An eventful train trip to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, had us meeting a young Sicilian boy called Roberto and a Venezuelan man called Renee, a delightful time, as we uncovered bits of each other as only you can do when trust emerges. We said our goodbyes, arrivadercis and adios’s.

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, was our introduction to this interesting country. This vibrant city revolved around its delightful river that was squeezed into a canal that gently flowed between the fully booked tables of drinkers and eaters.

The controversial and famous poet, Peseren seemed to be about to deliver his romantic poems but there was a hesitancy that held him back. Amongst the other statues, not a woman to be seen, again great female works never written so stayed unheard making yet another country the poorer for it.

You would think they had discovered, I know not how long ago, a new style of painting especially close to the river and in the old parts. There was the initially sanctioned graffitti that delivered a message through its clever art work. But then another less educational method came from tortured souls who joined the inertia ones mindlessly destroying attempts at personal growth
However the folk who came to pay the locals wages through eating, drinking and buying tickets, still came and seemed to find the ancient atmosphere below the polluted one above. No matter who I asked there was no evidence of where this unease and indifference came from.

While there is little obvious evidence of it, the city is one of the world”s greenest. Those that enjoy the results of this appear to be gentle souls and like the Germans might sound a bit gruff but this does not infuse their bodies, rather it speaks to me of a directness that sometimes is taken the wrong way.

So we joined them climbing hills and wending our way through forests laden with light green leaves, an unusual decor in our experiences. Small birds chirp freely knowing that their voices are heard above the lesser amounts of huge seagulls and black birds.

In the near distance, vestiges of snow could be seen in decreasing strips on beautiful mountains giving a view of grandeur as they resembled a natural fortress wall. We walked the streets of this underrated city beneath its regular sprinkling of rain and wondered how the poor graffiti had crept up onto houses and office buildings.

We took the train to the coastal town of Izola where our neighbour from Sydney became our neighbour once more across the other side of the world. With her adventurous parents they pampered and watched over us as though we were precious cargo and then dined us with Izola’s best at home and away.

With good humour we toured the town in a talkative car with its rebellious boot; ventured out to a delightful part of the towns coast pushed along by the famous bora wind through under crowded streets and ocean fronts. We said our sad goodbyes but not before our neighbour had redrawn the map of Slovenia highlighting its best hiking trails and then taking us to our train that was decorated with brushes of graffiti. We walked daily through the streets too fast to stop and shop, the rain trying hard to deter us but with little luck as our persistence is equally matched by our good friends.

We said our goodbyes the warmth of which were matched by our very warm train as it departed to take us on new adventures starting in the world renown lake town of Bled. We’ll be here in our little wooden bedroom for four days and hope to have made a few discoveries of our own along the way.