This is tentatively the route going south from Koper (Slovenia) to Ulcinj (Montenegro) and coming back a similar way to get different times of day at the same locations where needed. viamichelin estimates this trip as 16 hours full driving each way but i want break it down to 7-10 days round trip to maxims the time in locations, dawns, sunsets and high noons that will provide something special and lasting imagery of some of the most pristine coastline in the world.

Those interested in sponsoring part of the expenses, accommodation, fuel etc we can work out some advertisement agreement. for those interested in meeting up for photo walks etc, are also encouraged to leave a comment below and we can meet up if our calenders agree.

many of the roads take you through much of the different parts of the natural wonders from the ferry boat at …. to the town of Rab or farther to Lopar however you will not fully see much of this island’s gems unless you really get on a bike, quad or some walking boats and explore the trails and sheep trails that cover the island.

I took part of one day to go as far as i could by car to Dumići and then by foot along the shore viewing the islands of Šailovac, Sredjak and Maman and the unique rock strata complete with wall information plaques. it is not easy walk as there is not conventional path but if you are determand and courtus to walk past what apears to be private porches with people and kids playing and get by a couple who were fully enjozing the rights one has when zoućve stacked a few rocks ontop of eachother – FKK.

The clear water, red earth and rocks provide a stunning veiw

One of the islands and boats

One of the manz rewading shots that come off the beaten trail.

and another

Some of the rocks

The salt wetlands

I then reunited with my transport and headed to Lopar, mostlz consisting of a camping and private appartments this town is pristenly situated on a peninsula, i stayed around the turist spots and took these pictures.

Some of the little islands and bits of rock on this part of the island look like broken cake. The moutain in the background is part of the Velebit national park on the mainland.

The old walls in the town of Rab by night

one of the old streets

A courtyard art gallery in Rab oldtown

Well all was not complete on my visit without taking a quad trip up some of the trails and hinterland. I went with some friends and took the small trek, we really should have taken the longer one and gone up to the hilltop legendary Ćkaminak restaurant, we will next time. we made our way through a small hamlet and on to gravel paths to vast open plains and wilderness. while two of my companions were driving off one other friend mentioned how perfectly quite it was up there, nothing to hear just vast nature to glance at. Our time to return the quads came way too fast and we had to leave this natural sanctuary for the ruckus “real world”, at least long enough to post this blog.

the open plain and sheep fold in the background

Home on the range

This blogger with camera aboard preparing to tear up the dunes and earth behind, did not take enough pics of this part of the trip as we were having to much fun driving around on a time limit. Next time we are getting all day, surly worth it and a great way to see more of the island then by conventional roads and get the photos and experiances other turists don’t ever see.

Arguably one of the brightest contributions since Tesla, turning the photo magazine world to a slower sensible speed, just enough to look and enjoy the things that make our world what we run outside to photograph in the first place,  we lose that joy somewhere along the way in the rush to download from our cameras and up to the internet to one of the many online clubs and forums before the other guy does. While PDF magazines are nothing new this teams collection, diversity and quality is quite astounding.

Over the years I have seen the quality and dedication of other Croatia photographers and fellow members on Deviant Art, but this is really taking it farther and providing a platform that DA does not for local and international talent.

Not only am I euphoric for this as a Croatian brainchild and free service from a photographic standpoint to the worldwide photographic print community, but in being a member of other photo clubs and magazines online and the recent closer of JPG magazine in New York that I had an account with that could not get financing in these hard times makes this project starting it’s second years a great accomplishment. I also see it as wonderful proof of what I’ve been saying these last ten years I’ve loved and lived in this country. Croatia’s national treasure is its people! Those that want to get out of the box of the narrow confines of yesteryears and create dreams into reality can make them just as much or maybe better then western counterparts, ideas translated into actions are the green renewable energy of the future, they run this world already and now we are getting the light BULB turned on here as well with this new example of this team’s dedication and initiative.
I have only read one magazine (#9) as of writing this but have downloaded all the other PDFs and will give them a great looking at as soon as I can, and probably more then once. See, download, participate, BULB today!

A  view from the road

St. Mark church at the top of the hill.

One of the local houses made out of rocks to match the look of the old walls.

View of the bay and Rijeka city from the church of St. Mark courtyard.

The castle tower and view of the valley once battle field earth that is now populated with towns of Cavle and Drazice.

Since this is a longer article and many pics I have made it into a Adobe (TM) book. This is just a sample copy, if you would like to reprint or reproduce any text or images in this book just leave a comment and I will contact you.

Enjoy!

wind-small (click to download PDF)

Web searching is where it gets nerve wrecking! I’ve been at it for hours and finding virtually nothing important. Slovenia is notably net savvy, yet still very few things are posted other then Tourist or government news sites in English, Croatia is all just tourism.

The problem is twofold, firstly, people here use the net to email, Google movie trailers and hang out in chatrooms or online gaming rather then as an instant library that I and many others use the web for. Secondly there is a giant language gap when it comes to academic material and since those that can read the local languages know where to find it  in dusty libraries don’t bother to put it on the web and those that can’t read it never get a chance as no one uploads or translates it. A humongous intellectual link is missing and then we wonder why no one knows more about this area? They simply can’t find it and give up and study Roman or Austrian events that are well documented in many languages. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to start this blog and post pictures of this region, to provide a view other then just tourist shots, I have not had much time either, so the tangle continues.

