Airports: More tiring than walking up mountains.

I was so afraid I'd sleep through the alarm and not get up in time to meet my driver at 5:30 but I made it. Because I was on a pedestrian street, I had to walk a couple blocks.  Not too many people out at that hour.

Adria Airlines is ok except for the fact they had canceled my nonstop. There's just a few gates at the Ljubljana Airport so we left a little late. I had never flown through Munich but yikes. It's like Paris. I was in Business class on the Ljubljana flight. The flight cost $114 when I booked the nonstop so they had to honor that; the price went up to $400. I paid 50 more I think for the chance to get business.  I did that for 2 reasons--so they wouldn't weigh my carryon and so I could get off first and run to my next flight.

Stupid decision.  They took all the carryons for planeside pickup which is fine but everyone had to get on a bus to go to the terminal.  I think we were parked in Berlin. The one good thing about that flight was flying over the mountains.  They were beautiful in the clouds.

Then ...how do I never remember. Passport control. The 3 agents they had handling the hundreds of people with late flights were having fun flirting with the young girls. When I finally got there, my agent looked through my entire passport.  He finally asked when I had first entered Schengen and I said Paris on the 25th so he found that somehow. I don't know why. I don't think anyone ever checked that before. Then I race walked a couple of miles. I count on Joyce to do the OJ Simpson airport run but she wasn't there. Plus I didn't check the bag. I got close to the gate when they said last call.

But was it? Of course not. First, my ticket didn't scan or else notified them I was on the no fly list. They checked my passport and finally let me go. Where? A huge German airport makes you walk down 3 flights of stairs to the bus. I guess they didn't invent the elevator or escalator.

We waited on the bus for the last old couple who finally made it. After about 10 minutes,  someone determined they had to get off. I am dying to know why. They weren't upset that they were being kicked off so who knows. At that point,  I asked the attendant if we were going to Bucharest.  She thought I was hilarious. I figured anyone could get on their transports. Plus the driver could get confused and bypass Berlin.

I have been through Bucharest on several occasions and don't remember it ever being so crowded. Tarom is a small airline and they seemed to be the ones with the most problems. They wouldn't let you do self check in on a machine until 2 hours before the flight. I was there about 4 hours before and the only place to sit is upstairs, as in 2 flights of stairs.  I went to the one restaurant they had and got a Romanian hamburger which was  actually the best one I've ever had in Europe and in loads of places in the US. Or I was hungry.

I was checking a bag because the website says you can have a total of 10 kg and I had more. So I stood in the bag dropoff line for an hour. Security was relatively quick for having so many people in line.

When I walked to the gate, my flight was boarding...the bus. I looked at everyone's carryons and they didn't seem to match the requirements.  When we walked to the plane, everyone threw their bags on a cart for plane pickup. It pays to  know the rules.

My airbnb host was late picking me up because we landed early. He will also take me on a tour of the painted monasteries. But the apartment I rented is in the top 3 ever. I could live here except it just has a washer and a rack, no dryer.

Cave

I have seen some caves in the US but I have never seen anything like the Postojna Cave. 26 kilometers are open and you see 6 on the trip. A million people visit a year so these people are organized.  Tours start every half hour. We were divided into Chinese, English and Italian speakers. First, you ride a train for 2 k. It's really about 50 benches on wheels. Then you're walk 2 k with a guide. It's a quick walk so it's hard to stop and take pictures. Then you ride the last 2 k. There's over 50 caves in Slovenia but this is the one open to the public and it's been open for 200 years.  You can see most of the other caves with a reservation.

This cave has everything--red formations from iron, white calcium formations, huge rooms, narrow passageways. Unlike in the US, we weren't given a 10 minute lecture on how to behave or warnings to duck if you're tall. I figured there's no liability laws here but Elvir said every site and every business,  even he, has insurance.  The difference is no one ever gets millions of euros, you get your medical bills paid. Lawsuits against medical facilities that mess up on children are often successful,  but in the hundred thousands,  not millions.

After the cave, we went to the largest built-in-a-cave castle, Predjama. It's beautiful but like most castles,  there's no elevator.  Way too much walking today for me.

Tomorrow I have 3 planes to catch, if I can manage to get up at 5. My 1:30 nonstop to Bucharest was canceled and now I have a 7:20 to Munich, then Bucharest where I sit around for about 8 hours before flying to Saceava, Romania.

