Day 8 - Already?

First week of my 5 week trip has been and gone. It's been a terrific start. After Zagreb I took the bus into Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. There at 5pm I was met by Matjaz's friend Pajk who was a fantastic tour guide. This guy is like an encyclopaedia on almost everything. He had just finished up at a student demonstration at the main square so he was in good spirits as the event went well. They were fighting against student fees (an universal issue) as well as other topics, but the fees were the main focus point. After a quick dinner with him and his flatmates (hi Miriyam & Ivan) we went to an outdoor party held near the student dorms. The party and concert finished up and we were all suitably drunk and merry. A Slovene drink I've discovered is bambous, not sure of spelling but it means bamboo. It's red wine with coke. So let us continue. You thought that was it? No, there was more partying to be had as it was Wednesday student night. It was around 3am when the local nightclub had an injection of heavy sweaty young bods. By the time we crawled into bed I believe it was around 5am...

The next day I was left to my own devises and I explored the city of Ljubljana. It's a small city, but pretty. All the people I'd met were friendly. After a long day I cooked dinner for Miriyam and Ivan, who took me out for a drink afterwards. We had a great time chatting at a bar by the river, where an English guy at the bar thought I sounded English! I'm sorry for losing my Australian twang. For our final drinks we went to an alternative, squatter/commune type place. Don't have the name on hand but it's in my Lonely Planet. We practically had one of the bars to ourselves and the more we enjoyed ourselves the more like home it felt. Again another late night as I fell into bed around 4am...

Friday arrived and I was out of the flat late morning. I only managed to pack my bag, check out the Croatian Tourist Information Centre and also the markets for some fresh fruit before meeting up with Pajk. He was giving me a lift to Matjaz who was in Nova Gorica, but was heading to the coast for a film festival. Nova Gorica is only an hour or two awaya, but Pajk had planned a 6hr power tour. We drove north west to Lake Bled, a beautiful holiday spot (mainly for elderly Austrians). Then we drove further north towards the Austrian border then continue down south west through the Alps to Nova Gorica. The day was just magical. The mountains were lush and green and you can tell it's a great spot for doing healthy outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, canoening, skiing and para-gliding. By the time we arrived in Nova Gorica it was already 10.30pm. We did travel at a leisurely pace but I didn't expect to arrive so late. Pajk was great company so it was hardly noticed. We drove a little further to the seaside town of Izola on the Istrian coast. Matjaz was already therefor the film festival and here the handover of Tina T took place. Thank you Pajk for your hospitality and history and political lessons.

For the next two days my base was a camp by the water in little Izola. The village has distinct Italian influences due to its location. In fact coming from Nova Gorica we drove into Italy to get onto the highway to get down to Izola. This area has often been called north Mediterranean due to the weather. For two days I did nothing but enjoy the sun and the company of Matjaz's friends. It was so nice to unwind and feel as if I've been away from London for ever. Sunday dinner was the best. A meal of yabbie-type crustacean on linguine, 8 portions served on two huge platters, with large bowls of salad. White wine was served, followed by coffee and homemade spirits. I couldn't be happier. After dinner it was time to say goodbye to most of the group and I was dropped off in Koper, another small town with better transport connections. I stayed overnight and now I am in Trieste, Italy, a bigger town with even better transport connections. I'm heading down to Rijeka, Croatia tonight and from there the rest of the Croatian coast and beyond.

Ciao Slovenia, and big thank you to Matjaz for looking after me.

See the rest of you in Hrvatska (Croatia).