Strolling Ljubljana

November 2-5, 2014: Back in 2004 Ljubljana the town had charmed me, but my accommodation had fallen short. The prison turned youth hostel where I started had sounded intriguing on paper, but in practice my room was hot and airless. I moved to the Communist-era Park, which was just as functional but basic as one might expect. But this time the Adora Hotel proved as charming as the town. My very nice room overlooked the neighboring church, and the very nice staff couldn’t have been more helpful. They made a great macchiato, too. The only odd note was the elevator, which had no door on the cage. As it moved very slowly up or down, I had the disorienting feeling that it was the building that was moving, and not the elevator!

The Adora was a bit of a trek from the train station, where I had been unable to figure out how to buy a bus ticket, but after three and a half hours on the train I probably needed the exercise. For some reason I no longer remember I was traveling in first class, and I had the whole carriage to myself. This allowed me to sit on whichever side had the better scenery, or was currently in shade.

Dragon on the Dragon Bridge

Rather than having sights, Ljubljana is a sight. It is a wonderful place for wandering the streets, and especially the river front, and kicking back with a coffee or a drink in one of the many cafes along said river bank. Since my 2004 visit, a lot of work had been put into paving the riverbank, and many new establishments had opened. Of course, one of the reasons I love the place is because of its Art Nouveau buildings. And how could a dragon aficionado not be fond of a city whose symbol is a dragon, and which has a dragon bridge to prove it?

The main tourist sight is probably the house of home-town architect Jože Plečnik, but I’d already seen that. I did go back up to the castle (using the funicular rather than my still recovering feet), but I still thought it only worth seeing for the views. I paid a first visit to the City Museum but found the Roman section small and not very impressive. While Ljubljana is a good base for visiting beautiful Lake Bled and the caves at Postojna, I did that last time, and the weather didn’t encourage me to repeat the expeditions. Instead I took things easy, concentrating on the buildings. And on food.

My hotel sent me to the Julija restaurant, where I dined on veal with truffles, mashed potatoes and endive, followed by my favorite creme brulee. My hotel also sent me to another nearby place when I expressed an interest in the area’s signature cevapcici, but the meal wasn’t very filling, and I was pleased, if a bit surprised, to come across Namaste, where I topped up with a very good curry. But the food highlight of my stay was a food tour. These seem to be becoming increasingly popular, but I think it was the first I have done.

Turned out I was the only participant, and I was pleased that the tour went anyway. We started with elderberry and honey schnapps, followed by local cheese from one of the market stalls. Then very tender marinated octopus, bacalhau, and deer and beef carpaccio at an upmarket restaurant, followed by sausage at a more traditional place. The turnip soup at Gujzina was so surprisingly good I made a dinner reservation there. More schnapps and pine liqueur in a cellar, dumplings (which I skipped) and stuffed mushrooms, before ending with desert and coffee. I walked off all those calories with a final look at the Art Nouveau buildings, as I was moving on the next day.