Visitors, Wandering, and a Lot of Truffle Pasta: Mar 16-22

The week finally arrived when Tony and Loen made it to Ljubljana after a long travel day full of delays, missed connections, and a last minute reroute into Zagreb instead of Ljubljana. Somehow, even with cold showers and a broken water heater, the trip still started on a high note with dinner at Pop’s and Loen immediately beginning what became a two-week truffle pasta adventure.

The days settled into a mix of work, exploring, and showing Tony and Loen all that I love about the city. While I spent mornings at the Institute, afternoons were filled with walks through Ljubljana, discovering new foods, and enjoying the slower pace of life here. Tony quickly became a fan of Klobasarna’s sausage pastry creations, while I learned that St. Patrick’s Day in Slovenia passes almost completely unnoticed.

One of the highlights of the week was Open Kitchen, the seasonal outdoor food market that takes over the city center. We spent hours wandering between nearly fifty restaurant stalls trying everything from truffle pasta and mussels to Vietnamese noodles and Argentinian beef. The day somehow ended with six adults getting stuck in a tiny elevator before recovering with ice cream at Cacao and laughing about the whole thing afterward.

The rest of the week was filled with small adventures that made everyday life feel memorable. There were castle walks, couch concerts, a visit to the Illusion Museum, bakery discoveries, and an accidental trip to the wrong Begunje that still turned into a beautiful hiking day. We made it to the mythical home of witches in Slovenia, that is Mount Slivnica, located near Lake Cerknica. By the end of the week, Ljubljana felt even more alive with spring arriving, outdoor spaces filling up, and the city becoming a place to share instead of just experience alone.