Blogs from Ljubljana, Upper Carniola, Slovenia, Europe - page 28

Look, I don't even CARE about soccer, but truly, the Italians shouldn't have won. That was a sentiment echoed by the few thousand (mostly French) fans who gathered in the cities capital to watch the Italians do what they do best... ham it up. But other than the World Cup final (and a mighty, mighty hangover), Slovenia offered an enormous array of to-die-for shoes, some extraordinary walks among the greenery at the Botanical Gardens, and one of the best Industrial Design exhibitions I have ever seen. Another living history lesson for this little black duck. ... read more

This restaurant is awesome! I had been eating at the touristy restaurants near the river for lack of a better option. The Sokol (Hawk) is a restaurant that serves "Slovenian National Food". I checked it out last night while walking around first thinking it was more like a bar, an empty bar. I looked inside and found that the place had an upstairs that was packed with people, and all these people were eating hearty dishes full of meat and cabbage and dumplings. Yes! So its still a little touristy in that there seem to be lots of foreigners there, but most are accompanied by their slovenian friends, who have brought them to this restaurant to indulge in the food and beer. Sokol makes their own beer served in resealable bottles. Delicious, and it went so ... read more

Hello All! So, the train from Paris carried me through Germany (great people, man! super friendly!) and Austria (dont know - I was sleeping) and then down out of the Julian Alps (where Santa Claus vacations with the munchkins of Oz. Im sure of it) and into Slovenia. I wobbled, very well rested but still a touch discombobulated, out of the train and into the legoland world of Ljubljana. I guess "legoland" isnt quite the right word. Its more like the town was made out of Fabuland. Any of you all remember that stuff? Its cuter, less spaceshipppy, more provincial. Anyway. The funny thing about Ljubljana is that it felt really out of scale. Its tucked between the not-mighty-at-all Ljubljana river and steep hills on all sides. It takes up an improbably small plot of earth, ... read more

Starving, we pounced on the first friendly-looking restaurant. Meal du jour? Fillet of Foal! Yummmmmy. I have never seen a horse dish, but Lindsay told me this is apparently a delicacy in Switzerland as well. This spurred way to many "so hungry i could eat a horse" comments and jokes that all the big dogs we saw were really just small horses, hiding from the cooks. Instead of fillet of foal or a nice horse burger, we settled for big salads and delicious coffees in a sunny square by the river. Another time we got - don't laugh, because it was good! - mexican food. Ljubljana is ablsolutely glorious. Spring arrived in earnest, and the whole population seemed to be out enjoying their city. The river was lined with willows, packed cafe tables and bars, and ... read more

Just another quick update... Left Vienna on Sunday morning and got the train to Graz where I had to wait 2 hours for my connection to Maribor in Slovenia so I strolled around town for a while... Very pleasant town I must say... Should spend some more time there another time... When I am rich... Anyway got the train to Maribor and than the local train to Ljubljana which was full of students returning after a weekend at home... Or so I guessed out of all the young people packing the train with their backpacks... I am sure there are not that many Slovenian backpackers! Finally arrived after 4 hours on a slow train and got myself a bed... Also went to have a drink outside by the river together with 2 guys I met in ... read more