funicular Archives - JBRish.com

Map Courtesy of fotolip

I must confess that I had never heard of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, until I decided to travel to Croatia and surrounding countries. Apparently there were many others who had experienced Ljubljana because it was named the “European Best Destination 2022.” *

The city has developed a reputation as one of the most environmentally-friendly, livable capital cities of Europe. “Old Town” restricts automobile traffic which encourages pedestrians and cyclists to stroll through the center square or along the banks of the Ljubljanica River.

Indicative of the character of the city, a statue of France Prešeren, Slovenia’s most famous romantic poet, sits in the market square.

Flowing into the heart of the city is the “serene” Ljubljanica River with its sculptured bridges, cafes, restaurants, Central Market and other gathering venues. There is a lengthy walkway for those who want a peaceful stroll while viewing historic architecture.

Experienced travelers know that a competition to host the best tribute to love by allowing “love locks” to be prominently displayed in public has developed among European cities and Slovenia is no exception. The Butcher’s Bridge serves as Ljubljana’s entry.

Walking along the Ljubljanica River path brings visitors to the interesting Dragon Bridge with beautiful large dragon statues at all corners of the structure.

Legend has it that Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts) was the founder of Ljubljana and during one of his exploits he slayed a dragon that was living in the marshlands near the Ljubljanica’s source. The dragon has become one of the symbols of Ljubljana.

Read more about the dragon connection HERE and HERE

Another interesting area to visit just a short walk southeast of the “three bridges”is the Town Hall Square with the interesting architecture of the Town Hall and Francesco Robba’s Narcissus Fountain.

Another of the main attractions is Ljubljana’s hillside castle.

One way to get to the hilltop fortress is to take the funicular…

and as we made our way to that transport, we passed the puppet theater with a most unusual drinking fountain for this location.

The Alfred N. drinking fountain designed by academy sculptor Mirko Bratuša is the author’s first public work [usually running during warm weather, but not this day]

The castle in its original form dates back to the twelfth century, but has undergone extensive renovations and modifications. It is now considered a “modern castle” which serves as a cultural hub for the city.

Visitor’s entrance to the castle

Alert visitors may find another of Ljubljana’s dragons here as well.

Southeast view of the Pentagonal Tower at the Ljubljana castle in Slovenia

From the courtyard, the more contrasting “modern” structures can be seen. While the climb to the top of the Clock Tower is a bit steep, the panoramic view is worth the effort for those who are fit to undertake the task.

While making the “trek” enjoy the decorative spiral stairway.

Panoramic view of Ljubljana from the top of the Clock Tower

* https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/media/news/ljubljana-is-the-european-best-destination-2022

Next stop – castle, cave and cuisine!

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See Previous Posts in this series:

Dubrovnik, Croatia – Pearl of the Adriatic

Old Town Dubrovnik – Above it all

Old Town Dubrovnik – The Low Down

Dubrovnik from the Adriatic and Mt. Srd

Montenegro & The Walled City of Kotor

Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Coastal City of Split, Croatia

Zagreb – Capital City of Croatia

One of our most anticipated forays while we were visiting Tokyo was a one day journey to Mount Fuji. It was no problem rising early in the morning to catch the sunrise in expectation of the adventure ahead.

Tokyo Sunrise

We took a short bus trip to the larger transportation terminal where we picked up our guide for the day and boarded a pleasant motor coach. As we left Tokyo proper, we passed the Tokyo Tower (not to be confused with the Tokyo Skytree)

Tokyo Tower

On the bus ride to Mt. Fuji we were educated and entertained by our energetic docent. One of the facts she told us was that Japan is quite mountainous – “More than 50% of the country is mountainous and covered by forests.[emphasis mine]”*

Mountains of Japan

Here is a picture of our guide, Marie, explaining family customs and routines in Japan. She had a flip pad with drawings to highlight key points.

Docent Marie with her Flip Chart

As we approached Mt. Fuji we could tell that clouds and fog were setting in and that visibility would probably be poor. This is what it looked like at one of main staging points for those who want to hike the volcano.

Clouds and fog at Mt. Fuji

Some of the hikers were warming up or getting ready by doing some exercises.

Hikers Warming Up

While others reserved their strength for the climb ahead or perhaps resting while recovering from the climb they just finished!

Hikers Resting

After a brief stop at the visitor center and souvenir shop, the bus headed down the mountain. Luckily, as we reached one point, the sky cleared and Mt. Fuji became visible.

Mt. Fuji with Clouds Lifting

We were glad to catch this glimpse of the volcano as many of this day’s visitors were not so lucky. We headed to a town (which may have been Kawaguchikocho, but I am not sure) on the coast of Lake Kawaguchi where we had a traditional Japanese lunch.

During our Japan tour, we generally did not eat the raw fish, but the pot-like structure in the upper-left was actually set atop a heat source and was boiling. This was a tasty enough broth with noodles and vegetables. There were also other vegetables and cracker-like offerings on the prepared tray.

Tray of Food with raw fish

This was one of the first places we stopped that did not have a western-style bathroom. This is a more traditional Japanese unisex toilet. All personal business is done here mostly by squatting! Many attractions and more popular locations have both types of toilets from which to choose.

Traditional Japanese Toilets

NOTE: At our hotel, we had what could only be referred to as the Cadillac of toilets. This appliance had more buttons and gizmos than some entertainment systems. It had a heated toilet seat; amazing!

After lunch we took a walk along the street where one of our group purchased a lavender-flavored, soft-serve ice cream cone.

Street in Town

This town had a funicular which we were going to try to ride because it promised a distant view of Mt. Fuji. Lightning, however thwarted that plan.

View of Funicular