It will be another generation at least, the older generation don’t care and the young are still to busy playing online games, perhaps one day…

What I found was a giant carcass of a thing that once was one of the largest bicycle producing factories in eastern Europe, perhaps Europe yet it just belly flopped it’s way to none existence more then ten years ago, though the damage and abuse makes it look much longer then that. It is home to a few small “offices”, and had a few cars in there but most looked like a few abstract artists in a bohemian like lifestyle making “art” from old city expo signs, recyclable garbage material and household items.

It got me thinking, why don’t they put the popsicle stick New Kolizej here, I don’t think to many people would mind taking this factory away, it’s not an art piece, maybe some communist party people might reminisce about the good old days. It’s a great river front location and would bring interest and people to a part of town that is a bit less frequented. I suppose you could make some unique urban condos too and make it a trendy young people complex with a lot of investment. I thought one would use an old space for a bike museum, guess me having roots in the State of Ohio and the famous bicycle shop making Wright brothers, I think the lesson here is there is only a museum in their shop not because they made bikes, but left the tow wheelers and brought us flight. Rog never got wings; good bikes just are not enough for the competition of Asian manufactures.

Someone trying to add a bit of art to the old building, it does bring out the red brick a bit

Chimes, they are a changin’. Some old kitchen items turned wind chime/art

The view from the riverside, looks like a school or jail with no entry from this side, just a long wall

A view int o one of the buildings, would make a nice urban loft condo to me, sky light and all. And just a few steps from downtown Ljubljana. Any investors want to “pimp my factory” out there?

Front shows all it’s factory face and name all but a memory

Note: I did more research on this and the once company boasts a 75 year old history. They have been bought and sold and in a financial/management mess for a long time, have sold this big factory land to a bank to pay off debts and are attempting a comeback. This company once had 1,400 workers working here and made 75,000 bikes a year now has five in its employ, housed in some other office space. We will see what happens in the future.

Collision Kolizej

Glancing Back Forward

Previously I addressed this subject in my article Save Kolizej. I wrote passionately after one of my first visits to the Kolizej site that reflects one questioning visitors thoughts on this matter, But I’ll address it a little more in depth here once more.

I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit this wonderful city several times over the last several years, but I could not notice the apparent calamity of this building and the state of disrepair it has been allowed to fall into. It looks like a chipped tooth in an otherwise elegant smile of the city. The argument might be true in part that it is “just like so many others” in the time-period sense, I’ll let others more learned in the matters of history and architecture cover that angle in this book in their convincing arguments exactly how this space is of historical importance.

What I have to offer this project is this; I’ve traveled many world cities and cultures on half of our continents. I have developed a deep love for history and mortuary remembrances of times past, particularly in relation in our present lives. I see them as a commentary on contemporary life and recount our experiences in conjunction with our social behaviors and interaction in relation to them. The Kolizej stands out to me not solely for what it represents as a historical monument of the past, nor even it’s epic struggle for survival and adapt it’s functionality to benefit us in our present times, but also a deep-rooted signpost and reminder of historical respect. Sure Ljubljana might not suffer from one less historic building, but if this landmark building is simply allowed to be unilaterally erased what will be immune in future decades and centuries from other city development aspirations?

Ljubljana is not alone in this complex dilemma, yet it has a got a better running chance at setting a guidepost with this project then other cities have had in addressing this quandary due to the relatively small problem ratio to the city. It also helps to have so many other buildings of the historical city center being revived and remodeled in their old likeness. There is also a great pool of great minds and experts that have been making the case extensively on both sides of this issue that brings forth a healthy debate and opportunity for fresh ideas and inevitable lasting solutions at the highest level.

We all have heard the examples in the United States encountered in old cities like Boston and other New England cities that were blowing city block after city block away of neglected aging stone buildings in the 1960s before coming to the realization that contemporary history of this nature was worth something more then mere prime development real-estate, and instead opted to remodel many of the remainder into luxury housing and shops that both benefited the city through housing and tourism landmarks like the now famed houses of Boston’s Back Bay. San Francisco has also successfully renovated old warehouses into tech-savvy corporate office space for internet startups since the 1990’s, or choose simply protect and restore historical landmarks like the 1905 built Geneva Office Building and Powerhouse, that is simply a uniquely designed but terribly antiquated two story train junction center, historically it matters.

https://www.genevaofficebuilding.org/ .

Now, to use some examples a little closer to home. I remember in 1998 staying with friends in Budakeszi, Hungary (a small town situated 10 km to the west of Budapest, on the Pest side of the river Danube), there was this large socialist era factory compound wasteland called GANZ, behind the newly built Mammot 2 mall. It clearly was just a sprawling graveyard to times past and an intriguing yet desperate site that anyone would have excused to level and add modern and more functional housing or office facilities.

On a brief trip there again in 2004 my friends wanted to go for an “outing” with their small kids to a new park, I went along. What I saw as we walked the familiar streets was Millenáris Park, a rejuvenated and wonderful building and park area replacing the industrial cold feelings with that of warmth and sunshine on that summer morning. I never believed it could still be possible while maintaining its original warehouse look that was genuine as the brick walls and iron stairs before me while inside one of the warehouse-turned-pavilions on the park. For they had left everything in tact structurally, just brought it to the public and the new century with some ingenious remodeling, ground level lake and rolling grass lawns.

www.budapesthungaryblog.com/budapest-parks/millenar-park-budapest-millenaris-park.html

Similarly this city of Ljubljana gave new life to a warehouse complex that is now the BTC complex, though it has a much more commonplace feel and no art value to the city except that of a pop culture multiplex cinema.

