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After a solid sleep we took advantage of the buffet breakfast included in the accommodation, it was nice to be able to completely fill our stomachs before the days adventure.
Due to yesterday's train issues getting us to Ljubljana 3hrs later than planned we decided that we should extend for an extra night, giving us 2 full days here. One day to explore the city and another day to head out to Bled. We received good news, an extension was possible but we'd have to move rooms for the final night. Not a big deal to us and the new room would be in the hostel section, basically meaning shared showers, but it was still a private with our own toilet and only €19 each.
With map in hand we wandered down to the Ljubljanca river which we could follow into the heart of town, only a 10min walk away. We quickly found ourselves at "Dragon Bridge" which in 1888 was approved for construction to commemorate to 40th anniversary of the rule of Emperor Franc Jožeph I. After a gala opening in 1901 the bridge was finally completed in 1907 along with a new road to the railway station.
Continuing on we wandered through the market and past "Butchers Bridge" where fresh meat markets can be found. This bridge is only about a year old but the lovelock's are already spreading across it, the design of the bridge seems tailor made for them.
As neither of us had much background knowledge of the area, or the country for that matter, we decided to head to the tourist office and get ourselves on a walking tour of the city at 11am. It's always more interesting when you know what your looking at and what it means to the people of the region. There turned out to be only 4 of us on this tour so it had a real feeling privacy where the guide could simply talk and not have to yell so an entire group could hear. It also meant we looked more like a group of friends out for a walk and not a tour group.
From the Town Hall we moved onto the Cathedral of St Nicholas which, as with most Cathedrals, is stunning inside. It was built between 1701-1708 to replace the old church which was no longer big enough to cater for the needs of it's people. It has undergone several alterations, most notably the current dome added in 1841 and the bronze doors in 1996 to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II. The main door symbolising 1250yrs of Christianity in Slovenia and the other one depicting 6 important Bishops and the history of the Ljubljana Diocese.
We moved on to the Ljubljana Castle situated on top of the nearby hill and offering panoramic views of the city. The castle has had an extensive history. A defence against Turkish invasions in the 15th/16th centuries, a military hospital and arsenal in the 17th/18th centuries, a jail up until the end of the 2nd World War and finally until 1963 it was a place where ostracised citizens lived in horrific conditions. It was only in 1970 that work began on developing it into the tourist attraction it is today.
The rest of the tour took in the old town, Congress square, Cobblers Bridge and a few smaller sights all accompanied with detailed history. After 2hrs of walking and learning we were ready to eat!
We had lunch at a place called Sokol where we started with an incredibly strong spirit of some kind to "warm us up". After Deer Medallions with sour cherry sauce, Stag Steak with mushroom sauce and a bowl of grilled veggies we were refuelled for the afternoon.
The Ljubljana marathon was to run on sunday and as part of the event a marquee was set up with all the big shoe brands exhibiting their goods and selling for crazy low prices. Being in the market for new runners it was an opportunity not to be missed. We both had 3D foots scans taken in the ASICS area which measured every conceivable aspect of our feet, the good news was that our normal choice of runner is good for us both. We spoke with the National Sales, Marketing and Technical manager of Asics Slovenia who gave us an extensive education in shoe design and the pros&cons of our scans.
With only a few weeks left on the trip we decided it was a good time to do a "send home" of the things we felt we no longer needed so we packed it up and headed to the post office to figure it out. Fortunately they are open till 7pm here! Books, clothes, runners, maps and a few things we'd bought along the way were sent off on their own adventure back to Australia. Who will arrive home first...? The race is on.
Tonight we rugged up against the icy cold and decided to spend the night Cafe hopping our way round the city. We started at a cool little place by the river which is accessed through dungeon style gates which took you under the road to a thin embankment hugging the water. The cafés here all provide blankets with their seats which means you can get cosy and still enjoy a drink outside. Toasted sandwiches and a couple of drinks later we moved on to continue our nightime exploration, finishing at a final cafe by the water. The cafe culture here is big, so coming from Melbourne we felt right at home.
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