Wednesday/Thursday (SFO to Ljubljana)…

Our wanderlust freshly energized by our just-finished photo show, Jeff and I set off on our next adventure. Our itinerary is packed with new places, but our first hop is well worn. Strong westerly winds added some bumps to an otherwise uneventful United flight to Frankfurt. A few glasses of wine took the edge off and encouraged a few zzzzzzzz’s.


In Frankfurt, we spent a couple of hours in Lufthansa’s Senators Lounge…quiet, but hotter than a greenhouse. Ice-cold sofa and easy wifi relaxed us as we watched carefully choreographed cargo loading…ginormous planes bound for exotic destinations around the world.


Our plane to Zagreb, Croatia was not ginormous. We lifted off as a light drizzle began to dot the windows. The lush green countryside surrounding Frankfurt was quickly hidden by persistent, low clouds. A few brief glimpses of the snowy Alps before descending below the clouds, across the fertile farmland of Croatia, and into the tiny airport of Zagreb. Good fortune placed us near the front of the line for Passport Control. We hit a bit of a bump picking up our rental car. Avis was…um…out of cars, but arranged an equivalent rental with a small local company. Time will tell if this is all a big scam, but it all felt legit and our Peugeot rides well. And frankly, the nice woman who patiently answered all of our driving, border crossing, tolls, etc. questions was comforting.


We are saving our day in Zagreb for the end of the trip, so today we hopped immediately on the highway and headed for the Slovenian border. Drizzle turned to rain and then back to drizzle. Tiny towns with church steeples whizzed by. Our new Emily GPS guided us quickly and with little fuss…through a Croatian toll, through Croatian border exit, to the Slovenia border entry, and finally to purchase a Slovenian toll pass (a vignette). (Croatian toll roads charge by the kilometer, where Slovenia requires the purchase of a weekly or monthly toll pass.).


About 90min after leaving the Zagreb airport, we arrived at the Hotel Cubo in Ljubljana, the cozy capital of Slovenia. Cubo is a stylish boutique hotel in the historic center, and our room felt inviting after a long day of travel.


We set out in the drizzle to catch a bit of the Old Town sights before they closed. Crossed the lazy Ljubljanca River via a wooden pedestrian bridge. Visited the town’s Baroque cathedral, every nook decorated with a painting or a gilded statue. The domed ceiling had colorful scenes. A few elderly locals prayed in the quiet corners.


We strolled the Old Town…a few winding streets with cute alleyways. Local shops with chocolates and art were interspersed with coffee shops. The rain seemed to keep people away. We felt like the entire display was for our amusement. As the rain fell harder and dusk settled, we strolled along the quiet river. Steep walls along the river were broken up with occasional walkways. A long, solitary river boat carried a dinner group.


Returned to the room with cold squishy feet for a brief respite. The friendly front desk made a dinner recommendation in the Old Town…perfect. The drizzle ended. We took a leisurely walk to cozy Julij…clearly popular, since the rest of the Old Town seemed desolate at this hour. With no reservation, we waited about 20min…no worries…we were able to eye all the steaming food coming from the tucked-away kitchen. The decor was French, but the food was hearty Slovenian. My beef dish was rich and served with sweet cheesy dumplings. Jeff’s turkey medallions had a rich mushroom sauce and crispy polenta. A bottle of Slovenian Pinot Noir. And a delicious apple strudel drizzled with fresh honey to finish. Pure delight!


The rain was holding off, so we strolled the quiet Old Town. We found a quiet river side bar with cushy chairs and soothing lounge music. A couple more glasses of wine to discuss the day and plan tomorrow.


Hot showers rinsed away the grime of a long, long day. Fell into a big bed with an inviting duvet. Sleep…deep sleep…satisfying sleep…came quickly.