traveling cell geek

These Boots Were Made For Sweden Pt II the Explanation

2007-11-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

The last couple days in Ljubljana were quite hectic wrapping up work and saying goodbye to new friends, and it was with a certain amount of sadness that I left Slovenia on Thursday. It took a whole day to travel 2000km, most of that time being spent sitting in airports. When the plane finally entered Swedish airspace I looked down to see what looked like nothing but trees and more trees and water, and very few houses. Hmmm I thought, now this feels a bit more like home! I have come to visit friends Katerina and Jachym http://kippsiberians.kokeshnet.com/ who live in Vedjeon, which is quite far north (coordinates:64 deg N, 15 deg E) and 6900 km from Maple Ridge BC and at the beginning of November it is dawn at 7 am and dark at 4:30. Jachym tells me that by the time December comes they will have muted daylight for only 4 hours. Curently the temperatures hover around –2 C in the daytime, which feel a little chilly to me after being in warmer Ljubljana for 2 months. But my boots, gloves and wool sox arrived safely a month ago (see blog –entry dated Aug 4th),, and yes, it took 2 months for them to come from Canada!! Falling into bed after midnight I was instantly asleep, and slept soundly in this peaceful place, something I have not done much of in the last couple of months. I'm here to run dogs and to have a good look at the Siberian Huskies here in Scandenavia, with the possibility of importing to Canada at a later date.

Friday dawned late, cold and crisp, and as we stepped outside to meet the dogs and to do morning dog chores I was sure I could smell snow in the air. There are 34 Siberian Huskies and 1 Alaskan Malamute, 2 cats and 1 bunny that live here, and I am in heaven!
On Friday we took the main string out, as Kat is training hard as this year she plans to run the Polardistanse 400 (km), http://polardistans.com/english/defaulteng.html which is the biggest long distance event for registered polar breeds here in Scandenavia.

Jachym also intended to take out the yearlings but we had an equipment failure, so they had an extra long break. Kat has 3 dogs in her kennel imported from North Wapiti kennels in Perryvale Alberta. http://www.northwapiti.com/ Some of you will recognize the name, as North Wapiti dogs make up over half of the dogs in my yard. It was nice to see the two NW girls Magpie and Tazlina running strongly in lead.
A side note, a huge congratulations to Karen Ramstead and North Wapiti’s Crunchie. (brother to my KitKat) who this weekend won the open class and the sled dog classes at the Siberian Husky Club of America’s National Specialty in California. http://www.northwapiti.com/homepage/crunchie.html
Overnight the weather cooperated and Saturday morning I woke to 10 cm of fresh white stuff on the ground. WOO HOO! Winter has arrived!

Saturday we took out both the mainstring and the yearling teams, and I was able to help talk Katerina through some little issues she has been having.
Jachym's unique approach to hooking up!!
Along the way we saw fresh bear tracks! Canuck (my Ellie’s brother) runs on the yearling team and watching him was like being transported 6900 km and watching Ellie! A solid day of training with two great runs, and much talking dogs I was quite ready for bed by the end of the day!
Successfully putting young Music in lead for the first time, beside solid dependable North Wapiti's Magpie.

Footsteps in Triglav....

2007-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Triglav National Park (in Slovenian: Triglavski Narodni Park) is situated in the most northwestern part of Slovenia and covers Slovenia's part of the Julian Alps. The Park is named after Slovenia's highest mountain: the Triglav (2864 m), which means the Threehead. The park is a bit of paradise, characterised by beautiful mountain valleys, high mountain peaks, mountain lakes and rivers, and thundering waterfalls. On Saturday my friend Tanja and I spent the day traveling through and hiking in various areas of the park, starting with the Vreta Valley, and finishing up along the Soca River in the Karst region of Slovenia.
I'll invite you now to join us.... and together we will explore the Vrata Valley (translation Door Valley), stand in awe gazing at the face of Triglav, get our feet wet crossing the icy waters of Triglavska Bistrica (Triglav River), and from there we will climb alongside Slap Pericnik, (Pericnik Waterfall). There are actually two waterfalls, the upper waterfall with the height of 16 m (53 feet) and the lower waterfall with the height 52 m (171 feet), and both waterfalls are like two guardians of the Vrata valley. At one point we will have a very cold shower as we clamber behind the lower falls and then feel dizzy as we tiptoe to the edge of the embankment to gaze way down to the valley below.
Heading north by car thru Kranjska Gora we will travel the road built by 10,000 Russian POWs during WW1, as this area was an important crossroads of military passages. We will stop the the Russian Chapel that was built to honor the prisoners who lost their lives in this endeavor.
Approximately halfway thru the 50 hairpin turns of the Vrsic Pass we can stop at the snow line, you can even throw a few snowballs..... Descending the Trenta Valley we will detour to the Koca pri Izvirnu Soca (the source of the Soca River) where we will clamber along the rock face, each toe hold meant for legs much longer than mine, (be very grateful for the cable handrails to hang onto), to the deep green pool that marks the start of the river.
From here we will visit the sleepy village below, and then finally make our way through the Soca Valley and take a short walk along the milky green Soca, one of Europe's most dramatic alpine rivers. Look up at the hillside, at the firey colors of autumn in Triglav National Park, Slovenia.
Enough talking now..... come.... join us.....

Hidden and Isolated

2007-10-25T12:33:00.002-07:00

Tucked away deep in the isolation of the Valley of St John is the ruins of Carthusian Monastery of Zice, founded around 1160 by Otakar III. It was the first of four Carthusian monasteries to be built in the area that is now Slovenia. Two kilometers away from the ruins is the town of Spitalic, which was the site of the lower monastery, where the lay brothers lived and worked. All of the monastery outbuildings, including glass and brick works as well as the hospital were here. Here we found St Mary's church, in great preparation for the upcoming National holiday here to remember the departed. The rich architecture of the church is reflected in it's magnificent main portal.

Heading west to the upper Monastery, and standing at the entrance to the monastery is the Gostisce Gastuz, dating from 1467,
and reputed to be one of the oldest guesthouses in Central Europe. Although it was too early for a pint, we did stop for a good cup of coffee, where I marvelled at the small doorways and thick walls.

