A day trip to Ljubljana was suggested to me by my friend while we were walking one day on the streets of Zagreb, capital of Croatia. It was Christmas time. There were decorations everywhere in the city centre.
Candles lit the facades of buildings, trees and many wooden houses in front of which people were enjoying their mulled wine and sausages. The atmosphere was very Christmassy and you could tell that New Year was approaching.
The idea to travel for one day to Slovenia so as to see how our neighbours decorated the city centre of their capital, suddenly gave me a good feeling and filled me with joy.
Without further ado, we booked our spots in the train via agency. We payed 200 HRK, i.e. 27 EUR per person, which included a return ticket, a guide and a surprise in the wagon number 2.
The day of departure arrived. My alarm rang at 5 a.m. I felt as if it had woken me up from a light afternoon nap.
Full of enthusiasm, I stood up without a slightest thought of wanting to sleep more or snoozing the alarm for another 5 minutes. The smell of freshly brewed coffee spread around the apartment.
I send a text to my friend to check if she was awake. I was surprised by the promptness of her reply.
It was 6 a.m. when we arrived at the train station. The train was supposed to depart at 6.30. It was still very dark outside. After we wondered for a while at the station, we saw a group of people waiting for the train in front of the scheduled platform.
On an improvised table there was the name of the agency. We were at the right spot. Boarding started after the guides found our names on the list. In only a few minutes, five wagons were full to the last place.
After we settled down, I took a glance on other travellers that were near me.
The sharp sound of the whistle meant the beginning of a new adventure.
As we were moving away from Zagreb, a thought started to occupy my mind.
A thought about the advantages of traveling by train instead by bus. I had more legroom, and I could also go for a stroll around the wagon.
The passengers were passing time by talking or surfing on internet. Indistinct voices soon started to intertwine with the rustling of plastic bags. People started to take out snacks and sandwiches. My friend couldn’t resist the smell that filled our nostrils so she took her sandwich out of the foil and had a juicy bite. I brought half a litre of water with me, which seemed enough for such a short distance.
Having gone through all the morning topics, we headed towards the wagon number 2 to see what kind of a surprise the organizers prepared. I pressed the button and the wagon doors automatically opened. At that moment, we were blinded by many candles and Christmas decoration.
We stood there for a couple of seconds in disbelief looking at all those people who were crammed in that wagon and were enjoying the sound of foreign and national hits chosen by the DJ.
At the improvised bar, mulled wine and gin were being poured, and you could also buy donuts and “alcohol bombs”.
It was a truly festive atmosphere which was transferred from the night life on the city streets and squares to the morning train.
It took us one hour to the border. After a short break, we continued to our destination in the same rhythm. Carried away by the atmosphere, we cheered with a glass of mulled wine, and at the same time commenting how we do not remember the last time we drank alcohol at 8 a.m. In that name, we cheered with another glass, this time of mulled gin.
The train was going deeper in the territory of Slovenia, a small, subalpine, middle European country, with a surface of 20 273 square kilometres.
The view from the window followed the winding flow of the river.
It was river Sava that rises on the eastern slopes of Julian Alps in Slovenia, and which then flows through Croatia, right next to the building I live in Zagreb, and then further on to the east where it merges into Danube.
The trip revived my not so old memories of the time when I went with a group of hikers for a two day adventure of conquering the highest peak in Slovenia, Triglav, which is 2864 metres high.
This is at the same time the highest peak of Julian Alps, a mountain range that stretches through the northwest part of Slovenia and northeast Italy.
Amazing views and beautiful nature justify the name of the massif who got its name after the most famous Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar.
After two and half hours in the party train, we arrived to Ljubljana.
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Thank you!
When you are in such a remote place, thousands of kilometers away from the place you read or hear about, as is the case with me (I live in Venezuela), works like the one you present to us become a pleasant writing and moment.
"Ljubljana", to begin with, is a word that I experience in a very sonorous way. I had read something and heard about it on tv programs. I was introduced a little more into its spirit through the attractive novel titled with the name of the city, by the Venezuelan novelist Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles.
With your photos and your so vivencial story you allow me to approach that destiny, of which we barely step the threshold. But since in a trip the fundamental thing seems more the journey than the place of arrival, I liked very much the narration of the stay in the train station and the photo (I am very attracted to the stations as space); also the photography of the course of the river (it is a visual motive that interests me) and all the reference to the Julian Alps. And then that marvel of photography that opens the door to Ljubljana. Lovely!
Pay attention to the second part. Thank you for your nice post. Greetings.
I'm from Venezuela, but the first time I read about Ljubljana was through a novel, which I love and is one of my favorite contemporary Venezuelan novels written by a young writer named José Sánchez Rugueles. I remember that the description of the landscape, the squares, the structures, the sculptures, seemed so beautiful to me but at the same time so distant. I remember that the protagonist couple met for the first time in El puente de los dragones, because when she was a child, he promised her that he would take her to Ljubljana and they would love each other there. So to find myself with this walk is for me a truly incredible experience. I enjoyed it as if I were on that train with you. I like that you give details, that you stop at things, even if they are insignificant. I don't remember the last time I drank at 8 in the morning, but it was a long time ago because I don't remember it anymore. I think there are things that you stop doing not because you don't want to, but because you don't have time. In particular, I'm a person who loves to travel, but right now I can't do it, so I enjoy seeing photos and reading other people's trips. I've seen that it's the first part, so I'll look forward to the second. Thank you for sharing your experiences and @adsactly for publishing such excellent material.
El puente de los dragones,
that is exactly the name of the bridge. I wrote something about it in the second part of the story.
Thanks a lot Nancy for such a detailed comment.
The train offers a fun way of travelling. Do they always do this or only occasionally? In the country where I live, the government is trying to make travelling by train more attractive (ex: by providing free wifi)) and encourage people to drive their cars less often. That way the government hopes to reduce the CO2 level. But I think the local trains are still so boring.
If the local trains looked like the Japanese Kitty trains, I would love to take the trains. No doubt!
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A beautiful publication! I love reading articles like this because they allow me to travel through the photographs of those who generously share them. The photographs of the beginning of the trip are an excellent mouth opener and leave me with a lot of curiosity. Well, we started the trip and arrived in Ljubljana. I am waiting for more photographs that will allow me to get to know this city and the wonders it hides. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy a trip through beautiful photos and @adsactly for spreading it.
I am glad you like it. Thank you.
NICE POST
Beautiful photos and colorful colors. An impressive journey exploring lands full of beauty. From the photos and explanations that you give, we know that in this journey you are very happy to enjoy it. Apalag when he saw the beauty of nature peaked after going through a trip with hiking.
It really is worth what you get. And we can also enjoy the beauty. I wait next part of your post.
Thank you @adsactly
Thank you Steemit
Warm regard from Indonesia
ahh... this is a really cool photo... hope to see more about this...what Cam have you use? wishes from the south
Nice...post
Thanks a lot Nadim.
Hy Jason, I am glad you like it.
I used Nikon D5600 except for two pictures taken in the mountain.
Have you visited the museums of Ljubljana ?
The National Museum of Slovenia, which is devoted to history, and also the Museum of Modern Art where you can find Slovenian paintings and sculptures of the twentieth century.
We were on one day trip to Ljubljana so we didn't have time to see everything. We left the unexplored parts of the town for another time.