Monday, February 22, 2010

Ljubljana, Slovenia


OK people, this isn’t funny anymore! Do you know how many people answered my request for some feedback? One! I know that you are under the impression that Slovenia isn’t the most exotic spot to spend your holidays at, but… Why don’t you at least try it? Or are you too afraid that you’ll like it too much?

Enough of me here…As I was thinking about things to write, I realized that I haven’t said much about Slovenia itself anywhere… Let’s start with the money. Our currency is called a Tolar (at this moment, you could get 100 Tolars for 1 DEM). The prices are “normal”, of course there are a few exceptions, but aren’t they everywhere?

Kamnik

I know that up until now I’ve been telling you mostly about Ljubljana, our capital. But we have so many more wonderful towns… Kamnik, for example. It’s a small town, not far from Ljubljana. There is a regular train connection between Ljubljana and Kamnik and it takes about 45 minutes by train to get there.

On weekends, a bus or a car are required. However, you could get stuck in traffic, because there are lots of people who don’t take a train. Plus I can’t remember the time when the road to Kamnik was NOT under construction…

And what is so special about Kamnik? Well, it’s a wonderful medieval town (dating back to at least 1200AD). One of the things it’s known for are also the mammoth bones, which were found not very far from it.

There are quite a few castles you can visit in Kamnik. The oldest is called Stari grad (Old castle), which is on a hill and its ruins date back to the 12th century. Another one is in the town itself (Mali grad – Small castle), which is even older. The third castle is named Zaprice and has now been made into a museum.

Volcji  potok

Kamnik even has its own website (a few, actually). The one in English can be found here.

Right outside of Kamnik is Arboretum Volcji potok, a botanical garden. It is open all year long and occasionally hosts special flower exhibitions, usually in the spring and in September.

Just in case you were wondering why I’m writing about Kamnik all of a sudden…Nothing much is happening in Ljubljana, that’s why. Except for the summer festival in Krizanke, but you know all about it, right?

P.S. I would love to hear from readers who would like to make any comments. Do you agree with my suggestions and comments? Are there things that you would like me to write about? Do you want more information? Please feel free to contact me …Tina Petek

A great Internet link, containing more or less up-to-date information about Slovenia. And it’s in English!

Another useful place is Adacta, also available in English, that offers (among other things) access to the phone book of Slovenia.

You’ll find more about Ljubljana, itself, here. Also in English.

Ljubjana

0 comments:

Post a Comment