Last stop, Slovenia!

Many bridges in the city include the Dragon Bridge (also Shoemaker bridge, Butcher bridge which is a lock bridge and very new, Triple bridge, Pillar bridge)

The river just outside of the main historic part of Ljubljana which would be crowded with people on its banks in good weather.   

On top of the castle tower looking over the city and Alps foothills..I need a frizer (hair cut)

Part of the castle, which was restored with very modern components. ..my least favorite castle of the trip

One of many plazas in old Ljubljana, by the town hall

Kirin and Matt at the Dragon Bridge

I'm in the capital, Ljubljana and it is a beautiful city on the river with many large plazas, car free zone, churches, castle on the top of the hill...really charming, small, safe.
I took two buses to get here - from Rovinj, Croatia to Rieka, Croatia then Rieka to Ljubljana, Slovenia.  It always costs 7 Kuna to put your bag under the bus in storage, so I spent as much Kuna as possible when leaving Croatia because Slovenia uses Euro.  I had only 12 Kuna left and thought that was great!

When I found the right bus in the large non-tourist city of Rieka, the driver said 15 kuna for the bag.  I asked if I could pay in euros and he repeated "kuna".  No matter what I said, he said 15 kuna.  It was very frustrating because he didn't speak English and I had only 12 kuna and no more ideas how to solve this problem.  A nice young lady came over with her bag and I begged her, panicked, to give me 3 kuna (about 40 cents) and she did.  Hooray - relief! I offered her some food on the bus but she laughed and wouldn't take anything.

Now this is funny to recount, but it is another example of how things don't usually go as expected with travel and a language barrier.  I realized when we crossed from Croatia to Slovenia that I was the only one whose passport was taken to be stamped because I was the only non-local on the bus.

Tourist season is over now, which is great because there are no crowds, but not great because many things are closed and public transportation options are fewer.  I did a free tour of Ljubljana (you tip the guide and ours was very good) and met some English speakers, new friends for a day, which was great! (Unitedeuropefreetours.com)

Slovenia is very different from the rest of the Balkans in so many ways. It's next to Italy and Austria and those influences are strong. The people are all about the outdoors and are hikers, joggers, ride bicycles everywhere, and recycle everything. The kids are into Sponge Bob (Spudgi), current American music is on the radio, one restaurant had Duck Dynasty on the TV.   Public education through college is free or very cheap.  Younger people speak Slovenian  and learn English in school and may also speak German or Italian.

Their economy is stronger than their neighbors, but unemployment is high.   My guide today said most youbg people go to college but then can't get a job here so they go to other countries.   She has friends from college working in Germany,  Japan,  and New Zealand now.  She is not using her degree and is working in tourism.   Locals dress stylishly -women wear high heeled boots, hats, scarves, and men do not wear jeans.   They love to sit and visit over a cup of coffee (no one walks around with coffee) and outdoor seating is abundant, even in this chilly weather.

Just a note...thank goodness for quick dry clothing.  I've not seen a dryer here yet so I have washed everything by hand except my jeans, which would take a long time to dry.    They are going to walk around town by themselves today.