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I nearly stayed at the Park last year because it was rather affordable, but ended up staying at the City Hotel instead, which was considerably more expensive, but as I found out, considerably more nicer.       The Park is well, functional. It's relatively cheap accommodation in the center of Ljubljana that can be relied upon to put a roof over your head. What it is not is a particularly great experience. The downfalls that I found were that the rooms were incredibly basic. The beds were okay, but arranged as two sets of bunk beds in each room. So, if you're staying there as a couple, it's not terribly romantic. There is no air condition in the rooms. The bathrooms leave much to be desired. The one I stayed in stank to hell and the shower was very slow to drain, requiring just a trickle out of the shower so that you wouldn't flood the floor of the bathroom. I think the bathrooms were clean, but the ones that I knew were clean were those in the lobby, so they were much better for basic functions short of showering. Beyond all this, there was a massive ant problem. Coming in with any kind of snack is a big problem, because the ants will find it and I was shocked, staying on the 13th floor!       On the upswing, the staff were okay. The breakfast was surprisingly decent. You can stash your luggage there if you need to check out or in earlier or later than your room is available. Lastly, there is both free wifi (which is hell to get working unless you really know how to set up wifi) and free computers for checking email.       If you take all this in to account, I think the hotel is a decent choice for the very budget conscious if only staying 2-3 nights at most. Anymore than this and I would look in to other options in the area.

I had something of a fond past with the Movia Wine Bar. It was a welcome little glass (or two) of wine on a rainy night in 2006. It was a wine maker that I thought well of and enjoyed the wines of. This has all come crashing down in sad ways upon my latest visit to the wine bar.       Maybe I had my expectations too high, but it really was the same place. The interior was exactly as I remember and there was even the same guy serving wine. It just seems that this spot must be something of a trophy piece for Aleš Kristančič and company. Something that they run at a loss just to keep the Movia name out there. Because, I can't see how having six people in there on a Friday night can keep them in business. Yes, that's all that there were, just six of us. Ah yes and one very snooty, rude, abrupt, arrogant guy running the place.       It was this guy that really started to ruin the place for me. Upon walking in, he wanted to choose our wine for us. He said, "Just tell me what you like" instead of telling us what some of the overblown names for the blends meant in terms of the wine varietals in them. He seemed like he couldn't be bothered to actually serve us. He spent any moment where he wasn't pouring in the back room of the place and when pried about details on the wines, the answers were dismissive single words. I didn't understand his problem, but it seemed we were to get the brunt of his angst.       Then there were the wines. I don't know what's happened to Movia, but the wines I had this year seriously dropped in any depth over what I had last year. They're to the point of flavorless. Those who get paid much more than I to write about wine would probably say that I'm missing the subtleties to which I say no, you're imagining those. I think what I'm drinking is the fact that Movia is more afraid of not having a vintage for a year and will harvest the grapes too early to make sure that there is a harvest as opposed to waiting until the optimum time for harvest in order to ensure that there is enough sun on the vines. Either that, or he is showing some form of insecurity in the wines because he is running out of gimmicks. No, I don't want to go from reds to whites in a flight just because it's different. I don't care if my champagne is opened under water because... I don't know why. And lastly, I don't care if the wine is aged for five years before selling because that is the minimum it can be aged before being released. If the damned thing is ready for bottling in three months, bottle it! Wine isn't about gimmicks, it's about tasting good. Leave the gimmicks for beer makers in the US.       But, above and beyond all this, there was the annoyance at the wine bar of being overcharged 25% on our bill and then getting hassled by the guy at the bar. He claimed that we were reading an old menu, a menu he had given us. This isn't our problem, it's his and making us feel like we're the offenders is outrageous. I can see why friends in Ljubljana don't go there. That was my last time as well and I recommend it to be avoided by anyone else who likes wine. There is another bar further down Stari Trg that seems to be lacking the pretension that I'll definitely need to try the next time I'm in Ljubljana. Or, if anyone else goes there, let me know how it.

Ljubljana is mellow. Ljubljana is cool. Ljubljana is not easily pronounced by English speakers until they realize that the 'j' is a 'y'. Once these rather simple stumbling blocks are overcome, full enjoyment of this little capital (only about 200,000 people) of Slovenia can commence.       I've visited this small remnant of Hapsburg architecture three times. The first was in 2005 and was just for about two hours on the way to a plane flight back to London, which wasn't nearly enough time. The second time was last year in 2006 and I spent several days seeing the whole place and loving it despite it being in April and the weather being less than totally awesome. This last time was now, in 2007, in the height of tourist season. Oddly enough, the weather still wasn't so great. There were some sunny days, but mostly it was overcast and unhappy. Still, it was a good time and I was happy to be there again. So happy in fact that I am pulling together a listing of my favorites of Ljubljana, so here we go:              Harambaša       While closed for holiday on my most recent visit, this Bosnian restaurant makes some of the best čevapčići outside of Sarajevo. Locals might prefer others because they're meatier, but always insist on going here. They even have kajmak!              Čajna Hiša       I practically live at this place when I'm in Ljubljana. They have great teas and great foods as well. During the warmer months, they have outdoor seating which makes for good times on Stari Trg.              Škof       It's a spot that's very close to Harambaša and they serve continental style foods that are very, very tasty. I thought it would be a bit cheaper given that it's outside the tourist center, but still it's rather reasonable given the quality of the offerings.              Ljublanski Dvor       Yes, it's just a pizza place, but I've eaten here a few times and find their pizzas to be quite good and the outdoor seating is very nice, looking out on the old town and the river.              Slaščičarna Pri Vodnjaku       It's the ice cream that first pulls you in, but it's the well-made teas and really cozy setting that keeps you. While at the very end of Stari Trg, I really like this place and spent many an hour there last year, writing and attempting to be Bohemian until I got bored of seeing others doing the same thing and went back to my hotel to watch TV. Even still, a great little spot.