LJUBLJANA continued

    A Vibrant City

            I always enjoy walking tours of a new city with a local docent. It is a great way to pick up a lot of information that one might miss otherwise.   

            During the walking tour of Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital city, our guide stopped at the statue of a well known poet telling us that it is the landmark for the city’s meeting place. Turning, she pointed down a lane to show us the orange woman in a picture frame on the second floor of a yellow house. “She is Julija, and to the right of her is Hauptman House, the only structure to survive the 1895 quake.”

            There were lots of bicycles, but we noticed only a very few of them were locked and that says a lot about the crime rate in a locale. We walked down a cobbled lane until the guide stopped in front of a 1706 baroque church, saying, “This door was made for the pope’s visit in 1996. It depicts the history of Christianity and the city. In ancient times churches were built on a hill with a protective wall around them. A linden tree will always be near a church. People sit under it to contemplate and solve problems. The country’s national tree has a heart shaped leaf and is a symbol of hospitality. Tea is sometimes brewed from the leaves.”

            During WW II Italians built a 23-mile long barb wire fence around the city that stayed for 105 days.  Slovenia is a country of bee keepers. Painted bee hive panels are a popular folk art souvenir item. The country produces 50,000 liters of honey a year. Fruit brandies are popular in this part of the world and in this area the drink is made from pears.

            From the cobbled square one has a good view of the picturesque medieval castle sitting high on the hill. It looked imposing. The   fortress provides a panoramic view from its vantage point.  The 12^th century Roman castle was added on to in the 17^th century. It fell into disrepair and was rebuilt in the 1940s and renovated in the 1970s. Two trails and a tourist train lead up to the castle/fort.

            St. George (dragon slayer) is the patron saint of the city and the dragon bridge has been the symbol of the city for years.   Several quaint bridges span the Ljubljana River flowing thru the heart of city.  The Triple Bridge with its Venetian vibe marks the half way point between Vienna and Venice, the crossroads of the Italian and German worlds.

            Everyone associates the Lipizzaner horses with Vienna, but this is the original home of the famous equines.

            Ljubljana is a vibrant exciting city, and I liked it a lot. People were very friendly. Many spoke English so language was not a problem. I had no need to play charades  which I do not do real well.