After traveling 1300 km through 6 countries, our road trip was approaching its end as the scenery transitioned from turquoise Adriatic shores to lush sub-alpine meadows with wooden church spires surrounded by chalet villages. It could have been the Vienna Woods, except the highway signs were still in Slavic.
Is this still the Balkans or are we in Central Europe now? The Slovenes themselves might say Central Europe; Croats, Serbs and other former Yugoslavs might vouch for the Balkans; and Wikipedia says both. Debates aside, our highway bus had arrived at the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.
Nearly equidistant between Graz, Venice and Zagreb, charming Ljubjlana has always served as the crossroad between its German-speaking neighbours to the north, Italians to the west and its Slavic siblings to the southeast, presiding over a small mountainous nation only a quarter of the size of Austria.
With the nation's farthest corners within a half day's drive, Ljubljana's central location makes for an ideal homebase for day-trips to the rest of Slovenia including world-famous Lake Bled and the UNESCO-worthy stalactite caverns of Skocjan. Here we chose to spend three nights -- the most among all cities on our 22-day itinerary -- in addition to a final afternoon prior to our flight home.
As our daily routine was centred between the train station and the historic quarter, we booked into a cheap hotel (Rooms Ambrozic) right between the two, a minute's walk from the Dragon Bridge, two from the Central Market and ten from the adjoining train and bus stations.
Extensively rebuilt in late 19th century following an earthquake that flattened much of the city, Ljubljana features a compact historic centre with a 12th century castle rising above its spacious squares, the most prominent being the Congress Square that spawned the Slovenian Spring demonstrations that precipitated Slovenia's independence and the breakup of Yugoslavia.
60 seconds in a glass-walled funicular zips visitors up to Ljubljana Castle, a 2000-year-old stronghold that hosted Celtic tribes, Roman legions, Carniolan nobility, medieval prisons, 20th century social housing and now lavish weddings in its airy chambers.
Despite its unremarkable exhibits, the castle does offer excellent panoramas at its viewing tower for a price. Alternatively one could have a similar view for free just outside the castle, overlooking the Congress Square, the University of Ljubljana and the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall.
At the foot of the castle stands the baroque Town Hall and the historic Robba Fountain, or more precisely, a replica of the 18th century fountain that graced the Slovenian banknote prior to adoption of the Euro. We're now at the epicentre of Ljubljana's entertainment district, where a 500m radius would cover the most popular cafes and restaurants on both sides of the river.
The 400-year-old belfries of the Franciscan monastery mark the Preseren Square along with the city's signature architectural gem, the Triple Bridge with two pedestrian bridges flanking a wide centre bridge designed for trams that used to cross the Ljubljanica.
Much of the harmonious aesthetics can be attributed to the genius of Joze Plecnik, the city's favorite architect who reinvented Ljubljana with his elegant bridges and open squares, a legacy now recognized by the nation as a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site application.
Just east of the Triple Bridge is a 21st century glass footbridge named Mesarski Most, or Butcher's Bridge after the meat vendors on south shore. Aside from its peculiar collection of bronze sculptures, the bridge is now known for its thousands of love padlocks a la Pont des Arts of Paris.
Butchers still occupy the covered arcades south of the bridge, overflowing into the open-air Farmer's Market with bewildering selections of Klobase sausages and various charcuterie items. As a Canadian I'm forbidden to bring home pork products such as prsut and klobase, instead settling for some sun-dried porcini mushrooms.
While charcuterie stands may still be your best bet for Slovenia's famous prosciutto and cured pork neck from the Karst Plateau, nowadays every franchised supermarket carries its own selection of Kraski prsut, our breakfast of choice served with fresh pastries and our favorite yogurt.
The best time to visit would be Fridays during the summer when the Farmer's Market transforms into a culinary festival known as Open Kitchen (see map), featuring dozens of food carts serving everything from Slovenian venison pate to Argentine beef asado to honey mead and elderflower water, all in a boisterous ambiance under the Cathderal's twin towers.
The longest queue of this evening belonged to the smoky spectacle of Superhrust, patiently roasting an entire pig on the spot with its custom-designed mobile roaster fueled by charcoal.
The primal smell of charred meat and fat drippings instantly brought back memories of another festive pig roast that we attended on the opposite side of the Alps with a much crunchier skin. This was only passable in comparison, but a lively start to our informal dinner nonetheless.
More traditional fare could be found across the aisle at a pop-up outlet for Gostilna Pri Kozolcu, serving its Eastern Slovenian recipe of homemade Pečenice veal sausages, sauteed and served with mustard and sauerkraut.
Many local restaurants have joined Open Kitchen with their own fast food outlets, including the nearby Valentin with its deep-fried calamari and sardines. With my wife craving for soup, we decided to bypass their stall and make the 2-minute walk to (the restaurant) itself for a couple of sit-down courses.
Valentin's cream of scampi turned out much better than the exceedingly fishy sardines. Between the pig roast, Pečenice sausages, sardines, soup and a couple drinks, we ended up spending more than 40 euros for dinner at this night market, another proof that night market grub are rarely as cheap as people may think. I guess we should have learned from our seven night market dinners in Taiwan last year.
For an authentic Slovenian dinner at dirt cheap prices, the no-nonsense sausage joint of Klobasarna (see map) served us hearty barley porridge, two Kranjska Klobase, local soft drink (Ora!) and beer for about 15 euros -- and from its prime location right below Ljubljana Castle.
A short stroll over to the popular Vigo (see map) for some outstanding gelato, and it completed our three course dinner in Slovenia at near Albanian prices. With artisan flavours such as Alfonso mangoes, Magdagascan vanilla and Sicilian pistachios for less than 2 euros a cup, Vigo instantly became a daily routine for the rest of our stay in Ljubljana.
On our last evening in Ljubljana we finally sat down for a proper Slovenian meal at Hisa Pod Gradom (see map), housed inside a 400-year-old mansion at the foot of the castle and known for its modern take on traditional Slovenian ingredients.
As the confluence between Slavic, Italian and Central European culinary influences, contemporary Slovenian cuisine is much more than just goulash and klobasa. On this evening we decided to sample a few of Hisa Pod Gradom's appetizers before sharing an entree, starting with a succulent smoked goose breast served with a refreshing spread of pear puree.
Slavic touches were hardly noticeable as these dishes could have been served anywhere from Madrid to Berlin. That said, both the goose breast and the pictured duck pate with truffle honey turned out excellent and surprisingly affordable at about 9 euros each.
Topping up with a plate of melt-in-the-mouth veal cheeks in red wine, a green salad on the side and a couple glasses of Teran, and the meal ended up only a few euros more than our night market dinner. And of course, a stroll to Vigo for more gelato was in order.
Fellow travelers may be surprised by us spending more time in Ljubljana than cities with more tourism credentials such as Dubrovnik, but Ljubljana features such a wide range of day-trip opportunities -- Bled, Skocjan, Postojna, Triglav and Velika Planina to name a few -- that we could have easily spent a week here. Three nights were barely enough.
IF YOU GO
Ljubljana Airport is served by major airlines as well as low-cost carriers such as EasyJet, and is connected to the city by frequent buses. The train station and bus terminal are conveniently situated next to each other, offering connections to Zagreb (2.5 hrs), Venice (4 hrs), Vienna (5 hrs) and Budapest (6.5 hrs), as well as domestic destinations such as the popular Lake Bled and the Skocjan Caves.
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