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.