Monday, June 2
Zagreb is quite close to the Slovenian border, so after a short drive we'd pulled out our passports yet another time. At the border, we purchased a vignette, the sticker required for all cars on the road in Slovenia; it is used as a sort of universal Easy Pass, and has replaced road tolls throughout the country. It took just a couple of hours' drive through lovely countryside to reach Lake Bled, at the foot of the snow-capped Julian Alps, and almost in Austria.
Lake Bled seems almost too beautiful to be real. Its waters are blue-green, Bled Castle dominates it from atop a high precipice, and Bled Island, with its monumental staircase leading from water's edge to the island's church, sits, just waiting to be photographed. Needless to say, Tom obliged, stopping often as we walked the 6 km path that encircles the lake. En route, we stopped for lunch on a shady lakeside bench, and the view was unbeatable.
We retraced our route to reach Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia early this afternoon. After checking in to our apartment, we walked about fifteen minutes to the center of the old town, which lies at the foot of a castle on a hill high above. 
The town center and old town are separated by the curving Ljubljanica River, but the two pedestrian areas are joined by so many footbridges that they seem as one. There are many squares, and they seem to morph into streets, and flow into each other. Cafes, outdoor restaurants, fountains, squares, the riverbanks, even the bridges provide lots of open space for people to gather and linger against the backdrop of attractive public buildings, and former mansions and townhouses that now house shops, galleries, and museums.
Our first impression is of a lively small city, a university town, and one not overrun by tourists. To be continued tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment