Slovenia, Austria: Part 3 - Day 4: Walking Tour, Union Beer Experience

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 4

26/7 Day 4: Joined a free guided walking tour (11am-1pm). Went to Union Beer Experience (5-7pm). 

Costs
(1) Tips for free guided walking tour - EUR10 (shared between 2)

(2) Ticket for Union Beer Experience - EUR15,50 per person

Accommodation
(1) 2 nights in AirBnb in Ljubljana for 3 persons - EUR257,65 (EUR85 per night, EUR49 cleaning fee, EUR38,65 service fee)

Food
(1) Breakfast at Divine cafe - Breakfast set of apple, bread, butter, jam, slices of ham and coffee EUR8
(2) Lunch at Odprta kuhna food festival - Brisket EUR18, beer EUR5,50

(3) Radler beer at Union Pub - EUR3,50
(4) Dinner at The Slovenian House Figovec - Fried pork chop with bechamel sauce EUR14,80

The Story

26072024 : We arrived at Ljubljana train station at 8.15am. Our sleeping car was replaced by a sitting car and it was difficult to sleep sitting and it was very hot too. We contacted our Airbnb hostess if we could check in early to allow us to rest and she kindly allowed us to. Our Airbnb is located in town and very near the castle. Our apartment is at the bottom and the castle is at the top of the hill. Our room is in the attic so we had a good view of all the rooftops!

There is a microwave, mini refrigerator, electric kettle, coffee and tea in the room but we did not use any of them. Water can be drank directly from the tap. It was so hot that we did not want to drink hot water. We drank coffee when we were outside but most of the time, we had beer!

I looked around for a washing machine as mentioned that it was provided. We contacted the hostess initially and she responded after many hours to not use the washing machine as it was broken. Unfortunately, by then, I had washed my clothes once in the machine. She said that water leaked from under the machine but I did not see any puddle. Odd. Lesson learnt from here is to always ask the Airbnb host or hostess if the washing machine can be used before I book the place. 

After checking in, we made our way along the river to find a restaurant that has an affordable breakfast set. We glanced at many menus before settling at this cafe. Beside us was a man drinking beer. At 9.30am. 2 beer bottles.

After breakfast, two of us got ready for the 11am free guided walking tour. Another one decided to skip the walking tour and take a nap. At the end of the walking tour, one leaves any amount of tip to the guide. So, it is not free but the tip amount varies depending how much you think the tour is worth it. I enjoyed the tour. We got enlightened about the history of Slovenia, Slovenia was occupied by the Romans and Kingdom of Austria (600 years!). Many of the buildings in Slovenia were inspired by the Roman age. Barock architecture is from Roman age where the interiors are made higher, grander and more dramatic. For example, columns. 

There are many bridges in Ljubljana as Ljubljanica river flows through the city center. 

In Ljubljana town, there are drinking water available everywhere. It was very convenient to fill in our water bottles. Or drink directly from the tap. 

During the walk, the guide brought us to a souvenir shop where she receives a commission for. The group was given a small shot of fruit liqueur. We tried blueberry liquor and loved it! We came back here to buy a 200ml bottle back and was given a 10% discount by mentioning the guide's name. We did compare the prices with other liqueur shops and this was the cheapest - Tartufi Deli Shop. 

By the way, I did not know that there is a difference between liquor and liqueur! Liqueurs contain much more sugar and are often used as flavoring agent in a cocktail. 

We stopped in front of the University Library. Only students can enter. The main reading room is open to group tours at a price of EUR5. It could be different now. This building is one of the landmarks of Slovenia and the most important work of Slovenian architect, Jože Plečnik.

Here is our last stop. In front of us is the Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity (Saint Trinity Church). Our guide informed us that the church is closed as the building front is unstable due to building works of an underground parking lot. I just researched about the church and the guide made up her story. Sometimes, guide's story can be very entertaining and almost believing. I dislike it when I find out that guide's stories are untrue. I mean, that is the whole point of a walking tour, right? To learn more about the town. The church is still in service. 

Services are held daily at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 and 18:00, except in July and August, when they are only held at 9:00. Source from Visit Ljubljana.

After the guided tour, we met our friend who skipped the guided tour and we headed to a 'Open Kitchen' food festival (Odprta kuhna). We were lucky to be able to join the food festival that is held on Fridays during the summer. Almost all restaurants around Slovenia open a booth and everyone gets to taste different food without travelling far. There were so much people! It was difficult to find a spot to sit. We had to squeeze through the crowd to check out the food being sold. Food which was really good had a long queue, especially roasted meat. 

There were food from other cultures too but we were interested with Slovenian food. I had brisket! So juicy and yummy!

The food festival is held on an open square, Pogačar Square, which is very close to St Nicholas Cathedral. Here, there is a giant bronze door which was added in 1996 for a visit by Pope John II. It portrays the 1250 years of Christianity in Slovenia. 

After lunch, we took a walk up the hill towards Ljubljana Castle. The guide said that it is a good view from the castle. She informed us that we do not need to buy tickets to enter the castle but some tourists do not know and purchase a ticket. Some areas in the castle cannot be entered without a ticket. Luckily, we are not too keen in exploring the castle. It was burning hot so it is important to have lots of sunscreen!

Inside the castle.

View from the castle.

After the castle, we headed towards Union Pub for our Union Beer Experience at 5pm. It is a 2-hour tour. One hour for the museum and one hour for beer tasting. I read about this that it was a good experience. As my travel companions love beer, I asked if they were keen and of course, they said yes.. They enjoyed it a lot because they get to try 3 different beer at the end of the tour. For me, I did not enjoy it at all. I found it boring and not worth the price ticket. It was too expensive for me. We got a virtual tour in the factory as in we sat and had virtual goggles on. I almost felt asleep. Then, we walked through a museum to see the history and development of brewing method. Finally, the beer tasting.

Beer tasting session that took 1 hour. The beer cans were turned upside down so that the beer sediments can come to the top. Waited for a few minutes and then we tasted the beer. Honestly, I had a hard time finishing my beer. I am not a 'beer' person' and the drinks were too heavy for me. 

On our way back to the Airbnb, we stopped by at a restaurant to have dinner. The place had good reviews so we queued and got a place after 15 minutes. When we left the restaurant, a long queue had formed. We got complimentary bread. I had fried pork chop and water. 

Headed back to the Airbnb and was happy that we had air-conditioning in our room.