Boy was this a really wet day! Luckily the guide that met us in the hotel decided to do the opposite of the itinerary and we decided to start at Lake Bled (wiki ref here). 2 hours in the van and we were at the Castle (wiki ref here). Dodging in and out of the various parts of the place we evaded the rain. Fortunately the Hotel we stay in had provided umbrellas! The view we came for was significantly reduced by the intermittent fog that drifted in continuously, but we managed to get a great taste of the place and took advantage of the lack of crowds which had been scared off by the rain. Moving on the other side of the Lake for cake and coffee in a very historical location – the former coffee shop of the former Dictator Tito. Being the Head of State for the former Yugoslavia he had appropriated the Royal Palace and its grounds.
The shop had not been changed one iota by the new Government and is now part of the Tourism Industry and still kitted out in 60s format.
Coming back to Ljubljana the first stop was another Castle (wiki ref here). This one has a really fascinating history an, being built first in the 11th Century owned by various Emperors and Kings finally as a POW camp in WW1 and public housing after that and the renovated as a Tourist and Cultural Site. Climbing to the 400 metre high Tower one can scan the complete valley and flatland surrounding the City. Inside the Museum one can see a replica of the earliest ‘wheel’ found in a swamp, as well as Roman artifacts.
Descending into the City in the funicular (wiki ref here) we ended up at the City Market. Open each day of the week it sells fresh produce to the inhabitants. This area is a UNESCO site (wiki ref here) and very attractive too.
The last stop was at the hotel. Emerging forty-five minutes later we just nipped around the corner to the Allegria Restaurant (tripadvisor here) a wonderful experience. A couple of Tripadvisor reviews had mentioned a ‘rude waiter’ so we didn’t know what to expect. The menu was basic Slovenian but the waiter that served us was worthy of a stand-up comedy gig – certainly not a rude person. The menu was explained and the food portions large and a dessert was yummy. To top off the night the bill certainly was not the usual ‘touristy large’.
Back to the room to pack up for the next move.