Lu-blee-yah-nah

This spring has been an interesting one (no special thanks to a certain crazy dictator) and we needed a weekend get away to catch up on r&r and quality spouse time. We took advantage of a brief window of time and spent 48 hours in Ljubljana, Slovenia (see the phonetic guide in the title).

In light of recent activities and our usual pace of traveling, this trip was the most laid back and relaxed one yet! We stayed in a beautiful hotel, meandered around the city, and spent time soaking up the spring air. The first afternoon we rode the funicular up to the Ljubljana castle and watched a short 3D presentation on the history of Slovenia. Yes, it is that fascinating... But the lookout tower did provide some excellent views of the city!

Funicular to the top of the castle hill

Looking down from the lookout tower into a main section of the old town

View from the top

On our way back to Italy, we stopped in Postojna (Post-oy-nia) for the afternoon. A few kilometers from the town we toured the Predjama (still not sure how to pronounce it correctly) Castle. This unique castle is fun to explore since it is built into the side of the cliffs. Different sections of the castle date from different periods and the tour offers an interesting architectural history of the area. Plus, part of the castle is up inside the cliffs/caves! Neat!

In front of the castle

The area in front of the castle is used to host a Medieval festival each year.
This is the jousting arena

Climbing into cave...in the castle!

Bad lighting, but an interesting concept to have a castle in a cave

Our last stop in Slovenia was the Postojna cave. The 21 kilometers of stalagmites, stalactites, and flowstones have been hosting visitors since 1818. It was chilly, but absolutely amazing! Photography was not allowed, so check out the website to catch a glimpse.

After almost a full year without Thai food, we chowed down in Ljubljana on some excellent cuisine. Coupled with much needed time away, interesting sites, and an absolutely beautiful drive through a one-of-a-kind country, Slovenia quickly became one of our favorite spots! We can't wait to get back and explore more.

Ciao