There are only two flights/day from Frankfurt on Adria Airlines into Ljubljana airport (we booked via Air Canada and Lufthansa). One flight leaves at 9:00am, the other at 4:30pm. We departed Calgary at 3:30pm and landed in Germany at 8:30am so didn't make the first flight. That meant spending 8 hours in the Frankfurt airport. We had a second breakfast, lunch, and a nap as well as did lots of reading!
We took a taxi from the airport (it's about a half hour drive) but we learned later there was a shuttle bus to and from the city that is much cheaper (10 euros). Still, we got to drive in a brand new BMW which was pretty sweet. As we checked in, Christian arrived from his tour of the city. We agreed to meet after we'd settled in and have dinner. I'd seen that there was an English pub near the hotel, however, Christian said he wouldn't eat in a place covered with graffiti. We agreed. He'd tasted food at a restaurant on his tour so we made our way there, crossing the Ljubljanica River on the pedestrian Butcher's Bridge. Originally conceived in the 1930s, it wasn't built until 2010 and has since become a mecca for lovers who clip padlocks to the wire guard rails and toss the key into the river as a declaration of eternal love.
The night was warm so we ate al fresco under the umbrellas of the Sokol Inn which promised us traditional Slovenian food. Our server brought us menus in English (for Glen and me) and German (Christian). One bonus of being a tourist in Slovenja (a small country of only 2 million people) is most people with whom you interact, speak English. Slovenian is not common in Europe and English serves as universal language. A nearby diner was eating a hearty pork dish which appealed to us so we ordered that. The delicious pork tenderloin slices were smothered in Pleterje (Slovenia's only monastery) plum brandy and served with cheese rolls (like strudel). These rolls, made with quark (cheese created from clotted, soured milk--not the neutron thing) spread on a crepe-like dough, were rolled like a pinwheel sandwich and sliced. Very tasty. We washed this down with Slovenian beer--there are two kinds, Union and Lasko. Both are lagers reminiscent of Czech pilsners. Once they were two different breweries but now are owned by the same company. Union is found mostly in Ljubljana whereas Lasko is drunk in the rest of the country.
We tumbled into bed after supper and slept 'flat' which was a nice change from the previous night of sleeping sitting up in the airplane. The next morning, we decided to go to the seaside town of Piran but it being Sunday, no tours were available. After discussing taking the bus there, we opted to join a tour to some caves and a castle.
That didn't begin until after lunch so we wandered around the city. There are three major bridges in downtown Ljubljana, other than the Butcher's Bridge. The Dragon Bridge, Triple Bridge (above photo), and Cobbler's Bridge. The Triple Bridge is the most famous and appears in all the tourist information. Of course, I wanted to see the Dragon Bridge because of my love of this creature. But the guys had to see the sky-bar/restaurant (see photo) so when we reached the Triple Bridge we headed south along the river (The Dragon Bridge lies to the north). A flea market was doing a booming business and we saw some intriguing artifacts from the 'socialist' period. We passed the Cobbler's Bridge (named because shoemakers worked on the bridge) and an outdoor photographic art gallery before heading back along Emonska Cesta (street) and Vegova Ulica (street, too) toward Kongresni Square, passing the National Library and the University of Ljubljana.
The sky-bar/restaurant (Dinner in the Sky), promoted by a local winery, Jerjzalem Ormuz, sat 22 people. Think of a ride at the fair -- this platform with thrill-seekers sitting around its edge is elevated using a huge crane to about 180 feet above ground. A meal (about $500/person) is served with waiters in special harnesses and diners strapped into their seats. Christian and I decided we'd rather eat on solid ground as we felt the cable holding the platform didn't look safe.
After seeing the Dragon Bridge and the Central Market, we headed back to the hotel. Christian treated us to beer and sandwiches for lunch as we waited for our tour guide.
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