President George W. Bush, the story goes, got off Air Force One and waved enthusiastically to the crowd. He was about to meet with Russia’s new President, Vladimir Putin. With hands extended and a huge smile, he yelled out “Nice to be here in Slovenia!” Actually, President Bush was in Bratislava, Slovakia. His now legendary faux pas, is offered up as levity on walking tours, always inciting a bit of back-handed laughter toward geography-impaired Americans.
Truth be told, it is easy to confuse the two-countries, Slovenia and Slovakia. The former, was part of the country once known as Yugoslavia, the latter, part of Czechoslovakia. However, there is no mistaking Ljubljana – first, because its spelling and pronunciation take some practice, and secondly, because it is a remarkably delightful capital city in the middle of Slovenia.
Not because it was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but rather because it’s a comfortable 7-hour train ride from Budapest, Ljubljana offers itself as a worthy destination.
Dragons have long been portrayed as monsters, but as the symbol of Ljubljana, the dragon has become an iconic protector of the city, embodying power, courage and wisdom. From what we understand, this quaint little city welcomes an unbearable torrent of tourists during the summer months. So perhaps our 4-day trip here in late February was a sign of some of that dragon wisdom rubbing-off on us.
A pair of fearsome dragons guard each side of the Dragon Bridge in LjubljanaPastel-colored 19th century buildings and free-bikes welcome visitors to Ljubljana A light overnight dusting of snow accented nearby roofs as seen from our AirBnB The Castle dominates the capital city of 280,000. Here, an urban biker scoots around a corner alongside the river.A quiet side street. Most of the Old City is pedestrian-only.This beautiful city is defined by its relationship with the Ljubljana River. There are 17-bridges in a relatively short distance, the most famous of which are the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge.Shopping street in the old section of Ljubljana.On our Free Walking Tour, the guide pointed out this local sausage “find.” We took the hint and doubled-back after the tour. Our lunch: government certified sausage and a bowl of homemade pumpkin soup.Chocolate shop. At every local establishment we stopped at, we found shopkeepers polite, well-versed in English, and knowledgeable of their wares. Defensive look-out from the Castle.View of the Old City and beyond to downtown from the Castle.Young Japanese boy seems fascinated by the funicular. I was equally curious-with him.The Castle souvenir shop was filled with themed-paraphernalia about the Castle rat, Friderik. Here’s a poster that read: “In the kitchen he spotted her: the new castle cook, a jolly woman with a chef’s hat and huge apron. Under her magic fingers Friderik saw the mouth-watering morsels of culinary brilliance taking shape.”And then, there was this man and his ostrich–a fitting accent to several glorious days in the lovely city of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
American in Budapest 
One response to “Ljubljana, Song of the Dragon”
Hey Steve,
As always, I enjoyed your post and your perspective on what appears to be a very picturesque city. I may have to add it to my very long bucket list.
Love to Marsha and you,
David
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