Slovenia: A Beautiful Surprise

I had no pre-set ideas about Slovenia. Some areas that lay behind the iron curtain are, to be frank, pretty ugly - so perhaps my expectations were inclined in that direction. But actually, this charming little country resembles nowhere so much as Switzerland, although thankfully with better prices. It is so clean, green and mountainous, with crystal clear lakes, snowy Alps, history – seriously, it makes for a great destination! It's not as cheap as some of the surrounding countries, but it's still reasonable enough. The capital, little jewel that it is, is far from undiscovered and the Slovenians are well aware of the value of the tourist dollar. Bordering on Croatia, Italy, and Austria, it is as you can imagine rife with culture. We decided to visit Ljubljana, a word which took us weeks to master, as well as the lakes district, specifically Bled and Bohinj. We had the added bonus of an unwanted visit to the seriously ugly city of Maribor, about which I can only say, should you be tempted, don't bother.

Fall is so beautiful in this part of the world. The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and in the morning a golden mist rises from the ground. It is quite heavily forested and the leaves are shades of red and yellow. I love autumn, and this is autumn at its most perfect. All of this beauty also makes it a great time to travel because the tourist hordes are thankfully elsewhere. I feel that by describing how Slovenia looks I am trying to write some bad romantic novel, but I promise that this really is the truth!

The drive from Vienna to Ljubljana winds through sublime scenery, crossing a mountainous Austrian state known as Styria. Styria is covered in vineyards, neatly groomed little farmlands, and rocky outcrops topped with ruins of old fortresses and castles. The landscape remains much the same once you cross the Slovenian border although the building styles do start to take on an eastern appearance.

In Ljubljana we booked ourselves into the Jazz Hotel, a tiny little jazz themed house close to the castle and old city. When we arrived we were told that the owner wasn't there yet so we had to sit in the coffee bar and wait, and wait...and wait. Apparently they were trying to 'call' someone to help us, despite it being a mid Saturday afternoon and a group of some 12 people all wanting to check in. About an hour later, after a number of complaints, a man who had been sitting beside us at the coffee house the entire time stood up and finally decided let us in. Who was he? The owner. Who didn't seem the least bit bothered by the line of travellers who needed to access his establishment. So, the first lesson learned was that no one is in a hurry here – ever. They will do things in their own time, when they are ready. I'm not even sure what you would call this mindset apart from bad for business. Anyway, at least he was nice and made up for this first impression by setting us up with a driver to visit the two biggest lakes the next day.

The city itself is really pretty, filled with winding cobblestone streets and colourful old buildings. A castle sits atop a very steep, forested hill in the middle, a river lined with weeping willows runs through the middle as do canals. The buildings are old and just so perfectly shabby with many featuring interesting traditional Slavic designs. The regional food was also for the most part really good, especially the fresh cheese dumplings with wild mushrooms. The wine was a bit on the too dry side however, and the local take on Mexican (which replaced the rice in a burrito with boiled cabbage...yah, a style of cuisine that could be described as Moscow meets Mexico City) was lacking. The desserts were divine, especially at this one cafe called Cacao. If you ever go to Ljubljana, you MUST go here and try the sacher torte flavoured ice cream. I think they import it...from heaven ;). If you have gourmand leanings then you would also appreciate that around Slovenia's borders with Italy and Croatia lies truffle country. Both the black and white delicacies were ubiquitous and so, so tasty. Just smelling truffle takes me to my happy place, I swear.  At one of the local market stalls we bought something called Ghee, a type of clarified butter made with truffles. I have been experimenting with it since returning and must say that it makes roast chicken much more interesting. Even cooler, I found a fresh dairy and cheese vending machine in the middle of town.

We also made trips to the two main lakes in the country, Bohinj and Bled, chauffered by a mirrored aviator sporting - and admittedly kind of sexy – chain smoking, Led Zepplin loving driver who moonlighted as a commercial pilot and engineer. Interesting how you often meet people with these eclectic skill sets when you head east and south in the world. I guess tourism is where the real money lies. Our first stop Lake Bled is around 60 kilometres, or halfway across the tiny country, from Ljubljana. Bled is also a picturesque little resort village that lines the lake's shores. Above the lake on a rock promontory towers a medieval castle and in the middle sits an island that is home to a 17^th century church featuring a baroque 99 step staircase to the top. There is not a scrap of garbage to be seen anywhere in the area and water is glacial run off from the surrounding Julian Alps, crystal clear and emerald green in colour. To get to the island you must take a little wooden gondola steered by a local, because no power boats are allowed to spoil this pristine wilderness. This means that a visit here is an incredibly peaceful experience. The second lake, Bohinj, was still further into the mountains along a route that really, really looked like Switzerland. It was more natural than Bled, lying in a national park and apart from one tiny cafe on its shore, without signs of humanity. We sat at the lakeside enjoying our lunch in the sunshine, discussing how being surrounded by such beauty makes you feel lucky to be alive. Honestly, these are some of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. Be warned that if you do go, there are not really reliable bus lines to get around the country, so you will need to either find a driver or rent a car yourself to get to these places. The good news is that the drivers in Slovenia are very civilized so you don't need to be scared, unlike in say Romania.

