Dateline: 13.26 29 Aug 1996
Location: Slovenia, Ljubljana, Ulica na Grad
It has been raining on and off ever since I came
here, but the sky appears to be slowly clearing now. Regardless of what
the weather will be like, I'm afraid my plans of climbing Triglav have
been smashed: the 15-min climb to Ljubljana Castle left me exhausted, so
I suspect that a 3-day climb might prove a bit too much. And I also
lack the necessary gear and clothing for it. Next year...?
As
for Ljubljana itself... it's... small? After the colossal size and scale
of all the other cities I've been to, it's a surprise to find oneself in
a city of 330,000 people that looks like it, too. The newer parts of town
reminded me, oddly, of Helsinki: the same mix of architectural styles ranging
from the late 19th to the mid-20th century; not hideously ugly, but neither
particularly appealing, most buildings in good shape and full of shops,
offices, banks, ... the Old Town, on the other hand, is all 19th century,
much of it unfortunately in need of plaster and paint, but at least not
falling down. (No typo here: this is no medieval old town of cramped alleys
and heavy stone, just the older parts of town.) And it has been well-preserved,
no concrete blocks juxtaposed in the mix. Perhaps the part I like best
is the Ljubljanica River and its immediate surroundings. Green, very green,
profuse plantlife and weeping willows touching the calm surface of the
green river itself, and Plec^nik's beautiful white bridges fit in very
well indeed. Pedestrian streets and little cafés abound, creating
a rather unique mix with classical architecture in a calm, provincial town.
Imam zelo rad!
Ljubljana Castle is very pretty, and will be considerably
more so once the renovation - now dragging on into its 4th decade (!) -
is finished. Of course, in size it pales compared to something like Praha
Castle, but neither is it by any means small. From atop the tower all of
Ljubljana and its surroundings are visible, lush green hills surrounding
this little pocket of white walls and red roofs on all sides.
The day's budget
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