Day 5: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Our train from Venice arrived in Ljubljana around 2am Saturday morning, so we just quickly found our hostel and crashed. It was really interesting to enter a city in the middle of the night where there are only a few people at bars and milling about on the street and then waking up the next day to crowds of people roaming the city. What a contrast!

Our hostel was right on the river and only a couple blocks from the area above called the three bridges. It's the main plaza in the middle of the historic city center. There's a castle on the top of that hill!

Kurt tells me this long building along the water is called the fish market but it is mainly occupied by vendors and cafes. We grabbed some sandwiches and coffee for breakfast at a nice outdoor cafe. A lot of the streets within the center are closed to traffic and pedestrians stroll about at a leisurely pace. Every restaurant or bar seemed to have outdoor seating and really took advantage of the river. Sometimes in NYC, I feel like you can forget you're on an island. Here they really embrace the water and celebrate it.

After breakfast, we went to the tourist office to rent bikes. Ljubljana is very pedestrian and bike oriented while still being accessible by car. Everyone seems to bike around! It was great. Kurt and I laughed at some of the bike locks we saw. They were so minimal! People just seemed to lock a wheel to the frame and not any other immovable object. They would have been swiped in a heartbeat in NYC! It was nice to relax about that sort of thing for once.

Renting the bikes was really great (and cheap!). We got to cover a lot of ground and see quite a bit. Kurt also wanted to check out this park project which was a little ways outside of town. We easily rode out there and poked around for a bit. Unfortunately, the park was in disrepair and had some issues. It was an interesting site and concept, but some details were poorly executed and the park was not kept up well. Regardless, I was glad we got to see it.

It took me several shots but this is Kurt's genuinely happy face.

We did some more tooling around on the bikes and rode back towards the center. We found a nice courtyard with several restaurants and stopped for a beer. Kurt explained to me the beer situation in Slovenia. Apparently there are two houses (I'm thinking a rivalry similar to Coke vs. Pepsi). One side is Laško (Kurt's favorite) and the other is Union. And pivo is beer in Slovenian. I was told on many occasions that is the only Slovenian word you need to learn.

Me enjoying a Union.

While we still had our bikes, we rode out to the National Gallery. We didn't really plan on going in the galleries but the girl at the desk made us feel awkward so we paid for tickets. We mainly just wanted to see the building. Apparently there were two late nineteenth century buildings connected by a modern glass box. It looked really cool from the outside but was an absolute oven inside! I couldn't believe it. Norbert Lechner would have a heart attack...and then search out these architects and give them a lesson on shading. It was really unbearable inside which is unfortunate because we've looked at the firm before and they do some interesting work. I'll just consider it strike one.

Speaking of architects, Slovenia has one really famous one: Jože Plečnik. He designed the library above and did some work along the river, below. He's a national hero. Lookout for a special Plečnik treat tomorrow :)

Eventually, we met up with Kurt's friends, Katja and Ales. Kurt met Katja years ago on a trip to Ljubljana and they have kept in touch. Katja and Ales even came to New York last year and hung our in Brooklyn some. I can't say it enough...they are wonderful people. They showed us such a good time and were so welcoming. Their friend's Mojca and Carmen came and met us for a drink while we waited for Kurt's friend Magda and her boyfriend, Carlos, to arrive. They were driving down from Poland to join us in exploring Ljubljana and later heading to the beach.

We had a few beers (Laško of course) and wildly exchanged stories as people caught up on each other's lives. Suddenly, it started pouring. Luckily we were under some sturdy umbrellas but couldn't leave anytime soon. No problem! We just had more beers. It was quiet a relaxing evening.

After the rain died down, Katja and Ales invited us for a cookout at their apartment. Kurt, Magda, Carlos and I did a little more wandering around the city center while the others went to prepare for the barbecue. The river really comes alive at night. It's so hot during the day that a lot of people stay inside, but at night everyone comes to the bars and restaurants along the water. A few boats float up and down the river and tons of people just stroll along with cones of gelato. Everyone is so relaxed.

