HVALA LEPA!

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

In this last blog I only want to say everybody thanks for all: “Thanks for your time, for your patience, for the accommodation, for the food, for the transport… These two months have been a great time for me. Thank you Tina and Dejan (my host entrepreneur) you have taught a lot of things about the innovation in tourism and you have helped in all moments. Thanks to Sebastjan Rosa (the intermediary organization) he picked me up in Trieste airport the day I arrived and we have been in touch during this time. Thanks Maja, you showed me the beautiful Kamniška Bistrica and Velika planina (I will never forget the food in Velika planina in that foggy day). Dolores and the girls of Turag4all we had great time together, and thanks for the coffees; I want the best for you in your new business and help everybody to travel. Barbara from Humanitas you opened my eyes to “responsible” tourism. My Portorož friends: Andreja, Neli and Lia, we had a good time at Slovenian coast, thanks for showing me Villa Salina (grear sunsets from there) and Villa Marina… and Mateja the woman who showed me Koper and gave me a bottle of olive oil that they produce. Polona showed me all the corners of the Eco Hotel in Bohinj, an incredible hotel with all the facilities (I hope that your future plans will be successful); and thanks Darko, Roman and your family I had a great week with you in Žetale (Haloze), thanks for showing me the beautiful hills, the ski, the silence, the peace…

Thanks to everybody I have met; I want to be in touch with all of you and I would like to see you soon: if you come to my little Salamanca please write or phone me and I will show you my city or maybe I come back to Slovenia soon. Adijo all my friends and remember that you have a friend in Spain!

Žetale

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

I spent the last week in Žetale ; do you know were it is? Don’t worry I'll explain to you where it is and what you can do there. I think that once you have read about it you are going to plan your trip to Žetale. The first thing is that Žetale is part of Štajerska region. The capital of this region is Maribor (95.787 habitants in 2010), the second biggest city in Slovenia. And between Maribor and Žetale there is Ptuj , the most antique city in Slovenia (Ptuj is a historical city with a rich heritage on the banks of the Drava River. The town centre reserved the medieval city core, the castle, churches, monasteries, squares...). Žetale is also part of the region called “Haloze.”
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I have read that “Haloze” is one of the poorest and more rural area in Slovenia. But I like Haloze a lot: here, all is beautiful: I like the green of the hills (now white for the snow), the great sightseeing of Donačka gora, the starry sky; the peace, the silence, the tranquillity, … But what I like the most is the people that live in this region: They are very friendly and they are always wishing to teach you a lot of things about this zone, about the wine, the food, the history…

For me Haloze was a great discovery. I have been in different farms, churches: I recommend that you visit Ptujska Gora (a lot of pilgrims visit this gothic church where the most remarkable one is the statue of Virgin Mary - the patroness with her mantle as she invites people to her side. Under the mantle there are images of more than 80 people)  … I have tried its great wine (white wine region) and I have enjoyed the traditional gastronomy… I have walked in the ecological trail… I have been in the Ptuj Thermal Spa… oh yes, I have enjoyed a lot. I think this region is perfect for nature lovers, for people who like tradition, history…this region is perfect for everyone: young, adults, elderly people…

The actual demand of tourism in Haloze is good, but in my opinion it’s necessary to advertise the high points of the region, especially in big cities like Maribor or Ljubljana and try to attract more people from there. (Maybe making weekend’s packages). It would be great if there were more information about this region in travel guides for foreigners… And in the side of the supply I think that now it is good, but it is necessary innovation, supply new things to the customers…

I hope you like the description of Žetale and Haloze and if you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to ask me.

See you soon, Juan

Meetings' week in Ljubljana

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

My friends, here I am again; I am going to tell you about the things that I did last week. I was in Ljubljana and I had different meetings:

On Monday morning I had a meeting with Barbara from Humanitas. Do you remember that I had told you about her in my blog? She told me about the things they do in Slovenia and in different countries of Africa (Ghana, Burkina Faso…) and we were talking about the “Responsible Tourism”. But what do we understand under this term? This kind of tourism does not harm neither natural nor social environment of the local communities visited and aims to contribute to its economic, cultural, social and environmental sustainability. It also thrives to connect tourists with local cultures and raises awareness on the problems local communities face. Within the project they have developed seven workshops for tourists (traditional weaving workshops, workshop of bronze making crafts, cotton workshop where participants visit organic cotton farms and get acquainted with the cotton situation in Burkina Faso, mango workshop, local beer production workshop…). Humanitas does not organize travels to Burkina Faso but aims to include workshops into already existing tourist programmes of Slovenian and foreign travel agencies. Moreover, it aims to raise awareness among Slovenian tourists and travellers on the importance of responsible tourism and to encourage Slovenian tourist agencies to include main responsible tourism principles (collaboration with local organizations and communities, financial transparency of collaborations, fair payment of local guides and partners, financial investments in social and development community projects, use of environmentally friendly transport etc.) into business strategies. The meeting was really interesting and I will look into Responsible Tourism in Spain.

On Wednesday afternoon, when it snowed strongly, I met Simona Bandur, journalist of the daily newspaper Delo. We met in Preseren Square and we had coffee in the Kavarna Union. She wanted to interview me and she asked me why I came to Slovenia, what the program Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs was about, how I felt here, what my future plans were etc. Yes, we talked for about 30 minutes and yesterday the interview was published in the newspaper! You can read it here (in Slovenian, sorry!) :)

On Thursday and Friday Slovenian Forum of Innovation took place at the Convention Centre Gospodarsko razstavišče in Ljubljana. I went there with Tina (Zavod Novi turizem) who was there to present the project Bank of Tourism Potentials in Slovenia. They were chosen among 50 innovations to be presented at this fair. There were different exhibitors: electric cars, airplane, strange cellos... On Friday morning me and Tina presented the programme Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs at a workshop hosted by Sebastjan Rosa (my Intermediary Organization). I told them about my excellent exchange.

On Friday evening me and my roomate Michiel went to the Etnographic Museum and later we watched the turning on of the Christmas Lights... Later some friends joined us and we had dinner and we enjoyed Ljubljana at night. My dear Ljubljana, how much am I going to miss you when I go...!

Slovenian Mediterranean

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

Only 47 kilometres of coast has Slovenia. Between Italy and Croatia, Slovenian Coast appears proud of itself. Last week I have been discovering the coast from Hrvatini to Sečovlje.

In this area the wind, the water and the salt of Mediterranean Sea join with the olive trees, vineyard, khakis, etc… Here, you can see the most beautiful colours of the sea and the earth; hear the wages, try different tastes…

My trip started in Portorož (Port of roses), I was working there in Istriana Tourist Service Portorož with Andreja Humar Fatorič and Lia; they explained me how they operate their business and showed me Vila Marina, a luxuries villa with 8 apartments, close to Marina Portorož. I stayed in Villa Salina during the time I was on the coast. The view from the Villa is incredible, you see the Sečovlje Saltpans (the photo of this blog is from there) and I recommend you go to the Saltpans and visit them. In Portorož, Andreja and her husband gave me to try: olive oil, cheese, khakis… Oh all it was very good!

Portorož was born as a thermal centre in the 18th century: water, salt, mud … with the years Portorož has become in an important tourist destination and hotels, restaurants, pubs, casinos… await the arrival of tourists (specially in summer). Only 2 kilometres from Portorož is Piran. The whole city is a monument. The first thing you see upon the arrival is the Saint George’s church Tower (similar to Saint Mark’s tower in Venice) and the most important place of the city is the “Tartini Square” I invite you to get lost in the side streets, go up to the walls and see the wonderful sightseeing of the sea and the white peaks of the Alps.

