Sorry it has taken me awhile to update this! Things have
just gotten incredibly busier lately and the free time I would have spent
informing you all about my crazy life is instead spent studying or doing the
bit of “lasts” that one needs to do with about a month left abroad.
As I mentioned in the last blog,
for some reason we had last week’s Monday and Tuesday off for a holiday I
couldn’t tell you. I had hoped on going to Istanbul, which is on my bucket list
of places to see, but I waited too long to book my flight and prices sky
rocketed! On Saturday my friend, Rachel, another guy friend and I decided to go
to Slovenia for two nights and three days! Best spontaneous decision I’ve made
in a while J
Our friend, Maja, (who is from
Slovenia and goes to school in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, and studies with
us at Graz) was such a great host to us! Rachel had the German intensive course
with her in February and I had heard all about how awesome she was and had met
her a few times. She organized for us to ride with somebody to Maribor and then
get another ride to Ljubljana from there, Ljubljana is only 2 hours from Graz.
It is very popular in Europe to have websites where people post the dates and
times they are driving somewhere and how many empty spots they have in their
car. If it fits in somebody’s time schedule you can go with them, by paying
like 5 euro or something. So, that is what we did with a nice Slovenian woman
at 7am Sunday morning. I hadn’t ever done it so it was a fun experience despite
being slightly crowded and incredibly hot!
We arrived to the beautiful capital
city of Ljubljana in the afternoon and spent the day wandering around in the
hot June weather we were lucky to have. Ljubljana was so much more than I could
have ever expected. I had heard from friends that it was a very small capital
city and not much there, but when I was there that Sunday afternoon I really
fell in love with the relaxed Mediterranean feel to it. It was remarkable to me
for its rich tradition, quiet streets, youthfulness, cultural creativity and
unique atmosphere. Rachel and I kept saying it was like if Budapest, Graz and
Salzburg had a baby … it would be like Ljubljana. You could see the remains of
the Roman city, the old city center with its medieval castle, buildings with
Baroque facades, and modern graffiti amidst corky uneven roofs and unique
colors all flowing along with the beautiful blue river. Slovenia used to be part
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and you could feel that within the streets, much
like in Graz. Graz is actually a Slovenian name! Our hostel, Hostel Tresor, was
centrally located and used to be an old bank so we slept in old vaults – very cool
despite the lack of air conditioning in our rooms. We were about a 5 minute
walk from the old town area, river, and all the main tourist stops! 
It was a very hot day, but we had
to go to the top of the Ljubljana Castle located at the summit of the Castle
Hill that dominates the city center. The castle was built in the 12th
century and was home to many great king and queen throughout the centuries, a
major military hospital, city fortification, a jail and was most recently in the
1960s a place for the poor to live. At the end of the 1960s, the remodeling and
renovation took place and now it is so cool – after being completed in 35 years!
There were ruins of the old castle carving out the space and then there would
be modern beams and glass making it almost like you were outside with the trees
growing and then yet that you were inside at the same time. I was joking that
that was how I wanted my house to feel. We were so impressed by the whole
atmosphere. There was a free library at the top as well, we sat in the shade
for about an hour reading and relaxing the day away. It was heaven to me to
read the history of Slovenia atop a 12th century city castle. I didn’t
want to leave. We roamed around the rest of the city seeing other major
attractions, such as the famous Triple Bridge, Dragon Bridge, and the Ljubljana
Cathedral. That night we had a huge platter of meats, cheeses, grilled
vegetables, and bread for dinner like the Balkans do – much like my feast in
Kotor, Montenegro with Calvin, Justin and Ash! I felt like the entire trip we
were either starving or stuffed to the brim with delicious food and drinks! Ha!
