Emona and the Excellent Pad Thai

Emona (Ljubljana): A Roman walled city, later destroyed in the 5th century by Attila the Hun.

Well Attila, you were obviously a twit ! We loved Ljubljana!! Another 1.5 hour drive and despite numerous requests from the tribe for the address of our abode, gravity had taken hold of my eyelids. Eventually the address was discovered when the cold air and city noises revived my mien.

We’ve been in the country so long it was revitalising to feel the energy of the city, enough for me to obtain the keys and walk to my bed and crash 🛌. Meanwhile Tribesmen Eric and Bill took it upon themselves to climb a small mountain, despite the offer of a cable car, and visit Ljubljana Castle.

Still tired and becoming grumpy we searched out the train station. Major renovations happening we circled what look like a station a few times, found an also grumpy ticket sales booth and purchased tickets for Zagreb - platform unknown and we’d have to check in the morning.

An aperitif spot was cleverly snapped and we watched the late sun’s golden hour glow on the river and architecture. I managed to get a great shot across the river (which will be a future painting) and my heart felt lighter. I took a picture of a statue that I really felt reflected the pain this resilient country had endured and it is a relief to see the unaffected smiles and soft faces of the youth having lived in the new era, as we passed them by.

Osha - a veritable gold mine of fresh salads and lime juice, we simpered and slurped our way through 3 x excellent dishes and made friends with the Bangladeshi owner !!

Our next stop the Dalmatian Coast to be transversed by ferries and swimming (hopefully). We distributed our necessary belongings into backpacks and prepared our suitcases for storage. An experiment I hope pays off.

We slept well, most likely assisted by bumping both our heads repeatedly on the attic 45 degree angled roof of our accom.

A bit of a scramble will be required for our 6:50am train (from platform unknown) uber, then a flight, uber, then a ferry to Hvar Island.

I have loved this majestical contrasting county of towering karsts, green streams, trouts, donuts and spiky piercings and we depart with great memories, tighter pants and a few kgs extra 🍩 🩷 ⛰️ 🌲Read more