The upper Monastery was not built at the same time. The ruins of St John's church was built in the 12th century, first in Romanesque, and then in Gothic style.

Zice was an important medical center for both locals and travellers until the monastery's dissolution in the late 1700s, and there is now a reconstructed apothecary on the site of the old one.

The powerful herbs are grown right on the property.
Certainly one of my favorite ruins to date, they were to me a heady concoction of extraordinary ancient beauty, strange energy and peace.

Hockey Talk

2007-10-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

HDD Olimpija Ljubljana vs. EC Red Bull Salzburg: Final score 2-3

Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of some real Canadian style entertainment as one of the students here kindly arranged for some hockey tickets for me! And it would seem Canada's national sport is alive and screaming in Slovenia as well! I'm a little hoarse now from doing my own screaming, and although my fellow fans were all Slovene, we shared a common language of cheering for the home team and yelling at the Ref, and booing the competition! "SHOOT THE PUCK" is obvious in any language!
Couple of first for me....
1.It was the first time I have ever been frisked going into a sporting event. Every single person that entered the gates had to submit to a thorough patting down before they were even allowed to present their tickets!
2. The hockey games here have home team cheerleaders that dance in the stands at every break!
3. No drink or food allowed in the stands. I had to inhale a 0.5 liter of water, or throw it away, as I was not allowed to bring into the stands with me, even though I purchased it from the concession stand.

Games are a standard 60 min, with 3 20 min periods and 2-15 min breaks. One Ref and 2 linesmen monitored this game, and I have to say that the refereeing was very biased on the side of the opponents. After making some inquiries it turns out they were also Austrian.
I think the rules are basically the same as NHL, but the play seemed gentler and more polite. Many times I saw players deliberately avoid on ice collisions, or boarding, when in an NHL game it seems like anything goes.
However, fans are the same where ever you go, and to see the home team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to score 2 goals within 2.5 minutes had most of us on our feet for the last 5 minutes of the game. Sadly Olimpija Ljubljana couldn't score the tying goal, but it was very exciting none the less. And very good to hear the crack of the puck on a stick, the swish of skates, and the smack of the puck against the goalie pads once again!
PS... GO CANUCKS!!!!!

Imagine Inheriting a Castle...

2007-10-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

Try to imagine what it would be like to get a official phone call or letter stating that a castle that had been in your family 60+ years ago was now your responsibility! This is what has happened in Slovenia. In the mid 1940s, after the WWII, Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During this period private property was nationalized, and castles, among other things belonged to the state, to the people, instead of to individuals or individual families. The Federation began to fracture in the late 1980s and Slovenia became an independent country in 1991. One of the results of this is that some property has been returned to the original owners, or their successors.

We saw evidence of this with a visit to Krumperk, which now has a chain strung across the entrance to the grounds with a “private” sign on it.

With crumbling stone walls and peeling plaster, I think there is a lot of work ahead, and it will be interesting to see what happens to this place as time progresses.
Some castles like Mali Grad (Little Castle) in Kamnik have portions restored.

At the summit, on the eastern side of the ruins is a Romanesque chapel and crypt, parts of which date back to the 11th century.
This is one of the country’s oldest surviving ecclesiastical monuments. From the balcony are fabulous views of the alps.

The Jablje Castle stands above the source of a stream at the edge of a rocky slope. It is believed to have been erected in 1530, although the first written references to it date back to 1268. It features a Middle Age design. After the occupants moved out in 1997, reconstructionin 1999, the an ordinance was passed that made the castle a national cultural monument.

The fourth castle of my weekend involved a trip to eastern Slovenia to Ptuj. Ptuj is the oldest continuously settled area in Slovenia. Artifacts establish the area as far back as the Stone Age. Ptuj’s important geographical location saw the area involved several times in historical events of European importance. In the late Iron Age the area was settled by the Celts, and by beginning of the last century BC, the area began to fall under roman economic and political influences. Occupied successively by the Avars, Magyars and the Slavs Ptuj received town righte in 977 AD, at which point it passed into the hands of the Slazburg archdiocese. Ptuj survived incursions by the Turks, and wars with the Hungarians to be the small provincial town it is today. The Ptuj Castle began life around 69 AD.
We accessed it via the narrow street Grajska Ulica, and entered the lower courtyard, where there is a one armed sculpture of St Florian dousing a fire.

From here one can view the city below, and the Drava River and Plain. Walking thru the Peruzzi portal we stepped into a beautifully maintained inner courtyard enclosed by a horseshoe shaped, three storied residential palace.

This houses the Regional Museum Ptuj which boasts an incredible collection of archaeology, history, cultural history and ethnology. Before entering the museum I stopped to admire the red Salzburg marble tombstone of Fredrick IX, the last lord of Ptuj. Also of interest was the grape vine growning outside, which is a graft of the oldest grape variety in the world, from Maribor, (26km from Ptuj)

Dating from the 17th century the art of Cipka Lace in Slovenia is in the use of a special lace-making technique and, most of all, in its original patterns. These have been given domestic names and are clearly distinguishable from other famous European styles.

An Afternoon at the Seaside

2007-10-17T11:30:00.002-07:00

The Slovenian coast stretches for a whole 46 km, but it packs a surprisingly large amount into 46 kilometers! Our first stop on Sunday afternoon was Koper. At first glance Koper seems to be a jumble of industry, however, if you look a little closer, and enter the town through one of the old entrances, one finds a delightfully preserved center.

What made Koper even more special was that I had with me my own personal tour guide who grew up in Koper, and she entertained us with childhood adventures and anecdotes. Although Koper was quiet, Ziva brought it very much alive, as I could picture a young girl merrily careening through narrow streets on her wooden scooter..

The town is believed to have originated in around 3 BC, and at that time it was an island. The Venetians assumed control in the late 13th century.
Barbabianca Palace, former seat of the venetian tax office 18th Century

Today Koper is Slovenia’s largest coastal town and chief maritime port, yet maintains it’s medieval charm.

Well, dated 1795.

