A Weekend in the City | Kevin O'Neill

Editor-in-Chief Kevin O’Neill remembers his brief sojourn to one of Eastern Europe’s hidden gems.

     A phenomenon that never fails to amaze me is that of the ability of one building or landmark to encapsulate the image of an entire city. Paris’ sleek style is symbolize in the Eiffel Tower, the expansive and impressive city of Berlin represented in the towering and intimidating Brandenburg Gate, while the Red Light District of Amsterdam sums up the city’s quirky, eccentric and undeniably pragmatic undertone, as well as serving as a welcome nod to its less than wholesome underbelly.

     In a similar fashion, Ljubljana’s iconic hilltop castle serves as a vivid and enduring representation of both the city and, indeed, the country as a whole. A juxtaposition of old and new, the castle and its grounds are home to a clash of cultures from all angles of the continent. Its vibrant and busy centre is offset by a rich, lush forest that clambers the vast, steep hills that allow its lofty position overlooking the medieval old town of the Slovenian capital city.

     Much of the city is occupied by students, the homely, informal feel reminiscent somewhat of Cork as the university and its grounds overlap with much of the city centre. Arriving in early August, a large portion of the city’s residents have departed for countryside and the stunning lakes that occupy the northern parts of the country, and we are met with a sticky, dense heat, and open, empty streets.

     The few locals that do cross our paths, those not lucky enough to have taken off to Lake Bled for the weekend are friendly, yet frank. They are more concerned with hurrying through their own business than assisting us with ours, requests for directions to restaurants, hostels and even the Old Town are met with little more than brief instruction. Suggestions of losing ourselves in the translation are refuted with almost the entire population of the country possessing fluent English, as well as their own domestic language.

     Caught for time, Ljubljana is a brief pitstop on our stuttering run from Amsterdam to Nice, via some of South-East Europe’s most notable cities in Bratislava, the Croatian coast and a ten minute bus journey into Bosnia and back, we spend most of our time exploring the Old Town and the stretch of administrative buildings that occupy the stretch of town that stands between our hostel and the castle.

     While certainly an interesting town, Ljubljana offers little in the way of standout memories. It does not possess the charm of Bratislava or Prague, nor the bustling and impressive architecture of Berlin or Vienna. Its quaint medieval region is pretty and a joy to navigate, though its finest moments are when viewed from above.

     Having made the difficult trek to the top of the hills surrounding the castle, and accepting that paying the €4 entrance fee is easier than waiting for the woman manning the desk to look away, the views are a sight to behold. Stretching from the confused mess of dusty red rooftops in the narrow medieval streets to the wide open motorways and administrative buildings on the outskirts of a developing city, the sights that await are worth getting completely and entirely lost in. Beyond this, the region is enclosed by a series of mountains, a stark and beautiful frame to a city of surprises.

     On the face of it, Ljubljana offers little to attract weary travellers who have already taken in a number of Europe’s iconic cities. Bled, about an hour and a half north of the Slovenian capital, has proven a far greater hit with tourists due to its fairytale like beauty, water sports and busy tourist culture.

     Much like this, Ljubljana’s hilltop castle looks little more than a tiresome distraction at the top of a steep hill. The walk itself offers some unique insights to the city’s peculiar architecture, while the grounds of the castle itself provide little in the way of new memories. With a little digging thereafter, or in this case a little more climbing, the true nature and riches of an oft-overlooked gem are revealed in an unforgettable fashion.