THE MIDDLE EAST & EUROPEAN SERIES PT18
SLOVENIA, LUXEMBOURG & BRUGES
Coming from Venice, I arrived in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, one of the greenest cities I have seen. I checked into Celica Art Hostel which used to be a prison. They have retained the layout and barred doors which make for an interesting atmosphere at night.
WHERE IS BRUGES?
The end of 2 years on the road
LJUBLJANA CASTLE
I took a walk up to Ljubljana Castle which is the viewpoint of the city and besides the old, is the thing to do. It was previously a medieval fortress dating back to the 11th century. There is plenty to see at the castle including a museum on the nations history, a puppet museum, a prison, the Chapel of St George and a movie room known as the Virtual Castle.
The city’s old town is divided from the commercial hub by the river and promenade which is sprawled with cafes. This is due to the city’s strict laws on forbidding cars, making room for the hospitality industry to flourish outdoors.
LAKE BLED
When I visited here I made the mistake of not venturing outside of the city. There is a lot to do here including, hiking, skiing, rafting and most notably a trip to Lake Bled, one of the nicest lakes in Europe. In the centre lies Bled Island and a church famous for the Assumption of Mary and dates back to the 1600s. As it is surrounded by the Alps and Lake Bled itself, here is no better place for a wedding and tradition states the groom must carry the bride up the 98 steps. Maybe next time.
The end of 2 years on the road
LUXEMBOURG
Unfortunately, my time in Luxembourg was short and rained for the entirety. Although saying that, I didn’t plan to for long regardless as it tends to be a bit hard on the wallet with little return. It wasn’t easy to get to as I had to fly into Paris for the night and get the morning train, costing over $200 before even setting foot here!
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BRUGES, BELGIUM
Bruges is a place I have been keen to visit since, yes you’ve guess it, the movie, In Bruges starring Colin Farrell. Now I’m sure never to fall for the charm of Holiday, they can’t really sell you something that it’s not. L.A. being the perfect example, if any of you have been you will know what I mean, other than the coast I found it rather unappealing.
I checked into another St Christopher’s Inn hostel called Bauhaus and took to the streets. It won’t surprise you that Bruges is just a smaller, prettier version of it’s bigger brother, Brussels.
The end of 2 years on the road
It has a huge market square along with countless cafes, churches and Basilicas. Not to forget the beer culture here, the beer gardens of Bruges are open all day to satisfy the thirst of the locals and tourists.
The best of Bruges can be seen from the streets, the Belfry of Bruges, Church of Our Lady and the Basilica of the Holy Blood. They were all highlights I enjoyed as well as following the paths around the canals and River Dijver.
RATINGS….
- PEOPLE – 9/10
- BACKPACKING – 8/10
- SAFETY – 8/10
- WEATHER – 7/10
- THINGS TO DO – 7/10
- VALUE – 7.5/10
NEXT UP
A week with the family in Portugal, home and then the start of my Buda & Soviet Series for my mates stag in Budapest, Hungary. Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
114/229
This post is part of The Middle East & European Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
