If
planning a trip to any of the Eastern European capitals that were once part of
the former Yugoslavia, one must-see city is Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is charming beyond belief, everyone speaks
beautiful English, and it sits at the crossroads of more cultural influences
than most people are aware of. Besides the influence of the former Yugoslavia
and its the Russian, Slavic and formerly Communist influences that arose with
those historic relationships, it has also historically been linked to Austria,
Hungary, Italy, and Venice (which was not always part of Italy). So for this
reason, the food is a splendid combination of tastes and ethnicity, and the
musical heritage is outstanding.
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| Photo courtesy Ljubljana Guides |
Because
of its unique geographical location, great classical musicians from all over
Europe made a stop in Ljubljana at one time or another, regardless of what
country it belonged to at the time. So today that musical heritage is honored
with a street that is filled with the busts of classical musicians, and a
special music school known as a gymnasium resides in the heart of town where
children can be seen coming and going carrying various musical instruments. But
for the tourist, who will hear music played literally all over the city at any
time of day or night, the best way to learn about this glorious city and its
musical history is the Ljubljana Music Walking Tour, offered exclusively by Ljubljana Guides.
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| Photo courtesy Ljubljana Guides |
This
tour is approximately three hours long, and the tourist is accompanied not only
by a guide, but a private violinist! The violinist is a street musician, but
performs between 8 and 10 violin solos that pertain to the stop the guide is
talking about. The tour also includes a stop in a musically themed restaurant,
where the violinist also plays piano, and the small amount of promised snacks
turns in to a full party platter. The floor of the restaurant is covered with
crunchy authentic autumn leaves during the fall. And the “party platter” is
soon replaced with creamed cakes and other pastries from the region. They make
a second stop for some wine tasting, as well as tasting the regional specialty
of blackberry and honey brandies.
Before
the evening is through, the violinist performs a fantastic medley of Slovenian
folk songs and classical music, culminating in a portion of Vivaldi’s Four
Seasons. This tour can be booked on Viator, or directly on the Ljubljana Guides web site. To hear a musical taste of the violin
playing, click here. or on their web site.
Many
escorted tours go to the former Yugoslavia and four of the six countries it has
now become, with stops in Ljubljana.Overseas Adventure
Travel and Grand
Circle Travel and Grand Circle Cruise Line give tours as well with various different
itineraries. For more information on any of these tours, click on the links in
the article for further information.
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