The two projects are very different in size and scope however it is my hope that like the Millenaris Park, Kolizej can symbolically raise from the ashes like the mythological Phoenix and advert destruction with some foresight, initiative and vision to be a torchbearer for architectural heritage and preservation while still serving a public service. It was originally intended to house protectors of the city and how fitting it would be for it to once again protect and preserve the history of the town by its own continued existence. It should be a beacon landmark of hope and endurance that the city can show off in its entire original splendor to the many visitors of the city right along side its other attractions.

To use a military barracks example truer to the project at hand is the old military base located behind the train station in Croatia’s northern city of Varaždin. It was used for many years to house displaced people during Croatia’s war for independence (1991-1995) and then later those needing temporary asylum from the Kosovo conflict of 1998. It was not until the city bought it from the state and renovated the building and grounds in 2006 that it became a state of the art student dormitory facility. Not only providing the city an opportunity to clean up the cultural and social eyesore that the base had become but a service and a source of revenue base to accommodate students at a prime location in town for boarding, and a source of pride for the city and educational faculties that the city is so renowned for.

I had the opportunity to visit the grounds prier to this transformation while supplying humanitarian aid to the government led agency running operations for those living there in 1999 and again in 2001. I must say it was cave-like in its design and scope. Low entry stairs, narrow dingy halls with shadowy life forms peering out from dank rooms divided by musty blankets that made up the temporary dividers between beds. Cardboard or rags poorly sealed up the widows broken glass as well as the holes and cracks in the plastered walls. A grim sight for a building to be in, and a tragic state of humanity’s forgotten people, though unfortunately not too different then conditions afforded the low-rent tenants of the Kolizej these days and the weather beating the building itself is suffering through neglect.

Gone are all those feelings and so are the foreboding outer walls and barbed wire, renovated and refitted to the times whilst still looking all of its dignified age and original charm behind a bright new coat of paint. Included are swipe card security door access systems providing an up to date security system and a modern looking central entry metal canopy adding a bit of flare. Don’t they say life only begins at retirement?

https://www.scvz.hr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=225&Itemid=122

Examples would be incomplete without another and perhaps only other living example (surly Kolizej is the largest and most intact of the two) of the rather obscure Austrian innovator and architect that designed Kolizej, that of Graz’s own son, Jozef Benedikt Withalm (some historical writings call him Johann) and the famous city landmark Eisernes Haus (Iron house) that he designed, built (1847-1948) and owned to house a large café house that became known as Café Meran until he sold the building. While the size and use is different, there are visible comparisons and architectural similarities. Eisernes Haus is newly renovated and annexed to a large and modernistic “Kunsthaus”, a space-like art exhibition hall completed in 2003. Eisernes Haus had been drastically renovated and changed over the last century but still resembles outwardly Mr. Withalm’s vision and reinstated is the rooftop terrace that he had originally built, clearly a reminder of history and his contribution to the city while at the same time providing it with a current and functional service relevant to the people and visitors of the city today.

https://www.recovis-restaurierung.de/seiten/referenzen_eisernes_haus_graz.htm

It is my hope that the people of this city and the world will understand and appreciate contemporary history within their city at least as much as a passing visitor and somehow come to a consensus with this location in relation to proposed projects, and that Kolizej – in the form we know it now – will live on, at least though this century renovated and cherished as a sample of valor and overcoming adversity, as the Slovenian people have shown throughout their history. They may have been downtrodden by others, abandoned and obscured, but were never out, and neither should be the buildings of historical importance on Slovenian soil.

Birds taking the opportunity to rest on the open windows

Red light, green light, which way will it go?

I’d seen it in pictures and always wanted to go see the stone fort-like tower on the top but did not realize my day had come. It was a great climb, mixed of small paths and trails in the wonderful spring time that was great dispite being a little tired. I got up their first and had plenty of time to soak up the breathtaking views from all angles. From the Istra plans on one side and the sea and islands on the other, it is really one of the wonders to see here.

The restaurant marks the place to start walking, there are also possibilities for mountain biking, and a road for cars most of the way up

Along the forest walk

two-wheelers making their way up

View of the plans below on the western side

A view of the gorge below that makes up Vela Draga, a popular place for free-climbers and nature lovers. It is also where the highway tunnel comes out into Istra

The tower and military facility in the background

A sea view east with Rijeka and the island of Krk in the distance

doing what I do, it was a great day and long walk, but well worth the time.

Well, I am still here and I am releasing a little free e-book of some of the pictures I’ve taken on the Slovenia and Croatia coast, this blog is hard to post big pictures so this is one way you get to see more. Feel free to download but do not print it out as the quality is not good enough.

If there was one word to describe this fair this year it would be “quite” and I think there was two factors that contributed to it. First that it is scheduled all week (Tuesday- Saturday) instead of Fri-Sunday that it was last year and that it coincides with the week after Easter and the Croatia Boat fair in Split. While I do not think it will affect the presenters that much as they are running their staff anyways and prospective buyers and dealmakers are going to go there anyways but the little guys who rely on the general public will really feel the pinch, it might pick up on the weekend but it is really boring to see just suits running around making big deals and everyone else just twiddling their thumbs for a week. Commercialism is here to stay but so does the divide of haves and have not-so-much even in this micro cosmos of building materials and trade.