Continuing along the coast lies Koper (Capodistria), a beautiful town where Greeks, Romans and specially Venetians have left a great influence. When you go there you have to go to Tito’s Square and see “The Praetorian Palace”, “The Loggia” and “The Cathedral”. When I was in Koper I met Mateja Kozlovič, she showed me the apartments and rooms she rents: Kozlovič rooms in the middle of nature, with great views of the Adriatic Sea and the countryside. Mateja and her husband have an olive oil factory Oljarna Hrvatin and they gave me an olive oil bottle (I have tried and it’s exquisite.)

I came back to Ljubljana yesterday, I was very happy on the coast. And the weather was good (except one day when it rained all day), it was warm and sunny. Yesterday upon the return I saw snow. It was snowing a lot in all Slovenia except on the coast. So I have to prepare my winter clothes because cold and snow are now in Ljubljana.

See you soon and I am enjoying the first snow and be careful if you have to drive!

Dobrodošli v naravi! Dobrodošli v Bohinj!

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

Incredible, wonderful…! All the adjectives are few to describe the beauty of the lake Bohinj and the Julian Alps! Last Thursday I took the bus from Ljubljana to Bohinjska Bistrica and I spent two days there and I visited The Triglav National Park.

When you arrive to Slovenia, the first thing you see is Slovenia’s flag. There are flags everywhere; you see the colours: white, blue and red and in the coat of arms you could see three stars, the Adriatic sea and the Triglav mountain. If there is a symbol in Slovenia this is Triglav (2,864 metres) and Slovenian people told me that you aren’t a “true Slovenian” until you climb the Triglav mountain. Last Friday I saw Triglav from Bohinj Lake; I think I’m going to learn to climb and the next time I come back to Slovenia I could try to reach the top.

And what can I say about Lake Bohinj? It is the largest lake in Slovenia (maximum length 4,2 kilometres, maximum width 1 kilometre), its primary inflow is the Savica River (I recommend going  to see the Savica waterfall, even when you have to climb more than 500 steps) and its primary outflow is the Sava Bohinjka.

This is the environment where I was last week: mountains, lake, rivers, forest… pure nature! And when is the best moment to go there? In summer you can enjoy walking, rowing in the lake, riding horses … In spring and autumn you see the different colours of the nature, climbing, hiking…And in winter, skiing is possible in different ski centres like Vogel or Kobla.

What is the best place for accommodation in Bohinj? There aren’t any doubts: the five star Bohinj Park EKO Hotel. This new hotel offers to their guests all they need: different kind of rooms (presidential suite, business suites, family suites, standard rooms…). All rooms with warm natural materials and high standard equipment offer a magnificent view towards Julian Alps. The hotel provides 8 different sized conference halls. Restaurant offers a pleasant ambient in selected natural materials, diverse and excellent cuisine and fast room-service. Guests can choose from authentic home meals, international cuisine, vegetarian and diet offer. The hotel has its own bowling area with 5 professional bowling lanes. Park Hotel is connected with Aquapark by an underground corridor and thus offers a unique water experience: swimming pools, saunas, fitness, wellness… What more can you request? 

I want to highlight one thing about the hotel. Bohinj Park EKO Hotel is one of the most advanced ecological constructions in Europe. They use a system which consumes less energy. They recycle water; they spend less electric energy with Led technology; walls are very well isolated. When you remove your card from its dock a system activates a time delay before disabling. On every window there is a sensor, which shuts down the air-conditioning after a certain amount of time. Computer system regulates climate conditions in the room; it adapts to the outdoor climate as well (temperature, moisture, sun, part of the day ...) and makes optimal living conditions. It’s essential that we take care of our environment; if not, will new generations enjoy the nature?

So if you had read the blog, and you  would like to discover the beautiful Slovenian nature, it’s the moment to go to Bohinj! I invite you to go. When? Right now! Prepare your ski equipment because it's starting to snow in the mountains.

PS: I prepared some Spanish recipes for the employees of the hotel. Here is an advice on how to prepare famous paella:

PAELLA

Ingredients for 6 people:
7 cups of rice (cup coffee)
3 cloves of garlic.
3 ripe red tomatoes.
1 / 2 cup olive oil.
1 / 2 rabbit or 1 / 2 sliced chicken.
150 grams of cooked peas.
6 small lobsters
6 king prawns.
150 grams of sliced squid.
250 grams of mussels.
250 grams of clams.
Condiment saffron yellow.
Sal


Preparation
Place a paella pan on the fire and add the oil.  When the oil it will be hot add grated tomatoes and minced garlic.Then lay the pieces of meat and fry them lightly. Then add the rice and mix well with a wooden spoon, then add the peas, squid, mix again and add water (twice that of rice), add the salt and saffron and let high heat for 5 minutes. After this time,  lower the heat and keep cooking for another 15 minutes. When you still have some souo, add clams and mussels, cooked in advance and place the prawns and lobsters decorating over rice.
When the rice is just right, remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes and serve in the same paella.

Let’s help all people travel!

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

Hello, I am here again. Ten days ago I wrote the last blog and I anticipated some things about what I would write in this blog. So, I’m going to start:

From the first days of November I have been working in the company PREMIKI on a project Turag4all (http://www.turag4all.eu/). As you know  this company focuses on accessible tourism, they want that all people could travel (specially the people with disabilities), so I went to their office and I help them. The first day I went to Turag4all I was with Dolores (the boss) and Dolores’ team: Kaja, Fanika, Kristina and Silvia. All of them are very friendly and I have enjoyed working with them.

The company started as a project financed by the European Social Fund and Slovenian Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs and it is at the beginnings. So, I have seen how an enterprise is born and how it grows. 
At the start they are getting in touch with different Slovenian associations, and hotels in search of collaboration. They visit the hotels and if the accommodations have facilities for disabled people they give them the certificate “Disability Friendly” and they promote these places. At the moment they promote different hotels in Slovenia.

The company has taken part in the World Travel Market in London (from 8th to 11th November 2010), in this fair there were more than 5,000 companies from all over the world (18 of them were from Slovenia) and more than 24,000 visitors attended. At that event people from the company met people from all over the world and they have established contacts with people and companies from Croatia, Bulgaria, Italy, U.K…. In the next days Dolores is going to Valladolid (Spain), very close to my city, to participate in the third international congress on accessible tourism for all.

I helped them translate the turag4all.eu webpage to Spanish and I have looked at some contacts with Spanish companies to try establish some links with Slovenia. I’d like to highlight the organization FEAFES, Spanish Confederation group of federations and associations of people with mental illness and their families. They organize trips for people with disabilities in Spain and in Europe (París…). In my opinion I think it could be very interesting if Turag4all could work with them or other similar associations.

I have worked very happy and I have learnt differenent things that I consider very useful in my life.

Now, I’m going to prepare the suitcase because I’m going… I´m going to Bohinj, because Bohinj Park Eko Hotel is waiting for me.

See you soon.

Happy to be here

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

I want to write right now, yes it’s my birthday! I’m getting older and older, but I’m very happy. I’m lucky to be here in Slovenia, I’m blessed to work here, I’m pleasant to discover this country.

I have a lot of things to tell you, so I’m going to start at the beginning. On October 29th I went with some friends to Budapest (Hungary) and we spent there some days; on October 31st we visited Bratislava (Slovakia) and on November 1st we were in Vienna (Austria), we had a great time and enjoyed it a lot.