From Koper we drove to Potoroz (Port of Roses), Slovenia’s major beach resort. Although the town is quite modern, it’s history dates back to the 13th century. It wasn’t the sleek hotels that caught my eye, but rather this old tower, sitting in the center of them all.

From Potoroz we walked 2 km down the boardwalk to Piran. Piran is located on the top of a long tapering peninsula that projects into the Adriatic.
Piran has maintained it’s medieval shape and character and was a jumble of arched alleys and narrow streets with tightly packed houses. The town’s center is Tartinjev trg (Tartini Square) and features a marble surface and a bronze statue of the acclaimed violinist Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) after whom the square is named.
Behind the statue is a ruby-red gothic Venetian house (Benecanke Hisa) and this is the oldest preserved building in the square, dating back to the 15th Century. Making our way to the Punta Lighthouse,

I found Piran to be a collection of stone walls, red tiled roofs, interesting visuals that changed moment to moment, and had me stopping to take photo after photo.

Finally, as the light began to fade we began to make our way back to the car, stopping for an ice cream cone (have I mentioned that the best ice cream is here in Slovenia?) and Zoran seemed to pace things to perfectly time the stunning sunset.

What an incredible day at the seaside.

Now THAT's a Nor'easter!

2007-10-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

The Kras region of Slovenia (written as Karst in English) is a dry, rocky and thickly forested limestone plateau, scattered with ancient stone villages.

The Karst region is where I went on my third hike in Slovenia. We climbed to Slavnik (1028M). It was an interesting day because once again, I was experiencing Bura, but here in Slovene it is written as Burja. Burja is a downhill wind, in that it blows from a north to north-eastern direction, in gusts, down an incline. This wind is an integral feature of Slovenia's Kras region. Because the region separates the lower Adriatic coast from the Julian Alps range, extreme burja winds often occur there. They have influenced the region's traditional lifestyle and architecture. Buildings in several towns and villages in this region sometimes have stones on their roofs to prevent the roof tiles from being blown off!!
On Sunday Burja was mild to moderate in strength, making our hike up Slavnik very refreshing for me, until we stepped out onto the high plateau. Then, although I was still very much enjoying the wind, my companions were forced to stop and put on weatherproof jackets, hats and gloves!
I have to admit there was a few gusts up at the top that made me grab for some support, to avoid getting blown over!
The views from the mountain hut at the top were spectacular. Slovenia has 46 km of coast and from where we were standing we could see all of it including some of Italy as well. Far off in the distance was a sailing race of over 2000 vessels. From where we were standing the boats looked like tiny stars in the Milky Way the way they were distributed along the coast.

It was a pretty, sunny hike.

Afterwards we headed over to the coast for some lunch and sightseeing. More to follow!

A Slovenian Inukshuk!

The Dog Days of Autumn

2007-10-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

The term "Dog Days" was coined by the ancient Romans, who called these days caniculares dies (days of the dogs) after Sirius (the "Dog Star"), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunrise. (Late July - early August, hence "the dog days of summer") The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that that star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.
Today I spent an absolutely delightful day in the company of Urska and Grin (red merle Aussie of the Sept 11th Blog entry) at an Agility competition just north of Ljubljana.
There were about 150 dogs that attended and there is something about dogs that transcends language and culture and I felt completely at home. Before the entrants run the course with their dogs, they are given the opportunity to walk the course without the dogs and plot their strategies.

To an agility uneducated person the exhibitors look like a rather odd club of folks pretending to be airplanes!
Not only were there lots of dogs, but there was even a brave soul with a Siberian Husky, and another brave soul with an Alaskan Malamute.

Both girls had their patience sorely tested, but remained in very good humor as their dogs entertained the crowds by careening around the ring, ignoring commands, and running their own course! But it wasn’t just the northern dogs that had troubles with the course, even marvelous Grin had his own agenda today, and more than once Urska called him a “husky” and considered sending him to Canada with me!
Taking photos of dogs running like wild things is not easy, but I hope these capture a little of the excitement of the day.

Regardless of his behavior in the ring, I have never had the opportunity to spend so much time with an Aussie and understand completely now why so many people with Northern Dogs are drawn to the Aussie. Urska, no need to think of sacrificing a "red dog" on this dog day of autumn, Grin is welcome to come to Canada, anytime!!!!

The cattle are lowing.....

2007-10-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, I awoke to the bellowing of cows and the jingling of cowbells, reminding me of the hysterical SNL skit, More Cowbell! The rain had stopped, the skies cleared and the day beckoned.
After a leisurely breakfast, Ana, Marko and I set off for a small hike. The entire area where Ana and Marko have their cabin is a national park, so there are strict regulations as to what can be done in the way of renovations and what cannot be done.
Some villages allow no renovations at all, such as the one a few hundred meters from our trailhead.
Our destination? Blejska Koca, (or Blejska Hut) Lipanca (1633M). Autumn is in all her glory on the mountain, but compared to Lubnik of last week, I noticed the majority of the trees here are conifers. So what was providing all the color? Here there is conifer that they refer to as a "pine" that behaves like a deciduous tree by turning color in the fall and dropping all of its needles!

(I am hoping my father will weigh in here at some point and tell me what this tree is!!)DADDY???

After about 50 minutes we arrived at Blejska Koca, an Alpine hut that offers food and lodging to travelers.

This is a cross roads of sorts as from here one can travel in many directions along the trails. Of interest is that an accidental finding of a bronze dagger dating back to 10 century BC below Merzce proves that the alp was settled in the Bronze Age. People, and sheep have been traveling this route for a long time!

Eventually we stopped basking in the sun and made our way down the mountainside again, stopping at the local watering hole for coffee and a shot of their specialty, Pine Schnapps! Yes, that is not a typo; I meant to write Pine Schnapps! Which, surprisingly did not taste like a mouthful of needles, but was quite sweet!
Later in the afternoon I really began to feel like a native Slovenian as Marko and I went out to walk some more, and Marko gave me a lesson in picking mushrooms. Sadly the crop is limited now, as the temperatures have become quite cool for mushrooms. But amongst the pretty poisonous ones,
we did manage to find a few edible mushrooms which we collected and later, Ana prepared for us. What a treat!
We finished off our day by watching hockey on their wooden TV! Ok, I am kidding, it is actually a very nice flat screen TV built right into a wooden frame, which matches the wood décor of their cabin beautifully! The Pogacnik cabin sits in a place of peace and tranquility, its backdrop against incredible beauty.

