Before I start a description of today's cultural, taste, sights and unexpected surprise delights, I want to provide validation of my pathetic attempts in previous entries to describe the various ages of artefacts and people development that I have found this trip – its about my attempt to describe the enormous time frames for some of what I have seen, which is something so unfamiliar in the Australian context.

See opposite pic – the City Museum of Ljubljana had two posters giving some time frames which got me very excited (not hard given the fabulous things I have done and experienced this trip) and I have captured the first for our reference. In case you cant read it clearly it refers to (there are some gaps but you will get the gist) the New Age 1511 – 1658 and sort of beyond; Middle and New Ages 1415 – 1511; Roman 35 BC – 476; Late Bronze and Iron Ages 1300 – 300BC; and Late Stone and Copper Ages 4500 – 1800 BC. Another poster referred to the New Age, Middle Ages and Roman Period – similar but different. I was so pleased to see this after my earlier attempt to put things in perspective.

Back to today’s happenings, after utter exhaustion set in yesterday, JJ and I slept like the proverbial logs and I (very unfamiliarly) 'slept in’ (yes, I know I am on holidays and it is permitted but my early rising habits get in the way), so it was quite late (for us) before we ventured out – the first stop being the delightful restaurant ‘La Petit’ where we are almost regulars. The fresh orange juice, scrambled eggs with asparagus and coffee were wonderful and as per other reportings, very reasonably priced.

And next pic skip to dinner (but that was pretty much all the food for the day) to let you know about Cvicek – a blend of red and white wine, the only other one made like this is chianti.. It was delicious and appropriately complemented the offerings at the Slovanian-Mexican fusion restaurant we ate 2 courses at tonight – a first for the trip.

Then back to the task at hand – exploring as much as Ljubljana as possible, which was very easy given the sunshine, 24 degree day and very friendly people. Also, being Sunday the central area was pretty much devoid of locals, most of the shops were closed, the government buildings were deserted and the roads empty. We will have a bit of time tomorrow to check out the relative busyness and report.

My first stop was the City Museum of Ljubljana, which is just across the square which ‘our restaurant’ is on one side of. Interestingly, the museum’s basement includes remains of very early life / development in the area, including a sophisticated drainage system that was unexpectedly found to include an aqueduct to bring water in the city to flush early ‘toilets’ and ‘keep things moving’ so to speak. The remains have been well preserved, as have other archaeological sites around the city for which I was given a comprehensive map by the museum staff – but didn’t get time to complete the suggested ‘Roman Trail of Ljubljana’ (its on the list for future reference).

From the leaflet I was given on entry ‘the museum is the focal point of knowledge of Ljubljana’s historical development; from a prehistoric lake-dwelling in 4500 BC to a modern urban capital’. On the 2nd floor of the building was a story of the city that is a series of selected images going right back to early years. Notable were quite hands on exhibits (particularly for kids but no necessarily) and a largish section on the impact of WWII, which was of course right on its doorstep.

From there I set out to find the Slovenian School Museum (given my interest in this type of museum) but though I found the building it was marked on the map to be in, there were no signs so I kept walking northwest in the direction of the Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of Slovenia. On the way I found a very large square (one of many in Ljubljana – it is a very open city) with the very modern Parliament building across the road (see several pics of this building, one closer one of the sculpture on the front which is series of group of bronze figures above 4 large oak doors).

Then on to the two museums mentioned above – on the same floor of the same building. On the ground floor tickets were available separately for each from the same lady, and handed to one person on the 1st floor, who indicated Natural History to the right, Slovenian History to the left. It was an interesting arrangement.

The Natural History was a series of well-presented exhibits, with many fossils presented under the headings of Eras and Periods… with this part all described in Slovenian I relied heavily on my knowledge of scientific nomenclature (Latin) so it wasn’t too hard to follow the flow of info. Then there were large displays of a variety of vertebrates set in sort of ‘natural’ settings. Great for kids and there were also some interactive displays for kids.

The National Museum of Slovenia followed the development of people in the region, which includes exhibits in both Slovenian and English – focusing both on general development as well as more detailed descriptions of historical sites in Slovenia – including pictures of archeological sites and reconstructed images. All together it was a very informative exhibition covering from the stone ages through to 1600s-1800s.

