We had a short flight from Dubrovnik to Zagreb where we spent the morning at a café and walking through the markets. The temperature and humidity were much more modest and that alone helped all of our moods. From there, we took a pretty hot and stuffy train to Ljubjlana, Slovenia. We walked about five minutes from the train station to our AirBNB where our host met us outside. She stood far away and had a covid mask on due to a positive exposure at home. She was incredibly professional and kept her distance while checking us in, being cautious not to enter the ground floor (and extremely accessible) unit. It was a needed reminder that covid was still flying rampant in parts of the world and we each quickly put on our masks while checking in and for a while after, being sure that the apartment itself had been properly aired out.

Ljubjlana

We spent the afternoon and the next day exploring Ljubljana, which we all agreed was our favorite city up to that point in the trip. The streets were lined with restaurants and the river that ran through the town was the perfect place for a picture and quiet stroll. The city itself was not overwhelmed with tourists like so much of Europe, and the weather was incredibly tolerable. There is a funicular that brings passengers to the top of the mountain where a castle sits. This was free for any disabled guests and those accompanying them, so we spent a few hours going up and exploring. I did have a little stumble out of my chair – my third one on this trip – when we hit a small bump at the top of the mountain, but all ended well and I only had a minor scratch on my left hand.

One of the things we all quickly noticed in Ljubljana was the number of wheelchair users. I had only seen two, maybe three, people using wheelchairs in the six or seven weeks prior to Ljubljana, yet in a matter of 48 hours I saw at least half a dozen wheelchair users in just one city. I did some research on why this might be. Was there a specific medical facility nearby? Was Slovenia especially friendly to the disabled? Was there a genetic disorder that was prevalent? My Google research didn’t come back with anything that stood out other than that Ljubljana was just an overly accessible city. Duh, I should have picked up on this! It was the same reason I loved the city. It provided a freedom that much of the world can’t give back to those with disabilities.