While most of Spring Break was spent visiting places I had already been, Sheila and I agreed on spending the final days of her trip in Slovenia. Slovenia borders Italy to the east, so it was a good opportunity to make the trip there.
 |
| the river running through central Ljubljana |
From Venice, we took a van to Ljubljana that I had reserved spaces for in advance. We had a few moments of anxiety when it wasn't exactly clear where this mysterious van would pick us up from, but after several conversations with people who had no idea, one person was finally able to help. Three hours later, we arrived in Slovenia wary of warnings of unscrupulous taxi drivers and no idea where our hotel was. Thankfully, the city of Ljubljana has free wifi that you can access for an hour a day. Who knew? You can't even get this in Italy, where tourists flock every day.
 |
| the dragon- the symbol of Ljubljana |
We stayed in one of the best hotels I've ever experienced and I don't often bother to mention hotels in my blog posts. But, if your travels ever take you to Ljubljana, stay at the Adora Hotel.
 |
| from the Dragon Bridge |
The first afternoon was rain free and we decided this was a good opportunity to get some pictures without having to hold an umbrella and manage a camera at the same time. We wandered the city and saw some of the sites while we stayed dry. This was such a nice change from the rainy mess we had been dealing with over so many days.
 |
| view of Ljubljana from the castle |
We found out about a free tour that was offered every day and had great reviews on Trip Advisor (of course I checked, no surprise there). So, the following morning we headed to the main square to meet this tour guide. It was RAINING again, and this time, freezing, to top it off. We spent the next two hours learning interesting aspects of Slovenia history while dancing in place to keep from losing our extremities to frostbite.
 |
| there was lots of interesting graffiti all over |
Later in the day, we headed to the Ljubljana Castle, which was relatively underwhelming, and a local area full of graffiti and strange art and sculpture.
 |
The tour guide mentioned that this area was similar to Christiana in Copenhagen,
a self-governing place with rules differing from the rest of the local area. |
The next day, we made plans to head to Lake Bled, about an hour away from Ljubljana. This place is the stuff Disney settings are made of...
 |
| the "Little Island" in the middle of Lake Bled |
It was, of course, a bit chilly, but it didn't rain all day and this made us so happy. We wandered around the lake, up to another castle, Bled Castle, and to the "Little Island" in the middle of the lake.
 |
| the Bled Castle is up high on the hill |
 |
| looking down at Bled from the castle |
Slovenia would be such a great summer visit! They had lots of hiking and outdoor activities to offer, if only the weather had been better.
Ending today's posts with a couple special shout outs on this RAINY Milano day... a big happy 4th birthday to my friend Christy's little boy, Grady, and an even more special wedding day to my friend, Lori. Here's wishing you and John a lifetime of happiness! Wish I could celebrate with you!
 |
| Happy Happy Birthday! |
 |
| today's bride and groom ; ) |