Even in a foreign country, Kurt is still a grill-master :)

Katja and Ales share a cute little apartment a few minutes outside the center with an awesome balcony for grilling. They were so sweet to host us and feed us lots of yummy food. They even got a mini keg of Laško because they know Kurt loves it so much! It was great to meet a few of their friends and really have the local perspective of a city. I can't wait for them to visit Brooklyn again. They are so much fun!

Day 4B: Reunion!

We found them! I never thought I would be so happy to see a piece of heavy luggage, but we were ecstatic. I quickly learned that toting this baby around wasn't the cakewalk I had imagined. But who was I to complain? I had a change of clothes! And makeup! And fresh underwear! TMI? Whatever. Washing our unmentionables in the sink was getting old. So let's rewind and I'll tell you how we reached this celebratory moment.

Kurt and I had to wait at the bus station in Venice for a few minutes and then push our way onto a really crowded bus headed for the airport. It was so hot this woman next to me almost fainted. We got to the airport in under an hour (I was afraid we were going to be on there forever). Once we arrived, it took a while to locate customs.

There were signs for "Left Luggage" and maybe even "Lost and Found" but customs was eluding us. Finally we spotted 2 information-like windows and decided they were it. But the blinds were down! Are they closed?! It must have been about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. I know Italians aren't exactly workaholics, but being closed in the early evening at an airport would be ridiculous. Upon closer inspection, we discover there is a bell you have to ring and someone will come help you. Apparently they don't want to be bothered by random travelers coming up to ask them questions! Anyway, we talk to a guy who helps us really quickly. He confirms our bags are there but only one of us can go in the back to get them. Kurt had been conversing with this guy in Italian and I was feeling useless, so, for some crazy reason, quickly volunteer to be the retriever.

It was kind of exciting. I had to go through the employee metal detector and walk through all these back offices while trying to keep up with the fast walking customs guy. Finally, we get to this big room near baggage claim. Inside, there are bags in piles everywhere. They are sprinkled around the room in piles of about 4-5 bags (I'm guessing organized by flight). I quickly spot ours and restrain myself from bolting to the pile. The customs guy double checks the tags on the bags and escorts me from the room while I struggle under the weight of 2 huge backpacks. Then the guy just tells me to exit where people leave from baggage claim.

Kurt was on the other side of the doors waiting for me like I had just arrived on a flight. I like to imagine that his face lit up because he was excited to see me, but I'm sure he was just glad to be reunited with his backpack :) We had a quick little photo op and then headed to find a handicapped bathroom. We took turns stripping down, taking a shower in the sink, and reveling in putting on new outfits.

After such airport excitement, we were a little too wiped out to deal with going back into Venice. Instead, we figured out how to take a bus to Mestre, a nearby town where we could catch the same train to Slovenia. It wasn't leaving until 9pm so we had a couple hours to kill. We ended up at a hotel bar across the street from the train station and had some sandwiches and beer. The bartender was closing up shop soon after we got there but was kind enough to let us hang out (and even served us a few more rounds!) as he cleaned up for the evening.

Before boarding said train, I convinced Kurt to get a gelato cone with me (FYI: they don't really call it that, I just like making Kurt cringe as I butcher Italian language and culture). The entire trip, Kurt kept promising me we would get a beer at McDonald's because they serve it there. Sadly, it was never the right place or time and I have yet to experience booze at Mickey D's. Next trip.

When buying tickets for this train, all the seats were sold out and they could only offer us was a sleeping car. This was actually a blessing because I was having a major allergy attack and planned on popping some allergy medicine and conking out. The car had 6 beds in it but no one ever came to join us. I am glad for this, so no one had to witness my Benadryl-induced coma. Kurt was kind enough to take some lovely glamour shots of me while I slept and he gazed out the window. Sorry, those will not be posted!

