Europe 2012 Day 6, Slovenia

July 18:

We were met by our Slovenian driver and English colleague in Graz for the drive to Zrece.  I sat in front with the driver. It felt like every time I spoke the drive glared at me- I felt like I was distracting him terribly. It was very unnerving.  Perhaps that is because he also had amazing blue eyes like those I saw in Poland.

We went to dinner on top of a mountain in Zrece. It was a breathtaking view. The restaurant was a beautiful place.  One of the things Zrece is known for is wild mushrooms. Normally they would suggest we order the mushroom soup but this had been a dry year - bad for mushrooms so we were told to wait til next visit to try it.

There were three people that met us for dinner:  Tjasa, Borris and Iztok.  At dinner we learned a little about the history of Slovenia. When they were under communist rule they had more freedom than most other countries.  Citizens were able to visit other countries with minimal interference from officials.  Most people loved their country and returned from trips.  The country was 200km long and  had very little section of seaside. They said they mostly took holiday on the Croatian seaside. Zrece was quite  small but since they were an international tourist destination.(for skiing) wanted to be on the map. So they managed to get themselves listed as a city

I truly enjoyed the company of my Slovenian colleagues.  They were strong, intelligent, funny, and very caring individuals.  That coupled with the beauty of the land made it my favorite place to visit this week.  I can't wait to return!