I can only highly recommend Slovenia. Whether you like culture, food and historic cities, or you prefer hiking and being out in nature – it offers all of them in equal measure. And despite moving at their own pace in the service industry,  the people were generally nice and interesting to talk to too – just don't get them started talking about their arch nemeses the Slovaks ;)

Actually, one warning I will give: beware of gypsies here! I caught one with her hand right in my purse. It was a close call.

Getting Philosophical in Belgium

A visit from my favourite South African presented the perfect excuse to finally see Belgium, even if it was mid-semester. Since he didn't want to come to me in Leipzig/Berlin (gee, why would anyone not want to come to Leipzig?), I would have to go there. Fine. It's not like I would ever turn down an invitation to travel somewhere.

My prior knowledge about Belgium was mostly political in nature (as in the place sounds like a governmentally challenged mess that makes the Quebecois situation in Canada look trivial, plus...the EU) or food based (waffles, chocolate truffles and cherry beer) despite almost having moved there for my Masters at the Brussel's Free University. In light of events that have since transpired, ie. terrorist lock down, I think I made the right choice (well, maybe not the Leipzig part - but every cloud has its silver lining and mine came in the forms of Fraunhofer and Berlin). The plan: to meet Hannes in his home base of Leuven, one of Europe's oldest university towns, and from there explore the rest of the country. While we ran out of time for Antwerp, we did hit Brussels, Brugges and Ghent as well as of course Leuven. I also managed some time in Lieges, a very forested city, thanks to perpetual train delays. Once upon a time I loved the movie “In Brugges” and have wanted to visit ever since.

For a start, it was so nice to see Hannes again. In life I don't really think there are THAT many people who you expect, or perhaps want, to always know. It's not that I look at friendships as disposable - although some certainly are – it's more a case of when you live the lifestyle I seem to have fallen into, people tend to come and go. You are friends while you are in one place and then you move on and life continues elsewhere. My mum says that people are in you life for a reason, a season or a lifetime, depending on what their purpose is. I agree. For me then, he is the wisest person I know and also one of the only paid philosophers (how very bohemian) - in short someone I appreciate very much. The first plan of business upon arrival in Leuven, besides catching up with my dear friend and admiring the beautiful town (!!) was to enjoy my favourite cherry beer, something I have missed. My current favourite: Lindemans Kriek. As a rule I am no fan of beer – in fact it would be fair to say that I despise it. But cherry beer is something different entirely. I know how it sounds, I've seen enough reactions where upon hearing it described there follows face pulling. But the Belgians do it well – think sour cherry and not too sweet. Anyway, the next days were filled with travel, good food, philosophers and of course cherry beer. A nice mix, though I must confess that despite having completed a dual major undergrad that included philosophy I have never felt like I have all that much to contribute to a deeply philosophical conversation. While I do have a tendency to think far too much, I do not spend my time thinking about thinking per se.

So, what was good: Leuven is possibly the nicest university town I have ever seen – I would rate it as cuter than Oxford. Very grand yet accessible, with shades of Harry Potter. I believe it is the world's oldest Catholic university (or something along those lines). Brugges, as expected, was also amazing. We wandered the old streets, ate steak frites, waffles and chocolate truffles,went for a boat ride on the canals – all the things one is supposed to do. In the main areas it was completely overrun with tourist hordes (hardly shocking, I know), but once we escaped the centre deserted canals lined with the same old style of buildings awaited us, and these were far more fun to explore. Though the main square is definitely one of the most impressive I have seen, it alas includes an element of artificiality. For instance while I don't recall seeing a Hardrock Cafe, it seems like exactly the kind of place that would have one. For us though, I think Ghent turned out to be the unexpected highlight. Lots of locals had recommended it as a more worthy destination than Brugges. So it seemed at least worth a try. At first I was unimpressed, but if you head a couple of kilometers into town from the train station, it is in fact incredible. I would go so far as to say I preferred it to Brugges because it lacked the tourists and in some parts was just as historically and scenically impressive. It is also lined with canals and quaint old buildings, but has the feeling of a living, breathing city rather than just a tourist shrine. 

