I know what you’re saying: “L-jub-l-WHAA?!”. I just went with Loob-lub while we were planning to go to Ljubljana. We made the 3 hour drive into Slovenia way back in July (I know, I am behind in my blogs). Our plan was to visit a spa or two and hopefully a get break from the Italian heat. Well, we found a spa, but man was Slovenia HOT! Even the evenings were very sweaty.
On Saturday, we were headed down to the local market. I searched high and low for some good deals on produce.
Searching the markets...
While strolling the market, we saw this crazy contraption.
Fresh milk? From a vending machine??!!
Yup. The city of Ljubljana is equipped with their very own milk vending machines. Supposedly incredibly fresh (there are cows within the vending machine), Dana and I had to give it a try. So we bought a bottle of water, and chugged it as we headed to the nearby Dragon Bridge.
The aptly named Dragon Bridge
With our bottle emptied, we headed back to the milk machine, and Dana grabbed the utters like a boss.
Working the utters
How was the milk? Thick and full of fat. Basically, DELISH! Those crazy Slovenians are on to something with this machine. We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the city taking in a few unremarkable museums before it turned dark. Ljubljana is pretty incredible at night as they take their night lighting and night clubbing quite seriously.
One of the many bridges lit at night
Having seen the majority of the city on our first day, we spent the second day at a spa. We had an idea, but were not a hundred percent on what the spa policy would be in regards to clothing. Much like our previous trip in Austria, clothing was not an option. Go into the spa area and you best be naked. Since we had survived, and actually quite enjoyed our previous naked spa experience, we were not phased at baring it all. Although, I must say that the Slovenians take body hair maintenance quite seriously.
Unlike our previous naked spa day, this spa took things to another level. There were saunas, steam rooms, hot and cold pools, as well as an outdoor pool, grotto, and sunning area. While most guests simply sunned their nether regions, Dana and I bounced around the various areas. 10 minutes in a sauna here, 10 minutes in a cold pool there. Feeling a bit pasty, Dana decided that we needed to get a bit of sun—forcing me into sunning my whiter parts. Despite spending less than 30 minutes under the sun, I paid the price with a very pink backside for the next few days.
With our spa time finished, we headed over to the local shopping center to get some of the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. Afterwards, we headed to the cinema to catch a flick.
TRAVEL TIP: When visiting small population countries, the movies are in their original language with subtitles in the local language. Additionally, Mexican food quality should be expected to be very low.
We saw “The Hangover 2″, laughed like mad, and Dana snagged me a door hanger advertisement for the movie (in Slovenian, of course) as a simple keep sake. It’s always a bit odd catching American movies in a foreign country, but it’s like a little taste of home.
The next morning, we headed back to the spa for a few more hours of pampering before hitting the road and getting back to Brescia. Not too bad for a short little weekend trip.
I realize that I didn’t get too many photos of the city into this blog (or at all really), so here’s an overview that we got during our helicopter tour.
Mini Ljubljana
Okay. You got me. That is not a giant in the background and we didn’t take a helicopter tour; this was a small sculpture of the city. But it’s the best city photo that I’ve got.