Day 4A: Venice

This was the view of our hotel room. If we weren't in a rush to do things, I could have logged some serious hours on that balcony. Well, once Kurt and I woke up and got going, we headed down to breakfast at the hotel. Not too many of our bare bones hostels were offering anything free, so it was nice to have something included.

After breakfast, we packed up our 2 little bags and headed to check out. Kurt and the receptionist had a little Italian interchange, so this is my translation of what was said:

Kurt: Hi, we'd like to check out.

Lady: Sure, what room are you leaving?

K: 102

L: Oh! 102! The airport called! They have your bags but they are stuck in customs, so you will have to go retrieve them.

K: What?! All the way in Zurich?! We can't go all the way back there! Mamma mia! (a direct quote)

L: Oh, no no. They are at the Venice airport. Here's how you get there...

We were quite thrilled to have located our bags and not having to travel all the way back to Zurich! A huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. The Venice airport is obviously not close and would be a huge pain in the ass to reach, but we weren't about to complain. I was ready to burn my jeans and t-shirt, so new clothes would be a welcome sight. Even though we were itching to get our stuff, we decided to head into Venice for a day of sightseeing before we made the trek to the airport.

From the mere hours we spent on Lido, I really liked it. There are so many beautiful houses and gardens. Plus, the beach is so close! There are lots of little restaurants and shops and less people than on the main island. All the locals ride around on bikes and are really friendly. They even have a few canals of their own! I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Venice.

Kurt and I took the ferry to mainland but didn't have an itinerary worked out. We stopped by the site of the Venice Biennale but were too early. They were setting up and told us to come back in a month. I wish. We wandered around a bit and then decided to make a plan. It was getting to be midday and hot.

The ferry was really great because you can sightsee as you move around quickly. Plus, it is shaded and you get a breeze. Much nicer than walking! I guess I will just have to consider that my romantic gondola ride :(

We rode up the Grand Canal to reach the Rialto Bridge. It was packed with tons of people so we took some photos, looked at a map, and picked a very obscure area to walk to as our next location. Now, I believe Kurt and I both have good senses of direction, but Venice ended up being a challenge. We got turned around and off course and walked a bit out of the way. We had plans to find a place to eat at our destination, so the delay made our walk seem like a death march. It was soooooo incredibly hot. When the sun is high, there is no shade from the buildings and there are few, if any, trees on the island. I was pretty miserable. The one highlight was Kurt receiving a "Go Bucks!" from a passerby. He even got an "OH-IO" out of the kid who spotted his Ohio State shirt. We decided that this recognition totally beat my Roll Tide/War Eagle experience from the evening before. You win, Kurt.

Finally, we made it to the random spot on the map we had chosen to visit. It ended up being the Jewish ghetto and was super quiet. Relief! We found a quiet little restaurant and a table on a canal. After perusing the menu, Kurt and I decided to share some pasta and after much deliberation, went out on a limb and ordered a black pasta. It's made from ink from a squid or cuttlefish and was delicious!

Obviously! We didn't leave a crumb on that plate. Kurt and I are determined to make this at home sometime. Our first task is finding the ink...I hardly even know where to start. There is a fancy little grocery store near my apartment. I'm thinking of sweet-talking the seafood guy into finding some for us.

After lunch, we had our fill of walking and canals and sun, so we started planning our route to the airport. We thought we could take another ferry there but turned out we would have to pay more money. Instead we took a very crowded and hot bus. While waiting at the bus station, we saw this new bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava. It was nice to see a modern addition to the city.

Venice is such a strange place. It is unbelievably beautiful but seems like an illusion. It seems like Disneyworld. I wonder what it would be like to be a local (which I hear there aren't many). I think I would end up murdering a tourist or moving to Lido for my sanity. Anyway, I'm glad we went. It was a great place to visit, but I could not have been more excited to get on that packed bus out of town to go get our luggage!