My laundry doings were a big success.  Only the socks were damp but they dried on the radiator.  I think I can make it one day without doing laundry.

Lake Bled

I booked two private tours and today the tour was to Lake Bled which is pictured in the background of the blog. The drive is very pretty. There's lots of mountains to look at which can be blurry when the weather is bad. Today is clear and sunny. I told the guide I climbed the mountain to the castle yesterday and he said it's a hill because if there's trees, it's a hill.

The lake has lanes set up for competitive kayak training. One of the buildings on shore has a skating rink where some famous Slovenian hockey player trained. I forget his name but it will probably appear in my trivia game. There is also a beach for swimming  but you have to pay unless you're staying at one of the fancy hotels.
On the way, Elvir asked what activities I wanted to do. There are paths around the lake that take around 2 hours to walk, a train that goes around in 45 minutes, wooden boats that go to the island, and an electric boat. I chose the train and electric boat but when we got to the dock, only the wooden boat was available.  The boats are traditional and are rowed. Cute but the electric would be quicker. Because they take so long to get to and from the island, I didn't get to take the train. The oarsmen were professionals and now row tourists for about 12 hours a day.

The Castle

How I got to the Ljubljana Castle is in my top 5 stupidest hikes ever. I had downloaded a google map that was supposed to take me to the funicular. I memorized the street to turn on. I found that easily since it's a 5 minute walk. As I walked the windy trail, I started to realize I was going to the castle. I guess the map was taking me to the funicular at the top. In short, I climbed a gigantic mountain.

After touring the castle, I took the funicular down and discovered what I hadn't seen was a sign above the castle this way sign. It said funicular and pointed straight ahead. It was right around the corner.

At the top was a parking lot. I could have taken a taxi or the free electric train which I saw there. The city has free electric cars in the pedestrian area which isn't very big but it's part of their effort to become a green city. They've made tremendous strides in just two years, going from having the worst quality air to one of the best in the EU.

Part of the castle I could see while I drank iced tea

The castle was a fortress when it was built in the 12 century. It was never the home of  a ruler. It was used as a prison and military outpost. Its history is the same as a bunch of European castles: destroyed, rebuilt, repeat.

If you climb the tower in the picture, you get a great view of the city. I saw the stairs and asked myself, "What would Johnny do?" The answer, of course, is never climb a tower under any circumstances.

Dragon sculpture in Dragon Museum

There are dragons everywhere in this city. What I didn't know is that St. George is their patron saint. As the guide said yesterday, their culture is a mixture of all the others that controlled them for 1000 years.

This is supposedly a replica of the oldest flute in the world, made by a Neanderthal 45000 years ago. They also have the oldest wheel with an axle in the world. Who knew Slovenia was the cradle of civilization.

A New Adventure

I have never taken a free city tour in any city but I decided to today because I got up late and would have had to plan a route myself which is impossible. I didn't realize until today that the restaurant I ate at last night is 3 doors down from me. In my defense, my apartment building has the smallest door so it's hard to see.

The tour was very nice; i always thought there would be lots of obnoxious Americans asking questions but that wasn't the case. People really didn't ask too many questions. One person asked whether they eat horses here and our guide, Ina, said yes and that she didn't know for many years that people in other countries don't. She said horse steak is good but a delicacy so it's expensive but if you just want to try it, you can get a horseburger.  Baby horse steak is the most expensive. I ate horse in France back in the middle ages so I don't need to do it again.

Speaking of food, there's a raw milk machine in the middle of town. Local farmers take turns supplying the milk and their information comes with your order. Raw milk is illegal in the EU but they were approved because they have the cold machine. 1 euro per liter so dirt cheap. Again, I already did that and I hate all milk.

Statue of some famous poet

I don't remember the name of this poet because I'd have to spell it but his story is interesting. He wrote lots of poetry for his true love, Julia, whom he met when he was 43 and she was 16. They never got together because she had her own Romeo so he married and had children. On his deathbed, he said he always loved Julia. There's small sculptures of Julia on many of the buildings but the woman at the top of this statue is a muse. She is nude and since the sculpture is in front of a church, they planted trees so you can't see her from the church. Also, when you come out of the church, you're advised to cast your eyes downward.

Speaking of churches, the one with the most beautiful interior has been closed for 8 years so we didn't see it. The parking garage they built under it turned out to be unstable and the church is in danger of collapsing.

