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| barbarajoy | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Slovenia 2010 | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
Barbara Game
Sparkling green countryside with lush forests of evergreens - pine,cedar and cypress, and varieties of beautiful deciduous trees in leafy summer dress.
"Slovenia is one of the greenest countries in the world,with more than half the country under forest cover and more than 11% of the countryside under some sort of protection." - Guidebook
Bright green pastures, neat red tiled towns with pretty gardens and church spires.
Clean and bright little stations with flower boxes and the red capped station master standing to attention as the train passes by.
Baroque painted churches, gold topped domes and steeples
The old town lies either side of the tree lined banks of the Ljubljanica River which is crossed by three historic bridges - the Cobbler Bridge, the Dragon Bridge and the Triple Bridge.
View of the central square, Presernov Trg, across the Triple Bridge and the pink 17th C Franciscan Church of the Annunciation.
Brightly decorated clock tower on the Town Hall in a cobbled town square
Strollers in the late afternoon sun on one of the three city bridges across the Ljubjanica River
As the evening approaches it is pleasant to stroll the streets along the river and peruse the cafe menus on display
Street art and, unfortunately, graffiti - common, even in the extremely neat, clean and picturesque streets of the Old Town.
This may be because of Ljubjana's very large student community.
There are more than 64,000 students attending Ljubjana University's 22 faculties, three art academies and one university college.
On a sunny Saturday in late May, Old Town was filled with people celebrating a festival for families and in the squares and streets there were many free activities for children.
Jugglers. Street players were encouraging people to try a new skill.
Children were trying some of the activities along the streets
The Cooperative Bank building, 1922. Painted by the architect's wife, it is one of a group of Art Nouveau or Secessionist buildings in one of the main streets of the modern town.
Road bridge, the Balkan Gate is only surviving gate on the remnants of the old town wall which led up to the castle.
Cherries for sale.
The Central Market,across the Triple Bridge, is an elegant covered walkway and an open area selling everything from wild mushrooms and forest berries to honey and homemade cheeses, cooked meats of all kinds to bread,pastries and pancakes..........
Pretty dried flower wreaths, posies and baskets at the Saturday market
A woman proudly shows her wares at one of the Saturday market stalls
Market shoppers bring their own empty bottles to fill here with fresh farm cows' milk.
A traditional house seen on the walk up the hill behind the old town to Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle sits high above the town on Castle Hill.
Although there have been fortifications of one kind or another on Castle Hill, the current building dates from a 16th C rebuilding after the previous one was destroyed in an earthquake in 1511.
It was a royal residence in the 17th and 18th enturies and a prison and barracks in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is now mainly used for concerts and weddings.
Our chalet accommodation -Anka's House - where we had the top floor self-contained flat.
Along the road from our chalet accommodation we saw fields of wildflowers catching the late afternoon sun. Yellow,white, pink and blue daisies, clover,lupins and all sorts of others flowering in an overgrown pasture.
Wildflowers - detail. Slovenia is home to 3200 plant species, and about 70 of them are unique to Slovenia or were first classified there.
A typical scene on our walks around the back streets of Bled.
The neo-Gothic Parish Church of St Martin, overlooking Lake Bled, is halfway up the rocky hill path to Bled Castle.
A short 7 km bus ride from Bled took us to this charming old town in the Gorenjska region of lakes and mountains.
Perusing the menu at the restaurant, Gostilna Lectar.
A small Gingerbread Museum which demonstrates the making of traditional Slovene Honey Bread, originally produced by the nuns of St Clara in the 18thC.
View of the valley, the distant Julian Alps and Mount Triglav, the highest peak.
