Sat August 3rd 2013
It’s
hard to believe that I set off only four days ago (as I don’t carry a
smartphone or anything like that posts appear infrequently and not necessarily
on the same day I wrote them) – my brother’s birthday last Saturday feels like
another time. My plans to reach Kosovo at Bayram, the holiday at the end of
Ramadan, to visit a friend require I cover some distance in the early days of
this trip. Both with the ways (mostly) and with the stays I’ve been extremely
lucky so far.
And
although it feels like I left a long time ago, I still haven’t fully realized
that I actually am on this trip, for more weeks to come and more countries new
to me than before, some of which I have wanted to visit for more than ten
years. Now I actually am here, in the boiling heat of Southeastern Europe.
After
only three hours of sleep the calm and quiet of the early morning high speed
train from Hamburg to Munich were more than welcome. The second train bustles
with summer time travelers, immigrants on their way to spend some weeks with
the family, young backpackers. Luckily I reserved a seat, and at the window at
that. We pass the Austrian-Slovenian border completely unnoticeably. I check
every once in a while, the first hint to me being the gardens. Well tended and
over flowing with greens in many shades, the Slovenian gardens are meant to
yield more than relaxation. The next stop proves me right: Jesenice. From now
on all countries I visit are new to me.
 |
 |
| Metelkova in the morning |
I found
a Couchsurfing host in Ljubljana who is also hosting a guy from Israel and they
make it easy for me to arrive. We spend the evening in the nearby autonomous cultural
center Metelkova listening to a free concert of Bosnian folk songs. We get up
early as Jan has to work and I explore the city center of Ljubljana. It is an
illustration of the country’s location at the crossroads between Southern,
Eastern and Western Europe. In the evening another couchsurfer joins Jan and me
for dinner and some home made music. Such a good way to end a day.
 |
| Ljubljana Old Town |
You saw Metelkova... awesome... I only went there in the pouring rain for like an hour and didn't get to enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped. I miss my Balkans...
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