Travel – Page 3 – James Sajo

It was a last minute decision to visit Ljubljana, Slovenia this past weekend. I am fortunate to live only two hours away by car, so have the chance to travel there three or four times each year. Luckily, being so close it doesn’t take a great deal of planning.

Ljubljana is a great place for a couple of reasons. Hotels in the city center are plentiful and cheap. There is a terrific line-up of interesting museum exhibits, live music, cultural events and more. They have one of the very best fresh food markets I have found in Europe (I’ve lived here more than 20 years so have done some research). A very nice movie theater shows first-run films in original language – we went there this weekend to watch “Whiplash,” “The Theory of Everything,” and “Still Alice” all three of which were very good.

Ljubljana’s fresh market is one of the best I’ve found in Europe.

Finally, pretty much everyone here under 40 years old speaks fantastic English, and they love to show off their city.

So when checking in to the Hotel Emonec (highly recommended!), I asked Viva, the twentyish girl at reception if she knew of any restaurants serving good Indian cuisine. Score! Just last November, a restaurant sponsored in part by the glossy UK magazine “Curry Life,” opened for business downtown.

The full name of the place is Curry Life Figovec. The last bit comes from the restaurant that had occupied the space for more than a century. Now, that same space boasts a classy, upscale atmosphere and serves drop dead-blow you away-fantastic curry. If you have a trip to Ljubljana in your plans, run, don’t walk, to Curry Life Figovec ! It is new and excellent and popular, so I recommend a reservation, especially during a weekend. You can call them at+386 1 426 4410.

Since she had given such a good tip with that recommendation, I asked Viva about a café that was right around the corner from where I had parked. She said it was good, so I checked it out the next morning. Le Petit Café has a French bistro feel to it. They serve a nice breakfast (I had a very tasty omelet) and the coffee is excellent – something I treasure. There is also a lunch and dinner menu, so it looks like they are going to see me again later this year!

These two recommendations are an example of why it makes good sense to ask a local!

One of the best ways to find something special when traveling is to ask someone who lives there where they eat, what museum they like, or what do they do for relaxation.

While visiting London last weekend, I did just that and found two great discoveries, one very nice pub and a pretty good place to eat Indian cuisine.

We were strolling through the Portobello Market on a blustery day. Having exhausted our shopping needs, we asked one of the vendors if there was a place nearby to get a warm drink. She suggested we stop in Alexeeva & Jones at 297 Westbourne Grove, right there in the Notting Hill part of London.

This is a store that makes high end chocolate treats. We are not talking about supermarket stuff, here. These are exquisite chocolate delights, more expensive than run of the mill pralines, but so worth the difference in price. We each had a hot chocolate, just what the brisk London weather called for. I added a shot of chocolate from Italian chocolate maker Guido Gobino, who hails from Torino (Turin) and is one of the finest chocolatiers in the world. Yum.

Once we were enjoying our chocolate buzz, we asked if there was a nice pub nearby. Hey, it’s London, right? The suggestion was to walk over to Walmer Castle (58 Ledbury Road, across the street from an Ottolenghi deli). We did so and were thrilled to find an excellent Thai kitchen serving upstairs. It is quite common in London for a pub to hire out the kitchen to a specialty chef, and I have found through extensive research that Thai cuisine pairs quite well with a cask aged English bitter. Three of us enjoyed a very nice lunch, followed by going downstairs to watch the England vs Italy rugby match.

The next day, we were strolling through the National Gallery and asked one of the employees if they knew of a good Indian restaurant nearby. She sent us to Masala Zone (48 Floral Street, Covent Garden). Decorated by hundreds of folkloric dolls hanging from the ceiling, I was a bit worried at first it would be touristy and not so great. To my pleasant surprise, the food was pretty good (not the best Indian I have had in London, but five of us ate for less than 90 pounds). We were all quite happy with the quality and the service.

Finally, and in my mind, the best find was Lupita (13-15 Villiars Street – not far from the Embankment underground station). They serve authentic Mexico City cuisine. Anyone who has visited Europe knows how difficult it is to find really good Mexican food. Well, the problem is solved! They had home-made tortilla chips, the Margaritas were excellent, and I ate a vegetarian burrito with roasted mushrooms that was simply fantastic. Bonus: they make fresh guacamole right at your table!

This place is going to be on my itinerary every time I visit London.

If you want help from a local for your visit to Italy, check out my collection of eBooks from the Amazon Kindle Store.

Category: Travel

Ask a Local: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ask a Local: London