Packing

And the grand adventure begins. Moose has packed all he needs and is looking very much forward to seeing Rok in his natural environment, meeting the locals and exploring a new land. Slovenia has been spoken of in the highest regard not only by uncle Rok but also by Tom, who visited last year. Moose is most excited about this vacation- seeing the sights and making lots of new friends, maybe even meeting a nice girl...

Duty Free

Where else can a moose buy Versace for less, or grab a litre of spirits for such a bargain... but then again, what use does our Moose have for any of these things. He spent his last fifty pence on a book of crosswords to keep himself entertained in the moments of quiet.

At the Gate

A fabulous day to be flying- the skies were glistening in the early morning sun, not a cloud to be seen (apart from a few) and the views promised to be spectacular.Waiting to be called for boarding Moose made friends with a man from Horse & Hound who was traveling to Slovenia to discuss an up'n'coming show that several young british stars were to be taking part in. Mr Hallowd was very friendly and recommended that we visit a place called Lipica where they have some white horses- so hopefully Rok will know where this is.

Taxiing for TakeOff

We settled into the cabin environment and watched the planes landing as we taxied onto the runway. This was very exciting for Moose as the flight attendant gave him his very own pair of headphones- later the same lady brought Moose a carton of milk and a chocolate sponge roll. This must be the start of a fabulous story

In The Air

After crossing seas, fields and stunning mountains we arrived over the fertile lands of Slovenia.
The smooth flight was over sooner than expected.

Brnik

Welcome to Slovenia: Here we are at Brnik Aerodrome.The airport is brand new- everything gleams in the sunshine, the efficiency is admirable and in no time at all we're picking up our bags from the reclaim belt and wandering out of the air-conditioned foyer into the heat and bright light of the Slovenian Summer.

On the road

Having collected our bags and been warmly welcomed to Slovenia by uncle Rok we set off in the Clio for the first of many adventures. Moose was very confused by everything being the wrong way round. Firstly, Rok was driving from the wrong side of the car , secondly, all the cars were on the wrong side of the road.... and by no means last, there were signs saying New Potatoes everywhere.

Skofja Loka

After only a short time we had arrived at uncle Rok's cousins' house in the beautiful town of Skofja Loka- Slovenia's second oldest remaining town. Its streets have an Austrian feel to them and there is a large castle on the hills overlooking the bend in the river upon which the town was built. Originally with only two entrances to the town, one aboce the river and one to the hills, the town was a sanctuary for worshippers and workers alike. Rok's cousins were camera shy unfortunately, however, their mother had produced a most splendid reception for the weary travelers.To follow the delicious risotto and breaded chicken was the key to Moose's heart. A large ice cream cup. If anything could make a moose happy its the chill of a frozen dairy product served with a smile and within good company.

And was it any good?

An empty bowl. nuf said

Breakfast

The best way to start a long day of exploring the capital, Ljubljana, is with a healthy breakfast. Uncle Rok provided us with freshly baked bread, lightly mixed with sunflower seeds, a delicious Slovenian honey and very special tea- bought from the world famous Harrods. Both David and Moose felt extremely privileged to be using quite possibly the finest china set they had ever witnessed outside of a royal palace.

New Friends

Uncle Rok was showing us around his former study campus; his music classroom and the architectural gem that is the university library- where Moose found a new friend at the entrance. Unfortunately neither spoke a word of each other's language but with much grunting and sniffing they appeared to get on well.
Down by the river we found a young dragon out sunning himself on the rocks. Full of energy, it was hard to get him to rest long enough to pose for a photo with Moose. We look forward to taking up his invitation to spend some time in the meadows of Kras where he lives with his guardian.

Dragons !

Astride the river sit four watchful dragons upon their very own bridge. They have protected the city for thousands of years, since before even the foundations of the bridge were cast and speak only an ancient tongue. Moose was pleased to be able to pick out a few words; enough to discover that their meat of choice was horse (fortunately not human nor moose).
Here we see Moose posing with Myanic- the lead female They chatted for a while; things became quite sentimental as they both reflected on how isolated their lives have been since being so far from their families- Moose leaves his friends and family behind in British Columbia while Myanic hasn't seen her brothers since 1651. Occasionally the winds bring news on Kricneja, who travels the mountains in search of precious stones and healing waters. We left the bridge with a new friend and majestic tales from times unknown to young travelers.

