really interesting because I didn’t know much about Slovenia prior to coming here. The town has had many different rulers and belonged to different empires over its history. It has only been its own country since 1991! We were told the history behind the many bridges that cross the river, the statues around the town centre, the Cathedral, the university library and much more! The guide also included some history about Slovenian area during the wars, particularly the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire which included Slovenia after WW1 and the divison of Slovenian territory into Austraian, German and Italian occupation during the second world war. It was particularly exciting because today was the 25th anniversary of the country Slovenia and as such the 25th anniversary of the start of the 10 day war which started as a result of Slovenia’s independence.

After the tour finished I headed back to the hostel and I met one of the girls who was staying in my room. After a while

lying on my bed (and updating my travel diary!), I went out in search of food but unfortunately most places were shut because it was Sunday. I eventually found something savoury to eat and then finished dinner off with some Nutella and banana pancakes down by the river.
When I went back to the hotel I forced myself to go and meet people as I wasn’t having much luck talking to the girls in my room. I ended up chatting to a group of Irish travellers and a guy from New Zealand (from Levin surprisingly!) for a few hours before I headed off to bed.