Trains... Trains.... and MORE Trains!

2007-10-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

The rail system here is extremely efficient and a very reasonably priced way to get around the country. Certainly much less stressful on the nerves than driving! At least, on a good day….
I was supposed to be heading to Lesce-Bled on the 12:05 train on Saturday. There I would be joining friends Ana and Marko for the weekend at their cabin in the Pokljuka area. And this IS the destination I bought my ticket for. I asked the ticket seller what track the train would be leaving from. “Track 5" she said.
As I wandered down through the station, with ½ hour to spare, I thought, 'Ok, I think I’ve now got this train thing down!' When I got to the Track 5 there was already a train sitting there, waiting. I looked up at the sign and it read ‘10:28am Venice’. I looked at my watch and it read 11:37am. According to the Internet and the posted departure schedule my train was to leave at 12:05pm. ‘Hmmmmmmm’ I thought ‘Is this my train?’ I know it is common for the trains to start in Ljubljana, therefore waiting at the track before the scheduled departure time. 'I wonder what is with the sign, perhaps they haven’t changed it yet from an hour ago?’ To be careful, when I saw the conductor standing on the platform I showed him my ticket and my notebook where I had also written the train information I would need that day, and asked him if this was my train. “Yeah, Yeah” he said nodding, and gestured me towards the train. ‘Ok’ I thought, ‘this is my train!’
I boarded, sat down and expected to wait another 20 min or so, when suddenly the train began to move, and all the passengers clapped. I wondered why they were clapping, as I haven’t experienced this on the trains here before. Shortly after getting moving I thought 'UH OH!!! This isn’t right, we are moving in the opposite direction as to the one I was expecting to move in’
Yup!!! In case you haven’t figured out where this is going, I was on the wrong train!
People here DON’T clap for the trains, unless the train is finally leaving after over a 1-hour delay!
After some words and some sign language with the conductor who looked more thoroughly at my ticket and with my finger on the words “ LESCE-BLED” he said “Ne!!! Wrong Train!!” YA THINK? Fortunately the train did stop once before leaving Slovenia, so I had a 1 hr train ride, a 2 hour stop in Postojna, another 1 hour back to Ljubljana, a small delay and finally I was on the right train! That will certainly teach me to be so cocky!
My friends were very gracious about the 4-hour delay in their schedule, and immediately we set off to enjoy what was left of the daylight. We drove past beautiful Bled, through a long series of twists where every turn reflected recent and tremendous storm damage, to Lake Bohinj, (Bohinjsko Jezero) a majestic body of water settled amidst gorgeous mountain scenery and bound by a huddle of sleepy villages.

After a short walk, some pictures and a great cup of coffee it was back on the road for another long series of twists and turns
until finally we arrived at our destination, my friends cabin in Pokljuka.

The Hills Are Alive With...... Mushrooms?

2007-10-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Skofja Loka Hills to the west of town was the site of my first genuine hike in Slovenia. Our destination? The Dom na Lubnik mountain hut at the summit of Lubnik (1025 M).

I have to confess I didn’t realize how much I have been missing the forest while living in the city of Ljubljana, until I actually stepped onto the trail and breathed in the sights, sounds and scents of the trees and the trails.
Fall has arrived here in Slovenia and the locals complain it happened too quickly and it is too cold, but I find the transition very gradual, and the days still quite balmy.

Anyone who has hiked with me in the past will remember that I tend to enjoy the little delights of Mother Nature as I truck along. My fascination with the local mushroom species seemed to amuse my hiking companions immensely as I continuously stopped to take pictures of the flora along the way.

En route to the summit we passed the village of Gabrovo, where I stopped for a photo of the 'toplarji' or hay-drying racks, a feature of the countryside that is evidently unique to Slovenia.

The most common is the single rack, a very narrow with a series of crossbars and a roof, it allows a large amount of hay to be draped over each rung and dry protected from the rain. These are quite common in the farming area and some, like the one I photographed, are larger and quite complex. In places where they are no longer used for drying hay, they make attractive plant stands or places for posters.
I also took note of the small still, with smoke merrily belching out of its chimney This one was brewing pear schnapps. Mmmmmm!

The very top of Lubnik mountain offers a beautiful view on sunny and clear days.

There is the directional slab with engraved names of nearby and more distant mountains, to help the hiker orient themselves. The Alpine mountain hut, managed by the Mountaineering Club Škofja Loka, offers its visitors refreshment and lodging. We had a cool and welcome drink of lemonade, basked a little in the sunshine before descending the trail back to Skofja Loka.

Pretty terrain, stunning vistas and a good aerobic workout!

Those are the Julian Alps, and yep, there is fresh snow on them there hills!!!!!!

A Thing About Castles....... Bled

2007-10-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I have a thing about castles. This one in particular, suspended above Lake Bled completely captivated me. Bled is situated in the northwestern part of Slovenia, and in 2004 turned 1000 years old. On Saturday, my new friend Vera and her family took me to Bled, and we walked around the magical lake admiring the views from all sides. The Bled Castle itself dates back to the 11th Century, but it’s present appearance dates to the 17th Century.

The walk around the lake is about 4-5 km. (or 3 miles) The only island in Slovenia is located in the middle of the alpine Lake Bled. This small island in the middle of the lake is home to a church; visitors frequently ring its bell for good luck. The island on Lake Bled has 99 steps. A local tradition at weddings is for the husband to carry his new bride up these steps, during which the bride must remain silent. (I wouldn’t last!)

People get to the island by way of boats. The traditional boat is called the Pletna, which is 7 meters long and 2 meters wide and gets it’s name from the wooden boats that still carry guests on Austrian lakes. First mention of these boats are in the church notes going back to the middle ages of the 12 century. At that time the poor farmers of the village Mlino on the south coast of Lake Bled paid their taxes by transporting pilgrims to the island. Over the years the Pletna has taken the size and shape that it is today.

