Cekin Mansion is located on the edge of Tivoli Park in Ljublljana. The baroque mansion was built between 1752 and 1755, supposedly to the plans of the architect Johann George Schmidt by Count Leopold Karl Lamberg. Stylistically, it derives from the Carniolan building tradition, in which, especially in the first half of the 18th century, Mediteranian initiatives met with northern artistic ideals Leopoldsruh Mansion, as it was then known, is a rare example of a suburban villa intended for the relaxation and entertainment of the mobility of the baroque period. It was created on the example of Austrian mansions after the collapse of Turkish power. The fashion  of organising grand balls and banquets, in particular for such constructed buildings, which were intended to charm those invited with their splendour, reached Ljubljana a good half century after Vienna.*

*From a National Museum of Contemporary History leaflet.

After breakfast, which was even more chaotic than it had been the previous two mornings, we set off towards the Museum of  Contemporary History. On the way we stopped off at one of the bookshops that we had visited the previous day so that I could buy a book about the Crusades and Crusader Knights that I had seen the previous day. Purchase complete, we continued on our way  to the museum. Our route took us through Tivoli Park where the trees were just beginning to show the first signs of autumn colours. As we made our way through the park, a red squirrel scampered up to me and paused  a couple of inches away from my foot. I stopped walking and stood perfectly still so I didn’t scare him, he paused for a few seconds then scampered from the pathway. He then turned to look at me and paused a while longer before making his way up a nearby tree. It was a special experience which left me feeling humble and privileged.

The museum gives an excellent account of the recent history and shaping of Slovenia (as it has become today). One of the ground floor wings housed a temporary exhibition entitled ‘Coming Home’. It gave personal accounts of Slovenians who had returned home after being scattered to various battlefields, prisons and expulsion camps during 20th century wars. I found the exhibition moving and poignant. After spending some time in the museum, we made our way back to town to find a cafe for lunch. We settled on a suitable place and I chose Mozzarella and Truffle toast. It was delicious!! I need to explain that what the Slovenians describe as toast is a cross between French toast and an English toastie. It is something you need to experience for yourself to see how good it is

After lunch we visited that National History Museum where I was able to test my skills in identifying some of the exhibits that were only labelled in Slovenian. Afterwards we made our way back to the hotel in order to pack our bags ready for 5.30am transfer to the airport the following morning. Bags packed, we freshened up and made our way back into town for dinner, along the way sitting for a pre-dinner drink. As we left the hotel we booked an early morning call for 4.20am… The hotel receptionist pulled and face and said, ‘That is brutal’.

Our choice of venue provided the meal of the week with good food and excellent service. I chose comfit of duck, mashed potatoes and fresh veg with strawberry juice as my main course. This was followed up with a ’shared’ dessert of chocolate cake with orange and almonds. The meal was accompanied by a local wine which was very palatable, as all the local wines are.

After dinner we stopped for a drink in a riverside bar before making our way back to our hotel for an early night!