Sunny Slovenia?

Having been lucky to make it through most of England without substantial rain, we had packed away our umbrellas, readying ourselves for the balmy weather of the Balkans.  But this was not to be the case.

As soon as we arrived in Slovenia, the skies opened and the rain poured down. It did not stop for two days and continued sporadically throughout our entire time there.  The irony was not lost on us that we endured more rain in sunny Slovenia than we did in wet England.

Nonetheless, we really enjoyed our time in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This small capital city has made the bold choice to shut off all of its Old Town (the downtown) to cars, making it an entirely pedestrian zone.  This brave decision has rightly earned Ljubljana the title of "greenest capital city" in Europe.  Getting rid of the cars completely opens up the downtown.  Instead of car lanes, the streets are filled with outdoor tables hosted by the restaurants.  Instead of parking spaces and lots,  musicians and craft stalls litter the streets.  It is energetic but relaxed all at the same time.

In addition to its green reputation, Ljubljana was recently awarded the "safest" city label in a recent study (beating out Montreal in second place).  The test involved tracking 20 "lost" cellphones that were placed around the city.  In Ljubljana, 19 of them were returned to the police station within 24 hours!  No wonder the safe in our room was just a random box that wasn't bolted to anything - they probably thought giving us a room key to lock our door was going overboard!  

As if the pedestrian zones and safety records didn't indicate just how charming this town really is, the statues might.  As in all capital cities, there are statues all around the city commemorating national heroes.   With the exception of one small tucked away memorial plaque to Napoleon, who during his short reign there let Slovenia keep its language, not one of their statues was a war general, politician or fighter. Instead, the statues are all of poets, writers and artists. These are the people that are treasured.  This, paired with a national anthem that talks about being friends and getting along, certainly conveys the city's genuine and caring culture.  

This is a city that really made sense to us. It had all the amenities of a big city but with the heart of a small town.  But with all the upside, we did learn one downside to a pedestrian downtown - there is no easy (and definitely no dry!) way to get you and your luggage to the train station in a rainstorm!