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My first visit to Slovenia proved to be a surprise for me. It occurred just after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Although it took several years and internal Yugoslav wars I was able to visit this part without too much trouble.
Expecting the old Communist feel, I was soon to learn that this former Soviet block country had quickly left most of that behind. I was to find a beautiful European city, a wonderful but small coastline, and the small city of Piran, whose town center reminded me of a small Venice.
Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital city, is a small, charming European city. A strong Austrian and Italian influence adds to the city's old-world feel. It was very easy to navigate around the city center and its treasure trove of cafes, restaurants, stores, and the central farmers market provided me with days' worth of entertainment.
I spent several days working in the capital and met some great folks who showed me their city. One friend surprised me and got her friend to fly me around the city in his small plane, a great way to see the landscape with the surrounding, snow-covered Alps. I was lucky to have access to a local driver and vehicle which made for an easy way to see the surrounding countryside. After my work, I spent some time in the northeastern part of the country near Maribor and, of course, visited the beautiful coastal towns of Piran, Santa Rosa, and Izola.
I eventually headed for two weeks into nearby northern Italy for my next adventure.
As I began my journey I left Klagenfurt Austria early one morning on the road to Slovenia. Driving through a tunnel that crosses the border between the two countries I emerged on the Slovenian side to a beautiful sunrise over the Alps. Taking in the beauty of the drive along a winding rural two-lane road, I was soon stunned to see this bronze artwork of a skeleton peering out from a hidden group of trees on the left side of the road. I was initially a bit frightened by it. I was alone, early in the morning, and it was quite unexpected. I stopped my car on the side of the country road and slowly made my way to this statue.
To my surprise, I was to learn that I was now on the site of the former Nazi concentration camp site Ljubelj. Ljublj was a branch camp of the infamous Mauthausen camp, which was located about 125 miles north of the Austrian border. I was soon to learn that Mauthausen was mostly used for extermination through the labor of the intelligentsia and members of the higher social classes from countries subjugated by the Nazi regime during WWII. The tunnel I had emerged from a short time before had been built by over 1000 forced laborers. As the prisoners tired or could not perform, they were executed either at this site or sent to the main camp for execution.
Across the narrow road, covered by a morning mist, I noticed the footprint of the former camp. I walked across the road and spent some time there locating the main building sites. With the beautiful mountains in the near distance, it seemed a very tranquil spot. Only the footprint and the statue could take the joy from that time and place.
On another trip to Slovenia, I chose to drive from Italy. Through the twisting mountain roads, I came across the beautiful Lago di Pradle right on the border of Italy and Slovenia. It was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever been to. Crystal clear, cold emerald green water surrounded by mountains. I stopped and parked my car and sat here for at least an hour, just taking in the natural beauty of the area. At that time of year, there were no tourists and I hardly saw anyone except the border guards!
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