EUROPE BLOG April 10th, 2023 - LJUBLJANA

4/10/23- A very restful morning and much needed. Sharece woke up before me and literally ran out the door to get more photos with the sky clear and sun beaming, but it takes me a bit longer to get my body moving before I join her.

Wow, what a difference a day makes. People are out, just like yesterday, and there’s still a slight chill in the air, but the blue skies make this place feel more like Disneyland. We can’t wait to get to Ljubljana castle, which is perched at the top of the hill but they have a funicular ride to take us up. I’m glad I purchased our tickets online this morning because the line stretches almost to the street. We’re able to mossy our way past and right up to the entrance gate of the funicular without any problems.

The ride is short but there are a few steps to get to the open courtyard, and once there we see a fantastic view of the entire city and distant snow-capped mountains. This is the travel book picture we’ve been waiting for.

Roaming around, we climb the red, spiral stairs to get to the top of the tower with a full 360 degree view. The light wind and sun rays compete for our attention as we enjoy the moment and catch our breath.

Back at the ground floor, we follow a passageway to a quaint chapel that has a beautifully painted ceiling, stroll through a small gallery of photos from decades past, and sift through a gift shop that seems dedicated to a prison rat named Frederick (odd). Overall, this castle is a “can’t miss” highlight and well worth the 16 Euros per person (including funicular). Keep in mind, there’s a restroom but they charge. Not much but you’d think it would’ve been included in the ticket.

With only a banana and sandwich split between us this morning, it’s time to locate a grocery store. If you remember from yesterday, all of the stores were closed for Easter and we quickly find the same for today. Apparently, we missed the memo to stock up. Hopefully we find something open later.

Feeling good about the day, we drag our feet about a mile to go up the Skyscrapper. This building is only 11 floors, one of the tallest in Ljubljana, but has a perfect view of the castle on the hill with the surrounding town. There’s no admission, as it is primarily a restaurant, so we try to be as respectful as possible with our photos before taking advantage of their free restroom.

Our legs are weary but we can’t let the sunshine go to waste, so we head for Trivoli Park. Sharece didn’t realize the walk is a bit far, and the park is so large that we can’t possible see everything pictured that brought us here, but we make the most of it. Best thing is we find a gas station to get a few things from. Take that grocery store gods that close on days we’re here.

After a few hours rest, we set out for some night view of the square, arm in arm as the vacation should be. Tomorrow, we have another early morning bus ride to Venice (one of the changes we made when we learned of the upcoming weather).

It was a very production day, one that I’ll remember down the line if and when we think of living abroad for a bit. Who knows if we’d even need to after this helluva trip, but we’ll keep our options open just in case. I’m just not a fan of the graffiti everywhere.

*Side note: We took down the picture frames in our AirBnb to help cover the windows and their see-thru sheers. I don’t have a clue on why the host felt this was acceptable at street level, but we were about to start handing out food to passerby’s so they could have a dinner AND a show.