But now I will tell you about my work. At the social tourism workshop I attended last week I met Barbara Vodopivec from Humanitas. Humanitas is a society for human rights and supportive action. It is a voluntary, non-governmental and non-profit organisation. Its principal aims are to offer assistance to less privileged groups at home and around the world, to represent and assert their interests, and to promote tolerance. And during this week I’ll make an appointment with her because I’m interesting about the things they do. So, in the next blog you will find more information about Barbara and Humanitas.

During this week I have worked on my business plan. When you start your business plan it’s difficult because you don’t know exactly what you want, you can hardly predict things such as the expenses and incomes that you will have …but in my opinion it’s useful because it can help you think about the target audience, define comparative advantages, threats in the environment etc.

Also, I have been investigating innovation in Spanish tourism since this is the area my host entrepreneur Dejan is most interested in. There is a public company whose objective is to merge new technologies and tourism: SEGGITUR. That company aids in the management, development, implementation and maintenance of various projects. I’ve read about different projects and I think there are two very interesting: the first one is the webpage http://www.spain.info/ they run because it writes about all the most interesting things in Spain. The second one is http://www.europeseniortourism.eu/, the webpage that promotes Spanish tourism for people over 55 years old.

Also I have searched for innovative tourism products in the region where I come from: Salamanca. Salamanca is not a very big town (160,000 habitants) that lies in the centre of Spain, 210 km (2 hours) from Madrid. Salamanca is very famous for the University and a lot of people visit the city because of their studies (about 30.000 students every year) and for the monuments (the old town is a Unesco World Heritage Monument). So, Salamanca is a city with a lot of tourism potential but if people don’t offer new and different products, I believe that tourism development will stagnate.

The last things that people have done in Salamanca to attract tourists are:
-    Build and Promote Golf Courses
-    Promote Rural Tourism.
-    Experiences new sensations in Palaces or Castles.
-    Enjoy the food and the wine: catas de vino, vinoterapia, chocolaterapia
-    Spas & Health Resorts
-    Visit bulls in their environment
-    Academies where they teach you to cut the jamón ibérico
-    Outdoors Sport: cycling, hiking, trekking, canoeing, ride horses, paintball
-    River Cruises

And I’ve started working in tourist agency Turag4all, a company that promotes tourism for people with mental or physical disabilities. In the next blog I’m writing more about the things I’ve learnt and the things I’ve done with them.

To finish I’d like to tell you that on Thursday 4th November my sister and her boyfriend came to Slovenia to visit me. Like a good host I showed them around Ljubljana, we took hundreds of photos: the castle, Prešernov trg, river Ljubljanica, Dragon bridge, old town, the Town hall, Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Kongresni trg, art deco buildings… and all the places that make Ljubljana a small, but very beautiful jewel. On Sunday 6th November we discovered Bled Lake and Bohinj Lake (the last one in Triglav National Park). What can I tell you about these places? Bled is all beautiful: the castle built on top of a 130 meter cliff overlooking lake Bled, the church in the middle of the lake, the sightseeings of the alps mountains… and later we went to Bohinj… I will not tell you anything about Bohinj because I’m visiting Bohinj Park Eko hotel in mid-November (so you have to wait until I write to discover Bohinj area).

As you can see, dear readers, I don’t have a lot of time to waste in Slovenia, time flies so quickly… and I have to discover so many things…. I hope you like my blog and I'll see you soon.

Social Tourism

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

Today me and Tina from New Tourism Institute went to the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce to attend a conference about social economy. We arrived in the afternoon for the workshop "Social Economy and Tourism”. At the beginning I didn’t know anything about what I was going to listen to, but at the end of the conference I was very pleased with what I have heard. I'll tell you about the workshop:

It was about tourism, but what is tourism? The World Tourism Organization says that tourism are all the activities that people (tourists) do during their travels in places different than their own place, for a consecutive period inferior to one year and major a day, with leisure proposals, business or other motives. But I want to highlight the existence of sustainable tourism; in this tourism profits are important, but it’s necessary to merge them with the environment and social necessities. The answer on how profits can be merged with social necessities is Social Tourism.

At the workshop there were three speakers, all in charge of different Social Tourism projects.

First, Dolores Kores spoke on behalf of the Turag4all tourist agency. The idea of the Slovenian Association for Mental Health ŠENT was to establish a travel agency for people with special necessities. They think that tourism is not a luxury, but a basic right that all the humans have, so people with disabilities should not be discriminated. The agency wants to help people with mental problems to get employment and also sells tourism products for the disabled guests. Dolores told us that she wants to cooperate with new partners and we agreed I can work at her tourist agency in the next two weeks.

The next guest was Antonio Zurino from Italy. He explained us the idea behind "LE MAT.” He told us about the Social Cooperative System that they use: in these cooperatives workers own co-operatives, self-help entrepreneurs action for empowerment and decent salaries for their members, and many of the workers are exclusion people or people with disabilities. This system is used in different fields, such us agriculture, tourism…  In the tourism sector there are “LEMAT” resorts in Italy (from Trieste to Bari or Palermo) and even in Sweden (Vägen ut! Kooperativen). People who work in these resorts are ex-prisoners, ex-alcoholic, ex-drug addicts… Antonio believes that Slovenia is also ready for such cooperatives and why not start one?

The last spokesperson was Andreas Zebisch from Austria. He is the manager of Seminarkultur an der Donau, a hotel in Wenesufer. This is the only hotel in Austria where the employees have mental problems. He told us that work with these people is a gratifying experience, and amongst the ten objectives of success in his experience are flexibility and struggling against the superficial.

To sum up, tourism is a right for all the people and with tourism we can help people with problems or disabilities to integrate into the society. I am looking forward to learning more about social tourism while working in the specialised tourism agency in the next two weeks.

My first adventure: Kamniška Bistrica and Velika Planina

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

Sunday 24th October 2010, 06:00 a.m. Ljubljana (Slovenia) the alarm clock went off. Time to get up. Darkness. I left home, I was prepared for the adventure that awaited me that day. In the street all was silent and the darkness was only broken by the full moon light. I went to the bus station and went to a place that had never before heard of: Kamniška Bistrica.

In Kamniška Bistrica, Maja expected me. Maja is a nice lady who among her many jobs promotes tourism in the area. But, what is there to see in Kamniška Bistrica?

Kamniška Bistrica is an Alpine river in northern Slovenia, left tributary of the river Sava. It springs from the Kamnik Alps, near the border with Austria. It is 33 km long. Kamniška Bistrica flows through the town of Kamnik, where it is fed by the river Nevljica. So Kamniška Bistrica is in fact a river, but also the name of one of the most beautiful valleys I have seen in my life.

As a good hostess Maja showed me the most significant places of the valley, among which are the following:
• The spring of the river Kamniška Bistrica: The water springs from the moss-grown rocks and then stops for a short period of time in the artificial lake. The lake is a good place for refreshment.
• Predaselj gorge: The gorges Veliki and Mali Predaselj present the narrowest part of the riverbed of the Kamniška Bistrica. A few minute walk along the gorge opens a beautiful view on the riverbed and the colour of the river pure.
• Plečnik's Mansion: This building was built by  the architect Jože Plečnik and was The Royal Hunting Lodge of the King Alexander (Yugoslavian King).
• Memorial Park: It’s a park which includes the memorial tablets of all casualties in The Alps. There is also a memorial tablet for Tomaž Humar, one of the best Slovenian alpinists.

Maja and her Tourism Association can help you organize your trip to Kamniška Bistrica, she will show you the most beautiful and hidden places, and organize all kinds of activities such as hiking, mountain biking, archery, fishing, kayaking, zip line ... and she could  prepare a typical Slovenian food.

