short blog... after all, we've got Hallmark Channel in English to get to.

Today was the country Trifeca... not the county Trifeca, like hitting up Kings, Madera, and Fresno counties in one 24 hour block. We had three meals in three different countries... so "let's start at the very beginning... a very good place to start." (If you thought to yourself, "Hmm, that quote sounds like those lyrics from The Sound of Music," you are absolutely right and I commend you.) Anyway... Woke up in Udine and had a wonderful breakfast courtesy of Hotel Principe, including cappuchinos. Can I get a CHA-CHING!? They were delicious and started the day off right. We caught the morning bus from Udine to Villach, Austria. An hour and a half on a bus sounds not so glamorous, but it was some intense scenery as we went through the Austrian alps. The hills were alive... (ok, that is the LAST Sound of Music reference, I promise) We arrived in Villach, Austria, and made the best discovery of the day... Billa. What is Billa? Only the BEST grocery market this side of the Danube! We stocked up on groceries and snacks as if we hadn't eaten in a week... leave it to us to think we hit the jackpot when we found foreign hummus and pita bread. We enjoyed Billa turkey sandwiches while waiting for our train. That was about it for Villach. On the train from Villach to Ljubljana, we befriended a lady from Zagreb who gave us helpful hints for our upcoming Croatia jaunt. Okay. Slovenia. A+. Ljubljana is AWESOME. Our hotel was a quick walk (900 meters... uh huh, we operate in the metric system now... we're legit) from the train statio. The architecture is like nothing I've seen before. The bridges are impressive. There is the Dragon Bridge and the Triple Bridge... the Triple Bridge has three ways to get across and the Dragon Bridge has... drum roll... dragons. We wandered all over the city; it is actually pretty small. We had kebabs for dinner in the main square then returned to our hotel, only to find the hotel lent out bikes for FREE. Say it with me again... CHA-CHING! We rode bikes (Shandon led the way without abandon, I trailed behind like a big chicken) all the way up the hill to the castle. Actually, we rode halfway up the hill then walked the bikes the rest of the way. Don't judge. It was tough. LJUBLJANA WINS EVERYTHING! Croatia, you have big shoes to fill.