Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Tag: Ljubljanica River

The Riverside Market of Ljubljana

Whether in the States or overseas, one of my favorite thing in the world is going to markets!  It doesn’t matter what kind of market, Christmas, food, flower, or arts and crafts markets, count me in.  I love viewing beautiful art made by local craftsmen, tasting food from chefs and buying fresh produce from local farmers.  I just love it!  This is one of the best ways to experience a local culture, which is why we loved the Riverside Market!

Riverside Market - Fresh Produce at the Riverside Market

Fresh Produce at the Riverside Market

David and I knew there was an extensive produce/flower market in Ljubljana from a Rick Steves show.  However, when our taxi driver took us from the bus station to our beautiful hotel, he told us about a food festival on Fridays called Open Kitchen.  Restaurants from all over town set up booths in the market area.  Thankfully, our stay included a Friday, so I could not imagine a better scenario!

Riverside Market - Crowds Enjoying the Friday Food Festival in Ljubljana's Riverside Market

Crowds Enjoying Open Kitchen in Ljubljana

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Allegro Hotel – Ljubljana, Slovenia

When David and I travel, we normally stay in a place in walking distance to the attractions we want to see, or at least close to public transportation.  In our strategy, we want a clean and nice accommodation, but we do not want to spend our money on a fancy hotel.  We want to be out experiencing the destination.  But on this trip, we were spending a night in 7 destinations and wanted to splurge on a nicer hotel in one of the locations.  David did lots of research and we chose to stay at Allegro Hotel in Ljubljana, Slovenia for an upscale treat.  We made a great choice!

Inside Allegro Hotel

Inside Allegro Hotel

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Plečnik’s Bridges of Ljubljana

When visiting Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia, it is likely you will encounter two national heroes: Plečnik and Prešeren. Jože Plečnik the architect, and France Prešeren the poet.

Today, we take a closer look at the architect, Jože Plečnik. While Plečnik is a household name in Slovenia, I feel like little is known of him in the United States, even among fellow architects.

Travel often unlocks new experiences that we did not even realize existed before traveling. In Prague, Rebekah and I fell in love with delightful Art Nouveau painter, Alfons Mucha when we experienced his Slav Epic masterpieces first-hand. We had a very similar experience in Ljubljana. The architectural influence of Jože Plečnik is a treat waiting to be unwrapped.

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Ljubljana City Overview: 2 Days in the Old Town

Unless you were a straight A student in world geography, you may have never heard of Ljubljana (the “j”s make a “y” sound). While this may be your first time to hear about Ljubljana, it won’t be your last. The capital city of compact Slovenia is on the rise, and will be a top European destination in a few years.

Ljubljana is remarkably easy to include in your European vacation schedule. Slovenia sits at the crossroads of 3 great cultures: Germanic, Italian and Slavic. These three cultures continue to shape the region, especially its cuisine. If you are traveling to Italy (Venice in particular), Vienna or Budapest, Ljubljana is only a short train ride and even shorter plane ride away.

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