This was, I think, the third time my girlfriend and I bought tickets for the Ljubljana, and the first time we saw them actually used. We traveled almost all over Europe, and that Ljubljana seemed so close, yet so far away. At one point I thought that we would never go to Slovenia. However, as I said, this time it was successful, and a bus ride of about eight hours finally brought us to the capital of this beautiful country.
Before each of the previous ones, and even before this planning, we heard stories about how boring Ljubljana is, how three days in this city is too much time. "You're going for three days? You can see everything important in Slovenia in that amount of time, not in Ljubljana," a friend told me. However, now I would say that I could have stayed longer. Honestly, Ljubljana is not the most fun city in the world, but the days spent there were far from boring.
If there is a place where Ljubljana breathes at its fullest, then it is its center - a combination of Central Europe, in my opinion specifically Salzburg, a kind of relaxation, and at the end seasoned, of course, with the Balkan spirit. The city center fulfills all the requirements of a true European metropolis - it has a large square where everyone meets, it has a river that romantically cuts the city in two, it has a castle that offers a view of the entire city, and the most important thing - many Serbs. Because let's be realistic, what kind of European metropolis is it if there isn't at least one person in the middle of the square who will say: "Brother, this is like ours, only a little more orderly!"
The main square is named after the greatest Slovenian poet Franz Prešeren, whose statue has dominated the space since 1905. His gaze is fixed on the window of his unfulfilled love Julia's house, a detail that the people of Ljubljana recount with a touch of romance and pride. Right behind the monument rises the pink facade of the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation from the 17th century. And over the river Ljubljanica spreads one of the symbols of the city - Tromostovje, the work of the architect Joža Plečnik. In the 20th century, Slovenians say, Plečnik shaped Ljubljana as a work of art.
Above all, on a hill that dominates the panorama, stands the city of Ljubljana. Its foundations date back to the 11th and 12th centuries, while today's outlines are the result of medieval and later Habsburg additions. Throughout history, the fortress has been everything - a military stronghold, a residence of the nobility, and even a prison. As you descend the hill back towards the center, step by step, another symbol of the city emerges in front of you. A bridge on which stand four dragons with spread wings, three male and one female, at least according to the seller from the souvenir shop located right next to the mentioned bridge. Dragon Bridge – probably the most photographed place in the city.
However, Ljubljana is much more than the center, seeing the monuments and visiting the Ljubljana Castle. What Ljubljana bought us with is outside the cobblestones of the city center. For years, Ljubljana held the title of one of the greenest European capitals, and this is not only visible here on paper, but also in the air and people's habits. What was particularly interesting to us, although more because of the name than because of the concept itself, is that on every corner there are stations of the system called "BicikeLJ", a public city bicycle that works simply.
Riding BicikeLJ around the city without many hills, which is perfectly covered by clearly marked and safe bike paths, is just the right experience that the city has to offer. We went to the very edge of the city and the Olimpija football stadium on public city bikes, it sounds very cute. The stadium, which holds a little more than 16.000 people, was completely nice to me and just the way this city needs it - not excessively large, but modern and compact. It was the most pointless bike ride ever – if you ask my better half.
Finally, Ljubljana is only a few hours' drive from Serbia, geographically close. But when you spend a few days there, you realize how "far" it really is. It is even harder to believe that we lived in the same country until just over three decades ago. Today, actually years ago, Ljubljana is going its own way, the way of Europe, but in the good sense of the word.
She absorbed European standards like a sponge. At the same time, cultural and historical connections with the rest of the Balkans remain visible through language, everyday communication and social patterns. As long as you can drink coffee longer than your schedule allows - it's still the Balkans. A perfect combination of Europe and the Balkans, maybe there is a rabbit lying in that bush. As such, Ljubljana is, at least for now, the only one of its kind in the Balkans, regardless of the borders of this region.
