A Place to Wake up on Christmas Day
Written by Andy Hayes
I got the lucky straw of getting Christmas duties here at Europe A La Carte this year. (Don’t worry – most of us write them in advance!) Last year I had the boxing day shift, where I mentioned that Neuschwanstein would be the one place I’d love to wake up on Christmas day.
Well, this year I thought I’d mention to you my runner-up favourite for a place to wake up on Christmas Day: Ljubjana, Slovenia’s capital city. Why? Because of their exquisite lights display for the Christmas Market!
The market seems to go on endlessly as the colours and lights fill the dark winter days. It overlooks the river, and if you walk around you’ll find a number of unbelievable reflections that make the cold and dreariness of winter worth it for moments like these. In Prešernovtrg Square you’ll find plenty of market stalls to quench any Christmastime thirsts or hunger pains. Be sure to try the ginger biscuits – they’re a local secret (well, not anymore) or grab a loaf of potica, the Slovenian Christmas bread.
You can also explore one of Slovenia’s loved Christmas traditions: the live nativity scene. You’ll find the two most popular ones at Postojna Cave and at the Franciscan Church on Prešeren Square.
Just so you know, children (and adults) have multiple opportunities to get gifts for Christmas in Slovenian culture. There’s St Nicolas on St Nicolas Day (December 6th), Santa Claus on Christmas Day, and Father Frost on New Year. So there’s plenty of reasons to wake up on Christmas Day in Ljubjana.
Photo by Gandalfar
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Ljubljana is indeed a gorgeous place to visit at Christmas time. The photo in your post definitely does it justice. I like spending time meandering through the Christmas market stalls, popping over the Three Bridges (Tromostovje) and back whilst sipping on mulled wine or local blueberry brandy that I’ve bought along the way. The smell of chestnuts is also fantastic. Ljubljana is small, but extremely quaint. For superb views, walk up to the castle.
I’ve never been to Ljubljana but judging from the picture above I must say that it’s definitely the place you need to be on Christmas day