One other noticeable difference was that the amount of money companies are starting to spend, the laptop displays are replaced with large plasma TVs and advertisers that were passing out flyers on roller-blades last year are now equipped with Segways. This may still be Eastern Europe and forever will be geographically but with all the building boom that is taking place this is starting to look like a gold rush from local, regional and international companies all trying to get a bite of this pie that it is kind of reminding me of the southeast Asian boom years of the 1990’s when I was over in Thailand, though it is here on a somewhat smaller scale given this market size and population is incredibly smaller.

The growing number of construction cranes in the Zagreb skyline and new houses being built are a good idea of the growing demand for building materials. I used to be mocked when I first came here 8 years ago and would tell people here that the best was just to come and Croatian was a “buy stock” so to speak, now it is very obvious by the amount of SUVs in the parking and international presence at fairs like this one that Croatia is an important market and the growing amount of “haves” want the best and are willing to pay top dollar for it.

Money can’t buy you happiness, it’s true, but it can buy you a new home and as a new country I feel that there are still people who are looking for that, sire there are those who just want a bigger and better one for no reason but there are still enough people without the basics that I feel this fair serves a good purpose in that it drives competition and prices down so that the hard working man can get a “better bang for his buck” or should I say “kuča for his kuna”. The amount of window companies and roofing tiles are just one example, from the traditional clay tiles to recycled plastic to stamped out coated sheet tin, in every shape and color imaginable you almost think we are talking about luxury goods but it is just roofing that every house needs, there are so many types and prices and dealers that you really need take your time but in the end this provides a fabulous place to find killer deals for every imaginable housing need without having to call and visit all the dealers individually and I do not see why there are not more private people here looking, I guess they are all at work being a weekday, and that is the unfortunate truth. Only the rich survive, and get good deals.

The key to this race being small and fast most of the cars were modified miniature cars from the 80’s among them the local Zastava 750, the VW Golf I, Ford Fiesta, Honda CR-X and the newer Ford Focus and others as you’ll see by the pictures and video clip. They closed this portion of the road off that is normally very busy despite its narrow and dated planning it serves to link Rijeka’s north side to Opatija via the seafront area called Prilok.

From what I saw most of the cars came from or belonged to car repair shops and garages or car enthusiasts that follow this circuit, they are street cars but must not registered and all striped out inside except for a bucket seat and roll bar, and a helmeted diver though I really think most of it is just for show or safety and that they really would not roll over or be in a high speed collision at least on this type of race. Engine-wise they are little modified and just in good running order and not drag cars or hotrods with NOS, just good clean fun driving.

We were just in time for one of the heats and I took different video clips from different vantage points along the track. This was a slalom race meaning that like in skiing slalom they leave the gate one at a time and race the clock with judges at the different slalom points to mark if they knocked down cones etc. The race we saw was eventful in itself including one stalling and nearly hitting me when I was doing the curb angle low shots and another having to be towed back having died somewhere down the track causing the car behind him to have to re-drive his lap again and the retired diver getting cheers and applause from the audience while being towed back, wish I’d had filmed that too. Here are some pictures and my video clip.

The starting line from above the hill that started the seaside windy drive, in summer it is a popular campground.

The starting gate from the ground with the hills and old stone house in the background.

Here is the video with just a little bit of editing.

After stumbling out of bed at 5:30am and a good cup of coffee we were off taking the state roads that wind around the coastline like a ribbon. I’m no stranger to this as I traveled most of this coastline from Dubrovnik to Senj and all the windy roads around in between (before the pay toll express road was built) but that has been a few years with only a couple visits to the coastal towns of Zadar and Šibenik during summer visits since.

This was nice “uncharted territory” for me and though a short trip it was a nice little experience and one of the first times to “live blog” the Adriatic coast with these pictures since this blog kicked off last August.

The reason or trip started so early was that we had to be in Crkvinica by 7:00 am to acquire fresh fish when the fishing boats came in to harbor in the morning. I’m not a fish fan but I do appreciate it as part of the Adriatic experience and loving the sea so much I have acquired an appreciation for it’s creatures too and barbequed fish on a open grill on the seaside is not really a bad way to spend an afternoon.

This particular part of the coastline is full of coves, peninsulas, strands and bays all woven together into a fabulous and enchanting interknit treasure of natural beauty but unfortunately not spared the scars of modern development and pollution as the industrial revolution and development during the socialist period placed industry and factories near and around populated and natural resources often imperiling the heath of both man and nature at the same time. One such example is the oil refineries in the heart of the city of Rijeka and other oil depots and smelters near the town of Bakar that we passed by today. This particular smokestack can be see from across the bay of kavarner on a clear day even from Opatija, nearly the 30 kn away and a disturbing backdrop for the old and historic boat building town of Krajevica.

All in all it was a great trip and I hope to be able to visit and explore more of it during my stay in Rijeka.

Some more pictures from the day

Poison in Paradise- notice the gray sky coming from the smokestack and refineries in contrast to the picturesque blue sky and beautiful harbor and castle.

