Day 7: This day was going to be made to see the city and finish up the Bled area if we hadn't gotten to it on our mega RT I had initially planned. SO we got to spend the whole day in the city instead giving us plenty of time to explore. First up at 9 we had a tour booked to Stand- Up Paddleboard down the Ljubljanski river. This was probably one of the top 5 things I was excited to do. And it was really cool! Our group was made up of 4 Asian friends, 2 Brits, and ourselves so not too big a group either. The tour lasted 2 hours and we got to go all the way down through the city center under the 3 main bridges (plenty more as well) before turning around and going back to where we let in.
We started in the river around this beautiful neck of the woods
I couldn't help but take a picture of this. This guy was walking (yes walking) both a dog ( can't see him here but he was there) and a CAT. Neither was leashed but both were definitely walking with him as he changed direction after a bit and came back the other way. I laughed so hard.
Braden got the hang of paddling down so quick. He was a Pro!
Getting to about the city center area with the really pretty bridges!
Standing up and paddling was actually fairly simple, only offering a small challenge when one of the boats passed by and created a wake. Even then only 2 guys fell in. Braden and I were pros! It got quite toasty as the tour progressed so everyonce in a while when we needed to wait for the rest of the group, I'd sit down and straddle the board with my feet in the water to cool off. The water itself was incredibly clean for a city river. Not claiming it was clear or anything, but I could see fish swimming around down below so it definitely wasn't filthy.
The Triple Bridge with the Iconic Prešeren Square (our Airbnb was one block from this square!!)
Cooling off by wetting my feet and waiting for the others to catch up..
Waiting for the others also meant time for.. a photo op!
My favorite bridge: The Dragon Bridge. It was not far past here we turned around
to paddle back to our start point.
The Butcher's Bridge covered in love locks which sadly... I forgot to bring for us.
We passed a really cool drinking water fountain... (Left) Seriously America is now very underwhelming in our drinking water fountains.
Not making that name up, I promise.
Dragon Bridge from above.
It was the Dragon Bridge that first intrigued us to visit Ljubljana. Glad we did!
We didn't go in the castle or anything but really enjoyed touring around the outside and exploring the park greens out in front. The view of the city was great!
They had a little Medieval festival going on out front!
Some amazing cobble-stoned streets we passed walking back down from the castle!
Such a quaint city!
Parks, Parks, and more Parks!
Recognize this bridge? Had to cross it on foot of course!
After dinner and it had started to cool off a bit, we walked over to the main city park which was HUGE. It took us about 15-20 minutes getting there and was just mind blowing in size. You could probably compare it to Central Park in New York as there were trails everywhere. We just skimmed along one side of it enjoying the people and dog watching we got before walking back.
Hello? Slovenian Permberlee is that you?!
The cute little street our apartment was off of.
The door entrance to the building.
And our little kitchen nook! Perfect for brewing tea and storing our snacks!
One of my favorite spots in the whole city was the main square (just 2 minutes from our apartment). This is also the location of the "tripple Bridge" and gives a great view of the river with the castle sitting above on the hill, and also some historic buildings round about. There were tons of cafes and right in the middle of this square there was a "Ljubljana's own weather system" sign and a sprinkler was situated above that caused a constant
drizzle" mist in the middle of the square. It was so unique and quaint, I just could never quite get over it! The chart of the cobblestone streets and Eastern European Architecture just all rolled into one great city! we loved it and were sure sad to head back to the apartment to pack and get ready for our last trip.
My favorite town square. Ever.
But we had one last experience in the city and that was to meet our other host! Their names were Sijan and Prav and we met with them about 9 PM to go and get tea. Which good thing too since we had been previously going to bed soo early we would've missed the great night life as well! We had some tea called "joy" that smelled a LOT like Black Licorice but thankfully was not as strong as that, and we sat for probably an hour on the river under a massive tree discussing travel, and countries, work, life, etc.. They were so friendly and sweet I actually hope we meet again someday.
After that though it was close to 10:30 and definitely our bedtime as we were headed into Country #3 the next day.
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