As for religion, our guide reported that Slovenia has more churches per capita than any other country in the world. Most of them are closed 364 days a year, though, because Slovenia is the most secular country in Europe. The country churches open one day a year on their patron saint's day.

Door of St Nicholas

St. Nicholas is one of the churches that is open in the city. All of the elements on the door have a meaning. At the top is Pope John Paul so the door is not ancient. That Julia character is on there, peeking out of a window. There are two crowds of people depicted--one represents the shame and horror of WWII; one represents hope for the future.

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Interior of St. Nicholas

Ljubjlana was invaded by the Italians early in WWII which worked out well for the city. The city was surrounded by barbed wire and there was no reason for the Nazis to bomb it since it was already controlled. A lot of buildings were built during the war and few of their citizens were killed.

The University

Everyone goes to the University in Slovenia. Not only is it free but during the time you're there, your rent is 60 euros a month and all food is 1/2 price with a student id. Since there have been few jobs in the country, students were staying for 10 years. The government finally figured that out so now you have to get a bachelor's in 5 years but you retain your benefits for 6, and a master's in 3 years but benefits for 4. Then you either work at a job that doesn't require your level of education or you leave.

Finally, the myth of the founding of the city is that it's a result of Jason and the Argonauts. Their ship ran aground because they ran out of river. They had to stay to rebuild it and during that time, they fathered many children. Since children are a burden, they abandoned them when they left. A river monster took care of them and hence, the city.  In retelling the story for generations, the river monster became a dragon which is why there's a dragon bridge, dragon logo, dragon in the flag, etc. There's 20 dragons on Dragon Bridge. The legend of that is since we all know dragons eat virgins. it is said if a virgin walks across the bridge, the dragons wag their tails. Again, I'm sure people keep their eyes downcast.

It's been a long day

I left around 6 on the 24th and now it's the same time but the 25th in another country. The flights were fine, although bumpy but the 5 hour layover at CDG was a killer.  I kept setting the phone alarm but couldn't fall asleep until about an hour before my next flight. I kept waking myself up snoring which I'm sure everyone else appreciated. I woke up in time to walk to the gate.

I was frantic for about a half hour because my driver hadn't arrived but he finally came and drove me to the beginning of a pedestrian street. I had to walk a long way to get to the apartment.  The owner had sent someone else and she gave me the keys and showed me where the laundry room is. Washer AND dryer.

The apartment is old but functional. There's no closet and the only treat they left me is a jar of instant Nescafe.

On the back of the apartment door

My first time getting lost was from turning left coming out of the apartment instead of right. The owners advertise a private courtyard in the back but I didn't know how to get to it so I decided to go downstairs to see. But I discovered it here on the second floor. A yard and some lawn furniture.  I still don't know how they did that but I might never have found it if I knew right from left.

My private garden

When I decided to go walk around and eat dinner, I quickly discovered none of the keys worked. I tried the 3 keys multiple times and got nowhere.
I emailed the owner who tried to help but finally decided to come for personalized instruction. Lola will attest to the fact I know to turn Eastern European keys around 2 to 3 complete revolutions but I couldn't make them move in the lock. It's one thing when you have large keys but these are those really thin ones. Even the owner couldn't manage the laundry room key so we decided to leave that open. The apartment key works with brute strength. I'm sure I won't leave here without snapping one off in the lock.

I walked around a little, staying on the pedestrian street so it would be a straight shot home. I did walk to a parallel street to get a view of the river.

Ljubljana--a river runs through it

I looked at a lot of menus and chose the one that had inexpensive entrees because I wasn't sure I'd be hungry. I had a bowl of lamb goulash for 10 euros and Slovenian Pinot Grigio. Everything was great. Slovenian wine is supposed to be some of the best in the world; this was certainly world class. Most people were eating outside under the heaters so I did, too.  It's cold here but the heaters make eating outside possible.  Great people watching. So far no one looks like Melania.

Best and first lamb goulash I ever had

I paid the bill and told myself I lived next to the Honey store. Close (2-3 blocks), but not next door. After wandering around the street for 10 minutes, I had to use Maps on my phone to return. I don't understand why my landmarks don't work for me but I'm looking forward to new adventures tomorrow.  I passed the chocolate store and am certain I can find that again.

WARNING!!!!

This blog will contain detailed descriptions of doing laundry. Not suitable for people who disdain washer/dryer combo machines.