The other thing that Bled is known for is for its vanilla-and-cream pastry called Kremna rezina or kremšnita. This is dessert of vanilla and custard between layers of filo pastery. Between the kremna rezina and the freshly roasted chestnuts, the delightful company of my hosts and the stunning scenery it was a wonderful afternoon despite the rain!

Postcards From Beautiful Baska

2007-09-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

View of Baska from the route up to the Cemetery.

Old wagon in a field of olive trees.

Looking back to the boardwalk from one of the Wharfs.

Unusual pet?

Traditional dress, music and dancing.

Visitors from distant shores.

Fish and Chips aka "Przene Ribe". Fish is Hake.

300 year old narrow homes.

Energy efficient, these electric trucks pick up or drop off for a very nominal fee.

Heaven is the sea 20 meters from your front door!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope these snapshots will give you a glimpse of this beautiful treasure of the Adriatic.

St Mark's Chapel, Baska, Croatia

2007-09-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

"When you come to across a small chapel of St. Mark's in Baska, you are, in fact, in an unavoidable spot of the topographic map, of the early Christianity. Lowering your gaze into the under-church you discover at least a millennium older architectural remains of the setting of initiation into Christian religion and community by the inhabitants of Baska, their Baptistery."

"We know this because of a high degree of preservation since the first half of the 5th century, as we preliminarily date it, up to present days, with the church of St Mark's constructed over it having played a significant protective role."

Quoted directly from the information board posted outside.

Bura

2007-09-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

In Croatian, Bura means a big wind storm. Because of it's geographical location, Baska is prone to Bura, and when I arrived in Baska, they had been experiencing Bura for a couple of days already. The skies were clear and the sea restless and turbulent.

But because of Bura, the sea experiences rapid turn over, which in turn scours the sea floor and beaches.

The water in Baska is beautifully clean generally, but after Bura it is sparkling.

Yes these are sea urchins, and this photo was taken as I stood on the boardwalk and looked down into the sea.

By the time I had been there for a day or so and even tho it is late September, the water is still warm enough to brave for a very refreshing swim! (after much shrieking and giggling, Dr M and I ventured into the Adriatic which was about 19 Degrees C)

"Can you do me a favor please?"

2007-09-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

I should have known! But instead I blurted out “sure!” You see, at home in Vancouver, if my dear friend Dr M asks me for a favor in that particular tone of voice, the favor is unusual! Not necessary difficult, often not difficult at all, but always interesting!
“Could you bring me a toaster?” she asked. “A TOASTER?” I replied, not quite sure I was hearing her right and “yeeeesssss….” (with the patience one would use with a small child) “a toaster. A simple two slice toaster. Ours is not working and I cannot find one here!”
Now to explain, Dr M does not want me to bring her a toaster to Vancouver, she is in Baska, (on the island of KRK in Croatia), where her family has a 300 year old summer home, and I planned to visit them for a couple days.
I found what she asked for, and even had a choice of a very expensive model (about $100 CDN) that I swear would do about everything but the dishes, and a more reasonable one. I packed the toaster into my suitcase and after work today headed off to the train station.

A beautiful sunny ride through the southern Slovenian country side, through lush green valleys between steep rugged forested hillsides, where plump sheep snooze, and cattle graze, and bright yellow pumpkins lay ripening in the fields. Around every corner seemed to be a little hamlet of red tiled roofs surrounding a tall church.

Crossing the border into Croatia was indicated by a simple and friendly visit from the customs officers asking me if I had anything to declare and for my passport. Before I knew it I was in Rijeka, where I needed to change from train to bus.
After hooking up briefly with a young Austrian couple who spotted the maple leaf on my pack and wanted to talk to me about Canada, I found the bus station, bought my ticket to Baska and after a couple of false moves found the correct bus. When the driver stowed my duffel bag in the cargo hold he turned to me and said “7 Kunas”. For a moment I’m sure I looked at him blankly until I remembered I have to pay for luggage on the buses in Croatia and replied “Euros, please?”. He replied “Ne, 7 Kunas”. I pulled out a 10 Euro bill and said “Euros?” again. At this point, with exasperation written all over his face, he gently but firmly grasped my shoulder and steered me down the side of the bus, behind the bus and pointed at the currency exchange. “OHHHHHHH” I exclaimed and promptly rushed off to change some money.
I was laughing when I handing him money, and he was laughing when he handed me my change. Two hours later I was the last person on his bus, and when I thanked him for my suitcase we laughed again. A wave good bye, and a big hug hello from my friends and WHEW!!!! Toaster and Gwen have arrived in Baska.

I wonder what tomorrow holds?

Ljubljana Rain

2007-09-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today as my workday was wrapping up it started to rain. After turning down the offer of a lift home I thought this is no “cold November rain” (thank you Guns N Roses), but a warm September rain, and that it did not matter in the least if “the thunder rolls, and the lightening strikes” (thank you Garth Brooks) because this Vancouverite is “no stranger to the rain”! (thank you Keith Whitley)

I put on my jacket, stepped outside and raised my borrowed umbrella and thought with a smile “Here comes the rain again, falling on my head like a memory, falling on my head like a new emotion” (thank you Annie Lennox) and started to walk.

Ljubljana is quieter today, people huddle under brightly colored umbrellas hurrying to and fro, little pausing to chat or to admire the architecture. Even the cyclists seem to use an umbrella, a feat I admire greatly given the unevenness of the cobblestones that they have to negotiate. The sidewalk cafes are all but empty as the people move indoors.

I love it, and as I walked along at my usual brisk pace, I even took a moment to jump in a puddle! Hey, “blame it on the rain!!” (thank you Millie Vanilli)

I say “let it rain, let it rain on me” (thank you Amanda Marshall), and as I walk along, and those “raindrops keep falling on my head” (thank you B. J. Thomas) I smile as I “listen to the rhythm of the falling rain” (thank you The Cascades), and suddenly feel very much at home!

