Well, it’s officially winter! But despite the hanging fog, freezing temperatures, and full lockdown, the capital city of Slovenia still has all of the magical, romantical, Europeanical feels!
Love is in the air!
Running through the city center is the Ljubljanica River, meaning “the one of a lovely appearance”, and it sure is. Several pedestrian bridges cross it to include Butchers Bridge (pictured below) with thousands of love locks attached to it. The tradition is to write your names on the locks, lock them to the bridge, and throw the key into the water symbolizing eternal love.
Dragon Bridge
Another bridge crossing the Ljubljanica River is Dragon Bridge. Built in the beginning of the 20th century, when Ljubljana was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this reinforced concrete bridge is flanked by four huge dragon statues.
There is a legend that Jason, the ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, was the founder of Ljubljana, and he and his band of heroes killed a dragon. According to local legends, when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons will wag their tails.
Lake Bled
We’ve only seen Lake Bled listed in the Top 10 travel destinations about 1,000 times from every website, social media site, and publication. And we can see why! The lake surrounds Bled Island which has several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Traditionally it is considered good luck for the groom to carry his bride up the steps on the day of their wedding before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church.
Lake Bohinj
On our last day we decided to take a day trip to the North Western part of the country to Lake Bohinj, just a stones through from the Austrian and Italian boarders in the Alps. Making the hour long drive out of the city into the country side was exactly the enchanting trip we had hoped for. Frost covered trees, little towns in valleys with chimney smoke, and pastures full of wooly sheep.
The glacial lake is surrounded by breakneck mountains creating a barrier of stillness and silence.
We had a relaxing afternoon walk around the lake and Niya was able to run around and chase the rocks that Dave practiced skipping on the shoreline.
Making our way up North is something we’ve been excited for, especially as the festive season is upon us. Driving through Slovenia seeing the frost covered trees, little towns in valleys with chimney smoke, and pastures of sheep was exactly what we were hoping for. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Ljubljana I highly recommend it. We may actually come back in the Spring to experience more.
From Abroad With Love – AG
