Funiculi Funicula (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Right, dear reader, let's get today's title out of the way. We rode in yet another funicular, this time to the Ljubljana Castle. That's our third funicular in three cities. So to celebrate, I have opted for the classic song that was actually written to celebrate the opening of the funicular up the side of Mt Vesuvius. Who needs that? Lunatics. There are, of course, many versions of the 1880 song but I have chosen the Pavarotti rendition. Have a listen, you know you want to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOqr9wWxxF8. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The weather forecasters are disarmingly accurate. Yesterday afternoon's sunshine had disappeared overnight. The morning dawned grey, threatening rain at any moment. We had decided to brave the possibility of rain and explore the old town in the morning. It was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.

The statue of Preseren overlooks his Square.

We hadn't strayed far from the hotel entrance before the drizzle commenced. The cloud was moving fast so I reasoned it would blow away quickly. This proved to be correct. It also meant that another lot of showers wasn't far behind the next sunny period.

How lucky! A Pandora store.

Importantly we came across the Pandora store and sort refuge there while Jayne selected her Slovenia charm. It was right on the main square near the river and we could see the covered markets from the door. Once the new charm was safely in place on the bracelet, we walked towards the market square. The individual stalls sold Slovenian focussed goods, honey, dragons made of glass, wood and fluffy versions, carved wooden implements and the usual sort of fare.

Yum!

Along the river bank stretches a building that houses many individual eating and drinking establishments. Choosing one is not an easy task. The first couple we passed featured locals sitting outside on the verandah enjoying a breakfast rosé or beer. It had just gone 10:00am, prompting Jayne to remark, "Not even I would drink rosé that early". No, thought I, no rosé, but champagne? Absolutely.

The 'covered' markets.

The other complicating factor in choosing a place to eat is the epidemic of smokers. It's like Australia back in the 60s or 70s. We found a place that had ample space beneath an umbrella and there were no smokers in the immediate vicinity. The espresso was excellent as was the ham and emmental panini. While we were eating, the clouds opened up with three brief but torrential downpours that sent people scurrying everywhere. We remained, reasonably protected by the umbrella.

I hope he's trained.

Breakfast/lunch done we walked down to the iconic dragon bridge for the obligatory photos and then around the produce market. The fruit and veggies looked so fresh and delicious. I wouldn't be shopping anywhere else if I lived here and it is a 7 day per week proposition. From there, we crossed the butcher's bridge which is adorned with love locks.

The Butcher's Bridge covered in locks.

Paris, eat your heart out.

The rain was continuing so it was clearly going to impact on our plans. We stopped at the supermarket on the way back to the hotel to buy some wine and snacks and retired to the safety of our room. When the poor weather had again abated, we walked to the train station to gauge walking time and see where we would be catching the train on Sunday.

We made it back to the hotel before the rain set in for the afternoon. Room service became the dinner option. Happily the Vuelta is broadcast live and in English, so between that, the US Open tennis and the blog we were gainfully occupied.

The forecast for the next day was for storms in the afternoon. We were not about to question the forecasters and in the morning, we set out for breakfast at the same café. The rain had gone and the rosé drinkers had not yet surfaced as we strolled to the funicula to climb the hill to Ljubljana Castle.

Standing in Krek Square next to the funicular station was a drinking fountain. Nothing unusual there. Except it is a sculpture of a kangaroo. There are a number of different interpretations, one of which has the sculpture named Alfred N after Alfred Nobel. Apparently he was having an affair with a young girl he later dumped. The kangaroo has water coming from its mouth to pouch, representing the Slovenian expression of 'spitting into your own bowl'.

It got our attention.

The ride up to the castle provides views back over the city as would the castle rampart later in the morning, the latter uninterrupted by the glass walls of the funicular. Once inside, we wandered aimlessly for a while; signposting is not a strong point here, until we happened upon an audio guide symbol. We hadn't seen a collection point and set off to find one that was cleverly hidden inside the Information Centre and Souvenir shop tucked away beneath the café.

The funicular track up to the castle

Audio guide in hand, we set off to explore the castle grounds and environs with more purpose. Well, at least in the numerical order the guide represented. There was a museum of Slovenian history, a museum of puppetry (they take their puppets very seriously here), great views from the ramparts, even better 360° views from the top of the tower (after a long climb up the spiral staircase), open prison cells, solitary confinement cells, a chapel and, two video displays (using puppets); one an exhibition of Impressionist artworks displayed on the walls and ceilings of one of the vaulted rooms and another in a theatre that depicted in 3D the history of the site on which the castle stands. The photos are in no particular order.

The ceiling of the chapel.

The centre of the spiral staircase in the tower.

Preseren Square from the tower.

Clouds over the city.

The tower.

The Impressionist Exhibition #1.

The Impressionist Exhibition #2.

Some of the puppets.

An outdoor pit cell.

Yes, dear reader, there was much to cover and we spent over three hours there enjoying the exhibits, the sunshine and the view. The site has been occupied since the Bronze Age and numerous manifestations of castle fortresses have stood overshadowing Ljubljana down through the years. Versions of the castle have been burnt down, knocked down and crumbled through neglect, thankfully a local politician saw the value in restoring the current iteration in the 1960s.

Back down the hill, we walked parts of the old city. St John's Church has a couple of doors that are worthy of inspection. They certainly wouldn't encourage me to come to Mass.

Welcome. Or not.

We were well into the afternoon as we turned back to the hotel. There were ominous signs afoot and I don't mean the weather.  Metal barricades were being placed everywhere, creating segregated channels. I had a terrifying flashback to last year and Berlin. This could mean only one thing. A marathon! It is best to avoid streets that have been annexed from regular pedestrian traffic but this is no easy thing. I had no idea what the route might be. Indeed, I was only guessing it was a marathon. One of those events, where, to paraphrase Charles Emerson Winchester III of MASH fame, people come together to sweat. Time will tell.

The sun was fighting a losing battle against the building storm clouds but we were intent on visiting the counter-cultural area of Metelkova Mesto. I love a bit of street art and this community is known for it as well as their, um, different attitude to life. There were quite a number of police there when we arrived - to protect us or the residents? Who knows. There was certainly plenty art in the form of mural and sculpture. The locals? Hmm, friendly is not a word I would use. Let me just say I'm glad the police weren't far away.

This was our introduction to the 'street art precinct'.

This was next. Graffiti.

OK. Getting interesting.

Now you have my attention.

Wow.

Upclose it is a nightmare.

A little softer.

It was a 15 minute walk back to the hotel and we were racing the clouds. Safely back in our room, we watched the storm front sweep in. The wind brought the rain in horizontally. We were glad we were home, enjoying a wine and watching rather than participating.

The tower can be seen from most parts of the old town.

Dinner that night was in B Restaurant, the in-house restaurant on the 20th floor. It doesn't have a Michelin star, but it is listed in the Michelin Guide and has the red plaque at the entrance to the hotel. The food, not wildly expensive, was beautifully presented and delicious. Fine dining. An excellent way to spend out last night in Slovenia.