After seeing the wonders of Kamniška Bistrica, Maja, a friend of hers and I went to Velika Planina. Velika Planina is a grass plateau located at 1,500 meters altitude (Kamniška Bistrica is 600 meters high). From Bistrica,  Velika planina can be accessed by the cabin lift or through the mountain road. In Velika Planina, you can do all sorts of activities. In summer, you could go hiking, mountain biking, visit the typical shepherd houses, see the church of Santa Maria. In Winter, Velika Planina is a perfect place for snow lovers: skiing, sledge-runs, cross-country skiing, snowshoes walks  ... But we were in the autumn: at first the sky was overcast, but when we started climbing, fog broke out so we could barely see 10 meters far which made it easy to get lost. But going with these two experts, there was no problem. After an hour and a half we saw the houses of shepherds and arrived at the church of Santa Maria. All was quiet, silence, harmony ... The tiredness and the cold was coming over us, so we went to eat at Jarški Dom. As we were cold, we drank dušica (a traditional herbs liqueur) and the soup obara with žganci, so pretty quickly we were warm again. Finally we tried the traditional dessert štruklji. Everything was delicious. We were in heaven. On the way back the fog lifted and we could clearly see the traditional houses of the shepherds and the nearby Alpine peaks, such as Grintavec (2.558m).

In the evening we had dinner at the International Center Picnic "Pri Jurju" where we enjoyed a traditional Slovenian dinner and we talked animatedly to Marjan, the owner. And to finish the day, I stayed at the hotel Pri Orlu, a cute hotel, where in every detail there is a good taste.

I want to thank all the people I’ve met on Sunday, but especially Maja. Thanks for all and we are meeting soon!

Why Slovenia? Why not!

Juan Lopez, young Spanish entrepreneur discovering Slovenian tourism (more pictures)

Hello everybody,

I’m Juan López and I’m from Salamanca (Spain). I arrived to Slovenija on 14th of October and I’ll be here until mid-December. I’m here as a part of European Commission  program “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs”. This program is a new cross-border business exchange programme aimed at helping new or would-be entrepreneurs to acquire the relevant skills for managing a small or medium-sized enterprise and experienced businessmen or women, looking for fresh perspectives and international cooperation opportunities.

When I saw the “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs” webpage I thought why not start a business? And I thought it could be a good idea to meet different entrepreneurs and different companies from which I could learn many things. I was sure I wanted to participate in the program. But where to go? I could choose between the 27 European Countries forming the European Union (except Spain) and I chose Slovenia, but Why?

I have travelled through Europe and I have been in big countries like France, Italy or Germany. These countries are wonderful but are often crowded and people are very stressed. I wanted to visit a small country that is not very well known or at least not known in depth. Discover its cities, its people, its food, its landscapes. And so I thought why not go to Slovenia?

I know some people who have been here and they have told me that Slovenia was a beautiful country and that people were very hospitable; I have watched some TV-documentaries and I have read some books. Then I wanted to go there, the European Commission approved my request, I packed my things, I took the plane… and here I am in Slovenia.

I found a Host Entrepreneur that wanted to take me in, his name is Dejan Križaj and he is the director of New Tourism Institute and the initiatior of Bank of Tourism Potentials in Slovenia project. Through the Bank, NT cooperates with numerous tourism businesses and organisations so he can help me get in touch with tourism companies that I will visit.

During these two months I will write about Slovenia, so I can help people get to know this small great unknown country, which is at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Balkans.

I hope you like this blog and if you have any questions, suggestions or comments do not hesitate to be in touch with me by email: juanloopez@gmail.com

See you soon!

New blogger starting his Slovenian journey

In August, you could follow the adventures of Adam McRae, winner of StormIt Challenge Give me three days of GREEN sLOVEnia. We would like to thank Adam for his excellent writing and reporting and of course please, do all follow his advice: Go to Slovenia.

From Canada to Spain. Tomorrow, Bank of Tourism Potentials in Slovenia team will be joined by a young Spanish entrepreneur Juan Lopez, 28, who will visit Slovenia as part of EU business exchange programme Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. Juan will stay in Slovenia for two months during which he will be discovering the country not only from the tourist point of view but mainly from a business point of view. His long-term goal is to open own tourist agency in Spain and Bank of Tourism Potentials will help him meet as many tourist workers, professionals, agency owners, volunteers, managers and other key tourism players as possible.

Same as Adam, Juan will report on all the activities in our blog so do not forget to tune in on regular basis for the next two months! And of course, shall you wish to meet and greet Juan and host him in your organisation, do not hesitate to contact us at info@btps.si!

Final Entry - Looking Back

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

I have had some time to reflect on my trip now that I have been back at home base for a little while. Any of the trials and tribulations during my month long trip have now settled as pleasant memories and entertaining stories. I do my best not to embellish to many of the details, but of course this is unavoidable. I really did have a good time. The regular Slovenian people I met were all so friendly and accommodating that I never felt like I was a stranger in a strange land. It was the easiest travel I have ever experienced. I have since taken to recommending the places I saw to other people. I do feel that this country should be included on anyone's European tour. In fact, once I got back I noticed an article in the Toronto Star travel section echoing my thoughts on the country. (Read it here http://www.thestar.com/travel/article/863687--from-slovenia-with-love-really). I have now also checked off a few more countries on my list and have added some new stamps to the passport.

Things are getting colder here in Canada. There is a mayoral election underway in Toronto, bringing to attention all of the things that frustrate me about my hometown. I have not killed off this travel bug yet, and the creeping winter and ridiculous sounding public transit overhaul plans are making it hard for me to plant some roots here.
I am glad that I had the opportunity this summer to get out and see another part of the world. Hopefully I did a little bit of good for the tourism folks. I have been telling everyone I know to get themselves over to Slovenia, but there is only so much I can do. I got to give my friend Jocelyn an escape from Canada for a while as well, and I can finally stop teasing her about having a blank passport. The first night I had out here in Toronto, I made sure to pick up some Lasko from the liquor store as part of my welcome back.

If anyone has any questions about my trip or wants to get in contact with me for whatever reason, my email address is adam.c.mcrae@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading my stories. Go to Slovenia. The End.

Last day in the land of Slovenia

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

Last day in the land of Slovenia. It's been hectic at times, but that's always part of the fun. I've made lots of friends who I hopefully will stay in contact with. I always have the best intentions with my collections of email addresses, but nothing ever seems to pan out. Perhaps I'm a bad person. I say my goodbyes to my gracious hosts before having a little nap before my 2:30am train. I cut it pretty close and have to do a little bit of running to augment my otherwise not-fast-enough stroll to the station. I can see it at the platform when I get there and run down the tunnel to catch it in time. Phew. I don't know how I would have gotten out of that mess if I missed the train. Maybe some more hitchhiking. Then it dawns on me that maybe I shouldn't have been so excited to make this train. I don't really want to leave, plus the seats are crammed with an assortment of bodies and luggage. Sigh.... I wedge myself in and curl up as best I can. Arriving in Venice now feels a bit routine. I get off at Mestre, take the bus to the airport and wait. I'm tired. The plane is late. There is extra security because I am flying through the USA. The flight is fine, I like flying. The cabin is not full, so there is some room to stretch out. I always specify a vegetarian meal when I can. I like when they bring my 'special' meal because it makes me feel 'special'. Now that we're back across the Atlantic, I suppose this is the end of the journey and the end of the blog. There is the usual long wait times to be processed through US immigration even though I will be spending all of 20 minutes in the country. This is just how it work. Next time I'll splurge on the direct flight to avoid this silliness. Now that I'm back on home turf, I feel like I can relax. However, there are other matters to attend to back in the real world. Back on the hunt for a real job. Finding a new place to live. Arg, I wish I could just be a nomad. But I have made it back in one piece. I'm sure my family and friends will be excited to see me. I owe so much to the land of Slovenia for all of the adventure it has shown me. I sincerely appreciate all of the help I have had along the way in making this trip happen.

