Venice/Ljubljana
5h41: whoops, fell asleep (for a 'nap') last night around 7, just woke up now because 2 of the girls in my room are packing up and leaving.
so, uh, yeah, train to ljubljana at 9h: I should to a little planning. Also, call Nick, and send postcards before leaving italy.
6h25 sunrise in Venice, from the Orto vaporetto stop. At first it was a brilliant/dull orange disk; now I can't look at it without squinting. soon it will be something else - no longer orange, no longer so low in the sky (it rises at I sit and watch)
DON'T GET DISTRACTED AND MISS THE TRAIN!
I don't really want to spend another day here.
6h45: moving along. as soon as the boat moves and I can scramble off this dock I really shouldn't be sitting on.. hope I don't fall as they pull away...
ok. safe.
8h50 on a train that's headed for Budapest, stopping in Monfalcone, Villa Opicina, Sezana, Ljubljana. hopefully I'm doing this right -- no ticket / restervation, just my rail pass.. not by any means a full train. mostly empty, actually.
9h20 - fork sticking out ot stump next to train track. should i have made a reservation? (of course) everyone has assigned seats but me - keep needing to move / change compartments... sorry everyone.
11h06 : Villa Opicina, border stop between Italy and Slovenia. we've stopped, I wonder what does on, how long we'll be here? I've been asleep. Sometimes I look outside and it's beautiful. mountainy, hilly, green, rough...
11h25: andiamo! (btw, they checked my p'port, but no stamp or nothin, still)
11h37 - passport check inside Slovenia. wee! a stamp!
12h: tiny villages - stone & stucco, red roofs.. stone walls.. small gardening plots, white, purple, yellow flowers..
-had to pay an 8.50 euro reservation fee (fine?) - geuss I should'a done that in Venezia, but then I probably wouldn't have made in onto this train in the first place.
oh my god I am surrounded by mountains. not sharp, icy, green, but smoother, sandier... covered in trees, most still bare...
many tunnels!
15h: Ljub! Fluxus Hostel. 21 euro. What would the world of budget accomodation look like if it weren't for Ikea?
15h50: start learning an eastern european language. master it. in the meantime, learn to say "photographer" (or "I am a ___") in as many languages as possible.
16h40: I think things look prettier if you see them from somewhere you're not supposed to go.
18h45: woah. this language is wild. I'm at a falafel place, looked at the menu to see what the different choices were & realized the only word I recognized was "falafel."
trying to remember what I've bought since arrival.. found a receipt for 540 SIT, but don't know what that wouldn't been...
balance: 6810 SIT, 25 euro
no, it all adds up, provided that I actually spent 540 on something.
oh. that was my ice cream. 180 for each scoop - I had 3.
23h: going out soon with some greek kids from the hostel - Jason, Matina, and another guy - I forget his nombre. (added later - Kostas). They are passionate, fascinating people. (also - Therese - australian girl)
I even talked to faisal online. how werid, kind of. he's gread. not going back to saudi arabia next week. probably no going anywhere at all, though he said he was again thinking of going to croatia.
you know, he's the reason I cam out here in the first place .. !
notes / logistics
PLAN: go to fluxus hostel. see what's up. ask where to go next if it's full.
hitchhiking - legal
purchases - 22/4
.90€ - chocolate croissant - venice (mmm)
3€ - pizza - venice (pretty bad)
1.10€ - water, 2 postcards
4€ - 5 stamps
8.50€ - train to Ljubljana
20€ - night at hostel
2€ - doner kebab
490 SIT - tower in castle
1030 SIT - falafel, soda, other thing
540 SIT - ice cream
Slovene
sounds
c = ts
č = ch
ê = a(pple)
e = a(go)
é = day
j = y
ó = more
ò = soft
š = sh
u = good
ž = treasure
l/v = w, before vowels, end of syllables
hello - pozdravljeni (polite)
zdravo (informal) - also in croatian
good day - dober dan
bye - nasvidenje
yes - da / ja (inf)
no - ne
thanks - hvala
your welcome - prosim
excuse me - oprostite
room - sabo
poceni - cheap
eno noč - one night
vhod - entrance
izhod - exit
odprto - open
zaprto - closed
prepovadano - prohibited
stranišče - toilets
danes - today / nocoj - tonight / jutri - tomorrow
sobota, nedelja, ponedeljek (saturday, sunday, monday)
1 - 10: ena, dve, tri, štiri, pet, šest, sedem, osem, devet, deset
štruklji - chz dumplings
zelenjavna - veggies
gobova - mushrooms
juha - soup
paprikaš - beef or chicken stew
njoki, rižota - gnocchi, risotto
dunajski zrezek - wienerschnitzel
klobasa - sausage
currency:
SIT - EURO
50 - .21
100 - .42
300 - 1.25
400 - 1.67
500 - 2.10
1000 - 4.20
22/4: withdrew 9000 SIT
(hope that's not too much)
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