Ljubljana - the green city (1st stop)

After much planning and waiting, we were finally able to start on Monday morning! InterRail, here we come! We left at 7 in the morning and boarded the first train that would take us closer to our first destination, Ljubljana. The first stop was Salzburg, then we continued to Villach with a 2-hour layover - stretch our legs, have a coffee, a good snack, and then we continued - and from there by bus to Ljubljana.

As we arrived, we were greeted with a heavy rain shower that accompanied us the whole way to the hostel. However, we immediately noticed how welcoming the city looked to us. So we dropped off our luggage in the room and went back into the city... although our room was on the 4th floor, it was quite exhausting ;).

After a short break and some research in the room, we set off to explore the cultural quarter of Ljubljana - Metelkova - before dinner. The small quarter is located on the premises of the former Yugoslav People's Army and became a kind of free zone, an area occupied by artists, musicians, gallery owners, event organizers, and social workers after the Slovenian War of Independence. We really like the colorful houses and can imagine that there is a beautiful atmosphere here in the evenings in summer.

We are all amazed by Ljubljana from the very beginning, a beautiful small city with narrow streets, many restaurants and bars on the streets and along the river. It's no wonder Ljubljana was chosen as the green city a few years ago - there are trees and flowers everywhere.

After strolling through the small old town of Ljubljana (about 284,000 inhabitants), we are still excited and eager to explore more the next day. After a delicious breakfast on the Ljubljanica river (only 3.30€ in total!), we head towards Ljubljana Castle, a castle complex above the city center, an important landmark of the city which houses exhibitions and museums. It is worth visiting the castle alone for the beautiful view from the tower, the remaining part mainly deals with Slovenian history and also has a puppet museum. The walk up and down can be done from several sides and is a good alternative to the funicular railway, which costs a few euros per ride. In the afternoon, we take a boat trip on the Ljubljanica river, and in the evening we indulge in Dödöle (a kind of potato dumpling but softer) at Gujzina and also treat ourselves to two Slovenian desserts in a glass (Prekmurska gibanica). Afterwards, we are all pretty full but satisfied. We enjoy the rest of the evening with Rosato Spritz on the banks of the Ljubljanica river.

Before we continue on Wednesday, we take a short hike starting from Tivoli. The so-called Jesenkova pot takes us uphill and downhill through the forest and we enjoy the path away from the city in nature.

Now we are ready for the next location... Zagreb, here we come!