Ljubljana, Slovenia
The European Side of Ex-Yugoslavia
July 22, 2012
There are still some things I'd like to say to you
Some things you should see
But since we're not that close no more
I'm gonna have to let it be
- Lacrosse
It’s too bad I arrived in Ljubljana so late and only had a limited amount of time there because it really is a nice city. Being close to Italy, especially Venice, and the rest of Europe I was really expecting it to be very crowded with tourists but on the contrary it was disturbingly quiet and empty. The streets of the old town were almost deserted early on a Saturday evening, with solitary footsteps echoing between the grand facades of the pastel colored buildings. The city itself felt very European with strong touches of Austrian and German influence. It was hard for me to imagine that this country was once part of Yugoslavia because when compared to other constituents it seems so different. As far as I could tell the conflicts that destroyed the other nations were scarcely visible here, no bullet scarred buildings or grand rebuilding efforts.
Even without such a tumultuous recent history the city has a lot of character. The castle fortress on the hilltop in the center of the old city makes for picturesque photos and offers commanding views over the entire city. Looking out from the watchtower I caught an eerie sunset due to the aftermath of some stormy weather. Maybe it was the weather that had driven people away but the cooler temperatures were welcoming and the empty streets more enjoyable. North of the old city there is a complex of former prison buildings that now house an interesting array of bars and clubs, their exterior walls covered with intricate graffiti. Maybe the nightlife starts late here but even around 9:30pm it was totally dead. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay out too late, as I had to catch the last bus to Italy in the morning at 8am, my next brief stopover on the last leg of this trip that had turned into a whirlwind tour from Istanbul to Barcelona.