Just under two weeks of driving, not much in the way of aerobic exercise, plus the daily addition of bread and wine, is expanding my Middle Earth territories exponentially. The sooner a swimming regime can be re-introduced the better.
Our bus trip into Ljubljana today will do nothing to fight the flab. Nor the fact that the pool here is closed for the season. Despite it being 26C yesterday. Once down town, we get chance to mingle. Get a better feel for the Slovenes. They’re friendly, quietly spoken & polite. Their mother tongue easy on the ears. With English being their second language it makes for easier times in cafe’s and suchlike. English taught from eight years and upwards.
The inner medieval town, virtually encircled by the Ljubljanica River, is traffic free. We make for our first port of call. The overlooking castle. We take the funicular. A short cheap trip. It’s not what we thought. Not a castle really. We do a lap. At one point we ease past a young suited and booted guy and trip up a flight of stairs. We’re both wearing shorts and I’m carrying a backpack. At the top we’re greeted by two young ladies wearing ‘posh frocks’. They politely inform us that we’re about to gate crash a private function. We do a 360. Then fifteen minutes later we’re riverside again.
Plenty of connecting bridges. This one in particular following the “Love Lock” tradition.
We come to heel on our favourite. The Thirteenth century Cobblers’ Bridge.
We miss the Puppet Theatre clock by a smidgen. Go for lunch.
A five minute wait rewards us with the sight of Martin Krpan and his trusty mare . . . simple things and all that – we must be real tourists by now.
