More of Slovenia: Ljubljana and Predjama Castle

I shared the Slovenian Postojna Cave photos in my previous post, now for more locations in Slovenia, mostly in Ljubljana. We arrived, via bus from Italy, on Tuesday, May 6. Now that we are in the Balkans, bus travel will be our most prevalent method of transportation. The buses are comfortable and clean. A company called FlixBus has new buses, with wifi and a restroom; serves most of the major cities; and is reasonably priced. 

Flixbus, view from our seat

The weather here has been either raining or overcast and rather cool, highs in the mid-50s. Fortunately, I packed our travel jackets. We pulled them out of the suitcases and have worn them every day in Slovenia. I even had to dig out my Cambodian krama scarf that I'd brought for the cruise to add to my ensemble for warmth. Even with cool, damp weather, Phillip and I walked around Ljubljana every day. 

one of 4 dragons at corners of Dragon Bridge over Ljubljana River

On Wednesday, before we went on the 2 pm tour that took us to the Postojna Caves, we took a boat ride on the Ljubljana River. Forty-five minutes, only 6 passengers because of the weather. Before we left the dock, we saw a critter swimming across the river. Not a beaver, according to the boat driver. Probably some form of nutria. A big river rat.

Ljubljana river critter

The boat ride was chilly but nice. More nature than architecture, but we did go under the Triple Bridge, a highlight of the city. 

The Triple Bridge

The boat took us thru some really quiet, nice areas.

Wednesday afternoon, we took the tour to Predjama Castle and then on to Postojna Caves (caves covered in previous post). Predjama Castle is the largest cave castle in the world, over 800 years old. It is built inside the mouth of a cave, halfway up a 123-meter cliff. 

We had audioguides as we waked thru this castle, seeing how the rooms were incorporated into the cave. 

Different rooms, including the armory room. Just like at the armory in the Prague Castle, I looked for the armor of the Knights Who Say "Ni!" Darn, it wasn't there. 

Thursday, it rained steadily in the morning, so we did not go out until lunch. Friday was forecast to have better weather, so we just walked to find the funicular entrance to get to Lubljana Castle on Friday.

The funicular and ticket pavilion

Every day as we walked around, I took pictures of the public art. Quite a bit, some of it rather odd.

a water fountain 

Friday's weather was much better. We still needed our jackets, but not our umbrellas. Knowing where the funicular began, we headed straight for the ticket office. 3.3 euro per person to ride the funicular up to the castle. We made it to the area before the crowds, so we did not wait in line to get on the funicular. A funicular is a cable car on a track instead of a cable. 

view from inside the funicular as we headed up the hill

Because we have seen and will be seeing more castles, we did not pay the 16 euro per person to tour inside the castle. We were still able to see some of the interior rooms and walk around the castle walls. 

An interior room, original stone and renovations

some of the original 900-year-old walls that have not been restored

Walking down a very steep grade back to town

We found out coming down the path leaving the castle that if we had not taken the funicular, we would never have made it up the walking path. It was that steep, probably a consistent 15-20 degree grade. The front of our thighs had a workout and are now sore. I did not expect pain from a downhill trek!

We recommend Slovenia as a travel destination. The prices are reasonable, the food (subject of a future post) is delicious, the locals are friendly, it is not overrun with tourists, and historical sights are everywhere.  Tomorrow morning (Saturday), we take a FlixBus to Zagreb, Croatia.