However much of a linguistic cliché this might be (the word Ljubljana is very close to the word for love in many Slavic languages), Ljubljana is lovely indeed. A city on a human scale, at about 300,000 inhabitants and with the role of the country capital, it is large enough to offer all the advantages of city life without producing an overwhelming monster.
But it's not just the handy size and civilised, educated, friendly, youthful inhabitants (the tourist information claims that 20% of the population are students) that make Ljubljana so attractive. It has funky bars and fancy restaurants, it has thriving culture with active theatre, art and music scenes. It is also, rather simply, a beautiful place to behold: a compact, largely pedestrianised old centre with distinctly Central European architecture spreads on the banks of slowly meandering, green river spanned by several bridges and dominated by the steep hill with a castle at the top. Ljubljana charms with its pretty Baroque and Art Nouveaux architecture, attractive parks and lively riverside promenades.
It's a Sunday when we first venture out to explore Ljubljana, so the city is quiet. Slovenia is largely Catholic, and we can hear ringing bells and locals on the way to church among the tourists. We approach the old town via Miklosiceva Cesta, adorned with some attractive Art Nouveaux buildings, including one decorated with striking, colourful geometric patterns.
Pink walls and flowing, sensuous lines of the Franciscan Church dominate the Presernov Trg (Preseren Square), named after France Preseren, Slovene 19th century national bard. His statue stands in the centre of the square, reminding me of Polish statues of romantic poets and composers. The square opens onto the Triple Bridge, an unusual construction whose name is self-explanatory, but whose existence requires explanation: why build three bridges within metres of each other?
The goal was clearly aesthetic. Architect Joze Plecnik left his mark all over Ljubljana and it was his idea to add the extra bridges to the original one in 1931 to achieve this landmark feature.
The Three Bridges lead to the other side of Ljubljanica river and we turn left along the riverside promenade, walking along craft stalls and bric a brac tables in the Plecnik's colonnade, adjacent to Plecnik's covered market, an imposing and a bit austere but strangely attractive structure facing the river.
To our left rise the white towers and green domes of the baroque cathedral of St Nicholas whose ornate interior we glance at but not explore as a service is about to start. We walk towards the bridge guarded by imposing dragons (dragon is something of a Ljubljana mascot) but instead of crossing back to the other side we turn left towards the castle hill, attempting to locate the bottom station of the funicular. Somehow we manage to miss it altogether and end up climbing all the way up: it's steep but shaded and despite huffing and puffing even I manage to drag myself up, prompted by glimpses of city views from between the leaves and branches of the wooded hill. We arrive at the back of the castle but the walk to the gate is on level ground and we are rewarded by fantastic views of Ljubljana itself, its surrounding green hills and high peaks of the Julian Alps on the horizon.
The castle is less of a consistently attractive historical structure kept as a monument and more of a public space defined by the castle ramparts, towers and dungeons. A family ticket costs less than 5 Euro and allows admission to all parts , so we happily potter around the battlements, peek into a Renaissance underground chapel decorated with colourful (and, strangely for a religious structure, secular) frescoes and venture into a modern art gallery whose rather grim and brutally expressionist content seems at odds with the gentle beauty of the city. We also climb the strange double-spiral red stairs to the top of the clock tower: more huffing and puffing and even better views.
We leave the castle via the funicular: the station is in the basement of the castle and its access hall in the base of the castle incorporates chunks of natural rock the little one proceeds to climb with gusto despite all the other climbing he's done today.
The funicular is very steep, more of an outdoor glass lift than a tram with cogs and gears I expected. More views before we descend to Vodnikovy Trg, normally a site of a street market which doesn't function on Sundays to sit down to well earned late lunch. We tuck into rich game dishes at the outdoor tables of Vinoteka Sokol: there are roadworks directly in front of the restaurant and the tables have been relocated to Mestni Trg, next to the pretty Renaissance Town Hall and directly in front of Ljubljana's landmark baroque Robba fountain, on which three bearded figures represent three major rivers of Slovenia.
The children attempt to scale the high base and dive into the basin, so to avoid cracked bones we drag ourselves away from our beers and venture back towards the Triple Bridge.
High above our heads wooden easels with drawings and paintings swing gently, suspended from wires between the buildings: art is in the air of Ljubljana.
We walk along more picturesque streets to Tivoli gardens, the main large public park of Ljubljana. And underpass allows for safe crossing of a busy road and its walls are adorned with industrial-looking, rusting iron mesh. A closer look reveals patterns of tree trunks and branches created by different shades of brown and red. Is this a creative use of real rust? Or paint made to look like one? I am not sure but it works, a fusion of urban and bucolic, industrial and artistic that fits the location perfectly.
The concrete supports of the underpass have circular openings which have been lined with thick, warm blocks of solid wood and must exert a strong pull as the little one immediately climbs into one to lounge while a pair of snogging teenagers occupies the other.
The cultivated part of Tivoli contains an extensive playground where the children can be let loose for a while. It's still very hot, so the drinking fountain thoughtfully placed in the play park is a welcome blessing.
As the day draws towards the late afternoon, more families appear: it's clear that, not only architectonically but demographically too, Slovenia belongs firmly in Central Europe. The people could easily be Austrian, Czech or Polish – there is a sprinkling of natural blonde hair and even the tanned bodies don't reach the chocolate brown that we have seen frequently in Greece, Southern Italy or, more recently, Croatia.
Tivoli park contains several attractions including a stately home, a zoo, swimming pool and other sports facilities. Its further reaches stretch to nearby countryside and provide walking and cycling grounds for the locals and visitors. But the day is drawing to a close and we are tired with heat, walking and sightseeing so we schlep back with a beer-and-juice stop at an outdoor jazz cafe. We sip our drinks while the children discover and use two hammocks hanging among the trees. The stage is empty at this relatively early hour, but recorded music does the place's name justice, enveloping us in mellow sounds.
The next day most of the morning is taken by planning the next stage of our journey, but in the afternoon we go for a boat rip along Ljubljanica river. It's an hour-long ride abroad smallish tour-boat and our skipper-cum-guide points out interesting features of the architecture and shares informative facts about Ljubljana waterways in fluent German and English.
We go up the river first and within 15 minutes of the slow ride the urban landscape gives way to country cottages, high stone waterfront is replaced by reeds and weeping willows.
Ljubljana lies on Ljubljanica river which is connected by a canal to Sava, a tributary of Danube. This connection to both the Black Sea and the grand cities of former Austrian Empire reminds me again of how much geographical, historical and cultural influences combine in this place. Food and landscape, culture and peoples range from Slavic to Germanic, Balkan to Alpine, Mediterranean to Central European. Slovenia is a true crossroads.