Sightseeing

Here Moose poses outside the University of Ljubljana administration building. Marble columns, immaculate lawns, wrought iron railings and a ballerina among the cascading waters of a sculptor's fountain... This city puts some of the greatest scholastic institutions of the world to shame. There might be gold leaf across the spires of Oxford but none is to be found on Wellington Square.
The view across to the Franciscan Church (in pink) was stunning. Outlined by the river, with the famous "Three Bridges" in the foreground and the Beach to both sides. When we took the opportunity to walk inside the church the atmosphere was created by an Indian Tribal band playing outside.; feint tones of pan-pipes with a gentle rumbling of drums made the experience by candlelight quite spiritual. Even uncle Rok failed to remember who this fine gentleman was.

Castle View

On the ascent to the castle that dominates the skyline above Ljubljana we paused to reflect on our surroundings. Lush forests cover large areas of Slovenia, mainly coniferous but in the towns and cities we mainly found chestnut and beech trees. Moose was especially impressed by the avenues that we discovered all over the place, particularly Napoleon's Avenue on the way to Logatec.
The view from the castle was quite spectacular. The scale of urban sprawl was truly evident. Uncle Rok showed us where he grew up and where his mum works, not far from where his grandma lives- Moose was upset not to meet her but the rest of us assured him that she was a delightful lady.

Fountains

Throughout the capital we could find a fountain whenever we turned a corner. Beside this one some young horses were playing, splashing around in the cool waters without a care in the world. They told Moose about a special fountain where the elders bathed and prayed to their ancestors. Here we ventured and were in no way disappointed. The marble was purest white and water as clear and gentle as a mountain stream.

The Beach

Along the river in Ljubljana there is a microcosm of society- serving both the tourists and locals alike; at every turn a different cafe or bar, each with seats on either side of the walkway streaming with idyllic souls. Here we rested and sampled the local beverages- Lashko was to play a prominent role throughout the rest of the adventure. Without a trip to the beach, no exploration of Slovenia is complete

Evil Birds

Never trust an animal that is able to defy gravity without using some form of hydrocarbon technology. In years gone by witches were burnt for such actions and this evil EVIL beast stole Moose from our grip and took to the skies with him before releasing its grip at a great height when Moose's newly found friend took chase. Myanic broke free from her bridge, beat her wings to the sky and roared a firey breath towards the arrogant bird. The rest we left to mother nature; to know how an ancient battle finishes is not worthy of man. By the time we next crossed the Dragon Bridge Myanic was resting peacefully.

A Work of Art

While strolling the streets of Ljubljana we ventured into the town hall where there was a small art exhibition. Various sculptures and pottery on plinths. Our guide was knowledgeable and quick to point out the finer points of Slovenian culture.

The locals

Food is a passion of David's- and on this jaunt much was sampled, consumed and lusted over. Along the way we met many of the chefs, waiters and waitresses but none was as chirpy as Ramone. It never failed to surprise us how often uncle Rok knew the people at the restaurants and cafes; like the horse burger guy he went to school with, or the family at Rodik, or the drunk waiter who insisted on serving Schnapps.

Evening Drinks

One night uncle Rok took us to a place where "the open minded and unconstrained spirits" spend their evenings. We settled for a few drinks is what is now a youth Hostel but used to be a state prison near the centre of the Capital. The toilets were lit with blue lights to prevent people shooting up since its extremely difficult to find a vein under the light. After learning this lesson we put in for some drinks and headed to the garden outside.
There was an acoustic night in session when we arrived. It was very Newquay meets Krakow. The lemonade was bitter sweet, depending on how much sugar you added- the beer was dark, chocolatey and strangely undrinkable. Moose tried to introduce Rok to the two Irish girls sat just inside, not just because he adores the accent but also because they had bright red cocktails that looked much more appealing than any of the drinks on our tables.

