The Dragon Bridge is a surprise, with its four large dragon statues and sixteen little ones. The statues are impressive and I wonder about the dragon motif. I learn later that Jason, who in legend founded Ljubljana, and his Argonauts killed a dragon. It is also said that when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons’ tails wag. While I was there, hundreds of people walked across the bridge, but I didn’t notice even a flicker of a tail.
I see a boy kicking a soccer ball against a wall. I step in front and pretend to play goalie. He’s up for the challenge and takes a couple of shots, but no luck, he doesn’t beat me. His mom sees us playing and smiles. Then his sister joins and they fight over the ball, so I take my leave.
At the Ljubljana Castle, a toddler holds up a crowd of people as he navigates the circular staircase alone, encouraged by his dad. Nobody seems to be annoyed by the delay. Like me, they are all entranced watching the determination of this tiny child.
Another boy rides his little bike down the cobblestones, with his dad running beside him. I wonder why the dad is staying so close until I see that the boy is about to crash straight into a wall before his dad grabs him by the back of the bike. The little boy has not yet learned to steer or brake.
I sit alone on a park bench on the castle grounds, gazing into the forest and the city beyond. I find I am at peace, so grateful to be able to travel and to find myself so content in this beautiful setting so far from home.