Brussels I feel slightly more neutral about. To be honest, I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Usually I feel quite strongly either way about the places I visit. For instance the Royal Quarter neighbourhood surrounding the palace is really nice, it has a great park (that I totally fell asleep lying in the middle of for couple of hours ...oops), some nice coffee shops, boutiques and grand government buildings. The central area is also not bad, though the Manneken Piss must be one of the most disappointing attractions anywhere - think shades of Copenhagen's Little Mermaid. It is so small that I passed it a number of times before realizing where it was. On top of that, the real one is in a museum – the street version is actually a fake. There's a really nice shopping arcade - Galeries Royales Saint Hubert that along with the royal Greenhouses in the outer suburb of Laeken (yes, I dragged poor Hannes all the way out there) is done in the 19^th century architectural style I love – lots of cast iron framework and glazed glass. Sadly for us the Royal Greenhouses are only open for a couple of weeks each year and this was not one of them. But honestly, apart from the main areas, Brussels felt dangerous and a bit on the dirty side. Especially around the train stations this is not a city where you feel particularly safe and I know many people who have had the misfortune to be mugged here. In fact, maybe Brussels doesn't belong in 'the good'. But the other things that struck me about Belgium were how beautiful the countryside was - there is something I found near magical about the nature of the light here, and the people. I think the Belgians, at least the ones I encountered, are great. Friendly, fun and very gregarious  - they are great story tellers, or maybe this was just the various philosophers I met. This glowing generalization however, does not apply to employees of the train service.

So what was bad?: The train system! It is hands down the absolute WORST I have ever seen. Dirty trains. Always late, often alarmingly so. Mind you, lateness is a best case scenario because they often don't show up at all. Which is exactly what happened to me late one night, leaving me stranded in one of Brussel's worst neighbourhoods while trying to return home to Germany. No amount of trying to explain that my train never came made the employees the least bit interested in helping me – or even giving me advice. When after changing stations three times I finally found a man willing to help me, he just pointed out that I was stranded. Even better, when I finally did get on a train the next day we pulled into Frankfurt's airport station to find it evacuated due to a bomb threat. Needless to say, it was an eventful trip back to Leipzig. Even nicer was that this particular week Leipzig had played host to a massive international goth l festival, and when I switched to the tram for the final leg of my journey I had to sit beside a girl with what appeared to be be real, slightly brown stained human teeth sewn onto the front of her t-shirt. But, I look forward to returning to Belgium next year to explore Antwerp and revisit the places like Ghent that really struck me.  

I Heart Denmark

First of all: Holy vikings! The men in Denmark are not just good looking. No, they are ridiculously good looking. Is there something in the water? There has to be. How are they all so tall, with such amazing skin, hair and bone structure? And where does the style come from? And the eyes? I have to hand it to them - Denmark leaves even South Africa in the dust. Though I will give the South Africans the better accent of the two....but then again, Denmark has that European sophistication.

Anyway, I LOVED Denmark. Not at first....it took a little time to grow on me, but once it did I was fully invested...I think I am just a fan of Scandinavia in general. It's like Canada but with way more style (and vikings). The main complaint - their bad weather - doesn't bother me in the least. I grew up in Vancouver, so rain and grey skies are my normal. I actually like to be cozy, or as the Danes would say 'hygge' (pronounced hooogelich) despite the fact I have lived in some pretty hot places. There's something so, dare I say romantic, about being snuggled up against the cold with a view of a stunning yet barren crystalline landscape or in the city with their orderly, oh so Scandinavian style of buildings.

While I have been meaning to travel to Denmark for some time, I actually finally made it there thanks to official business. My Masters program decided to hold its annual summer school in Jaegerspris, a beautiful commune (yes, a commune – one of those things I suspect you only find in Scandinavia) about two hours outside Copenhagen. It sits on the coast and the land is home to horses and chickens and little Nordic painted wooden cabins. The beach is exactly how you would picture a perfect Baltic beach to be, wild, tall grass, wind swept, rugged, a little rocky but with clean sand. But, or should I say BUT, in the middle of all this pristine scenery lies a military practice base. My first reaction was 'Denmark has a military'?! Yes, it does. In between seminars, as we lay on this beautiful little beach and occasionally ventured to swim in the icy water, we were not accompanied the sound of the wind rustling in the trees, nor squawking seagulls...no, rather it was machine gun fire and bombs exploding. Until 11 pm. Believe me when I say that it is hard to fall asleep to the pitter patter of an... uzzi. There's something so not soothing about it.

