Day 29. Wednesday 29 April.

A wet day looms. So first purchase was a brolly (T lost hers way back) but the new one was unkind & took a chunk out of D’s finger…and we didn’t have a bandaid or a piece of string! Like the nuns in Hvar (sort of) braided a piece of garbage bag into a usable thread.

We do sometimes plan ahead, so our next stop today was to the tourist information office for advice on getting to and around our next stay at Jesenice, up near the Julian Alps. The young woman was very helpful, firing up her computer and looking at various options – which mostly turned back to the idea that a car was the best way to achieve what we wanted, as local bus connections were not showing. Convinced, we went to Sixt, having previously googled hire options.

Natasha at Sixt was equally helpful, suggesting we’d be best with a small SUV like the VW Tiguan. Convinced, we agreed with that. Next was insurance cover, which was earnestly explained to us. Again convinced, D opted to take out full insurance, just for peace of mind, although he usually doesn’t. No questions about licence, and age was not an issue either (maybe OHS – or age discrimination – do not exist). Car booked for pick up tomorrow. We can now start looking at what we might do for the eight days of the hire: we have a Slovenian road map (bound to be some decisions – and decisions reversed!)

That sorted, and a coffee hit, off to the Ljubljana Emporium, five floors of high-end clothing and apparel (Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren…& Slovenian designers)…nothing bought, and it seemed like everyone who came in were gawkers on a wet day, just like us. But in the haberdashery shop next door, T made her second purchase on this trip: an embroidery thread (or an emergency piece of string at 65 cents)…yesterday had been the first purchase: a ticket to the loo at the castle for 1 euro (last of the big spenders).

Rain was persistent, but the tour groups went on regardless.

Interesting architecture in a green city, with some interesting graffiti and fun offerings, but not sure that D’s ‘eggs tale’ could be beaten.

Stopped at a gallery on our usual route into town: A delightful exhibition by a Hungarian artist, Alexandra Faltisz, a fairy tale illustrator, graphic artist, and art teacher. The exhibition was playful and joyful drawing on ‘fairytales’ from childhood & stories told in painting, collage and linocuts. T particularly liked the collages with their bits of lace and crochet.

Returned home for a cuppa and decided, eventually, to go out again to take a boat tour on the Ljubiljanica. We were joined by a small group that seemed to be hosting a visiting Korean student. A young man, perhaps a university student, seemed to be his ‘keeper’ and kept up a continual, irritating (to us) commentary in English along with an even more irritating, constant and loud giggle. Who says we’re grumpy old folk?

The boat tour itself with no commentary, was unremarkable, although it did provide another view of this very pretty, green city – through rain-soaked windows.

Tomorrow, on the road again ‘poop poop’.