Ljubljana

In the morning I was told to pack my bags. But only, I hasten to add, to put my backpack into storage because they were going to assign me to a new dorm after 1500. The hostel has a sunny, pleasant courtyard where meals and snacks can be taken. It was a very relaxing breakfast.

So I had to amuse myself until mid-afternoon. The city is cozy as mentioned before so everywhere in the centre is walking distance. As it was Sunday, there was a flea market on the banks of the Ljubljanica where all kinds of bric-a-brac were being traded. I saw furniture, books, paintings, coins and stamps. One trader even had some old Iraq currency with Saddam on them.

And not forgetting clothing.

You can push these purchases home if you wish.

Advertisers have not failed to notice that the word love is embedded in Slovenia, or rather Slovenija as they write it. The ad is for the brand of car called Twingo.

These stalls selling jewellery and home furnishings were not part of the flea market but near the Central Markets.

Then it was time to take in some of Ljubljana's architectural sights by taking the walk suggested in the guide. This is a replica of the Robba Fountain in the Town Square, the original is in the National Gallery. The figures signify the three chief rivers of Carniola, a region of the historical Austro-Hungarian empire that now forms part of Slovenia.

Locals call this the mother-in-law bridge for the four fearsome statues at the corners, but it is actually the Dragon Bridge. This is one of the notable works in the Vienna Secession Art Nouveau style, or Secessionist for short, for the group of artists who quit the establishment Association of Austrian Artists to promote their ideas, around the turn of the 20th century.

Here is a prime example of the style. In general the buildings here were in better condition than Zagreb's.

I had a nice coffee here. Lunch was an excellent Italian ravioli at Julije's.

Speaking of Julija Primič, this is a bust of Prešeren's love interest, on the wall of a building overlooking Prešeren square. She is gazing at his statue. She never repaid any of his attention, and I suppose Slovenian poetry is richer because of that.

It was warm and humid, and a storm was brewing, but the air was free of grime, although that might have been because it was Sunday.

In the late afternoon, after taking up my place in new dorm, it started bucketing down and I had to quickly close the window. The weather forecast for Monday was not good. I had to decide how to visit the northwest of the country where the lakes and mountains are. It's not a large area, the staff at the tourist office said that it could easily be done in a day. There was a Roundy Bus but it started on the wrong day. There was a mountain trip but also on the wrong day and besides they needed at least 4 people, which was not certain. In the end I decided that I would rent a car for a day. The hostel said that all of theirs were rented out, but that there were several agencies near the train station.

As it was Sunday night, most of the restaurants in the city centre were shut so I ended up in a Chinese restaurant. Nothing memorable but I appreciated the change of cuisine.