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!"