Welcome To Slovenia

During the summer of 1997, my daughter, Jaime and I had a chance of a lifetime. We went to Europe together and had the best vacation ever. We have wonderful friends who live there, and we stayed with them for 28 days. During this time our friends showed us all over Slovenia, and we visited Croatia, Austria, and Italy( the mountains of Italy, as well as Venice). For anyone out there who is planning a trip to Europe, please know that Slovenia is definitely a place to consider.

The first week that we were there, we went to an island off the Croatian coast called Brac(pronounced "brach") to a resort in the town of Bol. There is a beach there called the Golden Coast (Zlatne Rat in Croatian), and it is paradise. The people all over the former Yugoslavia speak English very well, and while I am not one of those "ugly Americans" who thinks everyone should speak English, it certainly makes life easier. Also the people are very pleasant and friendly. There is very lively local music and we enjoyed the performance of a musician named Josko Tomacic ( pronounced Yoshko Tomacheech).

The following week, we all went to the Slovenian Alps, also called the Julian Alps, and stayed in a village named Kranska Gora. Pictured above is the highest of these mountains, Mount Triglav (prounounced Tree-glow). When my friend came to the USA, she said that she missed the mountains. I said "we have mountains in Pennsylvania." She looked at me rather sadly and replied "Not like we have." I thought she was just being a European elitist, but after I saw the Alps (which took my breath away, and not just because of the altitude either) I understood what she meant. She took us up to a mountain pass which was a mile high, and on the way down we stopped to look at a chapel which was dedicated to Russian prisoners of war, who died making the road up to the Vrsic Pass(pronounced verscheech).Also, in the side of the mountain, you can see the face of a girl. Legend says that she was a giant faery-like creature, who was able to prophecy. She made a prediction that a young boy would kill the "Golden Goat" (another legend), and for this audacity she was turned to stone and put into the mountain.

The next week, we spent exploring Ljubljana, the capitol of Slovenia, and the city in which our friends live. There is a beautiful castle(actually there are castles all over Slovenia), and visited various local towns like Skofia Loka, where they have a tradition of designing individualized breadbaking containers, and they have turned this into an artform.

The final week we went to Venice, which is as beautiful as you have always heard, and it is only three hours from Ljubljana. We road in a gondola with a very handsome gondolier, and shopped till we dropped. St. Mark's Square is teeming with people and pigeons, but is beautiful. If you go there, try to go in the spring or fall, as it is very hot and humid in the summer.

If you decide to go to anyplace in Europe, be prepared to walk and climb stairs. My friends were very patient with me, as I am not much of a walker. However, I ate Austrian chocolate, local pastries, and about two tons of cookies, and still lost five pounds. Talk about your silver lining. If you go, please email me and let me know about your experience.

I stumbled across a webpage that will give you some local flavor and a taste of the local sense of humor. If you enjoy biking, looking at lovely pictures, or just want a giggle, click here.

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