Making New Friends in Ljubljana

Who knew my trip to Ljubljana would result in meeting and getting to know 13 different people from 10 different countries: the UK, India, Spain, Belgium, Iran, Peru, Serbia, Czech Republic, three from the Netherlands, and two from Slovenia. Special thanks to individual train cabins, CouchSurfing, and Instagram for making these new connections possible.

I took the train from Maria Saal to Ljubljana on Friday evening. I boarded a regular train to Villach, then transferred to another train with individual cabins holding up to 6 people with doors separating it from the hallway. The trip took a total of 3 hours, and the last 2 were spent getting to know my cabin mates.

Christian was from the UK, and Eva and her little daughter, Luna, were from the Netherlands. We instantly connected (Luna and I from coloring together, and us adults from talking about everything including gay men in Prague, Brexit, our lives, and legalizing drugs). When discussing how governments should be concerned about educating people about how to safely use drugs, rather than just condemning users, we started talking about the social and economic benefits of such programs. I jokingly said, "Yeah, the government should be like, 'Yay, drugs!'" Luna immediately picked it up in her little voice and repeated, "Yay, drugs!" much to the amusement of the three adults in the cabin.

We had such a good time talking together that we exchanged WhatsApp contacts and agreed to meet up during our stay in Ljubljana. We ended up spending most of the weekend together - but more on that later.

Ljubljana Castle, overlooking and protecting the city

After saying goodbye to my new friends at the main train station, I walked to the place where I would be CouchSurfing. CouchSurfing (CS) is an app that connects locals and travelers with the goals of getting to know people from different places and to travel on a budget. It is a great resource for people (like me!) who value meeting new people and getting a local's perspective on a place. Be aware, however, that this is not a hotel service. Treating it as such is not doing any kindness to yourself or your host. Going about it with the right mindset and motive will give both parties a meaningful experience. CS can also be used to make friends in your area, not just as a host. There is a section called "hangouts" where you can meet up with other people who want to do similar things, like going for a drink or walking to the park.

Ali, my host, graciously met me at the bottom of the stairs and took me up to my room. He apologized and said two other women would be staying with me, because of last-minute changes in plans. I did not mind at all - Diana (Netherlands) and I had an interesting chat about her work in the Anne Frank House before going to bed that night. I did not get to talk to the other woman as much, and both of them left early the next morning before I rolled out of bed at 7:30AM.

I was surprised to have woken up so early on Saturday, but that gave me plenty of time to explore the city in the cool morning air. The streets were empty. I walked around the center for about an hour, taking photos and enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread and warm cappuccinos floating from the countless outdoor cafés.

These little cafés were soon packed only an hour later

I strayed from the central area just enough to stumble upon a hidden path through a neighborhood up to Ljubljana Castle. Since the 11th century, it has sat atop the hill overlooking the city. Medieval texts hold rumors of a dragon that once protected this very castle, which is the reason visitors see dragons of every shape and color all around Ljubljana. Fake ones, I mean.

The walk to the castle takes as little as 10 minutes, even though the hill is incredibly steep. It took me longer to get to the top, however, since I stopped every two minutes to take photos of the incredible view.

The church bells were chiming as I walked up the hill early in the morning

I went inside the castle and roamed the ancient halls of stone, sensing centuries of history beneath my feet. I found a cell for royalty with a singular window that was too high and too small to be any comfort. I thought, "Imagine being royal and still only getting one window." At least that cell was bigger than the others.

A bit of contrast between old and new

After I walked back down to Ljubljana from the castle, I found myself in the middle of some open markets, where vendors were selling everything from fresh berries to honey. I decided to try one of the *little* bread-and-butter samples at this one stand because I was too hungry to wait until my lunch with Eva at 1. It was very good. Then, the vendor said something to me and the other lady there, and brought out a container of what looked like butter (which made sense, since this was a Ghee stand). He scooped a bit out with a wooden stick and put it on the back of our hands, which I thought was strange since it was butter. I shrugged and tasted a bit of it from my finger - and oh, it tasted weird. Then, much to my chagrin, I saw the lady next to me start rubbing it on her face. Oh my goodness, I thought, it was lotion! I just ate lotion!

The face he would have made had he seen me eat that lotion

I desperately hoped the vendor had NOT seen me do that, and I hurriedly walked away. I spent the next half hour visibly frowning at the taste of LOTION in my mouth, berating myself for being so naïve - I mean, really, how dumb could I be sometimes?

I wandered around until lunch, stopping by the Metelkova Art District and running into an animal rights march. I saw the famous dragon perched atop a bridge where people had placed locks to signify their undying devotion or whatnot to one another (I wonder, how many people have broken up since doing that?).

Classic weird, political art

I met up with Eva and Luna at Allegria's for lunch. I think she got a good laugh over my story about eating lotion (I am still not over it). We both ordered risotto dishes that were definitely not European portions, and shared a plate of the best fried potatoes I've ever had. We then met up with Christian in the center and laughed and danced to lively street music. We drank some beer and cider that tasted even better in the humid heat of the day. All of us commented on how many tourists were now roaming about the city.

