I decide to try something different this year. Following Shirleyfest Antwerp, instead of coming straight home, I spend the next nearly three weeks in three other cities—Ljubljana, Valencia, and Lisbon. Ljubljana and Valencia I consider reconnaissance missions. Lisbon I consider what it feels like to return to a prior Shirleyfest city.

Ljubljana

I’ve been thinking about Ljubljana for quite a while. The few people I know who have ventured there, rave about Ljubljana and about Slovenia in general.

It is a bit of an effort to get there from Antwerp, but I get excited as I fly over the mountains guarding Ljubljana.

The good news is that when I land, my friends from Shirleyfest Vienna, Petra and Arno, pick me up at the airport.

It is the first time that my Shirleyfest visitors have arrived before I do! They decided it was only a 4 hour drive from Vienna and since they had never been to Ljubljana and we really enjoy each others company, they would make the drive.

They drop me off at my Hotel April 1550.

We agree to meet shortly to walk around the town before dinner. The hotel owner Natasa welcomes me warmly and takes my bag to my suite. After all the stairs in Antwerp, it is funny that I booked a boutique historic hotel with no elevator. I can’t believe how beautiful this hotel is and since I reserved the Treetop Suite, I have this little apartment on the top floor with a balcony truly in the treetops.

There are only 8 rooms in this hotel. If you decide to come to Ljublijana, I can’t imagine you staying anywhere else.

I quickly unpack and the three of us start walking on this gorgeous blue sky day. Ljubljana is right at the center of Slovenia. The city crouches within the Ljubljana basin and is guarded by mountains to the west, as well as to the east. The Ljubljana river flows through the city beneath scenic spans like the Cobbler’s Bridge, the Dragon Bridge and the Triple bridge.

The river, with those iconic bridges, along with the rose pink Francesca Church, make the city center one of the most picturesque I have ever encountered.

The Old Town spreads along the eastern bank of the river with Ljubljana Castle watching from above.

The town is a virtual jewel box. There is not a shred of litter anywhere. The historic Old Town bans private cars, creating a large, people-friendly zone. Over 75% of the city area is green space, featuring parks like Tivoli and thousands of planted trees. It is a pioneer in urban zero-waste management and clean, public drinking water fountains across the city. But the main thing is: It is gorgeous!

Our dinner tonight is at Birdie. We walk there through the lovely evening air.

There are no menus and the food just starts coming from the kitchen.

I lost count after 10 dishes, yet we still managed to have hazelnut mousse for dessert.

Also, Slovenia is known for its wines and we go with the waiter’s suggestion of Dolfa Reserve Merlot from Gorișka Brda. Excellent!

We get an uber back as it is quite late and very dark.

My hotel serves a breakfast each morning that is nothing short of amazing. All the food is locally sourced and the chef bakes something special each day. Today it is Buhtelj.

We all meet for an excellent walking tour of the town. We see City Hall where Zoran Jankovic has been mayor for 20 years. He is running for his 6th term at the age of 73. The election is in two weeks.

We see the Butcher’s Bridge near the Open Air Market where lovers attach locks and throw the keys in the Ljubljana River.

We continue to walk and see all of the highlights of this amazing city. Afterwards we have a late lunch outside the city center at Restaurant 5-6kg. The name of the restaurant is the weight of a small piglet.

We follow lunch with a coffee at Cafe Spiça, a local spot that friends from home, Tom and John, told me about. It is situated where the river divides and the cafe is filled with locals enjoy the beautiful weather.

Arno and Petra must leave for Vienna late afternoon. I walk over to Ljubljana’s answer to Christiania in Copenhagen. It’s called Metalkova. It is interesting, but not nearly as exotic as Copenhagen.

Speaking of exotic, as I walk back to the hotel I pass the Cyanometer. Cyanometers are machines that measure the blueness of the sky, which determines the air quality. The device captures images of the sky and compares them with a color wheel and the machine itself changes color to match the sky. Ljubljana scores very high on the blueness scale. I’ve never seen one in another city but I’m not surprised that a city that rates so highly would erect such a beautiful one.

I attend mass tonight at St. James near my hotel. When I enter I see an enormous video screen at the alter and wondered what in the world that will be used for. I soon find out. During the homily, the priest illustrates his points with religious art that shows on the big screen. That was a first for me.

For food tonight I decide to go with Balkan food at Sarajevo 84. The restaurant’s name refers to the 1984 Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo just 7 years before war broke out. It serves Balkan specialities. You sit in the basement in a very authentic tavern style room. If you like meat rolls and sausages and bread—this is your place.

I walk back late at night so happy to be here.

This morning we have another delicious breakfast, with a freshly made cake.

Afterwards, I do another interesting stroll around town. First I want to see how the fall colors are coming on the St James Bridge.

Then I check out one of the prettiest streets in town called Krizevniska Ulica.

Then I go to Ključavničarska Ulica, a narrow passageway linking the street running along the river to a shopping street. Its name translates as ‘Locksmith Street’ and there’s a symbol of a key as you go into it.

The passageway has a gully running down the middle of it, but it’s not for drainage. It’s full of 700 unusual bronze faces. They are crying, screaming, and laughing. Very creepy.

Next I walk up to the castle. I am glad I did it because the views of the town are wonderful. I don’t stay long and I can quickly walk down to the Old Town.

Dinner tonight is at Spaça right around the corner from the hotel. The waiters Filip and Vojo take me under their wings and guide me through a delicious dinner.

They decide I need to try after dinner digestives. Filip calls them “baby”, “mamma” and “papa”. I like “baby” best ( but I drink them all).

The next morning, I go first to the Museum of Modern Art. It has a special exhibition of Gregor Perušek, a facinating Slovenian-American. It ties in with my visit to the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, as that is how Mr. Perušek immigrated to the US.

Right next to the museum is the American Embassy, which is guarded by the Slovenian police for some reason.

Afterwards I decide to go for a personal wine tasting. Slovenia specializes in orange wines and I am very interested to find one I like. I sit at the bar of Movia winery with Ela (part of the family that owns Movia) and she explains about their vineyards and their wines.

I find several I like!

Tonight is dinner at Campra. Natasa got me a reservation at this hard to get into restaurant. Its speciality is grilled meats. I was delighted. The starter is delicious and the waiter chooses a nice local wine.

The main was grilled pork neck.

I decided to leave without dessert because I want to hit up the amazing gelato place in town called Cacao.

I’m flying off to Valencia tomorrow. Everyone I meet in Ljubljana loves living there. Eduction is free and I talked to several university students who were so happy to be doing their studies there. The vibe is peaceful, calm and beautiful. It is not a bustling go-go city. I enjoyed the atmosphere after coming from a month in a larger city. I would love to see the rest of Slovenia on another trip.

Stay tuned for Epilogue Part II====Valencia!