Ljubljana

The Dragon City

In a break from my usual broadcasting of the summer of 24’ series, I interrupt with a shorter post on my recent trip to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. The gorgeous city of Ljubljana lies astride the warm green toned Ljubljanica river. It is not large, however its charm I would rate against many a greater sized place. The classical baroque architecture in contrast with the brutalist remenants of the USSR create a feast for the eyes and a friendly reminder of my home of Glasgow. Often, dare it be said, lack of diversity in architectural styles, as lovely as the primary style may be, can become jarring after a time. Or maybe that’s just my partiality for Glasgow speaking.

Wander along the promenade

Ljubljana

I was in Ljubljana competing in the All-European Humanitarian and Refugee Law Moot competition at the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana. Yes, it was as crazy as it sounds! I will not bore you with the ins and outs, I cannot imagine you are here to learn of the role of dolus in the commission of war crimes or the doctrine of non-refoulment. However, I will say it was a brilliant experience and far more enjoyable than I could have anticipated.

Our flights, and accommodation were paid for by the university. Neither of which were cheap, so we were immensely lucky to have this opportunity. The most frustrating part about travel to Slovenia is that direct flights from the UK to Ljubljana are scarce at best, and - like in Scotland - non-existent. Our 5-hour layover in Frankfurt trying to continue with moot prep was a testament to our commitment to the competition. However, flying with Lufthansa provided a pleasant change from the tight seats and assaulting yellow of Ryanair.

We had arranged to arrive a day early, to try and do touristy things before the competition began Unfortunately, the university was not inclined to cover the extra accommodation of our whimsical extra night. Instead, myself, and my friends and teammates Henry, and Mairi shared a three bedroom at the Ljubljana city hostel. This was remarkably cheap, at around £18 each for the night. However, what you pay for is what you get. Compared with Hostel Ruthensteiner in Vienna… well a comparison could likely not be made. However, if we had been paying for this ourselves, a safe room and clean sheets were all we could have asked for and the hostel certainly provided that.

Our day being tourists took us all across the city. Strolls along the promenade, lunch at Le Petit Café – which was delicious and not a bank-breaker either, we went there twice during our trip because we were so impressed. A walk up to the castle to take in the views, and a brief saunter through the botanic gardens and we were through. For dinner that night we chose Bascarsija Etno Hisa. Don’t worry, you don’t have to try and pronounce it, just know it was very yummy and again not an expensive find. Although it was meat heavy, even Mairi (a vegetarian) could find something on the menu to enjoy. Our other two dinners were very kindly paid for by our lovely coach, Jen. The second of which was particularly amazing.

View from Castle hill

Ljubljana

The weather when we were visiting was cold but not aggressively so. One night on the way home from a competition social we found ourselves in the town square with snow cascading from above us, sparkling in the warm streetlights. We feared we had missed the snow back home, but this familiar sight certainly perked up our moods after failing to progress to the later rounds of the competition.

The rest of our time was spent either negotiating with arms dealers, arranging peace deals, or sitting in our hotel rooms trying to prepare for some very unexpected scenarios. A shorter layover on the way home after an exceptionally early flight, we arrived back in wet, slushy Glasgow. After finding out our scoring for the competition, we were very pleasantly surprised at our performance. 10th overall, and I was ranked the 9th best oralist in the main three rounds, which I was delighted with. Moreover, with a few friends made along the way, we were left with a very warm impression of The Dragon City, and an eagerness to return.

Affordability - 8/10

Visitability - 8/10

Transport Availability - 6/10

Accommodation - 7/10