Three weeks in Ljubljana.

I take to climbing the hill behind my apartment to the castle every morning. It becomes a ritual. It starts slowly, something to do to get my heart rate up and to make sure I engage in some activity during the day and then it becomes something that I almost can’t do without.

I find various ways back down to the city, looking to explore as many paths as possible. On some days I treat myself to a coffee at Črno Zrno at the end of my walk, indulging in some conversation with the owner before writing a few post cards or reading a few pages in my book before strolling through the streets of the old town, delaying my return home. I like it best on the weekdays, when it’s quiet. Sometimes the sun shines.

I take my time exploring the rest of the city. Given the time I needn’t run around trying to see everything in an afternoon or a day. I stop into the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation after having walking past it for a few days. Inside, I marvel at the frescos of the 17th-century Franciscan church before wandering back to the library.

When I enter the room before the library a woman gets up to let me in. She takes me into the library and tells me that I’m welcome to climb the stairs and check out the stacks, then leaves me to it.

Back in square, the sun is shining and I take the long way home, walking to the dragon bridge and crossing back to the castle-side from there.

In the evening, I make a reservation for AFTR. During the week it proves unnecessary as the city is quiet; the restaurant equally so. I take the server’s recommendations and tuck into a lovely meal.

The days become cloudy, but I continue my daily climbs undaunted, admiring the way in which the weather and the light gives different shape to the castle and its grounds.

The city, too, changes with the light and the day of the week, as it empties and fills, empties and fills.

One day I decide to extend my walk north to explore more of the new city that has been built around the old quarter, passing parks and residential buildings, on my way to an art center near the train station.

I pass the Slovene Ethnographic Museum and, on a whim, duck in. A light rain hastens my decision. Inside, it is warm and I take my time walking the floors, touring the exhibition.

Outside I consider visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova in the same complex, but as blustery as it is, I prefer to be outside.

Nearby, I find the AKC Metelkova mesto and tour its street art galleries.

I wonder what the area must be like on a summer weekend. In my mind it fills with people and life. I’ve already fallen in love with Ljubljana and am thinking about when I might return. I’d love to come back when it’s warm.

I love street art and am thrilled to have found this place and the art it exhudes.

Back in the old quarter I walk the now-familiar streets and stop for lunch at Julija to try an Istrian pasta dish. Outside, the rain has once again begun to fall. Ensconced in my window seat, I savor the warm soup that starts my meal, eagerly looking forward to the pasta.

After hearing about the oldest wooden wheel in the world during a day tour of Slovenia, I decide to check out the Ljubljana City Museum, in which it is housed.

An exhibit of clothing and fashion attracts my eye and I walk these galleries first. I love exhibitions of fashion as much as I love street art.

I almost miss the wooden wheel. I know I am in the room in which it sits, but I find myself reading the text on the walls, paying scant attention to the middle of the room where the wheel is displayed, encased in glass. It is estimated to be between 5,100 and 5,350 years old. I’m amazed how intact it is, how well-preserved.

In the last galleries are modern artifacts from an earlier time, and the designer in me goes nuts over the radios, typewriters, and cars of a bygone era.

On the last day of my stay, I make a final climb up the hill to the castle. It’s an overcast day, as many have been, the clouds low on the horizon.

On my way down I finally decide to take a set of stairs that have piqued my interest every time I see them. I’m amazed that three weeks in, I’m still able to discover new corners of this relatively small old quarter.

The descent is down an attractive stone pathway and when I emerge back onto one of the main streets, I realize that this connects two parts of the city I had seen without understanding how they related. I had often passed the alley through which I pass to emerge back into one of the main streets and am happy to have finally connected the dots.

I’ve managed to neglect the National Gallery in all the time I’ve been in Ljubljana and decide to finally rectify that situation as well, having opted to visit the Museum of Modern Art and Tivoli Park instead when I was last in the area.

I pass the Trg republike and stop to take a photo of the Spomenik revolucije en route, remembering that I had neglected to carry my camera the day I had gone to the Museum of Modern Art, thinking I was just out for a stroll without being in the mind to take photos.

The National Gallery houses a mixture of works from the 13th century onwards, along with a special exhibition of old masters from The Museum of Arts and Crafts of Zagreb, Croatia, which is temporarily closed due to damage suffered in the 2020 earthquake. I think back to my last trip to Zagreb, trying to remember if I had visited the museum then, wondering if I am seeing any of these works for the second time.

There’s one last thing I want to do before leaving Ljubljana. A skyscraper stands in the middle of town and I’ve been meaning to check out the restaurant/cafe at the top for the views. I’ve passed it a few times without thinking of doing so and now make a point of it.

I enter the building around a corner from the main street and squeeze into a small elevator. A few tables are occupied with people drinking coffee and I step out onto the terrace to take a few photos. I consider taking a coffee, but decide that I want to visit my Colombian friend one more time.

Unfortunately, it’s his day off. A woman stands behind the counter. She tells me he’s off playing with his kids. A much better way to spend the afternoon. 🇸🇮