Slovenia, Ljubljana - a lazy saturday in May

In May 2016 we felt like having a little spring break. The choice was made for Slovenia, because it was not too far away and we hadn't been there yet (at least not in the last decades). It was sort of an impromptu decision as we didn't spend too much time to read about it. Instead, once we were there we were pleasantly surprised...

Schedule-wise everything seemed to fit well: direct flights from Amsterdam with Air Adria (code sharing partner of KLM) at convenient times, a nice deal for a rental car (we had a comfortable Skoda Octavia), hotel prices were still decent and the weather forecast didn't look bad, except for our arrival day.

We first spent a few days in Ljubljana. After we arrived we took a shuttle bus from the airport that dropped us conveniently close to our hotel, which was located at a little square, Rožna ulica, just outside of the pedestrian streets in the center. It was raining, more like the type of drizzle that goes trough everything. After checking in, we found a little restaurant (Julija) with a fireplace, nice wine, simple hearty food and cool people. The weather outside was uninviting, so we spent quite some time there with after dinner drinks and digestives.

The next day was Saturday, and we discovered that there would be market day along the river. At least it got dry, so we spent most of the day there. It was a food discovery experience really, because many small producers of very local products offered their produce. Some of the special products included pickled black garlic, that we had not seen for a long time, and all sort of vegetable and fruit based preserves (jams, chutneys etc.). Also locally produced wine and spirits.

Apart from the open air Saturday market, there is also an indoor permanent market hall, which was an experience by itself. We were surprised by how important honest local food seems to be for the Slovenians, and that when they buy a chicken, they buy the whole thing instead of processed meat or breast fillets. Including the feet. These were so big that the chicken reminded us of megapodes, a jungle bird of the Solomon islands. But these were really natural Slovenian chicken with oversized feet.

In the afternoon the sun came through, so after exploring the old heart of the city, the area around the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje), we decided to take the funicular up to the hill with the castle Ljubljana Grad. It is a popular place for the local people and tourists to enjoy a drink and take in the view over the city, which is actually really nice. We had a lazy afternoon, then had dinner along the river before heading back to the hotel.

One thing that really made us enjoy Ljubljana is the unpretentious but very picturesque old town, and the relaxed atmosphere with people calmly enjoying the good side of life, taking their time, having their drinks and strolling around. There is a "local town" feel to it, even though it is obvious that there are plenty of tourists as well. We will be back some day (and we will make sure it includes another Saturday).