Happy
Statehood Day and what's new in Slovenia
SlovInUS News wishes Happy Statehood Day
to all Slovenians. For those who may not know:
Slovenia
declared independence on June 25, 1991 and every year on that day Slovenians
commemorate the proclamation of independence.
Some people ask why the holiday is not
called Independence Day. Good question! For answer click here
>>.
A
lot has changed in
Slovenia
since 1991. As a matter of fact a lot has changed within last six years.
That’s how long I was out of the country until I visited it two weeks ago.
No borders and new currency were first two things that I encountered. I
heard more English than Slovenian spoken on streets and at restaurants in
Ljubjana. (Yes, I admit, it was during the Bush’s visit but even without
all those hundreds of Americans that were there for the visit
Ljubljana
was flooded with tourists.)
Some things have not changed, such as having trouble finding exchange office
on Sunday, people complaining because AC was on or they were served water
with ice instead of without it. Maybe the saddest thing experiencing it
again was what my friend Primož
called Slovenian national sport No 1, when two cars dangerously passed us
while another car was coming towards us (Prehitevanje v škarje).
I was surprised that despite brand new and
very strict traffic law, which brings very high fines, people still drive as
if the end of the world can be expected every second. Namely, I went running
one early afternoon on a local road from Kranj to Medvode. I was told that
traffic should be pretty light there and run quite enjoyable but it turned
out to be quite opposite. Cars were driving by very fast, barely slowing
down a bit while going towards me until one drove in a big puddle on a
shoulder right in front of me, splashed me entirely, and then hit me with a
rear mirror. Shocked with what had just happened I screamed some profanities
but to my even bigger surprise the driver didn’t bother to stop.
On a more positive note, I was happy that
pizza is still so good almost anywhere you order it and that
Union
and Lasko still make some of the best beers in the world.
All together, if you have never been to
Slovenia
, the country is still very beautiful and unspoiled. It offers many natural,
cultural, and historical beauties, very good food and generally very nice
people. (My first day there I had only dollars and credit cards and needed a
ride from Radovljica to Kranj. Bus driver invited me to ride the bus for
free, for example.) Slovenian is definitely a place that every curious
traveler should put on their agenda to visit.
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