Got up early the next morning and
met up with Maja! She was so sweet and planned an entire day for us while we got
to drive around in her car. This was a special delight because I have always
been using trains, planes, buses, and bikes to get around – so a car was a
welcomed convenience! We went to the famous Postojna Castle, the second-longest
cave system in the country and one of the top tourism sites in Slovenia. It is
a 20,570 meter long karst cave that was created by the Pivka River and a double
train track takes you all the way down for an hour and half tour! It has the
most beautiful stalagmite and stalactites I have ever seen from the ceiling all
the way down to the bottom that have been there for centuries slowly growing.
Sadly, no pictures could even capture how amazing they were. It was such a nice
escape from the heat of the day to spend a few hours in the underworld. We even
got to meet the infamous Dragon Fish (or human eating fish as the Slovenes call
him) that lives in the cave and is its own species!
After this, we went to the Predjama
Castle perched high up in a vertical cliff, 9 km from the Postojna Cave. It was
such romantic and mysterious looking castle as it disappears in the cliffs. It
was made famous by the knight Erazem of Predjama who rebelled against the autocracy
in the 15th century. There are numerous legends about him but one
funny one is that he was killed while on the toilet which is a room separated
from the castle. It was a crazy place with a torture chamber, escape routes
into the cliffs, and a Renaissance hall with hunting trophies! I loved it and
the sun just made everything even more pretty.
This was all before noon! We were
starving though at this point but decided to wait to eat until we were on the
25 mile Adriatic coast line of Slovenia. We headed to Piran, one of the three
major towns along Slovenia’s coast. The town gushed medieval architecture,
narrow streets, and a beautiful area for us to again escape the heat for a few
hours. We jumped into the salty sea with the view of Italy and Croatia in front
of us, pretty cool experience that I couldn’t have even dreamed better. I didn’t
want to be anywhere else in world. It was heaven to have a Slovenian beer in
hand, friends next to me, sun shining down and to be reminded that my life is
pretty awesome sometimes. Eternally grateful for experiences like this. We
stayed 6 hours at the beach and slept the whole car ride home to Ljubljana –
poor Maja was left to drive! After, we enjoyed a traditional Slovenian meat
pastry at midnight along the river while music from a nearby club played
through the streets. A good second day indeed.
We slept in a little bit later Tuesday,
but had to get up to go check out the Vintgar gorge – one of the most popular natural
features in Slovenia. This gorge reminded me a lot of the gorge I hiked and
climbed with my friends and teacher in Austria, except more water and less
ladders. Along the narrow passage the Radovna River smacks loudly against its
rocky confines creating cascades, rapids, and occasionally the rare clear pool
of peaceful water. The Vintgar gorge ends at the wonderful Sum waterfall, the
highest waterfall in Slovenia. It was an awesome walk and beautiful view of
nature. The glacier water was so blue and colddd! Our guy friend jumped in
three times! Crazy Norwegian! It was an awesome stop before we made it to one
of the best places ever - Lake Bled.
How do I begin to tell you about
Lake Bled… my first week in Austria I was told about this lake and that if I didn’t
go to it while I was in Europe for the second time then I messed up. Again, I
heard about this lake from a fellow hostel guest in Sarajevo that if I did not
go to this lake then I did something wrong with my exchange experience. I had
it written in my phone, the images that these people had shown me, and the
promise of amazement with just one visit. This was one of the first times my
expectations were not too high. Lake Bled was marvelous and if anyone is
reading this – please, take note and go one day! Lake Bled is a lake in the
Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia and surrounded by beautiful mountains and
forest. The lake is a mix of glacial and tectonic origins with a maximum depth
of 100 feet. Oh, and it’s a crazy amazing blue turquoise color that is crystal
clear and you can see your feet while you tread water because it wasn’t possible
to touch the ground, at least where we were. It was so refreshing to jump into
the cool, fresh lake water after being out in the hot sun all day. It was heavenly.
