Seven of the group travelled to Ljubljana by bus. Along the river there are numerous cafes and bars to enjoy the Slovenian cuisine. The funicular railway to the castle provided a panoramic vista of the city from the viewing platform. St Nicholas Cathedral had an impressive door and a spectacular interior including the ceiling, three organs and several side chapels.
We started by taking a walk that went past three castles. All had been damaged in the 1511 earthquake. We started by the largely restored one in town. The next one was not much more than a mound but had good views over the town. The walk then took us through woodland for quite a distance to the third or Wild Castle. This was a more substantial ruin.
After the walk we had lunch and were introduced to Piada (Italian flat bread). A walk round the old town followed. We finished in the museum (in the main castle). This, amongst other things, included exhibits about lace making and other local crafts.
In the evening we were taken to a local farm restaurant for dinner. All the food was made on the farm from local produce. This consisted of schnapps with cold meats and cheeses, soup, sausage, chicken and other meat plus various vegetable dishes, biscuits and more schnapps. One of the sons then played the accordion and there was dancing - all much enjoyed.
