36 Hours in Ljubljana

After a delayed flight and anxious kiddos, we finally arrived in Ljubljana - the capital of Slovenia. Leading up to Slovenia, we were all equally excited and anxious as we know few people personally who have travelled here and usually got a very confused look when we told folks we were visiting, very well visiting for 3 weeks. When we arrived at the airport, there was no one.  I mean no one. I've never seen a capital airport so desolate. It meant one of two things 1) this truly was a well kept secret or 2) we made a grave mistake. Well, within minutes of driving away from the airport, it was clear that it was #1. With minutes of leaving the airport, you can see the mountains in the distance. Kyle and I looked at each other and said "yup, this is exactly what we were hoping for". The kiddos were exhausted from a long day and fell asleep in the car.

I'll be honest that when we first arrived in Ljubljana itself I wasn't impressed at first glance. Everything seemed a bit run down, a good bit of graffiti lined the streets, and the 5 story-climb to our apartment to find out that you couldn't use the A/C after 9pm didn't leave the best taste in my mouth. But, it was in this moment, that my perception changed because I began to see our surroundings through the kids' eyes. They instantly fell in love with our apartment. They looked past the hike to the top and the hot air - focusing on all of the crazy unique details throughout the apartment - like the hammock in the middle of the living room or the two "secret" loft bedrooms or the countless lovies left for the children to play with or the view of the castle from one of the secret windows or the couch that served as the perfect fort marker. Ljubljana was a highlight for a kids and without them, it wouldn't have been a highlight for us.

The next day, my appreciation for Ljubljana grew as we:

• Explored Ljubljana Castle taking a funicular to the top
• Walking along the river to find Dragon Bridge (just for Z man)
• Oohed and awed over all of the vibrant vegetables and fruits at Central Market
• Had a field day at one of the coolest kid's playgrounds in Tivoli Park. 

Ljubljana has done an amazing job with their public amenities and transportation that is seen through the countless water fountains with fresh spring water (the kangaroo one was the kid's favorite) and the bike paths that line the city (they even have ramps on all stairs for bikes).

Ljubljana was also a great reminder to us for how important it is for the kids to have time being kids while traveling. For the past 4 days, we had a lot of travel (a delayed ferry ride, long car rides, and a delayed flight) - resulting in us having to remind the kids to be quiet and having to sit still for quite awhile. In Ljubljana, they were able to be kids again with no rules on not being too loud or having to use "walking feet". 

From Zane's perspective: I love Ljubljana. The ice cream at Cacoa and the fresh fruit were my favorite. The playground was super cool - it had a zipline that I could run and make it go fast. I want to go back and live in Ljubljana. 

2 nights in Ljubljana was just right for us; the only thing I wish we could have taken along with us was the Central Market. I am still dreaming about all of the produce there!