Ljubljana, Slovenia

Around 50 BC, the Romans built a military encampment that later became a permanent settlement called Iulia Aemona on the site of the present Ljubljana.  Located at the middle of a trade route between the northern Adriatic Sea and the Danube region, Ljubljana was the historical capital of Carniola.  After the fall of the Roman Empire, Slavs settled in Carniola around the 6th century AD.  The area was successively ruled by Bavarian, Frankish and local nobility, and eventually by the Austrian Habsburgs almost continuously from 1335 to 1918, though beset by many raids from the Ottomans.  Slovenia, a member of the European Union, borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest.  The Slavic, Germanic, Romance, and Hungarian languages meet here. 

The symbol of the city is the Ljubljana Dragon depicted on the top of the tower of the Ljubljana Castle, in the Ljubljana coat-of-arms, and on the Dragon Bridge.  According to the Slavic myth the slaying of dragon released the waters and ensured the fertility of the earth; the myth is tied to the Ljubljana Marshes.  According to celebrated Greek legend, the Argonauts on their return home after having taken the Golden Fleece found a large lake surrounded by a marsh between the present-day towns of Vrhnika and Ljubljana.  It is there that Jason struck down a monster.  This monster has become the dragon that today is present on the city coat of arms and flag.  It is more believable that the dragon was adopted from Saint George.  In the legend of Saint George, the dragon represents the old ancestral paganism overcome by Christianity.

The city center has a small town feel with the historic core being a pedestrian only zone.  It is often compared with Prague due to it's  architectural appearance, a legacy of different periods, most notably, the work of the 20th century architect Jože Plečnik who planned the central part of the city.  Plečnik's distinctive personal stamp, which can be seen across Ljubljana, is the most obvious in the Triple Bridge across the river Ljubljanica, and in the National and University Library of Slovenia.

 

Inside the university library designed by architect Jože Plečnik

Of note is the Cathedral of St. Nicholas recognizable by its dome and two belfries.  The entrances have sculptured doors from the late 20th century.  A sundial with a Latin motto, dated to 1826 decorates the southern facade.  In 1996, before the visit of Pope John Paul II, two of the doors were replaced with monumental bronze versions.  Tone Demšar painted the front door, now named the Slovene Door, with a depiction of Slovene history to commemorate the 1250th anniversary of Christianity in Slovenia. The new west bronze door was designed by Tone Demšar.  Demšar designed reliefs with the history of Slovenian territory under the rule of three important Bishops and blessed by Pope John Paul II.  Inside much of the original Baroque decor remains with frescoes painted by Giulio Quaglio between 1703 and 1723.  Other notable decorations in the cathedral include the altar angels by the brothers Paolo and Giuseppe Groppelli on the right part of the nave and by Francesco Robba on the left.    

There are several restaurant options in Ljubljana.  At the top of the hill in the castel is Restavracija Strelec.  It's a bit formal with an eye to being like other modern european  restaurants.  Down in town is Gostilna As which is two different places sharing the same kitchen but not the same menu, one is modern for the young crowd, the other is traditional.  Your choice depends on your mood.  

Restavracija Strelec located in the castle

The funicular up to the castle

For starters a shrimp crudo

Asparagus soup with stuffed wonton

Branzino

Lamb

Chocolate mousse with three sorbets and chocolate this and that

Güjžina serves food from Pannonian region of far eastern Slovenia

A third choice would be Güjžina which offers traditional cuisine of Prekmurje.  One of their offerings is Prekmurska gibanica, a poppy seed, walnut and apple strudel pie, which is a combination of cake and pastry, and hails originally from the Prekmurje region of Slovenia.  It restates a favorite theme in central European baking, layered sweet strudel, often with poppy seeds and stuffed with sweet jams, fruit or fruit compotes, nuts, and/or cheese.  Some descriptions of Prekmurska gibanica describe it as a pie because of the bottom layer, which is made of short crust pastry.  Honey would have been the only sweetening in early versions, and a more solid bottom layer might have made sense.

Prekmurska gibanica

Versions of Prekmurska gibanica also included dried grapes as one of the main constituents of the filling.  The present version, however, uses cottage cheese, poppy seed, walnut and apples, and the dried grapes (in the form of raisins) turn up as part of the cottage cheese filling having been first soaked in rum.  Versions of Prekmurska gibanica also included dried grapes as one of the main constituents of the filling.  The present version, however, uses cottage cheese, poppy seed, walnut and apples, and the dried grapes (in the form of raisins) turn up as part of the cottage cheese filling having been first soaked in rum.

Across the street you can get a chocolate CD at Čokoladnica Cukrček