It's raining in Laibach

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

Ok, so the weather decided to rear it's ugly head and cancel my intended trip to Croatia. Fine. It was not on my list of things to do anyway. But the rain is a downer no matter where you are, and has rendered today unusable. Board games and Chinese food are the order of the day. It's a shame to be wasting my remaining days in Slovenia like this, but the weather is outside of my control. I do not want to walk around in the rain.

Last night was the final night of Trnfest, and to be honest, I was dissappointed. The main attraction, Laibach is maybe the most well-known Slovenian band outside of Slovenia. Their name is even the German name for Ljubljana. Cool name, super lame band. I was anticipating some mosh pit freaking out and dancing, but.. no luck. The best song was played during the credits after the set. What kind of band plays credits after their show? This band really takes themselves too seriously.

Oh well.

The rest of the evening was really fun though. Ample friendly people to hang out with and more than enough music to dance around to. There was an Alice in Chains cover band playing, which I found to be an odd choice for the closing night, but they were great. I'm not even a huge Alice in Chains fan, but these guys rocked it.

I met a girl by the name of Iva who I met the following morning after not having the most restful of sleeps. I hope I was coherent and didn't look like death, but I guess that will up to the readers of Delo to decide. I'm not sure when the interview will be printed, if at all.

I am beat. Luckily I have generous friends who own a comfortable couch. It's raining some more again today.

Small country sarcasm

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"I got super rained on yesterday. Bleh, it had to happen sometime. I left my friend's place to go to Trnfest and got caught in the thick of it. But it's my own fault. The sky was giving enough warning signs. Tonight's events take place inside, so are unaffected. There are still lots of people. The next night is a Canadian punk band, so fingers crossed for no rain again.

I think my friends may be going to Croatia this weekend. I have avoided car travel as much as possible, but it is hard to turn down a free ride. It will also complete the set for visiting all of Slovenia's immediate neighbors. That seems like something the tourism office would be ok with. I am interested to hear what they have to say about my exploits over the past few weeks.

I love the 'small country sarcasm' that is built into the people here. They think it's great and also funny that I have been here for so long. They say I could see Slovenia in a day if I tried. I always get a chuckle out of them as they list off things I should see and I keep saying that I've already been there.

Everybody waits for the little walk/don't walk signal at traffic lights, even if the street is empty. It's cute. Little things like that make me smile.

I met some nice people who let me sleep at their place last night. It's the real Adam way to purposely not book a bed as to push fate in the direction I want. I don't need much, and can rely on the kindness of strangers. I'm probably supposed to be spending more money, right? What's the point of tourism if the tourists don't buy anything. Sorry, Slovenia, you already got all of my money, I've got bills to pay back on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, too.

I have so many emails exchanged back and forth with Slovenian people I have met so far. And not just a 'hello, nice to meet you, bye' kinda thing. Genuine interest in my trip and helpful suggestions on what to see. And people inviting me to stay at their place when I just met them. It's amazing how friendly these people are. I don't know what makes them that way. I think it goes back to the small country thing I was talking about before. A kind of built-in modesty, Canada is like this as well. I think we are not so different. But this is the kind of thing that I wanted to see and document more than the physical sights. The people are the important part to me."

Nights in Ljubljana Old Town

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"It's nice to have a relaxing sleep and a good breakfast. I purposely make things hard on myself when I travel, I usually need a vacation from my vacation when I get back to home base. I saw my friend Dejan and his girlfriend today in Medvode outside the city. He seems to get what I'm going for. Travel does not have to involve built up areas and continental breakfasts. The new generation doesn't always want that. Oh well, form your own opinion on this.

I was in Kranj today. It reminds me of when you go to a website and it says 'sorry, this page is under construction, please check back soon!' Too bad, maybe next year. The tourism office was closed, and the rain was about to come crashing down. I did a couple of circuits around the empty old town and then hopped on the train back to the center of the Slovenia universe, Ljubljana.

There is a hustle and bustle downtown. Stages are being set up all around and I can smell meat being bbq'd. I buy a beer from a stand and sit in one of my 'free Internet spots' by the river. I wish the camera on this thing could capture nighttime shots, but it's hopeless. Anyway, this is part of a 'Nights in Ljubljana Old Town' festival, now 22 years running. I think I picked the right month to come here. There is something going on every day if you are up for it. I take in some free music and drink another 2€ beer. It's pleasant, but I could use a companion. I have friends here, but nobody is around tonight. I walk home to where I'm staying to rest up for a trip to Croatia tomorrow morning. Why not, free ride.

I feel like I'll be missing out on something here in Ljubljana, but i'll be back for the final day of Trnfest on Sunday. I've even got people to go with."

Chemical engineering graduates wanted?

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"That was quite a good time. I read back a bit of this stuff to myself and enjoyed it all over again. Even the frustrating parts were fun, or at least interesting. That's where the 'real' travel happens. I'm glad I was asked to keep track of this trip in writing, I would never have thought to do it on my own. Since the train wasn't until 2:28, Jocelyn and I called up our friend from the bar and she told us to come to Trnfest. I hadn't actually been yet, and we missed whatever was happening that night, but the place was still packed with people, and there is an impressive looking stage set up. I can't wait to see what it's like tonight. Also, just as we get there, our friend is out front waiting for a cab, she apologizes and asks me to call her tomorrow so she can make up for it. Fine with me.

I'm going to take it easy today now that I don't have to deal with the self-imposed stress of travelling with someone else. Maybe I'm just a born loser.

And really, all of my objectives have been accomplished. I think I have seen more of Slovenia than any other tourist here. Maybe even more than some Slovenians. It is a good feeling, and this is a fun place (people still can't believe that I'm spending a month here). Ljubljana will be my home for the next few days. Maybe I'll just try to find a job here to avoid the 10 hour flight home. Is this country in need of chemical engineering graduates?"

Gaining perspective

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt Challenge (more pictures and comments)

"At home Jocelyn always gives me a hard time about tipping, so it's nice to show her that the whole world doesn't operate that way. I get a little sense of redemption when I show her by trying to tip a waitress, only to have her run over to us to say I gave her 20 extra cents by accident. Sweet.

This guesthouse family is super nice (I suppose it is their job), but we feel welcome. This day is the most relaxing so far. Sleep in. Walking to Otočec castle is pleasant through the forest. It is a hotel now, but it still is nice to look at. I keep poking Jocelyn to give hitchiking a try, but she is discouraged from the start, so we just walk to the nearest town. Even here people speak perfect English. I am pretty impressed. I prefer a little language struggle in my travelling, makes it seem a little more authentic. But man, is it ever easy to get around here. We eat maybe the best pizza I have ever had, and chase it down with a bottle of Cviček.

On the walk back, I try to prove that hitching a ride is not impossible. An old man stops and picks us up. Told you so, Jocelyn. But for all the glory of proving myself right, we end up driving way past where we were supposed to go. Oops. But we are on free time now and there's a sign for a bar in view. We go in, I order in Slovenian. Eventually I run out of words, but of course she speaks English and has just been humouring me. Nice that I gave it a try anyway, I think people appreciate it. We aren't far from where we have to go. Saunter back to the guesthouse pick up our bags. Jocelyn is now more inclined to give the thumb a try even though out last ride didn't work so well. We get a ride into Novo Mesto no problem and make the train to Ljubljana. I'm excited to show off the city, I've been back here enough times now to have my bearings. We check into a crappy hostel to give Jocelyn a different flavour of travel. No hot water, hassle about staying past check out. The place sucks, but you've gotta stay at the poor places too if you're gonna have any perspective.

