Ljubljana, Slovenia

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I am writing to you from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Six months ago I had never even heard of it, but my travel guru, Rick Steves, sings its praises in his guide to Eastern Europe, so I wanted to see for myself. Ljubljana is the capital of this small country that used to be a part of Yugoslavia. It is wedged into the corner where Austria and Italy meet, with Hungary to its east. I traveled here by train yesterday from Budapest and was struck by the scenic gorge we passed through over the last hour or so (see photo). Slovenia has mostly been a sleepy backwater through history, but has maintained an independent spirit and language and seems to be populated by universally pleasant and friendly people - at least everyone I have met so far meets that description! I walked around Ljubljana's city center last evening and most of the day today - partly with a tour and partly on my own. It is a picturesque and lively river town any time of day (see photos). A castle overlooks the town from a nearby hill (see night photo) and during the day there are good views from up there (see photo). There is a baroque style cathedral with artistic brass doors commemorating the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1996, before he was declared a saint. You can make out his likeness in the figure at the top of the door looking down on the allegorical scene below (see photo). As nice as Ljubljana is, I have plans to move on tomorrow and see more of Slovenia. I will write about that in a few days.

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