The devil loves candy strips, though it looks like a candy cane it’s not so sweet but just as deadly.

The Dry docks of Kraljevica, since 1729, and said to have been Tito’s first job.

The town of Bakar,with the white line in the hill being the main road we were on and only the guardrail in the foreground from taking an unwanted “drop down” to the town.

A friend and I decided we could no longer just look out at the sea but we wanted to see and feel it and walked along the coast just to smell the sea air and hear the waves crashing would have been enough to make our 5 km walk worth it but we also found quant harbors and old villas and alleys starting in Volosko and on into Opatija along the seaside that really made it a wonderful Sunday afternoon walk just wonderful. We did not make it to the heart of town, though I’ve been there before and will defiantly visit there again this was just a nice seaside walk and yes, (as I’d have it) exploring old abandoned villas like ‘Villa Irena’ that tragically looks like it burned down quite some decades ago (no signs that I could tell that it was ever electrically wired as a modern home) and all three wooden floors collapsed inside of itself. Surly it must still be worth millions with the grounds and location and the owners or city are presumably just waiting for a good offer for it and it will be restored to its former glory or better and serving as a hotel or private estate like it once was complete with seaside access and roman yard sculptures.

This part of the coast is doted with hotels and these villas dating and named after the various ones who happened to be occupying it at the time built, you see names suggesting Italian, Germanic (Austro-Hungarian) and even Russian (though they never occupied), we even found an Albert Einstein street, and much of the architecture follows a similar pattern thought it also includes the much less glorious socialist era and strictly convenience styles that are just ugly boxes and built with poor materials but thankfully this town was spared the worst of it and is balanced out with many, many artistically created structures of the early 1900’s like much of this area.

I’ll end this with pictures from today of this beautiful place.

The main road through town.

Villa Irena

Another seaside villa

A castle of a place, currently a hotel.

Shoring up success, a new villa to be.

After a shower I went up to the kitchen and our Croatian friend made boiled eggs and sausage (a typical breakfast here). It reminded me of the year I spent much of my time visiting the Croatian islands and staying in small private guest houses (Pentions) or government hotels that would serve that in the morning too though usually with a spot of mustered as well. I have a lot of memories, and I hope many more to come, I wish everyone could be here and experience some of these simple pleasures of life in Croatia too.

I really do not know much about this at this time but am quite interested in this program as drugs is one of the biggest social problems in Croatia and particularly in coastal towns like Rijeka and Split. Some of my friends and I volunteer there every two weeks now and just converse with them to give them understanding and learn about them, some come from broken homes and bad childhoods, are single parents etc. no one I’ve seen yet was a current user smacked-out at the time but I hear at night or weekends (as it is a 24 hour center) it gets hard users on hard drugs that can be real intense even for the trained staff but that is life and the awful truth even in this paradise.

I’d like to help more and maybe accompany the staff one night or go on a needle exchange field operation to have more first-hand understanding of this program to better relate to those that come from this and what they are up against here in this city.

It all began like many an ordinary weekend day off and my mind started planning to finish some carpentry project I’d started the other day or maybe a walk along the seaside or old villages on the outskirts of Rijeka, that would have been an ordinary day – today was not going to be one of those days.

Someone walked into my room and said “do you want to go free climbing?” I hummed and hawed but really could not find a good excuse fast enough so I was drafted as the fourth man and we were off.

I’d heard of their hobby of free climbing and seen pictures, it seemed to make sense or at least they seemed to tell it that way as they do it often and for years now, that is where I start to differ, at least for now.

We got to the Vela Draga area part of the Učka Mountain and pretected park area. It was just fantastically beautiful, I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon but this must be a smaller Croatian version as these cliffs just look like some great water rush left the and agape in a unique way kind of like the tide does on a beach when the tide is out.

There is something about being 10 meters up and hanging on with your fingertips and toes that send reason rushing to your brain and you ask yourself “why am I doing this?” why did I not think of that when I was still on the ground and not hugging a rock for dear life?

Well it was an experience, I do not mind the height that much (I did not go that high up) but there is something unnatural about it, it is not our element, kind of like swimming yet we as humans seem to have a need to try to conquer it none the less.

I understand and actually loved the technique part of it like harnesses, knots, clips, being safety and being lowered down etc, and I see the practical uses for them in survival or rescue or just mountain hiking but as a sport I really do not see the thrill or purpose in hugging various parts of a mountain for 10-15 minute climbs just to come right back down again and go up another. To me that seems like those who high-dive just to get out of the pool and dive back in over and over, I just don’t see the point. I like some risk but not just for the sake of it, perhaps it will grow on me if I do it more but I’d rather water ski, hike, mountain bike or a variety of other sports then this again, there just does not seem to have a proper build up, delivery or pay off. I think I mainly did it because I respect the opinions of those I was climbing with but that is really not a good enough reason to me, I do not believe in being a follower just to win approval or be in, and never have, and I know they understand.

Overall I’d rate this experience a 10 just for the nature aspect and the learning experience, but if you were not born a gecko, don’t feel bad, just experience this wonderful place anyways if you have the chance.

We meet many others that day also climbing including from Slovenia; I thought they had plenty of mountains but I guess not like these or that they still were worth the trip. One instructor with another group of first-timers said he goes to Yosemite Park and climes 350 meter climbs in two days, how can you ever be worked up about finding a parking space or the things we worry about here in this world after something like that and worrying about hanging off mountains from your toes for two days and perching your tent off harnesses on the cliff etc. I’ve seen it before in magazines and I think I’ll stick to that version of things for now.