Celje

2007-09-16T05:15:00.000-07:00

(Pron. cell-yeah)

Known for it's hops, goldsmiths (I met two rather famous ones) and for the Counts of Celje. This is Slovenia's 3rd largest city, with a population of around 65,000 people. Celje derives it's name from the Roman settlement Celeia. Economically and culturally Celje peaked in the Middle Ages, under the Counts of Celje, who were one of Central Europe's major ruling dynasties for over three Centuries.
Yesterday I boarded an InterCity train for my first venture out of Ljubljana. I was headed 89 km east to Celje, to spend the most delightful day catching up and sightseeing with my friend Tanja.
After a great breakfast we set off to explore the city, with our first stop being the Museum of Modern History. Here I was introduced to a wonderfully presented Celje of the 20th century. After taking in the exhibits, we left the museum and wandered about the old town.

One of the structures that fascinated me was what Tanja referred to as the "city castle' where there is currently a dig and restoration going on.

Stones and pillars dating to Roman times.

Celje's old town square.

When we had wandered the old town we drove to pretty Gorerje, where we lingered over a wonderful lunch including the best mushroom soup I have ever had, the mushrooms picked from the surrounding forests. Heading back to Celje we stopped to visit Tanja's church, then in stark contrast, walked over to the large mall where we solved my coffee dilemma. Large and modern was followed by a visit to the beautiful windswept Old Castle from the 12th Century, (it acquired it's current layout in the 14th Century), and I was suitably awed. This is one of the countries largest fortifications.

After walking the ancient pathways, and wondering of the stories the stones would tell if they could speak, we went to meet her delightfully warm parents, Vlado and Anita Planinsek, who turned out to be two of the regions well known goldsmiths! I was treated to a detailed and fascinating introduction to their art, and before we knew it the time had passed very quickly, and we had just enough time to dash out to the countryside to see Tanja's younger sister Natasha (who I met last year in Vancouver) and her new husband David, visit over some wonderful ice-cream (my third helping of the day!), and then make a mad dash back into Celje to catch the last train of the night with barely 2 minutes to spare. Thank you my dear friend "Cookie Monster" for such a wonderful day. I am most looking forward to our planned trip to the Soca River Valley next month!

Grobo Mleta Kava

2007-09-16T03:56:00.000-07:00

"Coarsely Ground Coffee"
I think those of us West Coasters that drink coffee are quite particular about it. Having been to Europe a couple of times now, and not being a big espresso fan, I thought I would come prepared. I brought some of my favorite coffee from home, and knowing I would not find a drip coffee machine here, brought filters and a filter holder to make coffee with. And I brought my 'To-Go' cup. (And yes, the stainless "To-Go' cup gets me some strange looks!) Making coffee like this is not not my preferred way, but I thought it would keep me going until I managed to find something to make coffee in here. A friend suggested I might find a French Press, so within a couple of days of arriving, I set about to find one.
"A what?" was the usual reply when I asked around. Hmmmmmm! This is turning out to be harder than I thought. Thanks to the internet I was able to show a picture of a French Press, but still I got the same blank looks in response to my inquiries.
Finally, last weekend, after much poking around in the shops here I was able to locate one! "Woo Hoo" I exclaimed when I found one, and had to restrain myself from doing a little happy dance right there in the store!
Next obstacle was the coffee. You see I only brought a few days worth of coffee from home and by the time I had spent 10 days here, my supply had dwindled to the point where I had to start looking for more. Again a bit of a language problem, but I finally found what might do the trick....... but when I opened the package I was concerned with the fineness of the grind. Yup, it took one cup of coffee, and one large mouthful of grounds to tell me that yes, this grind is too fine for the French Press. All week I have been treated to mouthfuls of grinds as I get to the end of my morning coffee. Again I asked around, and again the same blank looks. I can get a very fine grind used for Turkish coffee, or a very fine grind for espresso, or the beans themselves.
I am delighted to report that although it took a trip to Celje, and the patience, and the translating skills of my friend Tanja, but finally, we found beans, AND the means to grind them! However, even Tanja experienced difficulties explaining my request in Slovene because at one point she turned to me and exclaimed "you would think I just asked the strangest question ever!"
We found a large store that sells the beans, and outside this store, in the middle of the mall corridor there is a grinding station set up where one can grind nuts on one side and coffee on the other. After much laughter as we figured out the machine, I finally came home with the right grind, and this morning had an excellent cup of coffee, with NO mouthful of grinds to chase it down!

Gone to the Dogs

2007-09-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Ljubljana is a very dog friendly town. Everywhere I go I see people walking their dogs, or sitting at a cafe or restaurant with well behaved dogs at their feet. This makes me miss my guys a lot, but fortunately I get regular updates, and cyber kisses from them! :)
Today I was feeling just a little blue, missing their furry faces, when I rounded the corner in my apartment building stairwell, and what should be coming towards me but a little dog. I stopped to give him a pat, and immediately got lots of real kisses, and suddenly all was bright in my world.

This fabulous picture is one of the students and her dog Grin (a red merle Australian Shepherd) competing at an agility trial. There is a competition locally next month, and I will make sure I am in town that weekend to go and cheer her on.
And for those of you who might be curious, docking tails is forbidden here in Slovenia, so this Aussie, has a tail!

Look Up.... Look Waaaaaaay Up

2007-09-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

On my way to work this morning, I was paused at a street light and while waiting looked up at the castle. Yes, I look at a castle every day, to and from work... now how cool is that? To my surprise, suspended in the sky close to the castle was a hot air balloon. WAY COOL I thought and paused to watch it until it disappeared. Hmmm I thought, pays to look up in Ljubljana. Now Ljubljana is a city of cobblestoned streets, so sometimes looking up can be a bit hazardous, so it pays to pause for a moment to look up, rather than blindly step forward, trip over the uneven stonework, making a spectacle of myself, arms flailing to keep my balance, feel foolish, grin at the passers by, and look up again! I counted not one, not two, but 5 pretty balloons in the sky this morning.

