Advertisement
Published: March 2nd 2007
Edit Blog Post
I was depressed that morning. For some reason, I didn't feel that bad when I left home but leaving Olney was harder. I had been living there, on and off, for about a year and maybe it was the thought that I wouldn't see most of those people again that did it. The whole bus trip down to Stansted Airport, I felt alone and a little sad. Rohan sent me a message saying he would meet me in Ljubljana that night so I then felt a bit better. I see the English soil disappear from the windows of the plane and wonder how long it will be before I stay here again. A new leaf had been turned over in my life and I felt a little apprehensive about it.
Landing in Slovenia was a treat because I had spectacular views of the Julian Alps to bring a smile to my dreary face. I found a place to stay with little trouble and a few hours later I met with Rohan who had just come from Italy. He looked like the living dead as he had been sick for the last week and had a long day traveling but after
some dinner and a wander around picturesque Ljubljana, he started to feel a little better.
The next day was an easy day. We strolled up to the Castle that looms over the town and had a squiz. However, due to Rohan's illness, we didn't do much aside from wander around and check out the town. We did stumble on a cool little cocktail bar that is covered in skeletons and all sorts of gory paraphernalia deep below the cobblestone streets of Ljubljana which was a nice treat.
The day after we took it easy again. We strolled around and checking out the tiny, far from exciting casino and having a few drinks.
Ljubljana itself is a very nice little town. A capital city, yes, but it seems laid back and far from crowded. I'm not sure if its because its out of season or its just the way it is normally but its a nice change. The Saturday night was very quiet and it seemed nothing is happening, nobody was out and it seemed eerie. By the time we left Ljubljana, Rohan was feeling better and began to get the sight seeing bug back again.
Our
next stop was the stunning Alp-side town of Bled. The problem was that the whole way up, it was foggy and we couldn't see much. The same story was waiting for us in Bled but we did get to see a bit. Bled is majestic. The whole town surrounds Lake Bled, which has an island church in the middle and a castle looming high above. We made the hard trek up to the castle and admired the spectacular views across the lake and up to the mountains.
We were to head back to Ljubljana the next day then jump a train or bus down to our next stop, Piran. The problem was there was a 3 hour lay-over in Ljubljana so we didn't get to Piran until late.
Our first impressions of Piran was "Wow!". A tiny port town thrusting out into the Adriatic. The alleyways are winding and its very easy to get lost. We wandered into town around the port looking for a hostel. We ran into two very nice and helpful young local girls who took us to the hostel because we looked "lost" We headed out that night in search of food and a
Dont look down
Rohan in Ljubljana Castle few drinks. We ate a hearty fish dinner then stumbled into a little bar where we had a few beers. We thought we would move on to another place but with little else open, we inadvertently walked into a strip bar that had only staff in it. We thought we would have at least one to not be rude and after parting with 10 Euro we thought we might drink quick and leave. Back at that little bar again and we started on these shots that the man called "Schnapps" which was definitely NOT schnapps. 2 of those pretty much put an end to the night.
The next day when we (eventually) got up, we walked out to the promenade running along the ocean and found a place for breakfast. It was so glorious because I saw something I haven't seen in about 4 months. The SUN!! Sitting there for 2 hours basking in the mild heat which was roasting compared to the coldness I had been living in for the winter, was totally what I needed.
We also took a trip that night to the near-by (over sized) resort town of Portorose for some of the night
life. Unfortunately, like everywhere else, it was dead so we went back after spending a little time in the casino.
Piran was excellent. It reminded me a little of Venice in the way you can easily get lost in the twisted alleyways. A highlight of the trip so far, but I think it is to get better as we head into Croatia.
Slovenia has been a surprising little gem (as the title of the blog suggests) Great scenery, wonderful people, high standard of living and a pleasure to travel around. It certainly packs a lot in for such a small country. Plus I have never seen so many attractive women in one place at one time. Its been a treat in all respects.
Untill next time, drop me a line. PEACE, CAMO!!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.056s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0293s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
ian miller
non-member comment
good to see you back on the air. How about some photos of all the attractive females you were drooling on about