10 Reasons You Must Visit Slovenia
Slo-where? Yes, this little European country exists, and you're about to fall in love with it.
Slovenia is the most beautiful European country you've never been to. You probably can't locate it on a map, but who cares? It's not as if you're walking there, it's more important that your pilot or bus driver knows where it is on a map. All you need to do is click through this article and start mopping up the dribble that will make itself at home on your keyboard, and then book your holiday.
Here's some information about Slovenia. It is the very definition of 'central Europe', bordering Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia and with huge swathes of influence coming from all sides. For centuries it was part of the Austrian-influenced world, before finding some form of liberation after World War One and beginning its 20th century dalliance with the Slavic nations to the south in what was known as Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia fell apart in the late 80s and early 90s, and Slovenia had a 10-day scuffle that led to its independence (calling it a 'war' is probably a bit of a stretch) in 1991.
The economic powerhouse of Yugoslavia, Slovenia soon threw in with Europe and joined all the organisations it possibly could, including the EU, NATO, the IMF, the BBC, the nWo and probably the GLC. The euro was adopted as the national currency in 2007, and it has been plain sailin' ever since. Kind of.
We aren't interested in politics and history though, right? What we want is some pictures and descriptions of what we find in those pictures!
10. Ljubljana (It's Not That Difficult To Pronounce)
The capital city is generally the best place to start, and this is especially true in Slovenia's case. Don't be put off by the J's either, it isn't that hard to pronounce. Ljubljana is pronounced 'lyoo-BLAH-nah', and is a lot easier to deal with when you accept that 'lj' is one letter (similar to the middle sound in 'million'. You could also just say 'lublana', which is wrong but if someone is nitpicking about pronunciation then they have a bigger problem than you do. I tend to refer to the city as 'Joobs'.
Anyway, what does Ljubljana have to offer? It isn't one of Europe's biggest capitals with a population of around 280,000, making it similar in size to Brighton or Newcastle, but it does manage to pack a whole lot in to its limits. The Ljubljanica river runs lazily through the centre, leading to the scene pictured above where Jože Plečnik's Triple Bridge (literally, a triple bridge) leads you onto Prešeren Square with its pink church that resembles a particularly hard-edged cake.
Ljubljana Castle stands above the town, looking down angrily at its peasants. You can take the dinky train up to it or even the funicular, or you can stop being lazy and take the 10-minute stroll. Either way, the views from the top are magnificent, and there's a good number of exhibitions going on.
Ljubljana has the great distinction of being the Green Capital of Europe for 2016, and boy does it deserve it. The centre of the city is ruled by pedestrians and cyclists, most of whom will be strolling and rolling towards one of the many parks found here. Tivoli Park is the main spot, a huge expanse of green with a mansion in the middle of it. Close your eyes and imagine a big park. Congratulations, you've just imagined Tivoli.
Either that or they are strolling towards the many restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs, clubs, shops and other establishments found in the city. Despite being the same size as Sunderland, Ljubljana still manages to feel like a capital city and a village at the same time. I mean this in a positive way, in that it feels like a real centre yet retains its charm and community spirit, not that it's a tiny street with farms ran by oligarchs.