Ljubljana Day 2

After walking around this morning I found the Tourist Info office and secured another hotel room for the evening at Park Hotel. A bit further from the city center than Id like but it beats paying another 50euro at a nicer place. It reminds me of Jester.
I had lunch at Ribca, a fish place located right next to the fish market, overlooking the Sava River. Sarah would have freaked out if she was here. I ordered smoked trout with horseradish and rucola. They brought the entire fish, eyeballs and all (I'm trying not to make eye contact. It unnerves me a bit too). Despite the initial shock/chuckle, I peeled back the scales and devoured the best trout Ive had.
Hope of hopes, the sun is coming out. I will be walking up the mountainside to the city's castle-hopefully burning through the massive lunch.
The town seems to be filled with visitors. Ive overheard maybe a dozen native English speakers-the rest seem to be Slovenes and the ever prominent black footed sandal wearers.
I figured out what was going on in the main square yesterday, they were giving away a car to whoever could keep touching it the longest.
Sadly, I was able to stumble on the most strenuous path up to the castle. Huffing and puffing I made it up the mountainside, wondering the entire way how in the world this castle could ever be taken by an invading army. Turns out it hasn't. They successfully repelled the Ottomans and a peasant rebellion. The castle (and esp. the view) was amazing. On my way down I found the second easiest path up (the first being a tram). It is surprising how quickly one is surrounded by the woods--in a matter of steps you could convince yourself into thinking you were in the country. After resting a bit in the woods I cont. my walk through the city to see one of their architectural masterpiece's. This city is an architectural jewel. No architect has shaped a town/city as much as their native son, Joze Plecnik. After visiting the national and university library building I walked through one of the more serene and verdant sections of town to see his home. The museum inside is apparently top notch but closed on Fridays.
I was caught up in a late afternoon rain storm and was able to make it to the TI-burning an hour on the internet and getting a road map. I hope to rent a car tomorrow. I am planning on heading to Bled, a lakeside town, After a night and partial day there I will be making a drive through Triglev Natl Park, over the national mountain, and down the Soca River Valley. Most likely stopping at a small town for the night somewhere. Then I will head to see a cave system and a castle built into a cliff side. Then I will either drop the car off or begin a drive back towards Paris.
Tonight for dinner, once the rain stopped, I ambled down the now familiar streets to a place serving traditional Slovenian food. I started with an assorted wild mushroom soup and should have stopped there, it was in a sesame bread bowl and big enough for a meal. I had a hamburger like ground beef patty covered in some sort of Slovene sauce. My first non English speaking Slovene Ive met was my waiter tonight and mixed up my side order so I ended up with fries that I hardly touched. I drank a local rose colored win called Cvicek that is quite good. What is a Lewis vacation without too much food?