Ljubljana, Slovenia:
Saturday, November 16



  • Hotel breakfast - take the bus back to explore Ljubljana before late train to Vienna - Slovenian industry and development is very evident as the bus descends out of the Alps back to the city that is very modern and somewhat suburban in layout
  • The city of Ljubljana is lovely and getting more so the farther into it one goes - the older center is a huge street market today
  • The so-called Triple Bridge (one vehicular bridge flanked by two pedestrian bridges) crosses the river Sava - the beautiful Dragon Bridge is seen just around the corner
  • Food everywhere - all kinds of practical as well as fanciful items - permanent stalls and indoor shops line the river - more food, even clothing - very clean and bustling
  • We walk down an old commercial street, looking in windows - cobblestones all over, still - another small bistro, another great pizza
  • Back to the market to buy pottery - this late in the journey it's not so bad to carry - slower walk back to train station for 4:00 train - bye, Slovenia!
    Market Francisan Church Mestni Trg
  • Grab a compartment and close the curtain - conductor lady looks at ticket and says something about a "boos" - a bus? - she doesn't speak English or German - asks a policeman on the train to tell us what it means - we must get off in Maribor, ride a bus to a different station, then take that train to Vienna - all this even though our car is labled "Wien"! - very disconcerting and confusing
  • Dark - we stop in Maribor - scramble off train - hop on bus with everyone else on our car - bus takes off immediately through city streets - signs indicate that Graz, Austria is ahead - "Are we driving to Graz?"
  • New train station, scramble onto last car - within 30 seconds we're off like a rocket - Vienna two hours later
  • Back to the Fuerstenhof - we ask for the same room we had two weeks ago - wonderful sleep

    Sunday, November 17