Day 5 – Ptuj and Maribor

Ptuj, Ptuj, Ptuj. Too fun to say. That was our destination today.

The heavens had cleared overnight, and we were in for yet another sunny scorcher. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but its pretty hot. After breakfast at the hotel we hopped in the Clio and headed for a short half hour drive down the road to Ptuj.

Ptuj is Slovenia’s oldest city (at least that’s what they tell us in the guidebook) and is located on the same river as Maribor, the Drava. We parked the car at the top of the hill, close to the castle, and walked down into the fairly small town. We had a stroll through the few small streets of the old town and over to the river. It was Sunday morning, and not a lot of people on the streets. There were however a fair number of lycra cyclists (Lisa spotted a few lycra cyclists on ebikes. I would have thought that was reserved for real cyclists). I guess Sunday mornings are a great time to go out for a ride then sit back with an espresso or two.

After strolling around the town, we made our way back up the hill to the castle. The castle is home to a museum, which has some furnishings and artworks from the ages. Nothing particularly noteworthy. There was also a small exhibit on the annual pagan festival held in Ptuj, Kurentovanje. This festival, held in the spring, has participants dancing and walking in various costumes, many of them resembling Furries. The exhibit had some information on the festival, and a number of costumes on display. Picture or two of the costumes below.

After Ptuj we made a leisurely drive back to Maribor along the back roads, amongst many fields of corn. In Maribor, after a lunch (at an Irish Pub no less!! – it had seats available where others in the vicinity were fairly full), we walked the streets of the town, up through Mestni Park and the hill beyond, which looks out over the city and the plains around Maribor. Some very beautiful views. We then headed back into the city, and down to the river, before strolling back to our hotel.

Tourist levels have been relatively light I would say in our experience in Maribor and Ptuj. At the main squares with restaurants and cafes there is a good bit of activity, but not hordes of people. And once you get away from the main square, its fairly light. In Maribor, the start of the European Youth Olympic Festival today has I’m sure added a good number of tourists to the town, but its still not overun. But its still hot!