Slovenia 10 University Is Free Here

 Slovenia has only been a country since 1991. They were formally a part of Yugoslavia. In 2016 they earned the title of Europe’s greenest city. They are in the top few (I can’t remember the exact ranking) of Europe’s cleanest cities and with the most forest. I am really impressed with this city.

It is a university city. School started at the beginning of October and you can tell. There are a lot of young people out and about. University is free here. He said students also get big discounts at restaurants. They can eat cheaper than the working families.

He said they are still experiencing a lot of growing pains. Government contracts are often given by favouritism instead of price or qualifications. It was an enjoyable day spent around the city.

Shawn  (to be continued) Photo: Janin 

Slovenia 9 City Walking Tour

 I asked them where their favourite holiday was and they said Canada actually. They went to Lake Huron. He said it’s the one place where he didn’t want to go home from. We all agreed the language barrier can be a problem at times but our both speaking English made for a really nice afternoon. 

For supper I went to a place nearby recommended by the owners here. I just had an appetizer of mussels in a cream pea sauce since the orders are so huge here. It was delicious and just enough.

This morning I had breakfast at a cafe on the river. I remembered that the British couple had told me about a free city walking tour this morning at 11 so I walked over and joined that. It was really interesting. It lasted a little over 2 hours.

Shawn  (to be continued) Photo: Janin 

Slovenia 8 Ljubljana What a beautiful city!

 Ljubljana What a beautiful city! I strolled around a bit then walked to the bus station and went out to Lake Bled. Beautiful!! 

I had some of the famous Bled cake which was very good but I was bombarded by sparrows trying for my cake lol. 

On the bus back I was seated by a couple from just outside London. We had such a fun visit we ended up going for a walk together once back in Ljubljana and then for a coffee. I really enjoyed visiting with them. They have done a lot of traveling and shared many stories. 

The man said yesterday in Ljubljana he was walking back to their apartment and at a cross walk there wasn’t any traffic so he crossed on a red. Well the police called him over and accompanied him to their apartment to get his passport info and he got a $20.00 euro fine. Good to know!

Shawn  (to be continued) Photo: Janin 

Slovenia 7 Austria and Slovenia are so beautiful

 I caught the train this morning to Ljubljana without any problems. The train station in Vienna is new and so much easier to navigate. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking!! I wish I could have taken more pictures but I was too busy admiring the view. A man on the train said it was the semmering train (spelling??) which has been written about because of the view. 
The parts of Austria and Slovenia that I saw were so beautiful. It started raining just before the train arrived so I was a bit wet when I reached my B&B. It is walking distance from the train station in the historic centre of town. They said the building is over 300 years old. My room is so charming. The floors creak and the bathroom is a step down from the bedroom. I have a cute little balcony and even a kitchen of sorts. After I checked in I went for a bite to eat and my usual cappuccino. It’s been a rainy evening so I’m just going to relax in my room tonight and go exploring tomorrow. It looks really pretty here.

Shawn  (to be continued) Photo: Janin 

Central Europe 6 Vienna

 I’m so glad I did this. The train station at Bratislava is a bit sketchy and I just couldn’t imagine doing this at 5:30-6 in the morning. The one hour trip to Vienna was uneventful. I checked in to my new hotel and I am completely happy with my choice. I spent the rest of the day in the vicinity of my hotel. I even had a little nap this afternoon so I am feeling really refreshed for my train trip to Ljubljana tomorrow. Only 12 km in the last two days.

I am so relieved i don’t have to deal with busses or trams tomorrow!! I’m looking forward to an easier start to the day. One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned is my appreciation of the kindness of some fellow travelers/ strangers. I have had so much more help from them than the people who are paid to help (information centres, etc,)

Oh, and another thing. The farmers walk we do at the gym sure has paid off the last few days!!𯒪

Shawn (to be continued) 

Central Europe 5 Historic Centre Of Bratislava

 Well, that’s my day. I’m glad to be in my comfortable room for the night.

I decided to change the plan today. I had been told that it was no problem to get to the train station in Bratislava by 6 am to get to Vienna (1 hour train trip) to catch my 7:58 train to Ljubljana tomorrow morning. It was the one schedule that always concerned me. This morning I decided to come to Vienna today to make a less stressful trip. I am 100% glad I made that decision!! I am at the Star Inn in Vienna, right across from the train station. The lady at the hotel in Bratislava was so nice and only charged me for the one night. I spent the morning wandering around the historic centre of Bratislava so I did get a feel of it. It’s a lot smaller than Prague, which I knew, but was a nice change of pace. I walked to the tram stop and bought my tram ticket before checking out of the hotel.

 (to be continued) 

Central Europe 4 Bratislava Soup Will Be Ready Tomorrow

 As we were talking she said Canada to Europe, 3 weeks, Alone. You’re my hero and she gave me a thumbs up lol. I had directions from the station in Bratislava to my hotel but I always like to ask someone before I hop onto a bus or tram. There was a young girl who showed me where my tram would arrive. I bought my ticket and got on. I got off at the stop then I had to walk. I asked another young girl and she quickly got out her phone and gave me directions. They were both so nice and happy to help. Much appreciated!! After checking in I headed out for a bite to eat.

The downtown area here is very nice. Picturesque and a lot quieter than Prague. I stopped at an outdoor cafe that looked nice. I ordered a beer, which I desperately needed after my train trip, and a Caesar salad. The waiter brought the beer then told me they didn’t have that today so I ordered a soup of the day. He came back and said it wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow lol. So I said what do you have that is small. I wasn’t up for something big. He said fried potatoes so I said ok. So I got an order of French fries.

 (to be continued)