Valentina Expressions

This year, I had a chance to go on vacation with my sister. We had not had that pleasure in two years during lockdown. She lives in Italy and I live in California, not only an ocean divides us, many other new government rules, pandemics and world disasters keep us distant. We planned to meet in Trieste, the Italian region of Friuli on my way to Italy from America and one stop in Germany, then we would proceed to Slovenija.

We went to Ljubljana, the capital of the Slovenia Republic. The country is part of the Schengen Area and even though the population is made of Slavic people, it certainly comprises a mixture of more European cultures. It borders with Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia and faces the Adriatic Sea, waters so familiar to me, thus the city has a bit of customs from the bordering countries. As one might notice in the photo above, the architecture is made of arched doors Italian style, Austrian décor around the windows and colors of Hungary.

In the photo below, we can admire the classic order of the Italian architecture, such as windows with pediments and key stones, all in the same line, designed in the same shape, arched entry doors at the bottom and the red rooves of buildings of Eastern Europe. To complete the picture, a typical round fountain is placed in the center of a piazza just like any European city.

A beautiful Austrian secession architecture beautifies the downtown city of Ljubljana.

I have noticed the influence of the surrounding European countries in fashion, food, and various merchandise with a huge difference in lower prices. In fact, Italians and people in the Schengen Area can cross borders without passports, due to this benefit they can shop and buy gasoline in Ljubljana at much lower prices than they can in their own country.

We concluded the visit with a ride on the Ljubljanica River admiring the picturesque bridges dated back to the Roman Empire’s time, enjoying the river banks lined with lively cafes and interesting architecture of the 19th Century.

Traveling is like reading a book from cover to cover, I bring back a lot of memories and a wish to be able to see my family again.

I am participating in the Thursday Door Challenge by Dan Antion where we can learn about customs and people in the world. Come and visit with us. Ciao,
Valentina
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Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
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