Can this adventure get any better?  It certainly can!

I wake up in Dubrovnik feeling very clean - it turns
out the salt water of the Adriatic had an exfoliating
effect.  

I have an early flight to catch to Zagreb (did I
mention it's only $50 Cdn. if you go on Wednesday),
the capital of Croatia.  The bus ride to the airport
is breathtaking.  As the sun rises over the horizon,
the bus ascends along a cliff over the Adriatic.  I
sip an espresso as I wait for my flight - it seems
kava, or coffee, is always espresso here in Croatia.

On the flight, I get served candies and chocolate,
just like I thought before!  My neighbour takes a few,
but since I'm a budget traveller, I take ... well,
more.  Good stuff.

I arrive in Zagreb, but am not too impressed.  I take
a quick tram to the main center, look around at the
nice plaza, visit a busy market, and decide that it's
a big city like any other modern city.  Funny fact
though: women have to pay to use the washroom in the
bus terminal.  Men don't.

On impulse, I make a quick decision to leave Zagreb
and take a bus to the city I missed earlier:
Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.  I grab some
Croatian sandwiches to go for the ride, but looking at
the other items on the grill, I recommend you try the
tastier Croatian hamburger.  Don't worry, you don't be
thought of as a cheesy American for ordering
hamburger, since it's much different and lots of the
locals eat them in their "Fast Food" establishments.

As I ride the bus, I see another world.  Unlike
Croatia which has a heavy Western influence, Slovenia
is just coming of age.  The advertisements are few,
the highway is being seriously expanded from its
current two lanes, and when I stopped in the suburbs,
the adolescents still don't have the western dress
style right yet.  A lot of them also wear huge
backpacks, perhaps mimicking the kind of Westerners
that travel through here.

The bus enters Ljubljana through Dragon Bridge - a
bridge decorated with these magical beasts.  My
interest is instantly drawn, as this is a substantial
difference from the angels, cherubs, and Biblical
characters I've been seeing.

Upon entering, I decide to quickly hit all the main
tourist sites before tasting the Slovenian lifestyle. 
Ljubljana is laid back, with a beautiful canal running
through its center, and one may coffee, wine, or dine
along the pedestrian sidewalks along the canal.  The
pace is much slower here.  

I pass by the main market along the canal and stock up
on some refresing Mandarin oranges.  I continue past
the pretty Triple Bridge and Cobbler's Bridge before
entering the old town.  I pass through old square
before making the ascent to the 12th century Ljubljana
Castle, which overlooks the city.  The castle itself
is quite simple, but I get a great view from the top,
and am rewarded with a view of the southern tip of the
Alps.  Hint: skip the Virtual Museum presentation
while at the top - it's really boring.  I chat it up
with a group of travellers from Germany, Macedonia,
and Turkey before leaving.

I return back into the city and its in full swing.  A
jazz trio entertains the cafe crowd in the main
Presernov Square.  I sit down, listen, and enjoy
without any obligation to buy a drink.  Apparently,
the outdoor cafe is open through the winter, using
outdoor propane heaters to keep revellers warm.

The biggest thing I noticed is that there are almost
no tourists here.  Even the locals say there are not
tourists.  I assume there are quite a few backpackers,
as the new hostel built in an old jail is full.  I did
not find one single tourist store there - no
postcards, no junk gifts, and for me, no Slovenia
patches to purchase.  This is a good thing. 
Everything's changing so much there, that I put aside
my travel guide since much of the information was not
useful, especially food-wise.

I get a street snack of roasted chestnuts and wander
along the canal with good vibes all around.  Ljubljana
is small and easily walkable.  An hour will get you
around most of what you need to see, but the key is to
sit down and immerse yourself in it.  The canal is
completely still, and buildings reflect perfectly on
it.

Getting a little hungry, I approach a restaurant
wondering if they serve Slovenian food.  They don't,
but the waiter recommends a number of restaurants, one
that's really good but expensive (Goldfish), one
that's all right but cheap (Carli), and one other
restaurant if all else fails.  I head to Carli first
since he told me it's an insider's tip.

Unfortunately, I got arrived after the kitchen closed,
but the waitress there re-recommends me to Goldfish as
well as a nearby Slovenian dumpling eatery.  Too bad
though, the food was really cheap - $7 Cdn. for a full
dinner.

I head to Goldfish, and the menu blows me away - it
looks so good.  Here are some of the House
specialties:

- Fillet of Venison with Wild Berries
- Roe Deer with Honey
- Breast of Pheasant with Figs
- Ragout of Roe Deer with Gnocchi

I go with the first one, and I see the chef using
flambe techniques to cook my dinner.  The venison dish
is amazing, with some cheese puffs to further add to
the unique flavour.  

And the expensive price?  Well, the Austrian diner
beside me was double-checking his bill because it
seemed much too low.  I'm in disbelief too - $20 Cdn.
for the finest Slovenian meal in town.  I give a big
tip because tourism is low and I feel I represent
backpackers, Canadians, and Chinese tourists.  :)  I
chat with my new Austrian companion, Franz, for a
while, and we walk off our filling meal with a nice
stroll along the canal.

I decide to catch a really late train (3am) to
Budapest.  Oh, I get the young person's discount on
the trip too - it feels kind of nice to still be in
that category. :)  I head over to Compas, the
Slovenian dumpling place, to stock up on food.  The
dumplings actually turn out to be small baked potatoes
topped with a delicious cold cheese dressing (or any
other Slovenian dressings of your choice).

The night gets late, but it's a very safe environment.
 Crime is very low in Slovenia.  It's a Friday night,
and I only wish I could join the Slovenian parties. 
The style is better here than in the smaller towns,
and the girls are !!.  

It's so easy to get around too because the streets are
labelled clearly, like back in Toronto, with a clear
sign post at the corner of intersections rather than
some hidden brick plaque on the wall of a building.

Well, to stay up, I head to McDonald's.  Not what you
think!  I have a personal rule on this trip that I am
not allowed to eat at McDonald's.  Thankfully, I only
head there to grab a large late night coffee and to
use the washroom.   Their large coffee is slightly
smaller in size than our small coffee, but it's all
espresso coffee.

I highly recommend you visit it soon as they currently
have two McDonald's, the locals love Mexican food, and
the big American clothing chains are opening up.

I like Ljubljana.  Can I say I love it?

Next: Alive and Well in Budapest