During summer school were were cooked for by a local chef, and boy did we eat well. Danish cheese, yogurt, fish, berries – this is very much my kind of food though it's probably hell for the lactose intolerant. But despite the beauty of the place, and perhaps in part due to its heavy artillery, I was even more excited to check out the cities, Copenhagen and Arhuus. I will start with Aarhus because it was much smaller: It is a cute, cold, and small seaside city four hours drive from Copenhagen over what I believe is one of the world's longest bridges (and what views on the drive!). Because it is home to one, it very much has the feel of a university town. It has some nice old buildings but what I was really excited to check out was the world renowned Contemporary Art Museum. Alas, I made my trek on a Monday, the one day of the week it is closed. So I got to see 'Boy', the giant statue of a crouching boy and 50% the reason for my trip, from the window only. Better than nothing, but not quite what I had hoped for. I also met up with a good friend of my ex who is a professor at the university, and who happens to be married to a Canadian called Sarah ( I like her already) himself. He took me for the Danish food staple lunch of open face sandwiches, pronounced something like “smoooeeerrrbrooeeet”. Heaped with toppings like smoked salmon, herring and other fishy delights, they were awesome. I know I already said this but I will say it again: I really liked Danish food, mostly because fish and cheese are two of my favourite things. What's not to like however, is how expensive food is. I mean, it is crazy. We are verging on Norway and Switzerland territory here. But ghastly prices aside, Arhuus has some great little areas, including a Latin Quarter, canals running through the city centre, an interesting old church...it's a sleepy, Nordic little city that makes for a perfect weekend escape.

The capital Copenhagen on the other hand is far from sleepy. Brimming with gorgeous little neighbourhoods, even the red light district in Vesterbro has charm (albeit also sketchiness). There are so many welcoming cafes and bars, it feels impossible to pick just one per meal. Even the tourist trap areas like Nyhavn harbour are still adorable. I will say however that the Little Mermaid statue in the harbour does live up to its reputation as Europe's most disappointing tourist attraction. During our visit we had the added bonus of the jazz festival, so the city streets were alive with the sound of music and the sight of dancing. And since we managed to hit Copenhagen in the middle of a 36 degree heatwave, this just added to its steamy charm. There are a couple of very Danish palaces to explore (and not a half bad crown prince - vikings again!), and you can even follow the changing of the guard between the two palaces, as they march through the city streets, which we of course did. With their big furry hats I couldn't help but feel bad for the soldiers (who I was shocked to realize are only teenagers) in the 36 degree weather. There's also the huge Street Food Copenhagen market on Paper Island with still more Danish edible delights, and there are some fantastic museums, especially the National Museum brimming with viking treasures – and the Glypokotek, with its collection of Picasso, Degas, Monet and the most Rodin I have ever seen in one place. There's also an old fortress area and windmill by the harbour, a tower to climb at Christianbourg Palace from which you can see the whole city and its many spires below...and if amusement parks are your thing, Tivoli Gardens. Much of the city is dedicated to preserving the memory of local hero Hans Christian Andersen, and you will find little signs of him throughout. I loved his fairy tales when I was little, and felt inspired to reread them after this trip. Even after all these years they are still so beautiful to me. Just in general, it is such a gorgeous place – with canals running throughout, life is lived on the water here. So many little houseboats! The one thing I did not like (well, besides the prices) was the independent city of Christiania. Stinking of weed and cheap incense, dirty, and full of drunks and druggy types stoned out of their minds by 10 am, it was not my kind of place and I couldn't wait to get away. It reminded me of the worst parts of Commercial Drive and I was ready to leave as soon as I arrived. My only other disappointment in Denmark were the supposedly legendary hot dogs. Not that I really like hot dogs anyway, but I was over and over again that I must try these magical street hot dogs. Nyaaah, they were okay, but not amazing.