More New Friends

We couldn't find any unicorns for Moose to make friends with but the horses were
absolutely delightful... Not like the pesky eagles who took Moose up into the skies and then dropped him on his head. In the future Moose is going to stick to four legged friends.

Exploring Caves

After taking the train several hundred metres into the middle of the hillside the stunning surrounds of the limestone caves were revealed to us.Moose was greatly perplexed as to why there was no snow considering both the sun and moon were missing. The wise elders had warned Moose of just such a failure of nature, though they couldn't provide a solution to the problem

Fun in the sun

One day we found a whole adventure playground pretty much all to ourselves. To an old Moose with a young heart the frolicking was too appealing.
After careful diplomatic discussions with the local fauna we found a couple of swallows prepared to balance the other end of the see-saw... a classic SF4 structure.
Ever since he was a little moose, Moose has always loved the rush of air through his mane; its long caused us problems when Moose sticks his head out the of the car window as we drive along- we're never sure if the rest of him will follow.
It didn't take long for the fun and excitement of the park to drag in other likely customers.

Swings

Even uncle Rok has a lighter side; though his map reading skills are still questionable.

Lipica = Horses

The horses found at Lipica are WORLD FAMOUS. Their purest white colour is quite remarkable. You'll see in the middle of the picture a brown foal, and also in the foreground a dark brown mare. Of the two, only the latter is unusual. All Lipician horses are born with a dark coat, but 90% of them will turn grey and eventually white. The mare is an exception, she never turned white and never will now that she has reached maturity; however, surprising though it may be her foal developped into a white horse.
During the wars and various occupations of the stud farm in the past the original mares and stallions were divvied up and taken by the occupying forces; Italy, Austria, whoever had previously bought them from Slovenia now has their own- but none can come close to claiming the blood line.
Unfortunately Moose's presence caused the stallions to become all territorial and so he was confined to the children's play area, where we met the shetland pony- looking like he'd eaten even more than David did at Rok's nan's place.
Outside of the fence was as close as we were allowed. After Rok and Tom were politely asked to leave the stud farm last year we felt it best not to push the matter.

Lunch in Lokev

On the way back from Lipica we were hoping to find the fabled town of Rodik which Rok had told us so much about, we were promised a gastronomic delight, but due to certain navigational difficulties settled for a quiet restaurant in Lokev. Fortunately the meal was delicious. Lee and David had the venison stew while Rok opted for roast pork. The latter was less than impressed with his choice after trying the richness of the venison sauce.The meal was well washed down by the locally produced Cockta and we all contributed towards a post card for Russ.
From the restaurant we set off on the road to Brnik airport where we'd find our latest arrival.

Collecting Tom

He arrived bright eyed and full of stories, telling us of how Zurich was warmer than Slovenia despite it being remarkably hot in the sunshine. Having just driven hard and fast from Lipica we were pleased to have a new voice and hearty laugh in the car.On the drive home we were blessed with the most stunning weather- enough to inspire the impressionists within us all.

Off on the road

It didn't take long for the two keen cyclists to yield to the call of the open road. Soon enough they were both kitted up and had the hills of Logatec in their sights. As soon as the wheels were prep'd they were off!

Abduction !

Shock and horror hit David when arriving at Bled youth hostel- Moose was missing. He had not made the journey and was nowhere to be seen. Soon enough it became clear that he had been abducted and held against his will- apparently the silent protest made by Messrs. Rok, Tom and Lee had come to a forefront and Moose was prevented from making the journey and indeed the rest of the vacation. Worse still, when the guys met a certain girl, he was locked up and forbidden from embarassing them. A sad tale of events indeed. If you want to learn more about the vacation you'll have to pester the humans.

Please rest assured that Moose arrived home safely and is once again up on the wall looking down on his natural environment.

You've been a fabulous audience.

Mmmmmmoooooooohhhhhrrrrrrrrrr