Ljubljana Impressions

Ljubljana, Slovenia was a great city for me. I was totally blown away by it, but I think I that the "blowing away" was not because it is beautiful (which it isn't, really) but because of my roots. I was the first in my family to return to Slovenia. Slovenia has always been the most westernized and independent of the Yugoslavian conglomerate and when they declared independence in 1990 there was not much of a fuss. The tanks rolled in for 2 weeks, a few battles fought and then that was it.

The girls there are quite beautiful, but I think I know why. The women in other European cities wear fashions from that city and so therefore they look "different" somehow. Ljubljana women wear western (American) clothes and so they look "right" (and therefore are gorgeous, since they are also not American).

Ljubljana itself is a very charming city, with a vibrant new part and a quaint old part. I found a bar in the old part of town the first night I was there and befriended the bartender. She and I talked a little bit in between her pouring drinks. At one point one night she asked me, "Isn't it boring sitting in here and just watching people?"

My response was, "No way! It's great! Otherwise, I'd just be in my room staring at the ceiling, and there's no way I'm doing that!"

She smiled and said (in a very smoky "Boris and Natasha" voice), "Yes, I understand."

I saw pretty much everything the city has to other, including the Slovenian National Art Gallery, which consists of Slovenian artist's work (the gallery was small, of course) and hiked to the top of the hill upon which the "Grad" (castle) stands. The grad is being restored and excavated, but the tower was open, so I fired off a bunch of photos from up there. I sat in Presnerov Trg (the "main" square) ate lunch and sketched the church. I was there long enough to be able to relax and enjoy the city, not just shoot in, cram in a bunch of sights and then blast out.

The river is channeled through the heart of the city but in the 500 year old suburb south and east of town the river flows past open banks, lined with trees and grass. It's very pretty.

The old city is small as well, but packed with small trgs and narrow streets. It's very picturesque, but I wouldn't say that it is a "must see" city. It is a must see city if you are Slovenian, but that's about it.

Here is a shortcut to the pictures of my time there.

Here is an article from the Toronto Globe and Mail I found on usenet some time ago about this fair city.