We sadly left our villa in Tuscany to continue on our trip. We now have Judy with us so more fun and frivolity is ahead.

Before we left Montecatini though we visited a couple more places. We made a trip to Montecatini Alto via the funicular for a morning tea.

Montecatini is home to many thermal spas , so we decided to visit one of them! We went to the Tettucio Thermal complex, which served as a meeting place for many of the greatest figures in music and politics. It was originally built between 1779 and 1781 and then reconstructed in 1928. The architecture was amazing and the thermal waters that flow from taps in the complex is supposedly good for diabetes to stomach problems.

We stayed 3 nights in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Our apartment was an easy stroll to the very picturesque Old Town. The Ljubljana River runs through the centre with bars and restaurants all along both banks.

The Triple Bridge , obviously named, dates back to the 13th century and is the oldest in the town. It was redesigned and expanded in the 1930’s, and is UNESCO listed.

The main square, Preseren Square, sits at a medieval crossroad and the Franciscan Monastery and Church dates back to the 17th century.

We decided to eat out on our first night and had eaten enough pasta and pizza over the last few weeks so we decided on a burger. We chose the very aptly named “Pops”. It was a great burger and the onion rings and fries topped off a great meal.

Walking home was rather magical with beautiful illuminated buildings and Greg was extremely happy with the reflections on the river.

The following day was again spent wandering the Old Town. The dragon is the emblem of Ljubljana and is considered a symbolic protector of the city. It represents strength, courage, and might and is depicted on the city’s Coat of Arms. One of the main attractions is the Dragon Bridge named for obvious reasons. Legend says that if a virgin crosses the bridge the dragons will wave their tails. Needless to say there was no tail wagging when Rhonda and Judy crossed!!

The Robbov Vodnjak is a marble and limestone fountain with an Oblisk dating back to the 18th Century. At every corner you wander around, there is more stunning architecture.

The Ljubljana Castle is a key landmark of the city, and accessible by funicular. Most of the buildings date back to the 16th century. The castles watchtower was added in the 19th century. We could have walked the 95 steps via the staircase to check out the view but we opted to take a photo instead. The chapel below dates back to 1489 and is the oldest surviving remnants of the castle.

For lunch we decided on a typical Slovenian sausage called the Carniolan. We knew it had to be good by the long queue of people lining up at the door……and it was.

For dinner it was decided that we needed dumplings so off we went. We were the only ones in the restaurant when we entered, and the waiter had to call the chef to come in as we wanted to have fried , not steamed dumplings. By the time we left the place was full and the dumplings were delicious.

The next day we decided to take Harley for a drive to Lake Bled, a beautiful blue/green lake in the Julien Alps. Bled Island sits proudly in the middle and is accessible by the traditional wooden Pletna Boats. Their origins date back to 1590. There are only 23 of these boats on the lake and very popular for the tourists.

As the boats reach the island you are met by 99 steps which lead to St Mary’s Church. Their origins date tradition for locals who marry inside the church is to take a Pletna boat to the island and the groom MUST carry his bride up all the 99 steps, they marry in the church and then ring the Wishing Bell that is inside and that guarantees them a long and happy marriage. People who enter the church can ring the bell, locals and tourists alike , and the Pope decreed that anyone who rings it 3 times will have their wish granted.

The Clock Tower has 99 steps as well to climb for an apparently lovely view. We took their word for it!

We disappointed Judy by not stopping in the town of Bled so that she could try a Bled Cream Cake. Instead, when we returned to Ljubljana we decided to try their version. It was very similar, full of cream and very light custard.

We enjoyed our stay. Ljubljana is a wonderful vibrant city.

An update on Greg’s knees……sort of holding up! Starting to walk further distances, and still exercising as often as he can. Shingles have finally disappeared, but that can’t be said about the waistlines!!!,

Weather is still around 30 during the day and 20 overnight….perfect.

so it’s time for that aperitivi.

lots of love

Greg and Rhonda