I wake up the next morning to overcast skies. It seems I won’t see the sun again for weeks, save for the afternoon. It’s cold but I’m excited to explore the city I’ll call home for almost a month and so I put my layers on and head out into the streets.

My apartment sits on one Cankarjevo nabrežje, one of the main streets in the old city, close to Mestni trg and the centuries-old Town Hall. Crowds are already starting to descend on the main square and the triple bridge. A man plays Slovenian traditional music on an accordion. A group of acrobats and jugglers walks through the crowd, looking for a place to set up to entertain.

I decide to climb the hill to visit the castle, but take a moment to duck in to the Katedrala Sv. Nikolaja as I pass. Originally occupied by a Romanesque church dating from 12962. Burnt down in 1361 and again in 1469, the current cathedral was built between 1701 and 1706, and consecrated in 1707.

It’s a lovely church, Baroque in style, and beautifully lit. There’s no service being performed and I wonder if I might have missed it.

Outside, I admire the art that adorns its exterior wall before continuing to walk down the street in search of a path that will take me up to the castle. I find it soon on my right and begin my ascent, turning around to see the cathedral through the bare branches of the trees that line the ascending path.

I opt to take the steepest path up to the the castle and I’m breathless by the time I reach the ramparts. I walk around to the entrance and buy a ticket at the booth. Inside I walk first to the highest viewpoint in order to take in the views of the city.

Just at the base of the stairs to the tower there’s a 4D film screened at an interval. Checking the schedule I see I have some time to explore nearby exhibits before returning for the film.

When I arrive there are a few of us waiting: two couples, a family of four, and myself. A woman asks us what languages we speak. It’s a mix of Italian, English, and Croatian. She tells us that she’ll run the film in Croatian (for the children) with English subtitles, and hands the Italian couple a set of headphones for the Italian dub. I’m impressed with how she’s navigated all the options.

In the film, a castle mouse tells the history of the town, the castle, and the dragon that used to command the hill. The seats rumble with battle, and we feel a fine spray when it rains. The 3D effects pop out of the screen. It’s a fun time and I’m surprised at how well the 4D effects worked within the context of the film.

Walking the castle courtyard I find the entrace to the wine bar and head inside and through it to a set of benches outside the castle, with views down to the large Kongresni Trg. I order a mulled wine and sit in the sun watching various groups wander by or pause to take in the view.

Back inside I visit the puppet museum and walk upon the ramparts. Two restaurants are housed within and I look through the glass at people enjoying their late afternoon repast.

Leaving the castle I head in the direction of the park at the top of the hill, passing the Peasant Rebellion Monument commemorating the 400th anniversary of the 1515 Slovene peasants uprising, whereby they demanded the reintroduction of the original feudal obligations and trade rights, and a right to decide about taxes. Castles in the region were attacked before the revolt was put down by mercenaries of the Holy Roman Empire.

The park itself is small, but nice place to walk. During my time in Ljubljana I’ll start a daily ritual of hiking up to the castle and taking a walk in or around the park on my way back down to town.

Heading back down into the old city, I descend with the sun. Electric lights have started to turn on, illuminating the streets. People head home with their dogs in tow.

At night, the castle is illuminated, cycling between blue and white. The city itself is illuminated with Christmas lights. The tone on Sunday is more subdued than Saturday night, but the restaurants by the river are still quite full of people socializing in the cold. Looking out over the crowded tables, I think of how lovely it is sharing a meal and a drink, surrounded by others doing the same, living in your world as others live in their worlds around you.

That night I’ll see on Instagram that a friend of mine from Croatia was in town. I had met her on a train to Belgrade, Serbia, when I had backpacked through the Balkans many years ago. I reach out to ask if she’s still around, if she’d like to meet up for dinner or a drink. She tells me they’ve already moved on, headed to Austria to ski. I wish her well. Maybe next time! 🇸🇮