Ljubljana

The last country on our anniversary trip was Slovenia. We've actually been back from our trip for about two weeks but I'm just now getting caught up on the photos. Our airport shuttle driver told us that the dragon is the city emblem of Ljubljana. I asked him if there was a story behind it and he only said, "of course." After more prodding he told us that the dragon was mean to the residents and someone (possibly Jason and his Argonaut comrades) killed him to save the town. 

The Cathedral of St Nicholas dates from the start of the 18th century. A church has stood here since the 13th century. The interior is beautiful but the choir stalls and organs are especially stunning.

Ljubljana has the feel of a big beautiful European city but is still small enough to walk almost anywhere. It is also close enough to take a bus or train to Vienna, Budapest, Munich, and many other large cities. 

Most of the buildings of Ljubljana were destroyed in an earthquake in 1511 when the city was under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire. The city was rebuilt by mostly Italian architects since Italy was part of the same empire. 

From Ljubljana we took a day trip to Lake Bled, Slovenia's most popular resort. There were still loads of tourists even though it is the off season. We hiked up one of the hills to get a better view of Bled Island. 

Lake Bled was the summer residence of the Yugoslav royal family before Slovenia gained independence. Slovenians are known for their love of outdoor sports and this was confirmed to us by our shuttle driver who joked that he was born wearing skis. Lake Bled had many photos and plaques displayed about the Slovenian Olympic rowing team. 

Warren and I loved Ljubljana and Lake Bled. They seemed very upscale compared to some of the other cities we visited. It was a perfect way to end our anniversary trip around southeast Europe.