Journey to Slovenia
travelogue: looking back on the good times, with love from Slovenia
Day 1 I
Tuesday May 8 I -travel day
Marloes
On the day
of departure, my mother brought me to school. There, Marjet Stamsnijder told me
that Steffi could not come with us to Slovenia because she had a sinusitis..
When I heard that, I was really shocked!! Steffi came to school to say goodbye
to us, and she cried really hard.. that was not nice... When we had said
goodbye to her we went by car to Weeze airport. From Weeze we flew to Trieste
airport.
After our
arrival we went with a bus to the partner school in Ljubljana, Gimnasija
Šentvid. Our Slovenian partners were waiting for us and meeting again was
really nice! I was very happy that I saw Tajda and the other students again.
Tajda’s mother was very friendly and also funny, making jokes. After our
meeting we left again, we went to a bar to drink something. We did not stay
there long, because we were all tired from the travel. Fleur and I went with
Tajda and her mother. The car drive took about 25 minutes. The family lives in
a village a few kilometers outside of Ljubljana. It is called Cerkljanska
Dobrava.
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| from left to right: Dianne Greijmans, Stef Wingens, Fleur van den Elzen, Marloes Poulussen, Roos Langenhuizen, Maike Ceelen, Dieke Hoogaars, Stef van Wiechen, Frank van Doremalen. In front: Daan Smits. Paul Beks and Eduard Jorissen are not on this picture; they already went ahead to get our suitcases. |
Her bedroom
was also very big! We had space enough! Fleur and I had our own two person’s bed.
We met Tajda’s sister, Anja. She was also very friendly.
Fleur
On Tuesday I
packed my suitcase. We met with the Dutch exchange group at school. Our teacher
communicated with us about the story of Steffi. Actually Steffi would also go
with us to Slovenia, but one hour before we left Steffi got a veto of the
doctor. It seems that Steffi had a maxillary sinusitis. We were all sad because
Steffi is always in a positive mood. Then we drove to Weeze and we went to the
airplane. At half past eleven we arrived at the school, it was very nice to see
our exchange partners again. We met the mother of Tajda and the parents of the
other exchange people. After that we went to a café. Around midnight we went to
Tajda’s house we sat in the car and were excited to know in which house we
would stay this week. When we arrived at the house we were surprised! It was a
very huge house in a village away from Ljubljana, the village is called
Cerkljanska Dobrava. Everything was orange inside the house, because her mother
likes that colour. The bedroom and bathroom were so big. Her mother was very
funny and sociable. Her sister Anja is also a funny woman!
Roos
On Tuesday
we first went to school for regular lessons. The last hour I went home because
I had to pack my suitcase and bring it to school. At 15.45 we had to be at
school. When I arrived I heard that Steffi couldn't join us. It was really sad
and everybody was shocked. When we say goodbye to everybody and left to Weeze.
Our airplane left at 6.00 PM. When we arrived at Trieste we took the bus to
Ljubljana. It took two hours and then we arrived at Ljubljana. Everybody was
really excited. Then we saw our partners and said hello to everybody and
everyone’s parents. After that we go to a café till 12 o’clock and after that
Eva showed me her home. I had my own room so I went to sleep soon. That was the
end of the first day.
Dianne
On Tuesday
we finally went on our trip to Slovenia. I was really excited, because I have
never been there before. We went by plane. Around eleven o’clock we arrived in
Ljubljana. Luka´s parents came to pick us up. My exchange partner Eva and
Stef´s partner Luka live next to eachother, so we drove home together. I was
warmly welcomed by my host family. We talked for some time, and then I went to bed.
Eduard
We departed
from airport Weeze to Italy. When we arrived in Italy the weather was really
awesome. When we came out of the gates and got our luggage, we saw prof.
Perdan. We got on the bus and arrived in Ljubljana in about 2 hours. We arrived
in the school. When we were sitting in the bus, we were told that we wouldn't
anything the first night, so that we could rest. Well, that wasn't the case. We
left the luggage at home and went to some kind of pub, it was beautiful. After
that we went to a place near some river, we couldn't see much because it was at
night and it was dark, but when i saw it the next day, it really was
beautifull. We were home at 1.00 or 2.00 PM.
Paul
8 may was
the day we where going to Slovenia. We left the school at half past three in the
direction of Weeze. The flight would leave at half past 5. It was a very short
flight but it was a tiring one. We landed at Trieste, a village in Italy. When
we arrived in Trieste we took the bus to Ljubljana. It was a 2 hours bus ride.
When we arrived in Ljubljana I met the family. After the meeting we went to a
pub. It was a nice pub, but everyone was very tired, so we did not make it very
late.
Stef W
At 4 O’clock
the moment had come. We our said our friends and parents goodbye and went in
the car. We drove to airport Weeze and we flew to Trieste. It was a short
flight. Then we went with the bus to Ljubljana. We were al really excited. At
10 o’clock in the evening, we arrived at the school in Ljubljana. Rudi and his father were waiting for me
at school and we drove to a café. That evening was a great evening, to see each
other again after a long time. It was a pity that not everybody was there.
Stef vW
After school
we had to gather in front of the school at 03.45 PM. We went to the airport by
car. The flight was very pleasant because it only lasted one hour instead of an
hour and a half. When we landed we went to gymnasia sentvid by bus. It was very
pleasant to see the whole group again. We went to bed almost immediately after
we arrived.
