My first act on finally reaching Ljubjlana 48 hours after leaving Sydney was to sleep, deeply and refreshingly. Only then did I set off to explore. Tadej did me very good service with his orientation tour on the way to the apartment. I found the old town without a map, which was a blessing for a woman who failed map-reading in kindergarten. I also found the bus and train stations, which takes care of getting to Bled and Zagreb: a blessing for a woman who angsts over travel connections.
The square was crowded, and as I often do I wished I could photograph sound. An old man played lively music on his piano accordion: children shrieked with delight as they chased rainbow bubbles: there was the constant babble of conversation, and the stately donging of the clock marking the passing of the hours. I rambled aimlessly, enjoying the feel of a European city again, and doing a bit of people watching: adults poked a surreptitious finger at the iridescent bubbles; a boy ran backwards, laughing, pursued by a bubble as big as he was; a horde of all ages sat on the step of the statue licking ice creams; a tiny girl in pink frills held a gigantic Minnie Mouse balloon; and an old woman tended a forest of unicorns, dragons, princesses on sticks. I sat on a bench companionably with another old woman and we passed brief time of day in our respective languages.
Satisfied with my foray into Ljubljana, I wandered back to the apartment, buying supplies on the way.
Posted with Blogsy
warsawandbeyond2014 
It’s a fine looking place, Meg. Love that long shot of the canal/bridge. It’s wonderful. They were bubble blowing when I was in Barcelona last year. Great fun! 🙂
sounds so charming, all that fun and exuberance with the bubbles and unicorns 🙂
What a magic place for people watching.
Thank you for taking an interest in my Ljubljana. I’ve decided to capture people as much as i can in words this trip, since I’m shy about photographing people. However, even that shyness is disappearing in the age of the iPhone when everyone snaps everything! Even in the middle of a classical music concert I’ve seen people hop up and grab an image.
Yes it is the time of the selfie and people do not seem to be so self conscious these days, but I liked the way you described the atmosphere and the people, I could picture the hustle and bustle.
Gorgeous Meg, I can just feel you settling into your trip and Ljubljana seems like a perfect place to begin. There’s something about the European architecture, such a sense of place.
I’m so glad I have your company. It’s good travelling with a virtual friend!
Ljubljana is a delightful city and your photos are lovely, but your descriptive narration made me picture it without photos. And I know what you mean about photographing sound, so many times recently I have wished I could capture the birdsong all around me. I look forward to travelling with you to Bled and Zagreb. It is very easy on the bus to Bled and do have a Bled cake when you get there 🙂
Jude – popping in from Jo’s Walks
I did have Bled cake – glad I did, but I wouldn’t go back for a second one. It has been so well-marketed that I ordered one, even though I’ve lost my sweet tooth with encroaching age – along with many other teeth!