We wander around, grab some food, drink some pivo. Meet a cool waitress who seems to be moonlighting as a tour guide and turns us on to some cool things going on in the next few days and invites me along with her. Exchange numbers. I give her a sticker for my band. I brought a stack of them to carpetbomb the country with. All this Slovenian travel is going to provide fuel for some new songs. Check it out at www.myspace.com/reykjavictim and see what I come up with. Some of these town names are pretty musical.

So I guess I have some things on my plate for the next days. We go get some more beer in Metelkova with my friend Ema when she gets off work. She's a cool cat, I'm glad she's on my team. Provides a little insider information about this place.

We drink until 4am. It's hard for us to wrap our brains around being able to buy beer from a bar, and then just walk away with it. Silly Canada doesn't quite have it's act together in this department.

Next day we go to the Challenge Future office for a little interview with the prize winner. I think I give them what they need. We take photos and get some t-shirts. The place is a pain to get to. We don't have a transit card (and don't want to buy one) but the bus driver just groans and lets us on anyway. Free ride. It goes in the right direction, but we still have to walk a bit. It's nice to have this goal for the day, makes me feel important.

Back to the city center for free again. Walk up to the castle, wander around the river. It's really a nice city. I give Jocelyn all the that I have, afterall, I am an expert on Slovenia now.

Back to hostel Celica to rest out legs. This is my home base. I like to think that I'm getting special treatment by using the Internet and storing our bags in the luggage room, as if I have wooed the reception girls with my endless charm. But in reality they are probably this nice to everyone; that or they just can't remember if I'm actually a guest tonight or not.

This is the last night for Jocelyn. I think I put together a good trip for her (us). I had a good time. She'll catch the night train to Venice and then get on a plane tomorrow.

And then there was one."

Delays in green travel

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"Where we last left off, everything was going according to plan. Cancel that. Next is a slippery slope of delays and missed deadlines. However, this is a little more my usual pace. See what happens when I try to plan ahead? The train to Divača is 20 minutes late, not a problem in itself, but the 'walking trail' to the Skočjan caves is.... loosely marked and the signs perpetually say 15 min away. Prepare to walk 45min if you go. A tad frustrating, but the walk is actually nice, and if we had no agenda, would be relaxing. So we don't get there in time for the 1pm tour and have to wait for the 2pm one. Our train from Divača station is at 4:16, and the tour lasts 1.5 hours, ok, still doable. The tour is great. The caves are amazing. If you have to choose between Postojna and here, choose here. It's a litle more rugged, but way grander. Make note of the former stairs and tour route carved into the cave walls, it makes you feel like a baby in comparison. Really great, UNESCO agrees. I'm not even really a cave guy. As with the Postojna caves, my iPhone pictures are... useless; no point in even trying capture it.

So we get out, the tour has taken almost 2 hours, try to run back the top, I'm quicker than Jocelyn and getting there realize we're not going to make the train at this rate. I run ahead and order a cab. When I go back to get her, she is gone. Bathroom maybe? No, restaurant? No. So I've already lost my friend. I can only assume she took the path to the train station and abandon the cab and resign myself to the surely fruitless trek to the station.

There she is. We miss the train. There are no more to Nova Gorica in time to catch the one to Bled. Ok, find a bus. I try to persuade Jocelyn to hitchhike, but it's a no-go. The bus arrives in Nova Gorica early, but sadly not at the train station.

We go as fast as possible but miss the last train to Bled. This is only 7:30pm right now, mind you. But the trains are all done and there are no busses and we are stranded. Oh Slovenia, why must you shut down so early on a Friday? Some friendly people at the station have a laugh with us about our situation, and recommend that we sleep at the train station and take the train the next morning. Done. It would't be the first time. So, a night to kill, and an uncomfortable place to sleep, if there ever was a time to get drunk, this is it. There is a lot of stuff going on despite how small the town is. We watch a free outdoor concert. I forget the name of the band, but they were good enough for us. Slovenia seems to be full of things like this at this time of year. We make enough friends and drink enough beers to make the night a success, eat a drunken Kebab (as far as I can tell, the most popular food in the country), buy cigarettes at the ridiculous casino full of italians and pass out at the train station. We were hoping to see the wonderful scenery on the way to Bled, it was part of the plan by taking the train. We just both curled up and slept the entire way, woke up luckily in time, and with tired eyes saw beautiful lake bled at 7am from the train station.

It's a nice walk to the town, but we are so tired. We also have a day of biking planned. The hotel is the best one that I've never stayed at. The staff takes pity on us and we have a laugh. It's really not so bad, we've all slept in worse places than a train station. There are bikes waiting for us, and a breakfast in the table which we were kindly invited to. I ask if we can wait for someone to check out so that we can use a room for a little while to get showered up and start the day off right. Riding a good bike makes such a difference. After a nap and a red bull, and with a bag full of fruit and drinks, we explore the region. I think I had been a little optimistic in my plan to bike to lake Bohinj. It is certainly doable, but we are feeling like trash today. It's all mountains. Biking is hard, we are out of shape. We do our best. It's still a nice place to see. There is a reason why it is such a popular tourist town. Look up photos, or better yet, just go for yourself.

We decide to take more care in getting to the hotel on time tonight. It's easy, stop in Ljubljana for 35 minutes gives Jocelyn a taste of the city. The only real taste we get it of the Chinese restaurant near the station. I order our food in Mandarin and blow the staff away. I don't know how many Chinese speaking white guys they get in there normally; I assume zero based on their reaction. I love it, I think I'll be moving to China soon. Taxi from Novo Mesto, and we get to the Vovko guesthouse. Finally a place to rest."

Postojnska jama

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt Challenge (more pictures and comments)

"Waiting at the Postojna train station fresh from the caves. We made a point to get up early and beat the crowd, a good call because on our way out the lines looked ridiculous. The Postojna cave system is set up for a quick get-in-get-out visit, which is exactly what we were after. There us still a lot of walking to do once we get to stop number two on this cave-related leg of the trip. The little cave train makes the tour so easy, albiet a little gimmicky and hurried. We get off and there are signs corresponding to which language your tour guide will be. Very organized, little confusion, an all-business tour-lady who has I'm sure said the same thing 1000 times. I like it. I never even knew about these 'curtain' stalactites, ribbons of twisted-looking formations that, yes, look like curtains. And here I was thinking I was smart knowing the difference between stalactite and stalagmite. It's not unbearably cold. I'm still in shorts and sandals, but of course, for me the only other option is pantless and barefoot. It is not a problem and the floor, although wet, is not the least bit slippery. We see the tank of 'human fish' salamanders, I want one. Fun fact, bats don't live here because the temperature is too cold, they need about 15 degrees to be happy. We should have left our backpacks at the hotel, because we walked right by it on the way to the train station. But honestly the cave tour is more a relaxing pace than I normally walk so it is not a problem at all. We snagged some fruit and hardboiled eggs from the breakfast at Hotel Sport (where we had a discounted stay, the 'media rate'... ooh la la) for our lunch in the Skocjan caves park. We are right on time. Train to Divača."

Jocelyn is here!