The location was just phenomenal though, I’d love to shoot a music video out there as it is just total wilderness, there is a highway and rail line but these big cliffs and rocks jutting out of the ground give it a real awe-inspiring feel that would be nice to capture on video.

The answer unfortunately is yes; all good things do come to an end. But that is the only way they can start again or start another chapter, and that is where things stand for me now. I will make every effort to come here for visits again as often as is possible.

In looking back on my time here, three months turned into nearly six, my SIT turned into Euros, hikes turned into history lessons, people I meet become friends, and an old house become a home. If that were not enough this unusual winter I even experienced the unique beauty of seeing snow-less Alps and a seaside blizzard .

I’ve been able to meet and exchange views with many wonderful people of all walks of life, from the a homeless man on the side of the road to a deputy economic minister, architects, historians, artists, inventors, exchange students, business leaders and even a TV network. I’ve enjoyed such recreational activities as playing basketball with local teens and hiking hillsides with pensioners. I’ve visited old Roman ruins and seen new constructions being built, walked historical landmarks (POT, Žiri, Krn, Memorial) and visited new attractions, I’ve pleaded for the hopeless causes of the past and partaken of all the conveniences of modern living in this fast developing nation. I’ve visited the four corners of Slovenia (Kranska Gora, Ptuj, Novo Mesto, and Portorož) and many other towns and cities in between.

I was even able to visit places historically intertwined with Slovenian history like southern Austria (Carnithia) and (the once Slovene but now Italian port city) Trieste.

I’ve written nearly 50 essays, blog entries and book reviews on Slovenia during my time here and experienced countless more things then I’d never be able to put down in words as I lived life in Slovenia.

As I start packing, there is not much this blogger has collected in the way of souvenirs and trinkets to remember this visit by, but what I am packing away for safe keeping (aside from the nearly 1,600 photos I’ve taken) are the memories of friendships, acts of kindness and consideration that I have felt from everyone I’ve met. From the gracious folks I’ve lived with these many months to the many people I met by chance that showed kindness, a kind word, companionship, a meal, a drink, a chat or just a cheery “Čivio”. That is the Slovenian experience I don’t want to forget, ever.

I realize I got nothing I had expected from my time here (a two week visit and then off to Novi Sad was the original plan), but everything I could have ever hoped for.

Thank you all,

I have been truly blessed.

The other day I got on the bus heading to town and was preoccupied with one of these “euphoric crusades” on my mind. Another man got on the bus a few stops later, obviously homeless and at least a hundred cents short of the 1.20 Euro bus fare. The driver had to do his job and not let the man ride without the full fare, most of us felt sorry for him but only one lady stood up and said, “here, have this” and proceeded give him a spare bus token from her purse to give to the driver. We all could have done that, yet she was the one who did. Then I thought to myself, Slovenia will be alright without my latest crusade as long as there is still people like her in this world.

The next time I was out walking I had an opportunity to follow her sample. I saw a very old man across the street from me trying to get off the curb and cross the street before the light went red again. I did not have to think twice how to respond this time, I went over and took his frail arm in both hands and helped him down the curb and onto the side I’d just come from.

These are the things that make the world better, in our lives, in our families or just for a perfect stranger in need. We often get so busy looking for the big things and ‘saving the world’ that we miss the most important and often little things right there in front of us. As long as we can keep that chain of kindness going everything else will be alright and start to sort themselves out.

To be honest I was both disappointed and not surprised at what I saw. I’ve been visiting this beautiful city for months now and have expressed at different times my thoughts, raves, disappointments and fears of this city and it’s historical preservation, and this is just the next unfortunate architectural misstep to be completed. This carefully laid out and well built structure has the looks of a dumbwaiter, you know those lifts that carry food up to another floor in an industrial restaurant or kitchen.

That’s what we got here now to bring paying visitors up to a medieval castle. While it does work as a quick disabled access to the castle and will help ageing tourists get up without incident like I witnessed before, I will never take this as long as I’m able to walk or even crawl. I will be climbing the hill trail or steps every time out of protest of this sad project. Is this what experiencing the old town is about? Being hurled in the air like food in a glass cookie jar?

What is frustrating to me is that his city has wonderful opportunities to improve the city and yet squanders them in unoriginal and uninspiring ways. I was glad to see a local magazine I picked up in a hotel lobby address this same issue and compares this ‘wonderful mess’ to a number of other much more interesting and beautifully built similar lifts of other European cities like in Bern, Salzburg, Budapest, Dresden, Zagreb, and Graz and others, unfortunately no one seems to have done this kind of research beforehand or even get creatively drawn ideas from school children to have a beter idea of presentation. This most basic and ugly single-car funicular structure  trades counter-weight with an iron slab instead of the usual second car. There could have been more then enough room on the hill for two pretty cars, though under these circumstances we just have to be glad there isn’t two of them.

What was really sad was not only did they not care to make the lift blend in more to the historical setting of the castle and old town but they carved out the whole area below the hill next to centuries old buildings with stainless steal railings and paving that shows no interest to match what is already there. My guess is that they are planning to knock that down too and just add another modern and culturally insensitive building in it’s place while developers wait to block the castle view altogether with a new Kolizej building one day.

