HOT Weather

Sunday, July 31, 2016--Ljubljana

All of the southern 2/3 of Europe is having a heat spell with temperatures in the 90s.  Fortunately our hotels have all had air conditioning.  But it means that being outside in the late afternoons is quite uncomfortable.

We started the morning with an outdoor band concert by the Pihalni orchestra Ljubjlana Vic.  They were a very talented group that performed for 1 1/2 hours.  Click here and again here for two videos of other performances by them.

After that, we walked by the antiques market they have each Sunday beside the river.  Neither of us is particularly interested in antiques, but the market was near the location of the concert.

Next, we wandered through the university area of town where we listened from outside as the Elysee String Quartet rehearsed in a church for their concert tomorrow night.

Across the street, we entered a gallery to see photographs by Joze Suhadolnik.

Walking among the university buildings, we went inside the library where we saw exhibits on immigration of Slovenians to the USA and on Slovenian women in the USA.

We tried spending time in Tivoli Park, but it was just too hot.  After maybe 30 minutes, we headed toward our room at the hotel to spend the rest of the afternoon.

There was a shower in the late afternoon while we were still in the hotel.  When we went out around 6:00, the air was cooler.  We decided to climb the hill to Ljubljana Castle which overlooks the city.  It's a steep climb, but the views from up there are great.  We could see all across the city and to the mountains.  We could pick out our hotel, the university, the park, and other places we had visited.  Coming back down, the steepness of the hill was even more evident--so much so that I felt more comfortable holding onto the railing than trusting my shoes not to slip.

Back on the streets, we were just amazed at the number of people at the cafes.  This is a city where everyone likes to sit outdoors eating, drinking, visiting.  We just wandered the town watching everyone having fun and listening to the occasional musician.  On our way back to the hotel, we were surprised to find a choir in full formal dress giving an impromptu performance on the main square.  We joined the crowd that was listening.  Unfortunately, all we heard was the end of one piece and then their final piece.