I later learned that these balloons offer sightseeing tours when it is sunny out, a tour lasting about 2.5 hours, for 82 Euros. My hosts for lunch today were kind enough to look this up on the Internet for me. Today the resident who is doing some Cytology training with the students, invited me for lunch. I wound up sharing the better part of the afternoon with Biljana, and her charming husband Simon, and delightful daughter Mila. Biljana cooked enough food to feed a small army, and sent me home with enough to last me the entire week! I particularly enjoyed the Macedonian Salsa, and the Strudel, all made by hand this morning by my hostess. Good food, good company, and Turkish coffee to round things out! Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Ljubljana!

A bird's eye view.

All Work and No Play...

2007-09-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, they say it makes you dull! Hopefully the novelty of this Canadian and the funny way she talks has not worn off yet! I have been putting in some long hours, was at work today for a few hours and will return again tomorrow for the same.

I thought I should send you some photos of the people I work with. First off this is one hunking huge multihead microscope that you see here in the first picture. It has spaces for 10 people to sit around! This is twice the size of the multihead microscope I work with in Canada. I have greatly amused the staff and students here as the first thing I have done, when sitting down at a microscope is clean it. I've been cleaning lots of microscopes!

The next set of photos is the class of 2007-2008.
The second photo shows the teaching technologist, in white.
We share an office, and she kindly picks me up for work in the morning when it is raining.
I am enjoying her company, and her laughter, she has certainly gone out of her way to make me feel welcome.

The final photo is the resident that is also working with us. I have most appreciated having her sit in with our multihead sessions as she fills in some of the gaps for me, in Slovene.
My sessions are in English, but the lectures that the others give are in Slovene. All of the students have a good knowledge of English, and are gradually becoming more comfortable using it with me. They all get a chuckle out of my Slovene, but I am learning new words every day, and they are very patient with me, thank goodness.
The work is interesting and very challenging, as I am struggling a bit with the way they prepare their material here. Most of all though, it is rewarding.
And not to worry, the next two weekend I will be away.... so it isn't ALL work....

Street Busking... Good For The Soul

2007-09-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that Ljubljana is no different from other major cities in that on major street corners and walk ways, there are various street performers. Yesterday it was a quartet of pretty girls singing Amazing Grace that made me pause.

Today was my first day at work. It began just after 6 am, and ended just after 3 pm. I have to admit to feeling a little overwhelmed, but I am very sure that this will settle down in the next day or so as I slip into a routine. I had an offer of a ride home, but decided I needed to walk, to clear my head. I was mulling over the day, and making a check list of things I need to do to prepare for tomorrow when a sound intruded into my thoughts.
I paused and thought 'that sounds like a Didgeridoo!' and then I thought 'ok, Gwen, a bit too long on the microscope today, this is Slovenia, not Austrailia!
But my feet followed the noise, and when I rounded a corner, what did I see, but a chap doing a very good job of playing the Didgeridoo, and keeping time with one drumstick tapping on the sidewalk. This made me smile, and I stayed to listen for a bit. Eventually I meandered on, thoughts of work having been replaced by the deep melodious tones I had heard.
As I drew closer to the Square, I paused again, this time drawn by the sound of various aboriginal wind instruments being played, very well. Again I stopped to listen as a trio of traditionally dressed performers entertained us with hauntingly beautiful music.

My half hour walk managed to take an hour today. But somehow I came home much less tired than when I left. Music.... good food for the soul.
Today is my Dad's 76th Birthday. Happy Birthday to you, my dear Daddy!

Street Baskets and Vintage Cars

2007-09-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

While walking to and from OI yesterday evening, I noticed that the heart of old Ljubljana was all a buzz, with various platforms and temporary fencing being set up. Hmmmm I wondered, what is going on here this weekend?

This morning I decided to venture down to the market (open every Saturday morning from 9-12) and possibly try my hand at buying some fresh produce right off the local farms. WOW!!! this place is hopping! There are a couple different markets here on weekends. Saturday is devoted to the regular market where the farmers come to sell their wares. There also is an Art Market here on Saturdays until the end of September. This features local talent, which is quite something. I did manage to pick out some fresh veggies and a small posey of flowers for my place, and felt I handled it like a local! Not that any local would start the transaction with "English?", but they do finish it with "Hvala" (thank you in Slovene) which brought me beaming smiles from the vendors!
It was the noise that drew me...... Of course I couldn't understand a word from the chap with the microphone, as he was speaking in Slovene, but he sounded very excited, so I decided to check it out.

To my astonishment I came across a very spirited game of hoops, set up right in the centre of the square. Now the square is made of cobblestones, so I would never have expected to see basketball being played there! Overnight, they had covered the surface with a nice platform, set up the nets and Basketball lives in Slovenia! There were two courts set up, so I hung around an enjoyed the view! GRIN!!
I don't think the nets are as high as they are at the North American games I have attendeded, but the rules seem the same. Finally the announcer switched to a little english, long enough to welcome visitors to Ljubljana and to tell us he hoped we enjoyed celebrating sport in Slovenia, with "Street Baskets"!

Between games I wandered further down the street to find a vintage car show in full swing. My favorite was the beautiful old Ford, which had to be cranked to get it started again when it stopped to let in passengers.

On Sundays the Market changes. It transforms into a flea market, full of antiques. I was out walking this morning, map in hand to find a different route to work, and came back through the flea market. Many things I would love to buy, in particular a beautiful wooden chest, but how on earth would I get it back to Canada? I will have to look into this further. What also caught my attention this morning was a box of old vinyl albums, featuring Hendrix, Prince, Bob Dylan, ZZ Top (who recently played in Vancouver), Bruce Springstiens 'Born in the USA' and even Saturday Night Fever!
The vendor rattled off at my interest, so I quickly turned my backpack around, pointed to the Canadian Flag patch I have on it and said "English, please?" He gave me a blank look, but the younger chap with him smiled and said in perfect english "you like the rock and roll?" Yeah, I smiled, I do!

Well it's 2:00pm here on a lazy Sunday afternoon and I think I will go and take my book, my camera, and a snack down to the river and enjoy the sunshine.

My Room With A View

2007-09-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

After a long flight on a large plane, and then a short flight on a small plane, I was met at the Ljubljana Airport by fellow teaching technologist Janja (pron. Yanya).
The Airport is very small, with one luggage carousel, and a very pleasant customs officer who asked me for my passport, and then if I had anything to declare.... "YES I MADE IT!!!!" and all of that took about 5 minutes!