Today I was in Celje so pictures will be from there but some could have been from anywhere, I’ll post proper pics of the sights and write about the city at another time.

For a Picture of the Day fix (mostly sights from Slovenia that you will not see anywhere else) you must only pay a visit to the cyber Piran Cafe, tell him I sent you and stay as long as you like, the tab is on me.

Banking on the Savior?

This picture is in Celje and I thought it interesting that this bank had one of the largest crucifix on it I’ve seen here. Slovenia is a Catholic country but not to the dramatic displays of their fath to the tunes of Mexico or the Philippine Islands, my feeling is that in the wonderful architectural design it was not first intended to be a bank but it is now. It does illustrate the struggle I see people here experience and feel that God is way up there and not on their level and the bank/credit/capitalistic world is at their eye level and their tangible god of right now.

Law and Order

This is a gorgeous old building that has brass wall-plates reading “Odvetnik” (attorney) and a posh law firm in the ground floor on the Celje city center but is just abandoned on the top making for a stark contrast but very common sight here as people do not seem to realise that if the top of the building rots, leaks or falls down all their investments on the bottom floor are useless, but then they are lawyers, they can sue.

If Mr. Bean were born a Balkan…

…he’d drive this Zastava 750 and be really cool and prompt a luxury car brand to buy the rights to it and make a remake that would be featured in blockbuster Hollywood movies, driven by good robbers and smart blonde’s (go figure), and cost as much as a full car for only half the leg room and support the whole economy of Serbia, but alas, he is from that little island that sings to a queen and drives a car who’s name even makes reference to it’s tininess, what a bean-head.

This proud car was once the ‘people’s car of Yugoslavia’, now it is the only car you are still legally allowed to drive fully intoxicated and if all your driving points are gone…if you can get your grandma’s one to start (don’t worry you won’t go anywhere), though not something you would want to get stuck inside of with a full balder, not even the front seat.

This one is nicely restored and a nice paint job on it. There are not many left, at least not road-worthy in Slovenia unlike Bosnia and Serbia. I would love to have one one day before they are all gone, not that I’d ever fit driving in one but a great piece of automotive history from former yu go slav…eh…ah.

It is kind of like the bumble-bee theory, it does not know it can’t fly so it does, no, this is like people did not know cars could go more then 40 km/h and sit on a seat bigger then a thumbnail in the 60’s so they drove this 25 HP car and were still making them up untill 1985!

They say “freedom has no limits” and so I’m sure people were just happy to be on the road and own their own car, while passing up others on mules, but perhaps these designers should have had just a little bigger vision, like a convertible model or at least a sunroof so those of us more then 5 foot tall could enjoy driving it too – from the back seat.

This is how one guy drives (or should I say drags) his

This is how everyone else does.

The old town with lovely old red roofs.

The old train bridge and the rolling hills surrounding the city and the picturesque Drava river pictured.

A just few hours is clearly not enough time to asses anything around here but it was sort of a re-acquaintance visit and a refreshing look at another large city in Slovenia and enjoy the friendship of those we encountered. We had a wonderful breaded pork steak (Wiener schnitzel) and fries (pomis) meal at the beautiful old Baroque themed “La Storia” restaurant and tatoria (cake shop) before exploring town and walking the old streets with this wonderful weather (+9 C degrees) for January, I really can’t complain.

I later had a delightful cup of coffee at the “Picasso” and talk with a friendly waitress that ended up being a Serb who fled Croatia with her parents during the war and now lives in Slovenia, we had a lot to talk about and great interchange of views on this area and times.

I stood in the town square and remembered reading in a history book once that in 1941 Hitler stood in this very town and declared “Make me this land German again”. Thank God he failed, this city is a very beautiful representation of Slovenia, it has its visible German and Baroque influences in art and organization but in a truly Slovenian way and got to be one of my favorite cites in Slovenia to visit.

This is the new Kolosej entertainment complex complete with cinema and bowling alley. It is kind of out of place with the rest of the riverfront but a modern example of the changing face of Slovenia’s urban areas, thankfully it is a little removed from the old walls and medieval watch towers where this city holds wonderful outdoor summer concerts and took this old unused spot to place this new symbol of the city’s progress here and what I think is a good balance for the city as a whole, while it is not the most charismatic of designs it does cut a nice reflection and a unique presence, it is directly across from the super-mall Europark too so there is a little commercial theme in that part of the river ‘down-stream’ from the old historical part of town.

By morning it was official, the snow was everywhere and not stopping. Just yesterday I was walking in down town Ljubljana taking pictures after a lunch apointment and it was lightly sprinkling off and on and I had such a peasant time I walked for a few bus stops till Tivoli park just enjoying the weather. Now less then 24 hours later it had gone from Autumn to Winter, quite literally over night.

Some friends and I thought we’d save the snow till the weekend and so we jumped in a car and made off for what we thought would be one last dash for warmth and peace. The beautiful Slovenian coast immediately came to mind and was hardly an hour away, we could not wait and made a hasty retreat from the snow. Dreaming of an ice cream or cold drink and walk on the shoreline thinking of all these unfortunate souls in the rest of the country sliding around the roads or chained to a desk who were not fortunate enough to not have to go to work this day, we were on our way.

