Slovenia
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2005
1
8
72
Trip End
Ongoing
Ljubljana,
Slovenia
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Arriving around 10:45 we noticed that it was certainly warmer than Poland. I really don't like arriving at night in strange places because it opens you to being taken advantage of so much more. But sometimes, there is no other way.
Until this point we had not had to use the guidebook to search out a place to stay
dragon
. We found a close hostel that was supposed to be one of the cheaper ones in the area. It was already late, so wherever it was, staying there for one night wouldn't be too bad. Finding it, the receptionist told us that a bed would cost 23 euros, they were not in the same quad, and there were only three left in the Hostel. At that price it was going to be one of the most expensive places that we had stayed, but it was after 11, and there was an international marathon taking place the next day and everything in town was booked (especially in that price range.) Two other people came in behind us looking for a room and confirming what we just were told. It did include breakfast, and from the look of the other guests, it probably was one of the cheaper places to stay. We took the beds while we could. I was fighting off the last of a cold that I got in Poland and after the 28 hour-long trip to get there, we both needed showers and sleep.. I ducked into the tiny four person room and was hit right away with the moldy smell of overused, under washed and piled high dirty clothes. Not long ago the hostel had been a jail, and you could see that the former cells were not originally built to comfortably hold people. I crept in, then had to jump between the piles of clothes, refuse and shoes to make it to my bunk, which had obviously been used recently. The sheets were used and the pillow still had the imprint of a long dark-haired head. I could feel the cold returning in the back of my throat brought back by the spores that were floating through the room
hostel/rave
. I got fresh sheets from the reception and returned to the room. The only choice was to leave the window open, listen to the raucous, try to enjoy the fresh fall air, and at least rest if I could not sleep."Right behind the hostel is Slovenia's biggest rave scene, attracting a party crowd from all over Europe. Don't expect to get a good nights rest here," the guidebook book said as I read further the next morning. That explained the several hundred multilingual, hyperactive people who were just outside the window, two stories down the noise-amplifying chamber of tall concrete buildings surrounding us. That explained the constant thumping, screaming, rattling, whistling, yelling, beating, Dylan cover song singing, that was going on for the majority of the night. I did not get out of bed in the best of moods that day.
The breakfast buffet helped to make the arrangement more tolerable. At least there was free (included) bread, cheese, cereal, milk, juice, jam and a coffee/hot chocolate machine. Breakfast was served from 8-11 and I would try to recoup some of our high rate room loss. We booked a double room for the night and set off on a Sunday afternoon walk into town.
On their way home, Jason, the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece supposedly stopped at a lake by Ljubljana and found a dragon there. Jason slue the monster and people began to settle there
Ljubljana
. Eventually it grew into the city that it is now. It has hills with a small castle on one and a couple of large parks on another, a small but lovely river running through the old center, quaint cobblestone streets, picturesque bridges, and three thin black men running way ahead of a pack of sweating white people. Two Kenyans and one Ethiopian were taking a strong lead in the annual Ljubljana marathon. There was grossly overpriced espresso, fashion shops and restaurants up and down the streets. Even with "the next Prague" clue, we had fallen into a tourist trap. It is a very sweet town. Mostly European people seemed to be staying at our hostel and shopping on the streets. It had been cheaper to buy a two-way ticket from Budapest and we were trying to give away the return portion, but nobody was going there. I seemed that most were there for a quick vacation.The river is narrow and green. Grey stone walls rise from its edges, leading up to stone railings along sidewalks. Every so often there are willow trees with yellow leaves hanging over the water and creeping vines with crimson leaves growing along the walls. Street lamps light the walks along the river and through the cafés. There is a fruit and vegetable market at one end of the walk. The weather was beautiful; a bright warm day in Fall tones.
We were planning on going to the Slovenian coast, then trying to skip along the coastline into Croatia until we reached Dubrovnik
river
. I was having visions of the Adriatic Sea; clear water, sunny shores, and cheap but good street food. After our second night in the hostel we had decided to aim for just one Croatian island instead of wandering through several slowly. The last morning there we ate slowly. Our overnight train to Zagreb left in the evening. I wrote and drank hot chocolates until the buffet closed. Afterwards, we pocketed a quarter pound of cheese and some packets of jam for dinner on the train that night. That night we would take the 7PM train to Zagreb, then catch the 11:30 to Split, and arrive in the morning. From there we could catch the soonest ferry possible to wherever sounded best. Before we left I asked one more person if he wanted our tickets."Are you going to Budapest anytime soon?"
"I am from here, I am Slovenian."
"That's OK, do you want a free ticket to Budapest?"
"Oh, no thank you."
We left the tickets with the receptionist and walked out.