And I must mention also that as per Croatia, Wi-Fi is good in Slovenia, with all cafes / restaurants having Wi-Fi and not having issues about handing over the password. Ljubljana city has Wi-Fi of course but it is more limited than Zagreb – to 60 minutes per day, which I successfully strung out over the day. Then by using museum Wi-Fi it was easy to stay connected with only a few gaps (yes, I know I am on holidays but the odd call is great and loading photos from my phone for you to enjoy is always on my mind and best done in small bites).

   
 By then it was ice-cream o’clock and armed with a delicious one from a touristy spot by the river I headed off in a slightly different direction past the Franciscan Church and north towards the bus station (where we first set foot on Slovenian soil (tarmac really)). This was really seeing a city asleep on Sunday, but I did delight in seeing the snow topped mountains to the north, newish hotels in this area and a ’24-hour shop’, which I thought is quite suitable for an area that seems to have set business hours that don’t include weekends. I thought when I approached this shop that is was going to be a sort of 711 shop that we have at home, but no, it is an alcove maybe 3x2 metres housing a series of vending machines that dispense tea/coffee, soft drinks, sweets and the usual array of chips etc. Interesting!

Next I planned on making a few blog-informing notes over a coffee but realised that I didn’t have a pen with me (and thought I had lost my map but oh dear, it was folded neatly in my pocket!) so I headed back to the info centre to seek (an unnecessary) map and pen. Then I spotted JJ (what were the chances?) in one of the cafes – which was a great chance to swap ‘where have you been?’ notes, before I headed to near where we went to the funicular yesterday, to check out the Cathedral (the Church of St Nicholas).

Research tells me that ‘this is a well-recognised church because of its octagonal dome, and two belfries at the western side (see a copied pic from the Castle, and my own of the side door) oriented towards the east. Notable is that one of the doors (formerly the side door but now the main entrance) is decorated with portraits (sculptures) of the 20th century bishops of Ljubljana – signs encouraged visitors to enter through this door, as it is regarded as ‘Gods door’ (which I did of course). Inside silence is requested (something very pleasing to me as I don’t much like the disrespect that some tourists show places of worship – I am not a ‘formally religious’ person but I try to respect the rights of those who regard churches as special, spiritual spaces) which made a good space to spend a few contemplative moments appreciating the effort that has gone into the building’s ornate bits and pieces, and the many intricate paintings, and how lucky I was to be enjoying the delights of Slovenia.

Then on the way back to the apartment I headed northwest on a slightly different track to previously and enjoyed finding the National Gallery, the Centre of Excellence in Finance (interesting concept) and the Slovenian National Ballet and Opera Ljubljana, housed in a ‘neo classical’ opera house. Apparently this organisation ‘stages an annual season of opera, ballet and concerts, as well as programs featuring classical and contemporary music and theatre’. It was also impressive.

Then a sit for a bit in a nearby park where I observed many families out for Sunday walks and time together. While in Ljubljana over this weekend I have seen a lovely lot of parents out with their kids on bikes, rollerblades, scooters and roller boards (including one father riding his bike pulling the 2 children along on their skate boards!). Great stuff.

 During this ‘sit and watch’ experience (as well as organising a late checkout tomorrow to accommodate our midday bus departure), I took delight in watching a lady throwing a ball for her dog. It was lovely as the dog was a good fetcher (like Skyla was before she started slowing down) and each time the dog brought the ball back he squeaked it in front of his mum, before dropping the ball (just as Knoxxy does the thing with his squeaky toys). I got a good pic of the dog to show him in action. And on the topic of dogs, here in Slovenia I have seen many dogs being walked and have noted that most of them (in all sizes and shapes from the enormous through to tiny like the baby daschund JJ and I saw last night) are in great condition – very few overweight, which is very pleasing. And they seem to be very well behaved.

Then back to the apartment for a quiet (cheap) beer and writing, followed by a delicious dinner (mentioned above). It is worth noting too that our decision to have dessert tonight followed noticing crepe and pancake offerings on the menu, so our main courses were suitably restrained.

Following that it was home to bed and think about tomorrow’s journey to Italy.