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Published: August 3rd 2006
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Canals, Ljubljana
View to the triple bridge. Slovenia was back on the Mediterranean. The easiest way to tell I’d hit the Med again was the men. Perhaps they should rename it Slobber-enia. They stared, they whistled, they called out, there was a backside slapping incident… I could barely hear myself think over the din.
I caught the train from Czech through Austria to Ljubljana. My opinion of Vienna is well-publicized (ie. Most boring city in Europe - perhaps the world) - so I completely bypassed it. The scenery was all green mountains and blue rivers and lakes. My cabin mate Anna was on her way to Zagreb for a peace convention and regaled me with great stores about her family, work and travels making the journey seem far shorter. As any solo train traveler will tell you, it’s also nice to have a train buddy on a long journey so you can leave your bags with them when you go to the toilet!
I had a mission on arrival. To track down Amelia (also known as Peelsie - one of my closest friends from uni) and her boyfriend Paul who I knew were also staying in Ljubljana that night. I hadn’t seen a close friend in
Surprising Peelsie and Paul
They had no idea I was coming! months, so I was excited at the prospect of a night hanging out with old friends. They had no idea I was coming!
At the train station I went to the info desk - my hostel had a pick up service! I had the name and address of the apartment Peelsie was staying in, so I got the info lady to show me on a map. She also got me the telephone number. Matej the hostel owner came to collect me and was not at all what I expected. He was a young, overweight Slovenian guy wearing shorts that should have been a tad longer, who was prepared to help me in my crazy scheme. We called the apartment but there was no answer.
Matej drove around the town in his girly little hatchback showing me all the key sites on the way to the hostel. The Simbol hostel was advertised as being a 10 minute walk from town, but I could already tell this was a wild exaggeration before he offered to loan me a bike for free that night. More like 30 minutes! I quickly showered and walked into town as it was approaching dinnertime so
I suspected Amelia and Paul would be out and about somewhere. If I couldn’t track them down by 9pm my plan was to hit the world cup bars where Italy were playing Germany in the semi-final as Paul is a mad football fan.
The city of Ljubljana was set along several connecting canals lined with funky bars and restaurants. Stalls sold cool, quality jewellery and brightly coloured flowers grew in massive planters on the bridges and sides of the canals. The city had a laid-back, but social vibe and the bars were already packed with bright, young things enjoying the mild summer evening. It was evident Slovenia has money.
The centre of Ljubljana is the square near the triple bridges (3 bridges intersecting) and I found Peelsies apartment nearby. Then I hit a brick wall. The entrance to the apartments was up some stairs blocked by a security door. Just when I was re-thinking my entire plan, an Aussie guy ran up the steps as he called out to his mates in a downstairs café. Not one to miss an opportunity, I stopped and asked if he could let me in. A cheer went up from the group
Old man pigeon, Ljubljana
All of a sudden he put his hand in the bag and scattered handfuls of bird seed everywhere - pigeons appeared from nowhere like they were going to attack of boys below - it must have looked as if I was heading to his room! Once inside the foyer area I was stuck - there were several doors - so I just knocked randomly. Paul answered at the second door and I breezed in ‘sorry I’m late guys’ - I completely freaked them both out!
After they’d recovered from the shock and we’d caught up, we headed out to dinner. We sat at a canal side restaurant and ate traditional goulash (it sounds horrible, but was very tasty), washed down with a celebratory wine. World Cup screens were mounted on the outside walls of bars facing areas set up with outdoor furniture already overflowing with people, so we returned to one we’d seen earlier for a standing room spot. Most people were supporting their neighbours, Italy - the atmosphere was electric. Walk past and block the screen for a second at your own peril. Amelia went to the loo and was grabbed on the backside by a beer soaked charmer on the way through. A great night was had and I was sad to farewell Amelia and Paul who were leaving early the next morning - good thing
Zdrava Alternative
My highlight of Ljubljana Castle was this ridiculous sign in the ladies promoting bananas as an alternative to alcohol... I’d be seeing them in Croatia in one week.
Despite being miles from the city centre, the Simbol Hostel turned out to be pretty ok. There were no actual hostel signs, it really just looked like a house on a suburban street. All rooms had a computer with free internet, there was bike rental, a couple of kitchens and big, modern bathrooms.
Sightseeing in Ljubljana was relaxed. I hit the fresh produce markets in the morning to stock up on fruit - but they also sold clothes, sunnies, souvenirs and other random items. The castle is the main tourist stop in Ljubljana. Sitting above the city up a massive hill and on closer inspection was really not that great. Views from the tower were underwhelmingly nice and the 3D movie on the history of Ljubljana is a clear case of over promise and under deliver. Maybe it was just a joke to make us wear the glasses, because there was no 3D I could see and no one was brave enough to say so. My highlight was the ridiculous sign in the ladies promoting bananas as an alternative to alcohol... I also spent a few minutes relaxing on
a park bench eating fruit when an old man with a massive bag came and sat next to me. All of a sudden he put his hand in the bag and scattered handfuls of bird seed everywhere - pigeons appeared from nowhere like they were going to attack.
Ljubljana was a bizarre, but beautiful place. Bosnia (on the 6am train) was my next port of call.
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Greg McMahon
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Slappage
Hey Ellen, a good cure to stop random slappages is a got old fashion whack to the Nats Jats. Sounds great Ellen, catch ya