Tag 1) In the backpacker's paradise

Route: Brugg AG - Zurich - Schwarzach-st.-Veit - Ljubljana

Today it finally started. At 08:00 I got on an overcrowded commuter train to Zurich in Brugg. There was little travel enthusiasm. It seemed to be a normal Tuesday. That changed abruptly when I boarded the EC Zurich - Graz. There was only one fellow traveler in my compartment. A Hungarian film student traveling through France for inspiration. He told me stories of his journey; for example, how he had to spend the night at a police station in Avignon because he missed the last train, and told me what I should see in Budapest. The route to Schwarzach is a beautiful route through the Austrian Alps. Between Bludenz and Innsbruck, I even felt like I was on the Gotthard route. Finally, in Schwarzach, I said goodbye to my new friend and boarded the train to Ljubljana-Zagreb. I noticed at the train station that numerous people with huge backpacks were standing on the platform. Finally, in the train, the realization: every other person seems to have an Interrail pass. I started a conversation with 2 Texan girls who were traveling from Oslo to Zagreb. After that, I spoke with 2 guys from Winchester who speak a practically incomprehensible dialect.

Slovenia is very rural. The landscape is dotted with hills and one small town follows the next. 5 minutes before entering Ljubljana main station, you cannot yet tell that the capital of Slovenia will soon be coming. You will still see meadows passing by. The disappointment finally came at Ljubljana station. The station is a Yugoslav concrete relic with concrete roofs and gray underpasses. You don't feel like you're in the Slovenian capital; you feel more like you're in a German suburban train station. At least the railway building itself is a beautiful structure. After arriving, I walked directly to my hostel, which is right by the famous Triple Bridge over the Ljubljanica River. I found the bridge quickly, but it would be a strong exaggeration to call the Ljubljanica River. The Aare River is more than twice as wide. But Ljubljana has a beautiful car-free old town, which I will gladly explore tomorrow. I am looking forward to my first day in an Eastern European capital.