Part 2 of my vlogging in Slovenia. This time from high above Ljubljana as well as lost somewhere in the south of the country. Folk music as always. And this is my goodbye to a country that I hereby love.
Monthly Archives: November 2006
Sleepy Low Budget Return
Just because a plane flies to and from it, and you have a metal detector.. does not mean it is an airport.
Or maybe it does.
Either way Treviso “airport”, also known as a hotdog stand, had me laughing all the way to the gate.. err.. back door number 1.
I’ll spare you the details and instead provide you with a photo.. which may no longer be worth the 1,000 words like they used to be, but at least it is worth a post.
Tomorrow.. audio.. and other fun.
Today I recommend you listen to this amazing Open Source Episode. I’m ashamed to say I had never heard of this Daniel Barenboim, but his manner of speaking and expressing himself represents much of the type of person I aim to be. Too bad I suck as a conductor.
Venice the Menace
Imagine a world with no cars, buses, metro’s, scooters, or even BIKES.
Now throw in water everywhere, buildings dating back to 1000 something, and a couple of hundred thousand tourists.
Doesn’t it sound appealing?
Strangely enough, I kid Venice, but I like Venice. I often thoughtlessly refer to it as a tourist trap, but it is really much more than that. – It’s a sinking tourist trap with overly expensive food. HIYOO.
But seriously folks, despite all the useless and neverending trinkets Venetians are trying to push on everyone. Even though certain canals stink like a pile of wet garbage. While it may feel more like disneyland than italy sometimes, complete with stereotypical loud talking American tourists. Despite all these factors that a unemployed snob like myself might never enjoy.. the truth is.. I like it.
YES thats right. I admit to liking Venice. There is this feeling in the air… like the Venetian republic is still alive and they still rule the adriatic sea. You can put away the tourist map and just walk and follow your instincts… to find something unexpected and wonderful. No matter how crowded it seems, you pick a path and end up completely alone with your thoughts and the deep history that pours out of the walls here.
And while it may soon be lost to sea – probably in my lifetime – it still seems like a place where people are making the most of the present. And setting up beautiful lowcost hotels with feewifi, breakfastl and reasonable staff . Yes Venice is good for the soul.. I’ve made up my mind.
bmtv29 On to Slovenia, Part 1
To further tempt all ye who have been emailing and commenting (thanks by the way) here is part one of my slovenia vlog. Enjoy the folk music.. as you know, I love it.
Must I leave the Dragon Bridge?
As I negociated the acquisition of some bananas at Ljubljana’s central market, the old man of the stand got very excited, apparently because he felt there was other fruit that deserved my attention.
He was especially insistant on these round fruits the color of peaches yet also resembling a tomato. He kept pointing to them and pointing to me and saying “Spanja”.. to which I smiled and pointed to myself and said “Portugal” (since its so nearby to the fruit). He laughed and furthered the exchange by pointing to his own chest and proudly proclaiming: Bosnia… Bosnia!
And so it goes in this city which I like to think I’ve grown to understand just a tiny bit.
The neighborhood that I regret not having spent even more time in, is that surrounding the infamous prison-turned-hostel-turned-cultural center called “Celica”. Anyone with a creative bone in their body seems to gravititate towards it. On several nights these past few days, I’ve sat with a new friend who comes from Melbourne. In town for a improve-theater festival, which sounds very interesting and Im not just saying that because she’s likely reading this post.
Tonight we walked around the block from Celica and stumbled upon something that can’t be properly communicated through words. Some would call it, a squatter’s paradise, I think one swedish guy referred to it as a free area.. whatever you want to call it.. all I saw was wall to wall art, painted, sculpted, or just simply hanging from the walls of the buildings. It was so impressive and so fascinating I decided to save my pictures for the daylight. So as we head back to the train station tomorrow to make our way BACK to Venice (story on that tomorrow perhaps), there will be a brief photosession at this place just beyond the beloved Celica.
And while I’m strolling with a camera… other people like the King of Jordan are pointing out some pretty undeniable realities.
What a Difference Ljubljana
What a difference a day makes. A day in Ljubljana I mean.
After arriving in the dark and booked into whatever we could find last minute and getting completely baffled by the complex bus system, it seemed like very little could go right during our stay here.
But then I woke up this morning, 24 hours later, in the most beautiful and simple and clean-fresh smelling bed and breakfast. There is this lovely Slovenian woman who pops into the living room every now and then, makes me tea, and asks how my day has been and what Ive seen. She finds it funny that so much time is spent on my laptop, but then, she doesn’t realize that Im a podjournalist and there’s not vacation from such a trade.. it flows through my veins. Not to mention, wifi is so abundant in Ljubljana as compared to any italian city or portuguese city.. this place could teach Europa a thing or two about technology!
This city is fanastic. It is small.. very charming… very quiet.. and even outside the city center.. people seem quite kindhearted.
On the morning we awaited the bus to get the hell out of that racket they called a hostel, I noticed a paint truck had sped by and one big can of white paint had fallen over and broken onto the pavement. The driver didn’t notice, and what followed was a scene that reminded me of Newark for some reason: the first few cars slow down, and attempt to drive around it, causing all kinds of dangerous driving.
Here’s what I notice: an old woman crossing the street, sees the paint container, and without flinching, starts dragging it across the street and out of traffic. She did it with such a style, that to me screamed “this is my community, I saw this and I can do something about it.” For some reason I remembed times in Newark where something like this would happen and people would just drive around it and never would anyone try to solve the problem. Maybe Im being too critical of my city-of-birth.
Five minutes later, across the street at another bus stop, an elderly slovenian man falls down while getting off the bus. Lots of busy people didn’t seem to notice, but every person around him turns and stops to check on him. They were almost competing to help him in some way.. 5, 6 people all gathered around. picking up his stuff, putting an arm around him. I could tell they were strangers.. and yet.. another scene that I found very charming and perhaps telling of Slovenian city life.
Who knows, maybe I see what I want to see… but I love this place. And now I wish to meet a Slovenian girl who sweeps me off my feet.. or vica-versa.. cause let me just say, they are beautiful in such a cool and independent way.