| Slovenia:
Old Europe at its Best |
| by Diane
Taylor |
| My husband,
Billy, and I are fortunate to have been able to live and work internationally
for almost 20 years. Places we've called home include a beach house on
the Bay of Naples with a view of Ischia, a summer flat in Puerto Sherry
(Spain), an elegant downtown apartment in Wiesbaden (Germany), a forest
bungalow in the Netherlands, a three-acre spread by Lake Travis in Austin,
and our home in New Mexico, which we still maintain. We've also traveled
to Belize, Barbados, Cyprus, Mexico, the Canary Islands, Alaska, Tunisia,
most of Western Europe, parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. What we've
discovered in our wanderings is a combination of the elementswe value most
in this little country of just over 20,000 sq. km. With this, plus ease
of access (one hour's drive from Venice to the Slovenian border), excellent
roads without the traffic or congestion, plus a crime rate so low you can
leave your car unlocked just about anywhere, it's easy to understand why
we are so enchanted. |
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Slovenia is
its own unique mixture of the Romanic, Germanic and Slavic cultures. Iztok
Humar, our friend and colleague, who is also a published author, real estate
agent, political activist, ecologist and horse breeder, expresses modern
Slovenian history this way, "My father was born under Austrian rule, educated
by the Italians, fought for Yugoslavia.
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I and my sons
are Slovenian....and the trees in this square have always remained the
same." |
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| We have spent
many enjoyable months traveling the length and breadth of Slovenia with
Iztok and his charming wife, Ingrid. Without their friendship and interest
in exposing us to the soul of Slovenia, our understanding of their country
and culture would have lacked depth and the poetry. We are forever grateful
and endlessly fascinated.
Bordered by
Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, Slovenia is not part of the volatile
Balkans geographically or psychologically, and has never suffered the hardships
or deprivations so prevalent in that region. Iztok says that although life
was good under Tito, Slovenians never identified themselves as Yugoslavian.
President
Clinton, who has visited Slovenia several times, holds this misunderstood
country up to the world as an example of what can be accomplished politically
and economically in a very short time. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| Diane Taylor
has compiled a list of resources on the nation of Slovenia. They
are listed below.
BOOKS
Lonely
Planet, Slovenia by Steve Fallon, 1998, 344 pages, $15.95.
Slovenia has many cities and towns worth visiting, and they're all detailed
here. It starts off with a brief history and an overview of the ecology.
Maps, advice on getting around are included. So are vocabulary lists and
a number of attractive but small photos. One of the reviewers at Amazon.com
called this book the best in the series, which is saying quite a lot. In
any event, there are no volumes to rival it.
Discover
Slovenia is a small paperback detailing places to visit and cultural
and artistic activities. Published and sold in Slovenia.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Slovenia
Weekly is a political and business newsletter published in English. |
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| MM Slovenija
is a monthly magazine in English devoted to business and tourism.
ORGANIZATIONS
Expats Anonymous,
an informal get-together for English speaking expats meets in the evening
of the first Friday of every month. Contact Lejla Trump in Ljubljana at
320-339 or e-mail, info@wagner.net.
Slovene
International Ladies Association encourages social, cultural and
educational exchange among its members.
who represent
a total of 30 countries. Meeting are the second Tuesday of every month
at 10 AM. Contact Nelly Jennicek at 161-3531. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| Escape
From America Magazine - The Magazine To Read To If You Want To Move Overseas |
| - Began Summer
1998 - Now with almost a half million subscribers, out eZine is the resource
that expats, and wantabe expats turn to for information. Our archives
now have thousands of articles and each month we publish another issue
to a growing audience of international readers. Over 100 people a
day subscribe to our eZine. We've been interviewed and referenced
by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Washington Post, London Talk Show
Radio, C-Span, BBC Click Online, Yahoo Magazine, the New York Times, and
countless other media sources. Featuring International Lifestyles
~ Overseas Jobs ~ Expat Resources ~ Offshore Investments ~ Overseas
Retirement - Second Passports ~ Disappearing Acts ~ Offshore eCommerce
~ Unique Travel ~ Iconoclastic Views ~ Personal Accounts ~ Views From Afar
~ Two things have ushered us into a world without borders... the end of
the cold war and the advent of the world wide web of global communications
? commerce. Ten years and over one hundred issues! We're just
getting started - Gilly Rich - Editor |
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| Association
for the Promotion of Women in Culture (City of Women),
Kersnikova 4, 1000 Ljubljana; Tel. 01 438 15 80, fax 01 438 15 85, e-mail,
info@cityofwomen-a.si Or visit their web-site at www.cityofwomen-a.si.
