Jošt Derlink (1990)

Smarna gora is a hill at the most northern part of Ljubljana. It’s a butte and looks like two humps of camel. You can reach it with city bus number 8 (Gameljne). The bus drives in 10-20 minute period.

There are many ways to reach the top of Smarna gora. There are paths that are a bit steep, but take only 20 minutes. There are also more gentle paths, which are most of the time full of climbers, especially on Sundays. But if you are not walking on the main paths, you can relax and enjoy the fresh air.

Smarna gora has two peaks. Smarna gora and Grmada. The first peak is the popular one and is full of guests. On this peak you will also find an inn called Ledinek. Here you can buy some typical Slovenian dishes, a cup of tea or a beer. It has a nice view on Ljubljana, especially when the weather is nice.

Grmada is a located a bit higher and only has a bench on the top, so it doesn’t have so many visitors. It’s better if you would just like to relax, read a book or study.

This is a unique experience in Ljubljana: drinking coffee on the terrace, 50 meters above the streets, in the first skyscraper in this part of Europe. The café on the top of Nebotičnik finally reopened its doors in 2010.

It was the center of the social life in the past. Each person has its own memory of the place. Older ones think about all that jazz on the top at nights, while younger ones still fancy a strawberry juice with whipped cream. Sadly the place shut down in late 90′s and we almost forgot that this existed in Ljubljana.

I remember the first time I went for a coffee after the renovation. It was cloudy and somewhere in the middle it started to rain, but I didn’t care. The view from the top is spectacular!

This little restaurant is located in Krakovo, the oldest Ljubljana suburb. It’s a bit quirky-it doesn’t have a menu and interior looks pretty much the same as a typical Slovene kindergarten, so if you have an opportunity, find a place outside.

Despite those two facts it’s still one of the best chances to eat in Ljubljana. It’s true, they don’t even have a menu, but they have the nicest staff and the waitress will tell you what can they offer you (sometimes it depends on the season), and sooner or later you will find out that they have EVERYTHING. They have all kinds of steaks, pastas, seafood, salads, desserts, soups and more.

Another advantage is that you won’t spend too much of your precious euros. An average meal costs about € 10.

The last but not least advantage: when you eat here, you eat almost in the centre, but you get the feeling that you are in a cosy little village with friendly locals.

My friend from Australia stayed at my place for a week and when I was telling her what to do in Ljubljana, I mentioned 2 art cinemas. She was really surprised that a small city like Ljubljana has 2 of them and Melbourne has none. I guess that we are lucky and I’m really glad, that I can spend some nice evenings in nice old cinemas with interior from the 30′s.

So those 2 cinemas are Kinoteka and Kinodvor, both in the center and really close to each other. I will present you the first one. I won’t say that it’s better but it sure has more movies on the program and it’s a bit cheaper

Kinoteka is located on the Miklosiceva Street, somewhere in the middle between the train station and Preseren square. They show movies from Europe mostly, but also from other parts of the world, like Japan or, of course, America, but never too commercial. You can find different genres, from dramas to black comedies and thrillers. Usually they show 2 films per day and I think you can see each film only once, so be careful not to miss your favorite movie on the big screen!

I think this is the best museum in Ljubljana, maybe Slovenia, because it’s something different. It shows you the way of life of our ancestors and they don’t do it in a boring way but with a fresh and interactive approach. You will see this immediately when you stand in front of the museum with it’s nice architecture; a mixture of modern and old.

At the moment there are 2 exhibitions. The first one is We and Others: Images of my World and Between Nature and Culture. The second one has been the permanent exhibition since 2006 and I really like it. It’s divided into two parts. The first one shows you everything about Slovene way of life in the past. The second part is dedicated to other parts of the world.

There are also some other activities in the museum. You can test your weaving skills or do a pottery workshop. Who knows, maybe you will discover a new thing you’re good at! There is also a workshop about the proper way of preparing and drinking tea like they do in Japan.

On the ground floor you will find a nice café, where you can sit down and enjoy the view of the castle and adorable neo-Gothic church. Here you can also buy Filter 57, the first cigarettes in Yugoslavia with filter (they started with production in 1957…go figure).

If you have the chance, visit SEM on the last Sunday of the month: you can get in for free.