Modest Beauty Hidden in the Forests… Ljubljana

Imagine a cute little Central European town. Now place the hip cafes of Berlin, the classic pubs of England, the magnificent buildings and cobblestone streets of Paris, the medieval texture of Prague. Ljubljana is a capital city that welcomes its guests with many surprises like these in its small area. Exploration always becomes more enjoyable when you get away from the tourist-flooded cities, about which everyone has good and bad opinions, and steer the route to a lesser-known destination. That's how I met Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, with such a mood, free from prejudices and expectations.

Slovenia is located at a point where the Alps and the Adriatic meet. In addition to being in a geographically lucky region, it is the third country with the highest forest cover rate in the European Union with its forests covering 66 percent of its surface area. So much so that even five or ten minutes before we enter the capital Ljubljana with our vehicle, we pass through a dense forest.

We arrive in Ljubljana after leaving the airport, proceeding through a lush green cover, watching the charming little towns built into the forests and on the slopes of the hills, each of which can be a postcard photograph. It is impossible not to like the city at first sight. The city center stretches along both sides of the curve of the Ljubljanica River; With cafes, restaurants and bars lined up along the river, life flows on the banks of the river dotted with bridges. On a green hill, we see the Ljubljana Castle, which calmly watches what is going on.

Our anxiety about losing our way is close to zero; after all, our reference point is the castle, visible from all over the city, the main streets run parallel to the river, and at the same time, Ljubljana, small but with a different surprise in every corner, is the perfect place to lose your way.

Now that we wake up on a sunny September morning and fill our lungs with the oxygen-rich and cool air of the capital, we can now start exploring. Nothing catches your eye in this city, even crowded tourist groups. Although the number of tourists is not yet comparable with cities such as Venice and Paris, the number of people who want to explore this tiny city in the middle of Europe seems to be increasing day by day. First we take a walk along the river, and the boats that take tourists who want to watch Ljubljana from the river pass by calmly.

When we arrive at Preseren Square, where the Pink Church is located, we see the unique triple bridge, one of the symbols of the city. Before crossing the bridge, let me talk about a romantic detail about Franc Preseren, the most famous Slovenian poet of the romanticism movement, after whom the square is named: When we look in the same direction as his statue in the square, we come across a relief symbolizing his great love, Julija, on the wall of a building. There couldn't have been a better way to commemorate Preseren...

The next stop of our discovery tour is the Dragon Bridge, the symbol of the city, decorated with dragon statues. It seems strange that such a lively city should choose a menacing symbol like a dragon while crossing the bridge under which Ljubljanica flows calmly. But as I said, Ljubljana is a city of contrasts. The best proof of this is that it can fit many things you can expect from a dynamic and modern city to the calmness of a European town.

While walking around the city, we see old shoes hanging on wires in several places. We are not surprised to learn that this is a student tradition. Students graduating from university leave a piece of themselves behind by hanging their shoes on wires in some parts of the city. There cannot be an example that better describes the feeling of intimacy that Ljubljana creates in people.