We set out fairly early this morning and walked for about 20 minutes to the city centre. Somehow we stumbled across the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation where a free two hour city walking tour was due to commence. Yes, we are on a budget so I did write FREE, I feel like such a scab! We were very fortunate to have Tina, the tour guide all to ourselves. She was very informative so we learnt a lot from her. The tour included eight stops to some of the cities highlights - The Triple Bridge, Central Market, Butchers Bridge, Cathedral of St Nicholas, Dragon Bridge, Shoemakers Bridge, Town Hall and the University of Ljubljana.

If I had to explain Ljubljana using only one word it would have to be unique! In the heart of Ljubljana is a famed world of historical heritage and tradition but peel back the layers a little and you will find a young city with a modern lifestyle. It is vibrant, colourful and architecturally beautiful. Legend has it that when God created the world he gave each country a feature they could be proud of. Upon completing his work he noticed that he had missed one small country so to them he bestowed everything - primeval forest, beautiful city, thermal springs and a mysterious Karst limestone plateau. Today the proximity of opposites and contrasts is the hallmark of this stunning country.

On completing the walking tour I dragged Lucy on a hike to the Ljubljana Castle. Tina had pointed us in the right direction, but somehow neglected to tell us of the steep incline we would encounter along the way. Perhaps she did this on purpose because had we known we most likely would have taken the easy way up. The pathway we took was one of those less travelled - it wound its way around local homes and up to the grand castle. There were a few scenic stops along the way that made not only for an interesting walk, but an opportunity to catch our breaths also. I didn't count all the stairs we climbed but I am guessing that their had to be at least 300 along the route, all of varying sizes. Let me just tell you that I have never been so excited to see a Castle before! Unfortunately this isn't a fairytale so there are no happy endings here - because if the climb up to the castle wasn't punishment enough, 20 minutes after entering the Castle we found ourselves making our way up another set of 100 winding stairs to the top of the Castle's Outlook Tower! I have to admit though that I would do it all again in a heartbeat as the views of Ljubljana and its surrounding areas was absolutely stunning.

We had anticipated coming down the same way we went up for a whole second but in the end we took the funicular back to the city centre. We shopped at the local markets and picked up some imported Italian Strawberries for lunch - they smelt so good and tasted even better. Simply divine! I even let Lucy buy something - aren't I a nice sister? It was a fleece jumper and an umbrella! The walk back to the hotel took us a little longer, I think by then we were both pretty b*****ed.

I was a little anxious about meeting our group members tonight - after all they can either make or break the tour. But I shouldn't have been as everybody seems lovely. There are a total of 32 of us on the tour consisting of Canadians, Australians, Americans and some British. I had to have a little chuckle when the tour director introduced himself as 'Vince' as I had a client call me a few days before I left to tell me that in her dreams I had fallen madly in love with a man called Vince on my travels. Chris if you are reading this, he wasn't the one and unfortunately I wont be bringing him home to meet momma!

I've waited a long time to see Croatia and tomorrow one of my wishes will be fulfilled.