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt Challenge (more pictures and comments)

"Just look at me now. Laying in a hotel room in Piran, on the Slovenian coast. The trip to Venice went as well as can be expected. The train ride was bearable, but it didn't leave me with many sleep hours banked. The party is now two of us. Jocelyn made it across the Atlantic. Originally, my good friend Isaac was going to join me, but he had to work... Blah blah blah. Funny thing is, because he couldn't go, I am now taking his girlfriend instead. But don't worry, I'm not in danger of ruining any friendships here. Went to San Marco, pushed through the crowds at the Rialto bridge, photo op, photo op, bought a train station slice of pizza (if only so Jocelyn could say she had a real pizza from Italy) and then got ourselves out of there. It took us a while to get to Piran, the sun was barely in the sky but we found a place to stay (too nice). I have almost a moral aversion to nice hotels. All you do is sleep there! What else do you need but a bed. But with two people, it makes it almost the same price as a hostel so whatever, here we are. I realize i haven't even seen a television in a few weeks.

I received an email from Challenge Future earlier with an invite to have coffee in Bled. It makes me feel like a bit of a celebrity, from now on I will tell people that my band is famous in Slovenia. Speaking of Challenge Future, I don't think I have mentioned them yet, but they are really the reason I am here. If you didn't arrive at this blog from their site, you should visit (http://www.challengefuture.org/) I believe they are starting up a new season of competitions, hopefully another Stormit one so I can win another trip back here. You can see my proposal on the site if you want to see what I have planned. The only clean shirt I have is the one I got from the office in Ljubljana the other day (wearing it now, so the cleanliness is debatable). I will have to make time to go on and thank them properly when I am back in the capital. By that time I hope I have at least done some laundry, otherwise I'll be asking for a week's supply of C:F t-shirts.

I am now soaking up some sun and free Internet outside of the Cafe Teater in Piran. There is a good view of the water and the seawall. It is nice here, another town recommended to me by Slovenian people. The only thing on today's agenda is swimming, sunbathing and eventually making it to Koper and catching a train to Postojna. Caves tomorrow. I'm getting excited just looking at my bundle of travel vouchers and train tickets. Prepare yourself for the prize-winning adventure. I doubt I even scheduled enough time to sleep, let alone write a blog. Čao!"

White lie

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt Challenge (more pictures and comments)

"The hostel Celica is my home base even though I've only actually slept here one night. It is relaxed and nobody is bothering me to buy something. I write to you now from a hammock in the courtyard, with my belongings stashed away in the luggage room. It's not really my thing, but this hostel really does it's best to get people to mingle with each other. I grow tired pretty quickly from the ensuing 'who has been to more places' conversation. Besides, I'm here to meet Slovenians, if I wanted to meet Irish people, I know where there's a whole island full of them. Nevertheless, it's not the most fun being a loser. Plus I have instant street cred by pretending I'm an actual travel writer, the most coveted job in hostel land. It's a white lie.

Still in a hangover haze from drinking too many beers and smoking too many cigarettes with the kids in Metelkova. I can't bring myself to take pictures of the place, people live here. But I certainly recommend it. It's nice to escape the meat-market of clubs and bars and let the freak flag fly. It's liberating. Makes me feel young. Also, seems the right venue to pick up drugs if beer isn't enough for you.

The whirlwind best of Slovenia tour begins soon. It's going to be a change for me. Tickets and vouchers, everything booked and paid for. I've really gotta hand it to the tourism guys for setting this all up. Is this how most people travel? It could either be incredibly relaxing or incredibly constricting. We shall see! Really, Jocelyn is the big winner here. Pop in for a week guided Slovenia tour, lucky gal.

The train leaves for Venice at 2:28am. Pretty hard to call it an overnight train, but at least I don't have to find anywhere to stay tonight. I'm dreading going back there. Get in get out, take a photo with Jocelyn. Not buy a single overpriced pizza.

This city Ljubljana, however, is great. Luckily all the Slovenian trains come through here, so I'll be back for sure. Hell, I still have 2 more weeks in this country.

This hammock has worked it's magic, so long hangover."

Open theatre

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"Ah, now we're talking. I know that there's lots of tourists in Ljubljana right now, but who cares, it's worth it. I walked over to this Metelkova street which i've heard so much about and find the hostel Celica. It's pretty booked up, and I don't want to spend 26 euro on a more premium bed so I have a drink at the bar instead. I recently learned that tipping is appropriate here in Slovenia (oops), but only on the order of rounding your bill up to the next euro, and only then if you want to. I tip the bartender the 0.3€ from my change, and she offers to let me stay at her place tonight. Who knows what I would get for a full euro.

There is a festival happening in Ljubljana right now, and part of it involves showing movies outside in the courtyard of the castle. It was 'The Hurt Locker' and it's pretty cool to be able to smoke and have a beer while at a 'theatre'. On the way back down to the city, I forgot that there are no lights on the pathway, so I just have to rely on gravity to get me back."

Stop in Celje

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"So it's raining in Slovenia, at least in this part of it and I'm partially annoyed partially concerned about wandering around and getting soaked. But after leaving the Ptuj city center (not exactly my kind of music at this festival thing) I meet a helpful woman on her way to ljubljana, the trains are different on the weekends, so we are both at a loss as to how we are getting to our respective places, but at least we're both going in the same direction. She is cool. And once again, my list of things to see and do is expanding. I decide to risk the rain and get off in Celje anyway. As I get off, the clouds part and away I go to where I believe the hostel is. This MCC hostel is maybe the cleanest nicest hostel I've seen. It's new as of June, so that might explain things, and there is even a band on a Slovenian tour playing on the ground floor. I don't know how much government support this place received, but it is certainly a winner in my book. There's even free bike rental.

The next morning is nice out, and after a coffee and checking out I ride up to the lake. It's a short ride, and the bike paths all look brand new. According to my Slovene friends, Celje is where the rich people live.... I guess rich people like bicycle lanes too.

And now I'm the only person here. And I'm talking to the girl at the cafe, who is filling me in on all the interstibg Slovenia stuff from the recent years.

On the train now.

Nearby is the town of Laško, where as far as I can tell, all of the beer in Slovenia is made. I should have stopped, but I wanted to get to Ljubljana again to satisfy my 'city' side. Maybe later."

The oldest Slovenian town

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"After hanging out with my young Slovenian tour guides in Murska Sobota, I have some new plans. Apparently there is a really cool venue in Ljubljana to see some of the many live bands, I forget what it is called, but if I look it up I'm sure I will recognize the name. Also, the tourism people told me about a hostel called Celica, which is a converted prison. It is sort of an artist enclave, so I definitely have to make time to stay there for a night. My friends knew about this place as well, so that is a good sign. One of the kids, Rok, was wearing a tshirt from 'Metal Camp', a Slovenia metal and rock music festival held every year. It is in June, so I missed it this year, but apparently it is huge and you can bring a tent to camp there. I saw the list of bands on the back of his shirt, and there was no shortage of awesome artists. So maybe next year I will have to come back.

On my list of things to do for this trip, I have added the town of Piran. This is on the coast, and will be the first stop for Jocelyn and I before we start the meat of our adventure. It will be a relaxing place for her to overcome the jet lag.

As for right now, I am sitting at the edge of the river Drava in Ptuj. This is a pretty little town with a nice old downtown (apparently the oldest in Slovenia). The Ptuj castle overlooks the city and the river, inside is a museum (only 2.5 euro for student admission). There is lots of furniture and old tapestries, and a pretty interesting section on tracking the lineage of the castle's residents. My hotel is across the pedestrian bridge (if you know me, then you know I love pedestrian anything). The hostel I orginally found online was booked solid, full of Italians and polish people... Something to do with holidays in those countries.

