24 hours in Ljubljana: 8pm-8pm – 11 Quick Thoughts …

Compared to Budapest, Zagreb or even Bratislava … Ljubljana doesn’t offer even close to the same charms, old cities or nightlife. It’s a university city best known for its lush, green spaces and myriad museums. Ljubljana is located in the heart of Slovenia, and when you’re flying in, you can see breathtaking alpine scenery a short drive north. Lined with outdoor cafes and shops, the curving Ljubljanica River flows through the city, dividing the old town and the commercial hub.

I think that this city is an aquired taste with understated people who aren’t as image obsessed as some of their neighbours. Everything seemed relaxed here and this is a slow burn city. There are plenty of things to see and do, even in 24 hours– Ljubljana is a lovely mix of everything in moderation – you can feel the city, take in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes, without that common nagging feeling of missing out on something. So it is with little wonder that more and more people are enchanted with the vibrant dragon city.

As for my program in … I came in directly from Vilnius, Lithuania – which itself is a lovely quirky city quite unlike Minsk which was a large sprawling version of Sawgrass Mills in Florida. Obviously, coming in late by myself at 8pm into the Four Points Ljubljana, I went with the obvious pub crawl approach to meeting people and getting a handle.

10pm to 4am : Pub Crawl Ljubljana

Thursday night is a calm night in the city. It’s understated with a pretty but small old town core. This wasn’t an epic night out, but with 7 guys meeting up randomly to have a couple drinks, it was nice way to get into a town without feeling overwhelmed. I met everyone at Kapuciner Bar – it’s super easy to find.

1. People are pretty relaxed when going out … it’s a university town, hence there isn’t all the ridiculous pretty you might see in Budapest or Lviv.
2. Nearly everyone speaks English in Ljubljana! Everyone I spoke to responded in decent to great English. According to 8 Slovenians I spoke to, the past several generations have been learning English – so it’s difficult to find people who don’t speak even a little of it in Slovenia.
3. Ljubljana is safe. I was walking around the old city square after Parlament Bar at 4 a.m. and  there was nothing to worry about! It makes me even sadder to think that Trinidad used to be this way when I was growing up.
4. Every Slovenian I met on the night was super happy that a guy from Trinidad came to visit. There were a lot of questions about why Indians were in Trinidad or what did we dance to … there was of Latin music along with a surprising amount of Sean Paul. There were also a lot of free drinks for me … which leads to one other point …
5. The guys at the bar were weirdly affectionate … there seemed to be a lot of bro crushes … more on this in a separate post.4am to 9am : Sleep at the Four Points Ljubjlana
   
   
   
6. The Four Points is a standard issue Four Points, if you’re familiar with the brand. The check in procedure was easily the best on my trip so far … I didn’t have to fight for the upgrade … it was simple and easy. And I did have the best room available … I checked. It’s a clean and good property that is an excellent value for the 3000 SPG points per night.
7. The row of Tesla superchargers is actually a little ridiculous to see at a Four Points hotel. This instantly raised the cache of this Four Points!!
   9am to 3pm : Walk around the Old Town
   
8. Had breakfast at the Four Points … nothing spectacular but in town at Cacao Cafe … I did manage to find a Trinidad related menu item … who knew?
   
9. There are just lot of ridiculously attractive people around … much like Stockholm. The picture doesn’t capture much but trust me when I say … it’s a laid back city of very attractive people.
   
10. Everyone rides bicycles. It seems to be the official means of transportation. You see (very handsome) guys with suits, (beautiful) ladies in office attire, young boys, girls, pensioners in sports clothing – all of them riding bicycles around town and minding their own business! After this trip … I’m inspired to get back into the gym … just cause!
11. Sticker shock will crush your life, if you’re coming from countries which aren’t on the Euro