Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana, also known as Laibach, its German name, is the capital of Slovenia. As the legend goes it was created by Greek hero Jason who stole golden fleece from king Aites and escaped with his friend Argonauts through Black sea to Danube river to Sava river all the way to Ljubljanica river where they dismantled their ship and carried it to Adriatic sea. On their way to the sea they stopped by a big lake and a swamp. That swamp was a home of big monster that Jason fought bravely and killed. That monster was Ljubljana’s Dragon that symbolizes Ljubljana nowadays. It is said that Jason was also first Ljubljana's inhabitant. Slovenia is, arguably, the most scenic of the formerly communist countries, and Ljubljana (lyoob-lyAH-nah) is a great little city full of charm. It's pretty easy to have a good time here. It's full of galleries and museums and young artists. The population of the city is around 300,000. The Ljubljanica river flows through the center of town, past Baroque buildings and under the ramparts of the ancient castle on the hill. The new city and modern-day commercial core lies to the west of the river, while the east side has Ljubljana's old city and the castle. Connecting the two are a number of bridges, the most famous of which is the Tromostovje (triple) bridge (architect Jože Plečnik). Ljubljana's pint-sized Jože Pučnik Airport (formerly known as Brnik Airport or Aerodrom Ljubljana), located 27 km north of the city, is the country's main international gateway and the hub of Slovenian national carrier Adria Airways. Jože Pučnik was a prominent Slovenian public intellectual, sociologist and politician. The airport is serviced by flights from many European countries. It is a destination of the low-cost carrier easyJet. The airport's facilities include parking, a bank, a post office, ATMs, an information desk, free WiFi Internet access in the terminal, a general store, duty-free stores, a money exchange office, a self-serve restaurant, and two or three ...