I'd been in SLovenia for two hours and was already hopelessly lost in its capital Ljubljana. It had looked so easy on the map at home: train station, big street on the right, Preseren Square, follow the river till my hostel. Easy, right?
Wrong. Very wrong. Ljubljana might not be a gigantic metropolis that's home to millions, but it's a place I could get completely lost in nonetheless. And let me tell you this: I loved every second of being lost in Ljubljana.

I managed to find my hostel that first day in Ljubljana and decided to stick to the strategy of 'find the river'. As long as I followed the Ljubljanica I knew exactly where I was. As soon as I turned my back to it, I was lost - and that's how I found the most wonderful places in the city. I love that feeling of turning a corner and suddenly finding the place you couldn't find when you were walking around with a map. You discover so much more when you are lost.

I discovered Ljubljanski Grad, the castle. That in itself isn't much of an achievement since it's on top of a hill and you can see it most of the time, but there are multiple paths that lead to this castle. And, you guessed it, I got lost on these paths. I ended up following a different trail than the one I wanted to follow. The result was this view on my way to the top of the hill.
I was following a path that was more beautiful than I could've imagined - also much steeper. It only made me appreciate the castle and its view even more.

I discovered the Dragon bridge. One day, when I was hopelessly lost on a small market square near a church, I made things worse by turning my back to the river. When I tried making my way back to the Ljubljanica, I suddenly found myself standing eye to, well, claw actually, with one of the dragons of the Dragon Bridge. My jaw just dripped and if I hadn't been in public I would've done a little victory dance. Nothing feels better than finding a landmark without trying.

I discovered street art and graffiti. So much street art, so much graffiti. Back home it never caught my eye, but here it seemed everywhere. Foxes, cats, birds and my favorite: the flying eyeball. After a day or two in Ljubljana I didn't look at the buildings for their architecture anymore. I looked for hidden art on their walls. The most beautiful pieces were the ones I saw when I had no idea where I was.

I discovered Metelkova and its creative vibes. Once an army base, the place now looks like one big piece of art. One moment I was walking down a plain and normal street, the next I was surrounded by colors and creativity. I still wonder how I ended up here, but it quickly became one of my favorite places in the city. I could've wandered around for hours, days even, without discovering every amazing detail of the place. It was a coincidence that I ended up there, some would say. I like to believe it was meant to be. Metelkova's creative vibes were exactly what I needed. After finding this place, I'm sure I'll be able the live the creative life I want.

I discovered I'm not as helpless as I thought. Not everything I discovered while I was lost in Ljubljana was a physical place. I think I found big parts of myself in Metelkova and on my way to the castle: the creative part that refuses to live a lame and average life and the independent part that doesn't need anyone to help her find her way back, not matter how lost she is. I never thought there was truth in this quote, but as it turns out it's one of the biggest truths of solo travelling.

I discovered so much more in six days in Ljubljana. Almost too much to share. But I'll try to show some more of my little Slovenian discoveries on Instagram. Hope to see you there.

Stay Awesome!