As if this is not enough, but there is a beautiful natural island in the middle
of the lake. A pilgrimage church, the Assumption of Mary, built near the end of
the 17th century with a 171 foot tower that you can see as you walk
around the lakes edge. The only way you can reach this island is by a paddle
boat – which we didn’t end up doing since we were enjoying ourselves too much
to stop for a paddle boat. I might want to get married at this church, it was
that awesome. We spent the day in the sun jumping into the wonderful water,
making new friends and I once again was taken aback that this was my life for a
Tuesday. 
We left to go to Maja’s home to
have a traditional Slovenian meal with her grandparents. They were so nice and
cute! Her “Bobby” made us wonderful food and was such a great host. We ate like
kings and queens. I don’t remember the last time I had a home cooked meal. It
made me so happy to spend a few hours with them even if they didn’t speak any English
nor us any Slovenian, it was a wonderful representation of the magnificent culture
and people of Slovenia J
We walked around their land, admired Bobby’s herb garden, played with the horses
and met her cousins and extended family that lived nearby. It was so fun but
unfortunately Rachel got stepped on by one of the horses! Thankfully, nothing was
too badly damaged. We caught a ride home and got back to Graz at night. It was
such an amazing trip and it truly might be one of the best trips so far! I wish
I had time to go back again, but there is not a doubt that I won’t return one
day – perhaps for my wedding! Haha jokez
The week went by quick and on
Friday I went to a Sociology department party with my tandem partner where I
had a lot of fun and made new friends. The next day was the infamous MultiKulti
Ball of Karl-Franzens Uni, where I go to school. I didn’t really know much
about it besides it being a really big deal since there have been permanent signs
around Graz for it since I’ve arrived. I probably wouldn’t have gone since it
cost a lot to get tickets but our Rectorate decided to offer all incoming
exchange students enrolled a free ticket! So nice! The MultiKulti Ball is one
of the biggest events in Graz bringing together people from different cultures
and nationalities to celebrate, party and dance through the halls or the
university’s main building – which is absolutely gorgeous. There was bands
playing in every part of the place with everything decorated beautifully with
purple and pink lights. It was just dazzling and I couldn’t stop smiling at how
I get to go to this school and be a part of it. Outside was like a carnival with
rides, games, and a hookah bar! I was so surprised by it when I went outside
because it was just another amazing area… just awesome. So glad I went J It was a great night
spent with friends in nice dresses and heels!
The next day I went rafting with a
big group of Erasmus kids organized by ESN, so awesome! I met up Sunday around
11 to take a bus 2 hours to the Salza River. When I had signed up to participate
I thought more of my close friends would go, and then none of them ended up
signing up in time or had other plans. So, I just kind of went on my own and
made a lot of new friends! It was awesome! The Salza is an eastern tributary of
the Enns – which goes all the way to Vienna and is the main water source there!
It is a favored site for kayakers and rafters like us! I had gone rafting in
Costa Rica when I was in high school, but this was much different! We wore wet
suits since it was glacier water! The water was pretty low, like you could
stand up if you fell in - or got pulled in, like I did!! It was a pretty remarkable
day and I couldn’t help but smile at the clear blue water beneath us, the
mountains surrounding us, and good friends to share the day with. The rapids
were pretty intense too so lots of laughter was in the air J So thankful to have an
opportunity like this!
This past week has been a very
studious one for me as I had my International Dimensions of Law final – we had
one multiple choice exam that was our grade. The class is pretty hard and most
students are in their second year of law school! I studied hard and hopefully I
will pass! I’ll keep you updated on that one! I also had an 8 page paper due
for the Nation-building, State-building and International Order after 1500
course due on Monday. It’s be busy! This Friday I have my Sociology Seminar
paper due, which will be my final and then next week is going to be even worse
with 5 finals and my mom and Jill coming halfway through the fun! Ha!
Thankfully it will all be over the 3rd of July and then I’ll be
happily frolicking about Europe until my return journey home!
Sorry for the long entry and lack of updating you all
sooner! Things are winding down and yet picking up speed here and I’m getting a
bit emotional that it will all be over very soon. Emotional entries to follow –
fair warning!
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