When J&I were finalizing our itinerary for this trip I saw it as being mainly in two parts: Part A the bike trip from Passau to Vienna with F and J2, Part B a brief sampling of Croatia, which we’d heard so much about from others. The question then became: how to get from A to B in the most elegant and interesting manner.
I’ve explained why Trieste became part of our transition from A to B, but “Why Ljubljana?” you could well be asking. The answer, in a nutshell, might just be “Because Romanca!”
I first met Romanca in Paris in 1988 when I was subletting a friend’s chambre de bonne near the Place Maubert. I think that we met at Shakespeare & Co, which was, and probably still is, a popular hangout for expats of all origins. I learned that Romanca was from Yugoslavia (as it then was) and had studied in Ljubljana—and this is when I first heard about Ljubljana and its many charms. Romanca and I quickly became friends, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since, by letter, by e-mail, and by phone.
Romanca is very devoted to her friends, and she loves surprises. Once, in the early 90s, when I was guiding a B&R bike trip in the Dordogne, while preparing for our final night banquet I was told that a visitor was waiting for me at reception. I went downstairs—and discovered Romanca, with four friends from the Sarlat youth hostel in tow. Surprise!
Romanca lives in London now, and I’d let her know that J&I would be in Ljubljana for a few days as part of our invasion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Time passed. About a week ago, while J&I were in Trieste, Romanca emailed to say that she’d asked a Slovenian friend if he could show us around Ljubljana, and later that day, Rock, her friend, made contact. J&I arranged to meet Rock for coffee the morning after our arrival in Ljubljana. By now you can probably see where this is going.
J&I met up with Rock as planned, and were introduced to his lovely mother Zorka, who’d come as well. We posed for a group selfie (above), which I quickly emailed to Romanca to let her know that we were thinking of her. We then started to discuss which of the local sights we’d see first.
A few minutes later I felt a hand on my right shoulder; I turned: Romanca! Hopefully you can imagine the emotions of the moment: to see a good friend unexpectedly after so many years—and on her home turf. Unforgettable.
A day trip to Lake Bled with Romanca, Rock, and Zorka
After all the hugs, we decided that the best thing to do with the day would be to make a day trip to Lake Bled, which I hereby nominate as one of the most photogenic lakes anywhere in the world—particularly on a picture-perfect day such as the one we had: blue skies without a shred of cloud, a light breeze.
Lake Bled contains a single island, Bled Island (apparently Slovenia’s only island), on which there is a photogenic bell tower and a photogenic pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Overlooking Lake Bled from a craggy promontory, and reflected in the water, is the photogenic Bled Castle, which is reached by a long zigzag of stairs. Combine all of these photogenic elements and you’ve got a picture-postcard setting so perfect that you can immediately understand why Tito had his summer residence built here, on a prime bit of real estate overlooking Lake Bled. Here’s a gallery from our day at Lake Bled:
All in all it was a picture-perfect day. So thank you Romanca, and thank you Rock, for co-conspiring, and for your successful execution of this wonderful surprise; it was a very special gift.
A Sunday flea market in Ljubljana
On sunny Sundays in Ljubljana, there’s a flea market in one of the small plazas near the river that runs through the centre of town. Here are some of the treasures I had difficulty leaving behind:
An apartment at the Barbo Palace
Among the things that guests staying at Barbo Palace (“built in 1755 for Count Jost Vajkard von Barbo”) are prohibited from bringing into their rooms are these:
- Animals or pets;
- Gunpowder, oils or other explosives or inflammables;
- Objects emitting a foul odour;
- Unregistered firearms or swords; [presumably registered swords are fine]
- [My personal favourite:] Objects of an unusually large size or in unusually large quantities
Out and about in Ljubljana
A graffiti gallery
A few Slovenian pastries
To show that we have not been neglecting our responsibilities as semi-professional pastry tasters:
To close: some portraits of wistful, thoughtful, or slightly sad, saints etc
For me, the highlights of the National Gallery of Slovenia’s collection were the medieval depictions, in wood and stone, of saints and madonnas, with pietas a particular specialty. Here are some of my favourites:
This gorgeous sculpture, Petit Dreams, by Frančišek Smerdu, from 1962-63, is definitely not medieval, but seemed like a good image to close with.
Coda: a Canadian Thanksgiving
I’m sorry to report that we have no updates to offer on The Church of J2 and M in this Coda (though I did pop into an Orthodox Church here in Ljubljana during a Sunday evening service, which gave me some new ideas for church vestments, and ritual).
But I did want to mention that J&I shared our Canadian Thanksgiving with two fellow Vancouverites, met by chance here in Ljubljana: one of J’s Aquafit buddies, B, and her partner, another B. What are the odds! Later, back in our Palace, we FaceTimed family back in BC to wish them Happy Thanksgiving.
So: much to be thankful for and to reflect on as yet another war flares up in the Middle East; grateful for family and friends, for good health and for the means to travel.
Danube to Dalmatia 
I think Ljubljana just vaulted to the top of my list for places to see (and eat in). First I have to practise the spelling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I learned that “j”s are usually pronounced as “y”s in Slovenian, which helped (not sure this knowledge will help with the spelling though!) It (Ljubljana) really rolls off the tongue once you’ve said it a few times.
LikeLike
Good old Jugoslavia. That’s why I always thought the franchise Jugo Juice should be pronounced Yugo Yuice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
And I agree with Finola – you make Lyublyana and Slovenia look very attractive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well it certainly didn’t need my help! Plus we had a trio of very proud Slovenians as our hosts and guides
LikeLike