19-Mar-2023
We've spent two more great days walking the Slovenian capital, whose charms have only been enhanced by superb weather (chilly, but bright and sunny).
It's a riot of colour:
Metelkova mesto, a cultural centre that colonized an old army barracks
Vurnik House
Art nouveau on Miklosiceva ulica
Signs of spring in Tivoli Park
Our wanderings have also brought us up close and personal with a few more dragons:
Propaganda postcard for the Carinthian Plebiscite, 1920, held to determine the southern border between the Republic of Austria and the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes after World War I
We're taking this one home
And, of course, you're never far from the hand of history:
Tivoli Castle, given as a gift by Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph to Field Marshall Radetzky in 1853. Radetzky revamped the surrounding park, and opened it to the public. The statue at the front of the house is apparently a tad controversial...
Round the base of the statue are Radetzky's words before the Battle of Novara in 1849: "Soldiers! The struggle will be short..." Yeah, that's what they all say...
The National Museum of Contemporary History, an excellent resource that's housed in Cekin Mansion on the edge of Tivoli Park
From Tito...
... to independence, the EU, and Schengen
More Stolpersteine. Slovenia's Jewish community was decimated during WWII, and only about 200 survived
Memorial to Slovenia's independence, 1991
So we're on the move again tomorrow, heading for Germany.
Today feels like the end of the first phase of the trip. These last five countries have all been completely unfamiliar to us. We've been like a blank canvas. Tomorrow, though, I'll be returning to a country that I spent a LOT of time in during my late teens and early twenties, but have not set foot in since 1997. As a couple we've made only a handful of visits, all extremely brief.
I wonder how it's going to feel -- like a long-lost friend, or an alienated acquaintance who has left me far behind? Mal sehen...