A super early flight landed us in our fifth new country of the year, descending through thick fog that didn’t lift even as we boarded the bus into Ljubljana. The city stayed wrapped in mist when we arrived at the hotel, where an extremely enthusiastic receptionist welcomed us with a map, a full city explanation, and—most importantly—a much needed coffee and a croissant.
Once in the room, we discovered the shower was housed in a giant glass box right in the middle, which we thought was an interesting choice! Luckily the toilet was behind a door.
After settling in, we headed out to explore. We strolled along the river, crossing several of Ljubljana’s many bridges before reaching the iconic Dragon Bridge, its statues looming out of the fog. The castle remained almost hidden from view, swallowed by the mist.
Ljubljana is often described as a fairytale city, and at first we were a little confused by this. To us, “fairytale” looks more like Tallinn from our February trip. Ljubljana initially felt a bit run-down, with what seemed like every building covered in graffiti. By the end of the trip, though, its character and charm had won us over, and we found ourselves genuinely loving the city despite those first impressions.
We always like to seek out a local brewery, so a visit to Loo-Blah-Nah felt essential. It did smell unmistakably like a toilet at first, but we quickly became nose-blind. Unfortunately, a group of lads lads lads soon arrived, and before long one of them vomited on the floor. What followed was a spectacular outburst from a very unhappy bar lady—five solid minutes of shouting, table-kicking, door-slamming, and even throwing the culprit’s scarf in it! Honestly, I felt so sorry for her. Nobody deserves to end their shift cleaning up someone else’s puke. Due to the location and size of the bar, the toilet was in a shared space under one of the bridges. As I sat down to empty my bladder, I noticed a poo in the bin…
We recovered from the recent chaos with a Christmas market sausage by the tree, its lights glowing faintly through the fog—a much calmer and more fitting end to the evening.
The second day dawned just as foggy as the first, the city once again wrapped in a soft grey haze. We started the morning with a peaceful walk through Tivoli Park, the trees fading into the mist and the paths quiet and calm. This would definitely be the place to be in the summer.
From there, we headed towards Metelkova. The area was bursting with colour—vibrant street art, alternative sculptures, and works made from recycled materials everywhere you looked. It was very obvious what deals and activities occur.. We even witnessed it. The vibe was undeniably sketchy, but never threatening. We just let people get on with whatever they were doing, and as long as you don’t bother or photograph them, they don’t bother you. Although Mark did capture the moment I realised man had dropped his trousers and injected his groin.. It reminded us a lot of Christiania in Copenhagen.
We took the funicular up to the castle hoping for views over the city, but the fog had other plans. With nothing to see beyond a wall of white, we opted for mulled wine instead, which felt like the correct decision. After heading back down, we wandered more of the streets, stopping frequently for Christmas market food. There are also 100s of vintage shops, which I dragged Mark around, and they were actually very reasonable.
As always when we travel, Newcastle happened to have a game on, and with it being against Sunderland, Mark absolutely couldn’t miss it—although by the end, he probably wished he had. I endured the first half, but while there was still some daylight left, I left Mark with his pint and headed off to explore more of Ljubljana on my own. I headed the opposite way down the river, and it was this way that led me to the ‘cute’ streets we had read about.
I managed to sniff out a craft beer bar serving burgers, where we had a delicious meal. A special shout-out also goes to Skrbovin’ca, a lovely shop where every item is handmade by individuals with intellectual disabilities and other challenges. Naturally, I couldn’t leave without treating myself to a few more tree decorations.
The Travelling Ginger 