A view of Ljubljana

We wake to clear blue skies and unbroken sunshine so have the chance to see Ljubljana at its best. Sadly, the weather forecast suggests this will be the best day of our week here, with sunshine not returning until our final day. 

Breakfast here is fabulous. There’s no buffet, just a wonderful choice of beautifully prepared dishes.  At least staying for the week means we’ll be able to work our way through a fair number of them! 

G’s the tour guide today, leading us round the old town and the university quarter. we’re less than two hours from the UK, yet this is a country we know very little about. Neither of us holidayed in the old Yugoslavia, though I did travel through the country back in 1975 when a friend and I were interrailing round Europe. We spent a few hours  in Zagreb and my memories are of the coldness of the communist regime - the border guards being particularly officious- and the poverty of the rural landscape through which we travelled. Today, of course, things are very different. 

Our trip to Montenegro made us fall in love with the Balkans, and we plan to explore the region over the next few years, but this trip is very much a toe-dip into Slovenia. I’ve just not had the time to research the country or prepare an itinerary, so it’s a case of absorbing what we see as we wander round the old town, along the river and up to Ljubljanski Grad or castle, soaking in the winter sunshine and gazing on the beauty of the buildings, the gold-topped domes and towers. 

Thankfully, I now have access to a plethora of extras, so while my main’s St Nicholas’s Cathedral through the trees of Castle Hill, there are extras of the snowy Alps (yes, there’s snow at higher altitudes today!) and a variety of scenes around the city - including the colourful market.