American
Center has electronic resource materials, open by appointment only,
Cankerjeva 11, tel. 200-2180, fax, 126-4284 and on the web at www.usis.si.
The British
Council has a library and resource center, occasional lectures.
Cankerjevo nabrezje 17, tel. 125-9292 and on the web at www.britishcouncil.si.
SLOVENIA
FOR TRAVELERS GETTING AROUND
Buses from
other countries stop in various towns. Train service is good, but not as
extensive. Ljubljana has a good public bus system but the map may be too
great a challenge for most visitors. Get help from the tourist office before
setting out. Deciphering the schedule and the map may be too great a challenge
for most visitors; get help from the tourist office before setting out.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Still cheaper
than neighboring Italy or Austria, Slovenia lets visitors travel in style
for about US$100 a day. Those who opt for guesthouses and eat at medium-priced
restaurants might spend $70 and budget travelers can get by for as little
as $35.
Mid-range hotels
range from $30 to $60 a day, and it's possible to spend considerably more.
There are other options, however including pensions, guesthouses and student
hostels . Private homes in many towns offer rooms for rent through the
local tourist office.
Farmhouses
also offer rooms for travelers. Contact the Association of Tourist Farms
of Slovenia, Trnoveljska 1, 3000 Celje, tel. 063 34 521 or fax 063 34 404;
e-mail, ztks@siol.net.
MONEY
The best exchange
rates are usually in banks, and there are a number of private exchange
firms which charge no commission and are open longer hours. Some ATMs are
accessible to foreign account holders, and more are coming online. Credit
card holders can get cash advances in tolars from some banks.
Tipping in
restaurants isn't customary, although some add a 10% service charge. Taxi
drivers aren't tipped but are pleased if you round up the fare.
Credit cards
are accepted at upscale restaurants, shops and hotels, but elsewhere you
must use cash. A VAT tax varies with the item and can be as high as 20%.
Seniors over
60 holding an international RES card can get discounts of 30% to 50% on
railway tickets, museum admissions.
EATING OUT,
ENTERTAINMENT
In Ljubljana
and other resort towns, the menu is usually in several languages, although
sometimes the essence of a dish is lost in the translation.
Slovenians
like sports, and skiing is the most popular and it's affordable. Along
with Italy and Austria, it will host the winter Olympics in 2006. Slovenia
is a nation of equestrians.
For a directory
of events in English, be sure to get a copy of Where to? in Ljubjana at
the Tourist Information Center.
THE SPAS
Ask about spas
in Slovenia and you'll find the entire country is dotted with spas. One
of the best known is Rogaska Slatina, about three hours from Ljubljana
by bus. The water here contains calcium, sulphate, lithium and bromide,
among other things. You can drink the water or bath in it, or undergo a
complete cure. Jerry Newmark, a friend of the Network based in Tarzana,
CA, has been visiting here since before the end of the communist era. He
explains that he and his wife were invited by Austrian friends to join
them there. "It's a little paradise in a valley surrounded by mountains
and by forest," he explains. They stay at Hotel Sava for a week
every year.
Their suite,
with a separate living room, has a refrigerator and their balcony looks
out over the valley and the mountain. The regime begins with a physical
exam, then they choose from treatments which can include mud baths, mineral
baths, massage, foot treatments or working with a personal trainer. Three
types of meals are available at the hotel: low calorie, light and normal.
The cost, including room, meals and treatments, is about $60 a day per
person. He notes, too, that Rogaska is also famous for its crystal.
For more information,
contact the Slovenian Tourist Board, Dunajska 156, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
tel.: +386 1 5891 858; fax: +386 1 5891 841, www.slovenia-tourism.si/
Some Slovenian
Wesites
www.uvi.si/eng/index.html
http://www.ess.gov.si/
(jobs)
www.ijs.si/slo/ljubljana/univlj.html
http://www.emulateme.com/content/slovenia.htm |
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