Guarding the town of Ljubljana is an ancient castle sitting high upon the mountain. Built in 1766, it called our attention, "Come visit me!" Dave and Donna opted for the funicular, an electric trolley car that scales the steep 60-degree slope to the castle door. Petey and I opted to find a hidden trail that leads to the back of the castle. With our trusty Steves’ book in hand, we set out to find this secret passage. Not more than a block down a shop-lined alley we happened upon a group of four American tourists. They were on the same quest, finding the holy passage to the castle. They were gathered around a map like a football huddle. Every now and then a head would lift up like a periscope, scan for a landmark, then draw back down pointing at the city map. Petey and I looked at each other and laughed ... been there. Just then, a young girl spotted us and asked, “Where you going?”
Petey replied, “We read there is a secret passage up to the back of the castle.”
“I am going that way; let me show you.” said the olive skinned girl.
Her name was Natasha. She grew up in Slovenia. “It’s shaped like a chicken,” she said, “I grew up by the neck.”
Like most post-teens, she was entering the workforce where jobs were few. The older folks weren’t retiring early and the economy was stagnant with 15% unemployment. She was passing through Ljubljana looking for work in a hotel. Her English was good. She told us she had just spent her senior year in Alabama. “I did fantastic in English class,” she boasted.
The hike up the secret path was a steep 16% grade switchback paved path. It took us through a canopy of birch trees then up a long flight of stone stairs to the base of the castle. From this vantage the castle was enormous. Natasha led us to the main entrance and gave us a quick orientation of the “must sees.” The conversation then turned to her recent misfortune of having just lost a $2,000 camera, stolen at a friend’s party. I sensed we were being played so we abruptly expressed our sorrow at her loss, thanked her kindly, wished her well then turned toward the first “must see.”
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