It was more lively than I expected at night time, with bars all full of people and music filling the streets. And this morning there was tents and tables being set up for... Fisherman's festival? I don't know what it is about, but the tents all say 'Laško', so how bad could it be? Haha. It starts at 3pm, so I will make sure too check it out. It will be hard to avoid anyway.

We'll see what happens. I have no place to stay tonight, and I think all the hotels are full. If this festival is good, I might just stay anyway. I can always sleep under a tree, or maybe some nice person will take me home. Or maybe I will hop on the train to the next town down the tracks. It rained last night, so I think the sky will be all out of water. This always makes things that much more managable."

More Slovenian neighbours

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"Alright, and so concludes my quick jaunt out of the country to see the neighbors of Slovenia. I wish I had longer to spend, but I've got to get a handle on the Slovene life before Jocelyn gets here so I can pretend I'm her local tour guide.

Vienna was nice, and in the day I spent walking around, I think I saw the right buildings and absorbed a little bit of the scene. The train ride in was simple enough even though the south train station is currently demolished and we arrived at an alternate one. A short trip on the S-bahn and the U-bahn and I was at the hostel. I alwayd like to comment on a city's metro system and contrast it with toronto's. In this case, with posted arrival times for trains, simple ticket machines, even the older Vienna system is miles ahead of poor Toronto. Also, the honour system ticket purchasing is a nice touch if you decide to spend your last euro on a beer instead of your ride hone.

Next on the rapid tour is Bratislava, Slovakia. Just a 7.70 euro and 1.5 hour bus ride away. It seemed cool, but I had to get out of there asap because I had just found out about a festival in Budapest and wanted to make it there for the first day. Other than the staff at the hostel (who were nice, mind you) my only interaction with a slovakian person went like this
shop lady: 'djshhso fiscsiahf skxudkakd skifbsjuffb *pause* chicken sandwich?'
Me: 'uhhh, sure, ok I'll take it'

Bus ride to Budapest is only a 2.5 hours away. And this was certainly the highlight of the trip so far. A walk from the hostel to the HÉV station, and 1200 forints later, I am at the Sziget festival. Apparetly one of the biggest in Europe. I would say it's the European equivalent of lollapalooza. It is on a island in the Danube outside of the city, and it a 5 day super fest with camping and music all day long. There weren't even any acts that I was dying to see, but it was still a great time. Dj Shadow, Peaches, The Hives, Bad Religion. And a smattering of Hungarian bands. All good fun. I befriended some drunk teenagers (or, they befriended me) they seemed to love my 'canadianness' and the rest of the night was full of inferjections whenever someone needed to show another Canadian fact that they know, and the constant reminder 'we are not gypsies, don't worry.' cool kids all 'round, but they'd didn't seem to be doing too well in the female department. Oh well. I took out way to many forints at the ATM because I didn't know the exchange rate, so I was being a high roller. Buying these kids beers (which they thought was amazing, and asserted again that they were not gypsies). They showed me a well-known Hungarian punk band (I forget/can't pronounce the name), which rounded out the night nicely.

It was late getting back, and I still have all these forints. Weak.

By now I've taken all the main routes which people enter Slovenia from the EU. It's more connected than I first thought. It was nice to see the Slovenia railway symbol on the train waiting at Deli station in Budapest. It also turned out to be cheaper to buy a return ticket to Slovenia than a one-way, so I now should find someone to give this free ticket to.  I chose Murska Sobota because i would arrive here with the sun still a little in the sky, but also because I have it underlined on my tourist map from the STB people. I am staying at the hostel shown on the STB website, and I am really the only tourist. I meet a guy, Leon, who has just started in the Slovenia army and is renting a room here at the so he can attend training during the week. He is from here originally, and so I go out with him and his friends. They tell me that there is a meteor shower tonight, we go to the park and chat, drink Strongbow, smoke cigarettes, and catch the occasional shooting star. Eventually we go for a walk so they can show me some landmarks as well as the regular nightime cast of characters of Murska Sobota. In a town of 16000, it is not diffcult to know who the regulars are.

There was supposed to be breakfast downstairs, but I think I stayed up too late and slept in past the time. My own fault. So I promised I would update more frequently... there is no Internet here, so it will have to wait. I think it is time for a walk to see things in the daytime light."

Discovering Vienna

Adam McRae, the winner of StormIt challenge (more pictures and comments)

"I get my things together for the impending 6-hour train ride to Vienna. In my homeland 6 hours on a train brings you shy of any provincial borders, but here it takes you to a different country. Travelling alone has it's benefits, and I also am looking forward to being well educated in all things Slovenia before my friend arrives in a week. Seems a shame to be leaving the country so soon, but I promised myself I would make the most of my short time in Europe. The train usually doesn't let ne down, and this journey brought me the beautiful Sanya, on her way to Celje. A pretty girl is always the best way for me to learn about a culture. So we talked about Slovenia... about Tito, about joining the EU, about how ice cream now costs twice as much since the adoption of the Euro... Standard stuff. So now I have a Slovene friend. Perhaps I will pay her a visit on my way back.

All I have now to keep me occupied is a book that I don't want to read and a pile of brochures from the tourist office. All I really want to do is wander around, but maybe writing this blog will be a catalyst for excitment. As long as it doesn't involve too much money, I will be ok. So here I am, Adam McRae - Contest Winner. I will try to report on my travels. I hope they know what they are getting into.... this will likely be full of passages about sitting on a bench smoking cigarettes and reading a book. Or getting drunk on a street corner before I've figured out where I will be sleeping that night. Is this what they are after? I figure if I keep it honest, there's sure to be some underlying value to it  no matter what picture I'm painting.

I think back to Venice, my point of arrival. It really is 100% tourist. I mean, the city is beautiful and all, but really what are you getting out of it? For sure someone has a better camera than you, they'll post their pictures online and that will be that. There is some value in seeing it firsthand, but it really feels like a sham when there isn't anything new coming out of the place, you're really just confirming all the things you learned in history class. It is a neat place to see, but you are not going to meet a real italian there. This is why coming to Ljubljana was a nice contrast. It is the city tourist draw for Slovenia, but it is also it's functioning cultural and commercial center. It's nice that you can have the chance of running into a real person on their way to work instead of a tourist trying to find a place to have a beer. Maybe that's just me though. I'm looking forward to getting back there at the end of my trip to satisfy my urban side... I am a city guy, afterall.

My tools consist of one small backpack, my marked up tourist map, and most important, this iPhone. Wi-fi is always somewhere to be found (a short walk around usually leads to some unsuspecting "default" or "linksys" or some such unsecured wireless network). Isn't technology great?

My meeting in Ljubljana with the Slovenian Tourist Board folks was pleasant. We sat down and figured out what to do with me for the next few weeks. I think it has been mostly settled. I will travel around on my own before Jocelyn gets here on the 18th, while the plans for my grand 3-day Eco-tour are put together at the office. I mentioned that I liked the layout and design of the slovenia.info website, and they seemed quite happy to hear it. So, There you go, if you are reading this on a different website and would like to learn about Slovenia tourism, www.Slovenia.info is the place to go. Hotels,maps, events, etc. are all there, plus the site does look quite nice anyhow.

All I've got to do is make it back to Ljubljana on the 17th to pick up my stuff. I will do this en route to Venice. I think things will work out well. I am getting more and more excited to get into my action-packed, super-best-of-Slovenia tour. It was suggested that I add a day on the Slovenia coast before Jocelyn and we start in Postonja. I think this is a good idea as well, plus it is on the way back from Venice. Expect to be updates by me every so often. You'll be able too track where I'm at and what trouble I am getting myself into."