Ljubljana River: A must-do boat ride

Summer
Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana; capital of Slovenia.

Like many other cities boasting rivers and canals through the city, this capital is no less beautiful.

The best part about this city though, is that it is cheap.
In cities like Amsterdam or Venice, dining next to the canals/rivers would cost a budget traveller their one night accommodation. In Ljubljana, a riverside meal for two costs a person's one night accommodation.
DEAL!

Walking along the river, there will be an endless supply of boat ride tours. People/Boat watching at any of the 30+ bridges along the river, you will see tourists snapping away on their river tour. However, one boat will stand out to you; a handsome wooden boat (below). This boat was built by one man from top to bottom. Today, it is used to ferry tourists up and down the river.

The ride is about 45minutes, going up and down the river.

There's really nothing to do besides taking pictures, sipping bubbly and looking at the view. But hey, not complaining.

Within the city centre borders, there are a number of (more) well-known bridges, of the 30+ the river is home to. 

You should be able to see them along the river cruise, as well as 'marvel' at how dirty the underside of the bridges are.

The Cobbler's Bridge.

There used to be traditional cobblers in the surrounding buildings near the bridge (hence the name).
Today, only one remains.

The Dragon Bridge.
Dragon is Ljubljana's emblem, as seen on the city's coat of arms.
So at the ends of the bridge, there are two green dragon statues.
According to legend, if a virgin passes through the pair of dragons, they will wag their tails.
Never expected dragons to be relationship-wreakers.

The Triple Bridge.

The triple bridge is a combination of 3 bridges.

It first started out with the one (middle) bridge, as a pedestrian+vehicle bridge until it got too congested with vehicles.

The solution was to build 2 new pedestrian bridges beside the old one.

But now, all 3 bridges are pedestrian only since the mayor decided to make the bridge and the surrounding area vehicle-free.

So what we have right now is a really big pedestrian bridge. Yay.

The Butcher's Bridge.
This bridge is to Ljubljana what Pont des Arts is to Paris.
It's a love bridge.
You'll see locks at the railings of this bridge. Interestingly, there were number combination locks as well. Someone must have intended to 'unlock' their eternal love in case the relationship ends.

The Butcher's bridge is also a somewhat pervert's bridge.
The bridge is made of two strips of glass walking belts on it's sides. That's a free show of ladies in skirts for anyone sitting at the bottom of the bridge!

While one end of the Butcher's Bridge leads to riverside restaurants, the other faces a wet market selling mostly home grown fruits and vegetables.
I was told that they are all mainly home grown by the stall owners. This is an encouragement by the government. If instead of growing their own produce they consign from suppliers, they will be charged a tax. Home grown, they will not need to pay tax.

Along the river, you'll bump into lazy students chatting by the riverside to buff sports-junkie doing some competitive kayaking.

The Fish Market.
This place, you will see as you cruise down the river, serves some inexpensive seafood.
We tried some and they cost almost as much as when we order Chinese takeout to eat by the riverside.
This is why I consider Ljubljana cheap; when your restaurant dining is as cheap as your takeout.