Day 2) The coziest capital in Europe

That's a good start. Last night I visited one of the numerous riverside bars to watch the 9:00 match. I got into a conversation with two locals and after discussing football and the EU, the most important question came up. 'What would you visit if you only had one day in Ljubljana?'

Their answer? 'We would go to Bled, you can see Ljubljana in two hours.'

But my international roommates (2 Canadians, 1 Australian, 1 American, and 1 Israeli) still gave me some tips on how to spend the day. The day started with the ascent to Ljubljana Castle. Sweating profusely, I reached the top. The castle's lookout tower offers a fantastic panoramic view; reportedly, on clear days you can see 1/3 of Slovenia. After that, there was a video about the history of the castle and an exhibition on the history of Slovenia. The section on the last century was very interesting. After visiting the castle, I strolled through Castle Park and returned to the city. The weather was brutally hot all day and you sweated almost to death. In the old town, the main attractions are bridges; on one hand, the Triple Bridge (three bridges standing side by side, who would have thought?) and a bridge that is locked with love locks and surrounded by tourists. Unfortunately, at that time I had neither a lock nor a girlfriend at hand. Finally, I decided to take a 50-minute sightseeing boat tour to rest my feet. Unfortunately, there was no guide and the captain and sailor were the only locals I saw in the two days who don't speak English. What stands out again: after 5 minutes of sailing and a bend in the river, you feel like you're deep in the country. Couples are everywhere on the banks, unabashedly kissing. I'm starting to wonder if Ljubljana isn't the true capital of love...

During the boat trip, I strike up a conversation with a Finnish political science PhD student and we discuss the future of Europe. Back on land, I am reminded of which 'attraction' I absolutely didn't want to miss. The Cat's café. A café where you share the space with 8 cats. The cats sleep most of the time, but at least they often jump on the lap, the laptop, or even the shoulders of regulars. I don't feel accepted by the cats; tolerated at most. But oh well. They're just cats. In the evening, I met a Swiss couple at the public viewing who told me about their car trips and bad experiences at Bulgarian campsites. At 23:55, my train to Villach will finally depart and I will arrive in Bratislava at 09:22 tomorrow.