Road Trip Part Two: Happy Birthday in Ljubljana!

Happy birthday to Otis! We awoke and were on our way fairly early because we had booked in a fun adventure-- a stand up paddleboard tour on the Ljubljanica River as part of Otis's birthday. We all really like SUP so this seemed like the perfect thing to do. We arrived easily at the meeting point where our guide was waiting for us. It seems that early October SUP tours aren't quite as popular and we were the only ones on the tour.

We carried boards to the river and got in, noticing that there were a *lot* of rowers on the river. After some discussion and confusion, it was ascertained that there was a regatta that morning and consequently we could not actually take our tour through the city. Instead, we paddled in the opposite direction, which was treelined, quiet and very peaceful. I was disappointed but Otis said he actually preferred it that way. It was a really easy SUP experience compared to some we have had and a very pleasant morning despite the change in plan.

After parting ways with our guide, Iris, and a mysterious man who came with us but never was actually introduced to us, we went out for pizza for lunch (another birthday choice) and set off for the town center to walk around and take in the sights. First, very fortuitously, we found a point of interest right around the corner....Ljubljana's cat cafe! Happily for cats and cat lovers, cat cafes are becoming more and more popular worldwide. This one was extremely pleasant. It was a nice size, very clean and had open windows with coverings so that the cats could lounge outside against the side of the building but not actually leave the premises. We all had a leisurely drink there, enjoying kitty antics.

Now fully fortified, we headed out to take in the sights of Ljubljana center. It is a very pretty place and we enjoyed wandering the streets, going back and forth across the river which bisects it. Charming! We made our way up to the castle which afforded beautiful views of, they tell us, one third of Slovenia. We tried to watch the movie (for which we had paid, not understanding that it is not on a regular loop) but time was not on our side. It would have been nice to hang out up there a little longer but we had a cake to bake! Nonetheless we enjoyed it.

Dabbing around the world, Newton-style

Enjoying over 1/3 of Slovenia. (actually feeling that my unpredictable dislike of heights was kicking in)

Our hike down through a park brought us to another exercise park, this one apparently with logs to lift as part of your fitness regime. Genius.

We headed back to our apartment to bake Otis's cake, the mix and frosting for which my mom had brought over on her visit to Dubrovnik and enjoyed a little down time.

Chris gets to baking

For dinner, we went out to Zaziv Vegan Bitstro, which was nice and casual, just how Otis likes it. We all had veggie burgers and assorted starters while playing Wizard. They were super nice and the food was tasty, so we recommend a visit if you should ever find yourself in the environs.
Of course after dinner there was cake and presents, which included a cute cat t-shirt that Chris and I had sneakily coordinated to pick up in Kotor and some nice things my parents had left for Otis during their visit. It is a little challenging to come up with presents that are meaningful but travel well on a long term trip but everyone did an impressive job. There was also a good amount of FaceTiming and What's Apping. :)

Half-moon cake

Roadworthy gifts.

Cat pouch with euros inside? How did you ever guess, Meme & Grandpa?

According to Otis, Ljubljana is very nice and interesting and a very good place to spend a birthday. We all wished we had a little more time there but our ambitious road trip schedule meant that we were due in Hungary in short order.