Janja took me to my appartment, and while we waited for the landlord to arrive, we walked around to find the grocery store, a couple of Pubs, a fruit stand, a DVD rental store and a pet food store!
Finally the landlord arrived and took over from Janja. My landlord is expecting their first child at any moment, so he was quite frazzled!

There was a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine waiting to welcome this weary traveler, and after a bit of explanation as to where everything is in this little studio, and getting me hooked up to the internet, and writing down my street address in case I get lost, Matevz (he graciously agreed to let me call him Matt!) raced off back to the hospital.

I have a nice balcony, with a pretty view. I will be spending much home time out here I suspect! I had forgotten that Ljubljana is a city of church bells. The bells are ringing as I write this.
I live on the 7th floor, and they even provided me with a bicycle!

Note to self: Here in Ljubljana when one buys fruits and veggies from the supermarket, one must weigh them oneself, and then enter their number into the scale and it will print out a price sticker! OOOOOOPS! My confusion caused a few giggles with the people in the check out line!

What is also interesting is that my blogger template is now written in Slovene, but it posts in English. I'm going to have to ask Matt if my computer is now bilingual! LOL In the meantime, please excuse the spelling errors, I cannot figure out how to tell it to check the spelling in Slovene!

Pippin Speaks

2007-08-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

I wonder, does every traveler, on the edge of the journey, hesitate, one foot poised to move forward, and glance backwards, one more time?
My ride to the airport awaits in the driveway.
It's time to start the adventure. A little nervous, a little excited, a little sad yet filled with anticipation.....

I'll leave you with the words of Peregrin "Pippen" Took, from The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring....

Home is behind
The world ahead.
And there are many paths to tread.
Through shadow,
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight

Mist and shadow
Cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall...fade.

Questions....questions!!

2007-08-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a poll of the questions that people immediately ask when they hear that I am heading to Slovenia for 2 months! Here are the top 3 questions and answers...

#1. Are you taking the dogs? If not, what are you doing with them?
Last weekend I loaded up my truck and ATV and all the dogs and headed south to Oregon.

On the way I stopped in at Hyak, Washington to join the K9ScooterNW Club's 5th Annual Snoqualmie Tunnel Run. This is a non-motorized dog powered event, so there were bikes and scooters with 1 and 2 dog teams and 4 larger teams with Carts and ATVs (Keys left behind).

The run consisted of 2.7 miles thru an old railroad tunnel under the mountain, with a rest and water stop at the end of the tunnel after turning around. We then took the same tunnel back again. Just what Gwen and the dogs needed before I leave my dogs in wonderful hands. Mandy is staying with her breeder Alice Watt
(http://kossok.com/) and will be shown this fall in the US.

The rest of them will live with friend and fellow Musher, Karen Yeargain of Tumnatki Siberians. Some of my dogs have lived there before, and I am very sure that all of the dogs will thoroughly enjoy their vacations at Camp Alice and Camp Karen. Thank you ladies!

#2. What does Brad think about you heading off for a couple months. Is he going with you?
Like myself Brad has to work, so Brad will not be coming with me. I am quite sure he will thoroughly enjoy the peace and quiet of being a bachelor for a few months! He is very supportive of any career decisions I make.

#3. Is this for work?
Well yes! Although the BC Cancer Agency is not sending me to Slovenia, they have granted me a leave of absence, and I will be representing both the BC Cancer Agency and the BC Cancer Agency School of Cytotechnology while teaching Cytology at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana. To quote my letter of invitation... "In many ways this is a continuation of long term collaboration of BC Cancer Agency and Institute of Onclolgy in research and practical implementation of clinical processes in prevention of cervical and other cancers that started more than 12 years ago."

However it will not be all work and no play for this Traveling Cell Geek..... so stay tuned!

These Boots Were Made For.... Sweden?

2007-08-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, those are my boots, my wool socks, and my gloves, which were packed into that box and mailed to Sweden this morning. "Why?" you might ask, am I sending my winter gear to Sweden? Surely the Swedes have perfectly good boots, socks and gloves of their own, and do not need my obviously well worn ones!!

So lets get this straight, currently in Canada, it is summer. Gwen is headed for a southern European country in a few weeks, and is it possible, that in a moment of insanity, she has mailed off her winter gear to a northern European country?
Hmmmmmmm! Well that is all I'm going to post about it now, but if you check back periodically, I promise, all WILL be revealed!

In keeping with being a travelling cell geek, this photo was taken through my microscope. These are NORMAL atrophic squamous cells, that happened to group together to look this way.

30 Days and Counting

2007-08-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

On Aug 30, 2007, having been granted a leave of absence from the BC Cancer Agency, I will be travelling to Slovenia to live and teach for a couple of months. As this is my first journal entry, I thought I would tell you a little about the country.
Slovenia is a small country of approximately 2 million people and sits in the heart of Europe. To the north is Austria; Hungary is to the east; Croatia to the south and Italy to the west. Small, beautiful and picturesque Slovenia became an independent country on June 25, 1991. On May 1, 2004 it joined the European Union, and on January 1, of this year, the currency became the Euro. For anyone interested, at the time of posting today, 1.00 EUR = 1.44383 CAD.

The capital city of Slovenia is Ljubljana, and this is where I will live and work. Ljubljana is a delightful city of culture and rich historical legacy. Ljubljana’s geographical position has governed its colourful past, since it is situated on a natural passage leading from Central Europe to the Mediterranean and toward the East called the “Ljubljana Gate.” Both Central Europe and the Mediterranean influence Ljubljana's lifestyle and culture. The people are very friendly and anxious to speak english. It is a city of much to see and do, and where a person can walk almost anywhere.

As most of you are aware, this will be my second visit to Slovenia. My first visit was in 2005, when I assisted my mentor with putting on a series of workshops in Cytology. I'm delighted to be returning to the country. I will post again a couple of times before the end of August, and then will post on a regular basis to keep you all up to date on happenings and adventures. The next post I hope to address some of the questions I have received about Slovenia and my upcoming return.