Slovenian Dinner in Ljubljana

After our glorious gallivanting around Lake Bled, we piled in our 9 passenger van and drove to Ljubljana, Slovenia. As we got closer to town we realized that in all our excitement over the Julian Alps and Lake Bled, we had clean forgotten to eat lunch. We were RAVENOUS!!

We pulled into our uber-cheap hostel ($12 a night!!) and hailed a taxi to take us to Old Town Ljubljana. The concierge at our hostel had recommended a place with traditional Slovenian food and we tracked it down. It was a bustling, well-lit place that welcomed customers from the darkened streets.

Everything inside seemed old in that comfy, well-worn way. Creaky wooden stairs slick from thousands of feet ascending and descending, old wooden benches worn smooth from many a scooting bottom, and this lovely vine mural pocked and darkened from hands pressed against it as patrons climbed up to the loft for dinner.

Truth be told we were so exhausted we could hardly stay awake. :-) So we ordered a round of water and good Slovenian beer and soon we were relaxed and merry, laughing hard at each other's crazy stories. 

At last dinner arrived! Stace, Nat and I ordered tender roast pork with arugula salad and herbed dumplings.

Ben went very traditional with roasted horse meat in some sort of sauce and a stuffed jelly-roll type pasta. He obligingly gave us a taste of the meat so we could say we'd eaten horse. :-) 

Ryan went all out with a meat platter laden with blood sausage, roast pork and who knows what. :-)

We ended our meal with traditional Slovenian cakes studded with fruit and poppy seeds, layered with cream and sweet sauces. 

Thoroughly stuffed and oh so sleepy, we bid farewell to our jolly waiter, posed for pictures with this jaunty chap, and wended our way home where we fell fast asleep. 

 All too soon it was time to wake up for our pre-sunrise stroll of the Old Town, taking in the sights from empty streets before hitting the road for our long drive through Bosnia.