Interview with Tjaša Janovljak (Ljubljana Spotter)

Tǰaša Janovlǰak Ljubljana

Today we have an interview with Tǰaša Janovlǰak, Spotter for our Ljubljana cityblog.

We met Tjaša in a very sunny Ljubljana in August 2008 in a lovely bar down the riverfront. Tjaša told us this  Cafe Promenada was one of the oldest bars by the promenade, and had some interesting stories about its impressive history. As stupid tourists, of course we did not know this.

It was one of the many moments on our 6 month trip around Europe we felt good about the concept of Spotted by Locals. A local can tell you so many interesting things, more not just just the standard historical facts.

Tjaša is a very busy bee. She works for a website selling Slovenian wares, is a student, travels very often, and is a very talented photographer (see the pictures on her blog too). Another passion of hers is music. After our first meeting, we saw her again at a very special waterside concert in Ljubljana. She also works for an interesting website about Gipsy / Electronic Music: GipsyJungle.com.

Anything more you’d like to share about yourself?
On my mission to save the world I get carried away by many concerts and travels. Traveling for 2 hours or half a year, I’ve done both. One of my hobbies is photography which goes perfectly with other two hobbies.

I’m so busy with my hobbies that I haven’t decided yet what will be my career. Otherwise I am a geographer and sociologist so I’m perfectly aware of what is going on around me.

Why Ljubljana?
Ljubljana’s specialty is its laid back atmosphere, so when coming here the biggest mistake tourists make is to rush on because it is so tiny. Being here only for a day means you will only have seen the center but not experienced our beautiful surroundings and people’s hospitality which still lingers within capitalistic logic of the modern world. If you do take time, you can be pleasantly surprised.

Which prejudices about Ljubljana are true? Which not?
The biggest prejudice about Ljubljana comes from other Slovenians, but I guess it is the same with capitals everywhere. One of the jokes about Ljubljana goes like this: ‘People used to live in Ljubljana, but the ones that could read have departed elsewhere’.

I think the tourists don’t have any prejudice yet of Ljubljana. Maybe there is one among party people, they say Ljubljana doesn’t have a party to offer on Sunday night. But that is mainly true!

What is the most popular neighborhood to live in Ljubljana at this moment?
The centre is by far most lively place, that is why I moved to the centre also.

Which time of the year you like most in you city and why?
I like summer the most, so Ljubljana in summer looks the best for me. It usually wasn’t like that, since it got completely empty, but in last 10 years a huge progress has been made, so there is a lot going on in the summer. Music festivals, open theaters, concerts, street art…

If you can only stay for two more days in your city, which Spots would you definitely visit?
In the summer I would definitely visit the green spaces of Ljubljana and had a stroll along Ljubljanica river with a coffee stop somewhere. At night I would visit the alternative places such as Metelkova and Rog. Depends where the party is that night.

See all of Tjaša’s articles here.

Check out the other interviews with our Spotters.

Last Changed Date: 2016-05-19 11:45:13 +0200 (Thu, 19 May 2016)