A Charming Old City
The drive from Vienna to Ljubljana
was over a good road through pretty countryside back dropped by green
mountains. Wild flowers were in bloom. Many maypoles were still standing in
small villages. Pumpkins grow in the fertile areas, and apparently pumpkin oil
is a big product. We crossed the border into Slovenia at noon. Officials came aboard to check passports.
The European Union has opened up borders and relaxed restrictions. The only passport stamp we received the
whole trip was on entry into the EU in Vienna.
The Slovenia stamp occurred only because our guide had to collect all our
passports at a stricter control point and the female official did us a favor by
stamping them.
Only 150 miles from Venice, Italy,
the Slovenian capital city of 300,000 is a lazy old town clustered around a
castle topped mountain. Although a mid-sized European city and gateway
to the Julian Alps, it maintains the
friendliness of a small town, while possessing all the characteristics of a
metropolis. Here, where cultures of the east and west meet, the old harmonizes
with the new. Ljubljana,
surrounded by hills, is in a fertile glacial valley.
The city boomed when the railroad
connected Vienna and Trieste. An 1895 earthquake destroyed the city and it was
rebuilt in the then popular art nouveau style. Integrating historic structures with
modern designs created a unique architectural style. Cafés, restaurants, and
markets line the embankment of the Ljubljana
River that flows through the
city. Large market squares sprawl along the river’s south bank.
I fell in love with Ljubljana. It is
a city of young people and you can feel the excitement and vitality of the
city. Ljubljana University brings many
young people to the city----a city of culture, numerous theaters, museums, galleries and one of the oldest philharmonic academies in
the world. Many cultural events take place in the Slovene capital. Top quality
musicals, theater and fine arts performers, as well as alternative and
avant-garde performers can be discovered in 14 international festivals.
I learned
that 85-88 percent of the country’s two million people are Slovene. The country
is 55 percent forested. Mushroom picking and chestnut roasting are national
sports. Biking and hiking are popular past times. Karst covers 28 percent of
the land accounting for the many caves. Vineyards abound and wine is a popular
drink. We learned local beers and wines are everywhere with each community
having its own facilities. I cannot speak for the beer, which everyone said was
good, but the wines, mostly white, were excellent.
The city
goes back to the 6th century. During medieval times the country’s
first settlement was in the large marsh lands that cover 53 square miles just
outside of the city. The two million
year old marshlands are protected. Now
hops are grown in that area. The bitterness of the hops off sets the sweetness
of the malt and is what makes beer so good. The city experienced earthquakes in
1895 and 1905.
More about this lovely city next time.