One of my favorite buildings in Ljubljana

A CS'er who offered to take me on a historical tour explained why there were so many people in Ljubljana. Bošjan said that tourism began to increase in the past decade in the Slavic region, because people realized all it had to offer. He walked me around the city and showed me all of Jože Plečnik's architecture, and we chatted about biochemistry, the history of the Slavic region and its leaders, and book recommendations. I was happy to get a local's perspective of the architecture and its history, although I think part of his goal was to convince me to move to Ljubljana for good.

Afterward, I met back up with Christian and ate at a traditional Bosnian restaurant, Sarajevo '84. Bosnian food consists of a lot of meat, which we paired with wine. According to several sources (most of them Slovenian), Slovenia has the best wine. Although my previous experience with drinking wine has only been in the US, I was in agreement after trying a couple different kinds in the area. We heard powerful rumbles from a thunderstorm during our meal, and found ourselves caught in the rain as we made our way back to the city center. Neither of us minded too much, because the thunder and lightning was quite a sight to see. Plus, we found a chill bar with a couch, where we immediately plopped down to digest the hefty plates of meat we had just consumed.

Plečnik's Markets

Plečnik's Dam

The canal that ran through the city

On Saturday night, I searched the "current hangouts" tab on CS and met up with Sarra (Spain), Seb (Iran), and Gregory (Belgium) in Levstik pub. We sat and talked for a while and were later joined by 4 other CS'ers all from different countries. If there is one thing I can say about CS, it will give you the opportunity to meet other travelers and locals you might not have been able to meet before, and you will have lots of good conversation. I spent the rest of the night with them and Ali, my host.

One of my friends from the US, Maddie, saw that I was in Ljubljana and connected me with her cousin, Žiga, there. He hung out with us that night and enthusiastically agreed to take Christian, Eva, Luna, and I to Lake Bled the next day. The three of us had planned on visiting the lake, but were not sure about bus times and fees due to the confusing local transportation websites. We were so thankful when Maddie said, "Whatever you need from my family, a ride or anything, just ask!" According to Žiga, he was happy to drive us since he knew that if any of his friends were in the US with his cousin, she would do everything she could to make sure they had a good time.

Absolutely breathtaking

Lake Bled - wow, what a place! The four of us drove along the highway, singing along to Žiga's oldies music playlist. Žiga found free parking by a ski lift and slide down the mountain, and we walked to the lake trail close by. It was such a lovely day. Perfect weather, beautiful clouds, not a drop of rain in sight! It was supposed to thunderstorm all weekend, but the only time I got caught in the rain was that brief occasion on Saturday night.

Oh, how desperately we wanted to swim across and walk up to the church

Truly, the day was perfect. We talked about everything (no small talk allowed) as we trekked along the edge of the water. In the middle of Lake Bled sits a small island that houses a church and a couple small buildings. The island was backed by a small castle resting on top of a tall cliff on the mainland. Although Žiga had been there many times before, he remarked how he wanted to make the effort to recognize just how beautiful and unique this place was. The water was turquoise and clear, and all of us verbally scolded one another for not having brought swimsuits. Every five minutes one of us said, "Oh my god, that water. I just want to get in. Why did I not bring a suit."Halfway along the trail, we got lunch. The three of us enjoyed the view over a bottle of local Slovenian white wine (Luna, unfortunately, only got to drink apple juice). Later, once we had finished the hike all the way around the lake, we ate the traditional dessert of Lake Bled, Kremna rezina - "cream piece" in Slovenian. "To celebrate," Žiga said.

Do I regret eating half of this? Not at the time, I didn't. Later, however . . .

We did not have much time before I needed to meet my host mom at our pick-up spot (she had taken a vacation in Croatia that weekend, and would be driving right up through Ljubljana on the way). Regardless, Žiga wanted to show us one more lake near Bled. We sped through the mountains and came upon a wide, stone bridge overlooking a small body of water. The lake rested between towering mountains and there were lots of people swimming and paddle-boarding. Once again, we rolled our eyes at our lack of foresight, but decided to finish the day by at least dipping our toes in the warm, clear water.

All I can say about my trip to Ljubljana is thank you - to the wonderful people I met, to Ali for hosting me, and to Žiga for being a willing driver and guide (and new friend). I hope to see all of them again in the future. Eva insisted that I come to stay in the Netherlands, because of course I had to see Luna again. All of us, too, will have to come back to Lake Bled another day - but this time, we will bring our swimsuits.

My new friends! See you soon ;)

Christian and I had some deep conversations over piles of meat in a dungeon

The inspiring, sweet Eva and little Luna <3

"I can't believe how wonderful people you are and that we were at the beginning of the day complete strangers." - Žiga All of us: Today wouldn't have been the same without you!

Needless to say, I'll be visiting several of these people in their home countries someday!

Until next time, friends.