Day 3B: Venice

Our train arrived in Venice in the late afternoon and it was HOT. We were sweating by the time we stepped out of the train station. Kurt was excited to flex his Italian, so we asked for some directions and figured out how the ferry works. I guess I never quite realized that there are really no cars on the island and everyone does travel by boat. Crazy! I am a fan of boats so I was thrilled to get out on the water.

Per a friend's suggestion (thanks Erin!), we booked a hostel on Lido, an island off the main island of Venice. It was a short ride away on the ferry and much cheaper than staying directly within the madness.

Isn't our hotel cute!? It is probably one of the nicer places we stayed on our trip but was super affordable. It took us a little while to locate once the ferry dumped us off on Lido, but thankfully, Kurt was able to put that Italian to good use again and ask directions. We were thrilled to sit in the air conditioning once we checked in. See that balcony right above the entrance? That was our room! Lido was such a cute, laid-back beach town. I wanted to extend our stay there and have my coffee on that balcony every morning!

Kurt and I took a quick breather at the hotel, did some research on our doomed luggage, and then decided to do some exploring around Venice. It took some time to find an ATM and then get a ticket for the ferry, so our voyage didn't get underway until sunset. The sky was beautiful over the water though!

We got off at the stop for Piazza San Marco. Of course, it was packed with tourists but somehow still nice. There was a band playing some music to a crowd and people were milling about the square eating gelato. If it weren't for all the huge billboards and illegal handbag sellers and guys offering unsuspecting girls flowers and then expecting their male companions to pay for them, it could be sort of romantic.

Unfortunately, most of the piazza and surrounding buildings were covered in scaffolding. Venice, and particularly Piazza San Marco, have been plagued by flooding issues. (I guess building on an island can be problematic.) The city is currently working on a system to reduce the frequency of the floods and the damage they cause. But our photo ops were ruined! Plus, it was dark and I am too lazy to employ the Mackenzie/Kurt Method of stabilizing your camera on an object for non-blurry pictures, so it was tough to get any good shots.

We ended up just doing lots of wandering through all the street along the canals. Kurt and I were so reluctant to stop at any shops or restaurants anywhere close to Piazza San Marco (i.e. the tourists) that we wandered aimlessly through the city. Finally when we decided we were in the mood for gelato or a beer, we couldn't find anything! After some intense searching, we finally found some gelato and enjoyed in a church piazza while people watching.

After our late-night dessert, we were beat and headed to the ferry stop to try and figure out the late night schedule. We were exhausted, parched, and ready for bed but had to wait a while for the next boat.

Don't we look cute?! Kurt is wearing his Delta Sky Team XL t-shirt we got from our airport kits since they misplaced our bags. I am still sporting a grubby Auburn t-shirt. However, while walking around this evening, I did receive a.....ugh.....I can't even fathom it...umm....a Roll Tide. Ugh! Regardless, I was excited to hear something familiar and countered the young guy with a War Eagle!! Thankfully, his girlfriend was halfway reasonable and kindly returned my War Eagle. (Obviously she has the sense in the relationship.) I guess there is one bright spot from our luggage being delayed.....an Alabama connection in Italy!

Day 3A: Zürich to Venice

Panoramic images courtesy of Kurt L. Martig.

Thursday morning, Kurt and I packed up our limited amount of bags and checked out of our hostel. We stopped at a grocery store to pick up supplies for our train ride which would be taking us from Zurich to Venice, Italy later that day. Vital supplies include bread, cheese, mortadella (a cured meat I had never tried because I always imagined it meant death by meat but is actually very good) and beer. We wandered our last bit through Zurich and headed for the train station.

Our train took us south to Milan and then east to Venice. The ride through the Swiss Alps is breathtaking. The scenery is incredible as you travel through the mountains. We shared a beer with a very friendly German man who loves America. He'd never been but told us it was the best place ever. And he absolutely supports Obama becoming the president of the entire world. Quite a character!