Trip to Ljubljana (and lessons learned)

The largest city and the capital is Ljubljana. It is also difficult for English speakers to pronounce correctly. The beautiful old town is located on the water.

The first lesson learned was being pulled over by the highway police. We were comfortable driving in Croatia and paid cash to use the toll roads. Slovenia requires vehicles registered in a different country to place a "vignette" sticker on the windshield for toll roads. The vignette usually costs around $15 and is easily pre-purchased when you rent a car. The fine for not having a vignette is either $150 (if you have cash or credit card when you are pulled over) or $300 if you do not. The police officer blushed a bit when we explained our plan to write about this experience. Then, we asked him what to see. The second lesson learned was to remain open and ask for suggestions in the midst of an uncomfortable situation such as this.The officer was simply doing his job. He suggested a visit to nearby Predjama Castle. The fortress is well worth a visit and if we hadn't been stopped we would not have seen the castle.

The next adventure began when we entered Ljubljana. The infrastructure has not kept pace with the economy of Ljubljana so there are too many cars on the roads and not enough parking. Traffic is intense and we ended up in a minor accident (trading paint really) with another driver. Both drivers pulled over to examine the damage. The other driver, Ms. S, explained the car was brand new and this was the first scratch. Ouch! After much discussion and several phone calls, we agreed on the cost to cover the repairs and that since the damage was minimal it was not necessary to inform the police. We then got into our cars and set off to find a bank. We were immediately separated and lost. After a frantic 10 minutes, we managed to reconnect and both parties made it to the bank. Since our intention for the day, was an impromptu trip, we did not bring much cash or the working ATM card. Our plan was to get a cash advance on our credit card at the bank. Third lesson learned was we needed a PIN for the credit card. In Europe everyone with a credit card has a PIN. We had no pin number, therefore no cash from the bank. We promised to return to Ljubljana the next day with cash.

We met Ms. S. the following day and experienced our fourth lesson learned. She came bearing gifts of Slovenian candy, Slovenian fruit bars, Slovenian gum and delicious local fruit juice. We, the guilty party, were not a little overwhelmed by such kindness. Ms. S. shared that we were the first Americans she has ever met and if other Americans are as nice she wants to visit the US. We were deeply touched by her kindness and we hope she takes us up on our offer to stay with us for a few days.

While we spent hours in Ljubljana we never made it to the old town so we don’t have any photos. we spent all our time in banks and parking lots. We hope to go back some day to see what we missed. But, we did get to meet and know a wonderful young woman and that was better than seeing some old buildings.

Predjama Castle (police recommendation!)

Predjama castle is listed by Guinness as the world's largest “cave castle." When you first see the fortification it might take your breath away. Sitting high upon a 120 meter cliff and literally built over the opening of a massive cave, the castle dominates the landscape. Imagine yourself a medieval knight as the fortress towers over the landscape. Predjama is over 800 years old and with improvements over the centuries. The audio tour takes about 1 hour and allows you visit and inspect each room at your own pace.

Images of Predjama