I have for many years, and my parents before me because they have a house full of it, been obsessed with Danish design. Their furniture is amazing, timeless...to have a house full of their teak is really the dream I think. So peering into the windows of high end furniture stores (I didn't dare go in) was just such a treat. And it's not just furniture (and lighting!) they do well. Their clothes designers are also top notch. It's not just the men who look good – the women are also fantastic dressers, no matter how casual the outfit. Everyone here just oozes style like it is the most natural thing in the world – there definitely is a certain Danish aesthetic. I would in fact argue that even more than the French, it's the Danes who really know how to put together the perfect outfit. Their style is so....just so! And yet unforced – no one looks like they are trying too hard. Whatever 'it' is, they just have it in spades. It is slightly depressing yet also very inspiring to see.

Anyway, Denmark is awesome. It's as simple as that! 

Itsy Bitsy Luxembourg

To complete the BeNeLux trifecta I had to visit Luxembourg, another tiny little country, but a much livelier one than Lichtenstein. As he does, Johannes had philosophizing to do, this time at a conference of some sort, so I was left to go it alone. At our Belgian base in Leuven, no one could understand why I would want to visit Luxembourg. The reactions were similar to if I announced I was going for a voluntary root canal. I received a lot of weird looks from people who HAD NEVER ACTUALLY BEEN. Well, to their no doubt surprise, it's a fantastic little country and I loved it. In fact, in a parallel universe it could have been my home for the past year because I was accepted into a Masters program there. In true European polyglot style courses would have been taught in French, English and German – perfect for keeping my languages in practice. Honestly they get pretty rusty when you focus on one over the others - for instance, German is now invading my English and my French is getting un peu weird. They also speak Luxembourgish, but no clue on how that old world dialect works.

The train ride passes by familiar historic names – Flanders Fields (which were indeed filled with growing poppies), Napoleon's Waterloo, many World War II spots all of which are now the very epitome of peaceful rolling green landscape. Every so often castle ruins would emerge from trees on a hill top – it's very beautiful, velvety green countryside. I don't know the exact dimensions, but Luxembourg is definitely bigger than the other 'small' countries of Europe ie you can't stand on a hilltop and see every corner. It has a fairly large city too and it's actually one of the capitals of the European Union. It is also one of the world's banking capitals and a tax haven. This means it's full of bankers and diplomats...and therefore full of money. For instance, Ebay has one of its head offices there and it looks, no joke, like a fortified bunker [so this must be where their exorbitant seller fees are being hoarded]. While (as I said) I really like Luxembourg, I must be honest and say that if one was to count nouveau rich douchebags per square kilometer, this place would rival Monte Carlo. Lots of middle aged balding men in suits driving Porsches, squealing their tires for attention. Despite this, it feels quite elegant and cultured. The streets are clean, there are manicured green parks everywhere, the old buildings are all really well maintained – with the grander ones housing headquarters of what else but big banks. It feels like somewhere where big deals are made, where power and wealth live. I can't help but feel this would have been a great place for me to have studied, instead of wasting a year in the backwater hole that is Leipzig.

 

My favourite thing about Luxembourg is the history. The city is a UNESCO heritage site and for good reason. It sits on two levels, built upon old castle walls. You actually take an elevator down to the bottom – a very Hong Kong style feature. The more modern area is at the top and looks down upon a storybook view – old ramparts, ruins, a river winding through, lush greenery, centuries old houses. The top level also features cobble stone streets and the royal palace (I believe it's a Duchy, so there's still a royal family in residence), old churches, squares, monuments, lots of EU buildings...everything was so quaint. The shopping was fantastic - art galleries, furniture stores, boutiques, and the BAKERIES...although maybe not for a student budget. I could only afford to splurge on pastries – which were insane (and I wonder why I have gained weight) - Luxembourgers know how to eat well. In fact, I was very excited to find my old macaroon dealer – which is not unlike a drug dealer – Laduree Not satisfied with my usual baggie full of pistachio macs, I deciding to try their new pistachio...marshmallows! But...they tasted nothing like pistachio. Heartbreaking.

 

Despite temperatures hitting 38 – I must digress and say this summer in Europe was brutally hot, comparable to South Africa but without any aircon - I made it my business to walk as much of the city as possible. And I did a pretty credible job. I guess I have officially turned boring, because these days I would rather get out of bed early and spend the whole day wandering up and down a city's colourful side streets, taking photos of the random little scenes I find then a wild night out. I found a lot that I liked in Luxembourg. Everything was clean, colourful, green, historic, pretty, polished. I will give it my ultimate compliment: I could see myself living here one day.