Day 35 20 June 2023 Opatija to Ljubljana Slovenia

We had a latish breakfast, Deb took the chance to go down and have a last look at The Maiden statue.
We were picked up at 10am for our drive to Ljubljana. Our driver was the best we have had since leaving Split.
We were five minutes away and Deb began wondering if her hat is coming to Ljubljana or having a longer break in Opatija. Turns out it has got itself a sunlounge in the shade and has slapped on some sunscreen in Opatija. (it is a Cancer Council hat after all).
We crossed into Slovenia at around 10:25am, no border checkpoints, its part of the EU, not good for passport stamp collectors. Roadside warning signs to look out for deer became the norm. The country designation car number plates also changed from HR (Croatia – Croatia in Croatian is Hrvatska, hence the HR) to SLO for Slovenia. The countryside is hilly with a mix of farms and forest, very green.
At about 11:30am coming into Ljubljana the traffic going the other way was banked up for many km, our driver said this was normal, especially in mornings and afternoons peak times.
We arrived at our hotel at about 11:40am, we checked in, and magically, our room was ready. They confirmed our 1:30pm late checkout on Friday and told us to check back on Friday morning to see if we can get an even later checkout. We don’t get picked up for the airport until 4:30pm.
Anyway, we settled into our room and headed out for lunch. The place we were recommended had a bit more substantial meals than we were after, so we walked around and found another place, the tables were full of younger types, lol, that should have been a warning. Let’s just say the food wasn’t really, um, good! It overlooked the river and we got a little bit of the hum of the city, so all was not lost. It also became apparent that cyclists had/took right of way over pedestrians. Mental note made, let’s hope that one sticks.
After lunch we walked back to the hotel to relax in the cool before our 4pm tour started. Sadly for Deb’s hat, it’s time in the shade has been cut short, Deb has organised it a bus ride up to Ljubljana and we will be reunited with it on Thursday.
We did a city walking tour this afternoon, our guides name was Matej, he is a Professor of Italian Language who spoke five languages, and early in his life worked for two years in Australia, mainly in Kununurra. He said his work on banana farms in Kununurra made him appreciate what hard work was really like. He gave us a fresh view of Slovenian history which was good, and he had a great sense of humour.
A quick summary of how Slovenia got to where it is today goes something like this:
• Between the 11th to 14th century the basic Slovenian lands were consolidated together
• From 15th century Slovenia fell into an Administrative Region called Inner Austria
• For 8 years from 1805 Slovenia was part of Napoleon’s Empire, under his regime, the Slovenian language was encouraged and began to proliferate.
• It again came under Austrian rule and remained so until 1918 and the assassination Grand Duke Ferdinand which started WWI and the collapse of the Austrian Empire.
• By 1929 Slovenia became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but retained a degree of “Independence”
• Between 1929 and 1990 it was at various times under Socialist and Communist regimes.
• Slovenia gained its independence and Nationhood in 1990, and it remains today.
(Yes I know a whole lot more happened but you get an idea of how complex things are here)
As most recently seen during the Covid-19 Pandemic, the underlying want or need for democracy and freedom has taken many in the nation to question authority, often putting self interest ahead of the greater good.
Ljubljana is a beautiful small city. It has been transformed in recent times to be a pedestrian friendly city, with cars excluded from most streets within the city. The city has no monuments to political figures, but instead celebrates historic citizens who have contributed to the country or the city, such as Preseren who wrote the Slovenian National Anthem. The city library was constructed incorporating stonework from medieval/Roman buildings that once stood in the city. The windows on the top of the building are designed to look like open books. The Library was designed to have a dark marble entrance, invoking a sense of ignorance, that leads to a reading room bathed in light representing attainment of knowledge.
The streets are mostly cobblestones and are lined either side with grandiose Austrian buildings. The wealth of the city under Austrian rule is very evident. There are significant preservation orders on the buildings of the city.
The city has sustained major damage in earthquakes, particularly in 1895. The buildings destroyed were rebuilt in neo-classical style. The last significant earthquake here was in 2020.
As part of the legacy of Austrian rule was the Dragon Bridge. It was an experimental design using steel. (The Austrian’s often ”tested” new designs in cities they ruled before using the techniques in Austria itself.) There are many myths surrounding the Dragon Bridge, such as “when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons will wag their tails”. At the time it was traditional to use Lion figures as decoration on bridges, but it was less expensive to use dragons (less sheet copper).
After our tour we took the funicular up to the Ljubljana Castle, on Matej’s advice we didn’t get tickets for the castle, he said it wasn’t really authentic. We were a bit disappointed by the view from up their, and the castle didn’t look real, so we were glad we took Matej’s advice.
After we left there we walked back to our hotel, stopping to have dinner at “Pop’s Place”, and then again to have a look at the Ljubljana Festival concert set up.
Tonight is the opening concert of the Ljubljana Festival. Featuring the Slovenian Orchestra and Big Band, the Slovenian Youth Choir and a series of big names in Slovenian music. This concert is celebrating the 75th year of Slovenian singer/song writer Tomaž Domicelj,. We can hear the concert in our hotel room, and it seems the large audience are appreciating the performances.
A fun way to finish our day
NEWS FLASH: The latest update on Deb’s hat. Her hat has had its day in the shade cut short, and will be escorted to a bus tomorrow for extradition to Ljubljana. If all goes to plan we will take custody of “The Hat” tomorrow around 6:45pm.