Ljubljana

In early March Kathryn and I spent a couple of lovely days in Slovenia.



  

After hours (how about 8 of them) on trains, we rolled into the train station on a Wednesday night.  We had reservations at Hostel Celica, which is a converted prison, and has been dubbed one of the best hostels in the world.  Was there a misprint?  After a short walk from the train station, we find the hotel.  It is like a hipster convention.  I am the only fleece jacket surrounded by ironic nerd glasses, skinny jeans, and cardigans with tiny buttons.  Music is blaring and we're not sure how to make our way through the crowd to the reception desk.  Where is the reception desk anyway?

"Maybe it's over there," I say to Kathryn.

"That's a bar."

Q: How do you know you have landed in a party hostel?
A: When you confuse the reception desk with a bar.

There were even wine glasses on it!

Kathryn and I were slightly traumatized by the sea of hipsters, and I asked to change our reservation to just one night.  We are old grannies, or at the very least, tired teachers, and this hostel was not going to cut it.  It actually did feel like a prison.  Instead of denim jump-suits everyone wore clothing from H&M, and their hands were shackled to cocktails and cheap beer.

We pushed through the crowd to our room, hysterical with laughter.

. . .

The trip to Slovenia began with the tUnE-yArDs.  After my brother introduced me to them last year, I intended to see them in LA in the fall before I took off for Hungary.  That didn't work out, but when I saw that they were going to be touring in Eastern Europe in 2012, I said jokingly that I would just see them then. So, I did it.

They played at this arty funky grungy venue, during Ljubljana's Queer Festival.  We shoved to the front and we were inches from the stage.

Kathryn and I were the only Americans there.  "We love you!!"  Kathryn shouted.  "That sounded like an American," the lead singer said, eyes searching.

"It was!" Kathryn called back.

Good times.

And let's not forget Kiurki, the unfortunately unforgettable opening act.  She was a noise DJ.  I am sure she was very good, it's just that the noises were so noisy.  Her set sounded like planes full of cows crashing.  Kathryn has a video, which I will share with you when I can, lucky you are.

Ljubljana is covered with graffiti, and this was my favorite and sums up my feelings exactly.

We spend our days wandering the cobblestone streets, drinking coffees and eating pastries at sidewalk cafes, and indulging.  Slovenians are incredibly sweet, and the trip was a welcome change from life in Szeged, although we both missed home. It's a good feeling, to miss home.


Lock your love bridge.  Lovers come to seal their commitment by attaching a lock to the bridge.  It's pretty cute.

Lovin' the bike lock.

I miss you, Ljubljana.  See you soon.