We made as far as Koper and still snow, warmer temperatures but snow on the hills, we thought cool this does not happen every day, someone might have even thought out loud that it would be cool if it was snowing on the coast, sure enough it did, and with gusto.

Everything seemed to be against us today, we had a blizzard in Portorož!

The locals seemed to take it in stride but for us unlucky “tourists” it got boring real fast and all our hopes of cheating the winter evaporated. It was interesting and somewhat historical, as this is the Mediterranean not the North Sea! Locals said that last time was maybe 5 years ago and not usually even that often or as hard as today. For awhile we were being blanketed by cornflake sized powder and wind.

While it was not our best day and we did not have a unique experience living life in the XYZone catching this interesting occasion, we were kicking ourselves a bit when we got back to Ljubljana and it was all clean roads and calm, but heck, you can’t have it all right?

I took this little film starting from a view of the Metropol Casino and around to the sea, snow covered cars and everything.

Ok, it has been kind of a slow week and I do not have anything profound to post right now as I was a few days visiting in Austria (that is not a Zone nation) so I will not write about that trip here.

I did find this trivia clip of Kevin Federline (ex Mr. Britney Spears) doing DJ for an M-TV station and he puts on what he thinks is a good “Brazilian ass shaker” but is in-actuality a “turbo-folk” song by the legendary Bosnian singer Halid Bešlić. It is funny to see and that he has this song in an M-TV studio but sad that he does not know where it comes from and shows that XYZone and others writing about this area have a long way to go still in informing the world public on this area.

Not everybody’s kind of music but neather is his, maybe he should try a carieer in Turbo-folk since Rap is not working out so well.

Today a friend and I were down town Ljubljana and had some SIT left that we thought would be good to get rid of by buying some prepaid Mobile phone credit and bus tokens at a kiosk. No such luck. We might as well have been in another country, all they want here is “Uros”.

There was little use trying to persuade her otherwise so we were off to the Post bank where they took it gladly in exchange for some “shrunken money” Euro bills that look so out of place in our wallets now. I guess those dreams of one day being a millionaire (in Tolars it only took 239,640 Euros) now are just got a little bit harder to reach, 239.64 times harder to be exact.

I kind of miss “looking like I had money” once in a while, as ten Euros was 2,396 SIT and big folds of paper that hanged out of my wallet, now when I have ten Euros, all I got is ten Euros. I must say Euro money is kind of boring and generic looking without and famous person on or any Sloven history or national identity attached to them, but such is globalisation.

When I was staying with friends in the Split suburb of Podstrana in 1999 I lived slightly up the hill from this place (my bus stop was in fact called ‘hotel Lav’) that at the time was a mega hotel graveyard. It had been a massive seafront hotel and casino complex during the Yugoslavia glory days that had since been turned into a refugee center during the height of the Croatia/Serbia conflict although by the time I was living there it did not have any more tenets, it was just a looted and plundered shell of a hotel, smashed windows, stripped of all fittings, wires and anything slightly useful.

It had a beautiful dock and seafront that locals and this blogger and the other foreign volunteer friends of mine loved to spend time there and in the trails and bushes around there just relaxing. People would even drive there from Split (20 km north) on weekends as it was more peaceful and quite then other beaches and the Split Rivera of down town, it was a quick little popular get-away spot.

I had just came to the region and remember it had real intrigue to me that something obviously a previously great place had fallen to such lows, I’m glad it was able to be used to shelter others during these terrible war years but I’m also really glad that others too saw it’s potential and gave it a second chance.

I will go though some of my old film photos from that time and see if I can not find an old picture of this place then and compare it to the one shown on this post of it all new again.

It is a sure sign of Croatia’s reemergence as a premium tourist destination and resort hub, that these big companies pay such big money for a piece of this sunny pie. The hotel industry there really does give many locals and Bosnians workers work and an income that they might not be able to make otherwise.

What I love most from this is that they used the same structural layout and buildings and did not level it and make a new one. I’m sure some things have changed but the layout of the complex in this new picture looks very much the way I remember the “graveyard” to be, there is now a yacht harbour that was not there before but we used to dive off the end bit that had a little beacon on it as did many sun lovers enjoying a summer afternoon rest and amateur fishermen to cast their lines on. The outdoor pool was just crumbling tiles and were the trees are up front used to be mainly a clearing with weeds and other wild plants that people would picnic on, there used to be one ‘regular’ who was like a big bald boxer guy who’d often be there practicing martial arts with Ninja sticks.

I really realize I’ve been around here a long time when I’m able to look back at things like this and remember the “good old days”, and what a joy it has been nearly every day I’ve been here since, things are changing, there is hope to be had here. I used to say things like that back then during some pretty tough years and would almost get laughed at, (this same year NATO bombed Kosovo, an action that kept many tourists away due in part to the proximity of just a few hundred kilometers away to parts of the Croatian coastline which really hurt this new nation’s fledgling economy) now the signs of progress are everywhere, and this is just the beginning.

I know the all to common sight of colored plastic or empty soft-drink bottles used to reflect and keep the birds away but I’d never seen CD’s used before, I guess there is always a first time for everything. I must agree they do reflect the sunlight nicely and never liked them hanging from people’s car rear mirrors, maybe this is the good alternative for our old scratched CD’s – just send them to “veg” – and quite literally in this case.

In this ever increasing high-tech world we live in it is changing every aspect of our lives, even our garden patches.