Christine in Croatia: December 2013 #3, Slovenia

This post is the third in a series of photos I took, while Nick was visiting us in December.

To go coffee, small - but it is catching on!

Christmas Eve day we took a ride to Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. The weather was still pretty mild for winter, making it great to be outside.
The square was all decked out with lights, vendors, food, festivals, & entertainment. My favorite was an Acapella group that sang quite a few Christmas songs, many in English.

We also took time to explored the Ljubljana Castle, (seen over looking the city in the photo; below/left) It is a great place to view the whole city and beyond, stunning! plus learn quite a bit of history.

Ljubljana, Slovenija - December 2013

*Ljubljana Castle, a medieval castle with Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance architectural elements, located at the summit of the Castle Hill that dominates the city center. The area surrounding today's castle has been continuously inhabited since 1200 BC

*The castle exhibition is divided into six parts along the historical timeline: prehistory and the Roman period, the Middle and the Early Modern Ages, the 19th century and WWI, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and WWII, the socialist Yugoslavia and the independent Slovenia. It presents the societies of the different periods, the state formations, the political, social and economic circumstances, migrations, transport, culture, architecture and the everyday life.

The Bible was 1st transported to Slovenia from Germany in 1584, in barrels.

Did you know: The Bible is not only the best-selling book of all-time, it is consistently the best-selling book of the the year, every year. Currently, an estimated 25 million copies are sold or distributed in the U.S. every year, approximately one new Bible for every 12 Americans.

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*St. George's Chapel, originally built in the Gothic style and later rebuilt in the Baroque style, is one of the oldest parts of Ljubljana Castle. It is decorated with 15th century frescoes and 1747 wall paintings of the coats of arms of provincial governors-general and five Austrian rulers

A provincial prison is now fully restored offers an insight into the role that Ljubljana Castle played in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. The exhibition includes several cells built between 1868 and 1895, original objects of the time, and a presentation of the life of prisoners.


St George's Chapel and the prison cells

Day trip - December 2013

Gurber Canal - October 2013

We live pretty close to the border, it's like going to NH...

These photos were taken on our first trip to Ljubljana. The center is definitely set up for walking. The architecture is a mix of styles; that along with the historic Squares, the Gurber Canal & rivers, at least five notable bridges, and of course Kafiča, make for a great day trip!