Maike and Dieke
This day was
Dieke's birthday! First we gathered at our school and we left to Weeze! It was
very exciting to travel together. The flight was shorter than we expected, but
the trip by bus was a bit long. When we arrived at Gymnasia Šentvid the
partners were already waiting for us. The father and mother of Karla picked us
up and brought us to the house of her grandmother, because we slept there.
First of all we got a huge piece of strudel and it was way too much. After that
we went to our room and it turned out that we had separate rooms and they were
enormous! It was like we were staying in our hotel, because we also had our own
bathroom. It was just our own apartment! We talked for a little while and then
we went to bed to be awake for the rest of the exchange!
Daan
It was
around four ‘o clock in the afternoon. We were all very excited to finally go
to Slovenia. After a quick farewell to family and friends, our exchange group
went to the airport. Unfortunately, Steffi wasn’t able to join the group due to
an ear infection. The trip was quite exciting, because I haven’t been in an
airplane for thirteen years. Eventually, we came in Ljubljana safely, and we
met our exchange partners again. That was a really good moment, meeting someone
again after nine months of waiting.
So I met Luka again, and his family. They were all very nice. Luka’s mom
immediately started making some sandwiches for me and Luka, while I had a nice
conversation with Luka’s dad. After settling down in my room, I went to bed
early after an exhausting trip.
And so the
adventure began...
Day 2 I Wednesday May 9 I Ljubljana I - exploring the capital
Dianne
This was our
first day in Slovenia. First the Slovenian students told us something about
their school and Ljubljana which they illustrated with powerpoint. After an hour or so, they also gave us a tour in and around the school. All Slovenian schools offer their
students warm meals during the days. We ate some traditional dishes. There was
also a saladbar, I think it would be a great idea to have a saladbar in the Enve,
our cantine. After the lunch we went to the center of Ljubljana. First we had
ice-cream and then the students gave us a guided tour around the city. We also
went to a castle which is build on a hill in the middle of the city. The view
there was amazing. In the evening we went to a festival. There was rock and
electro music. I had lots of fun there. But when I came home in the evening I
was glad that I could go to sleep, because it was an exhausting day.
Marloes
This was the
first day at Gimnasija Šentvid. The school is very big! It is a little bit
strange because the people walk here on slippers. This is not the only
Slovenian school where they wear slippers. There, the Slovenian students gave
us some presentations about Slovenia. They gave information about the country,
typical food and Slovenian culture. Then we had our first lunch at school,
which was a warm meal in the canteen. In Holland we do not have this, so it was
a little bit special. It tasted reasonable good.
After lunch
we went to Ljubljana. We had a guided tour with the Slovenian students and
their teacher Manica, and I liked the city very much. It is really beautiful!
But it was very hot, I think 25 degrees. I burned my shoulders.
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| Babica and Dedek |
We ate
dinner over at the house of the grandmother and grandfather of Tajda. She made
pancakes for us. That was really sweet!
In the
evening we went to a park to imbibe. It was not normal because there were so
many people that were drinking a lot. And the police didn’t do anything. But we
had fun. After imbibing we went to a kind of free festival.
All the
students came to that festival and the music was electronic and there were also
some bands. It was a nice evening.
Fleur
Marloes and
I got a nice breakfast, and we were very tired of the short night. At school,
the Slovenians gave presentations about the country. After that we went to
Ljubljana. It was very warm there! It is a nice city with beautiful buildings.
The weather was so good, we were burning through the sun. We went into a castle
and a church.
When the
guided tour was finished we ate at the grandparents of Tajda. The pancakes were
so lovely. In the evening we went to a festival, all teens were drinking at the
park. It was a free festival it was very busy. It was a nice festival with many
people.
Stef vW
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| warm lunches and salads with bread (krug) in school every day |
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| at the Tromostovje - three bridges-, before the market building, designed by Plecnik |
Eduard
We woke up
at 10.00 A.M. and went to school. At school we saw presentations from the
Slovenian students. The presentations were about the school (Gimnazija Šentvid)
and about Slovenia. After the presentation we took a lunch and had a break.
After we finished school we went to the city for a sightseeing tour, we saw a lot of things
like beautiful buildings, historical squares and a beautiful library. It was a
beautiful but exhausting day because we walked a lot. In the evening we went to
some kind of open air festival but that wasn't really that great.
So after we
had settled down and met everyone of the family, we went to school again. When
I came outside the house, I saw the mountains for the first time in the
daylight, and it was amazing to see that. So we went to school by car, to see
some presentations of the Slovenians from the exchange group. We learned things about the country from the Slovenians, and after that we went to the
centre of Ljubljana.
Ljubljana is
a very nice city, if you ask me. It was a lot less bigger than I expected, but
that made me feel even more comfortable because it wasn’t busy on the street.
There were a lot of historical buildings, like the Ljubljana castle, the triple
Bridge, and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation. I like the architecture,
because it’s old and historical.
Stef W
That morning
we had to get up at half past seven. We went to a small bar at around nine o’clock and there we met again with others from the exchange group. At eleven o’clock we went to school. The Slovenian students did some
presentations about the country.
It were good
presentations but it was hard to remember everything. After the presentations
we had a break. It is very different from Holland, because in Slovenia they eat a warm meal at school. So
that’s what we did too. It looked very funny, because it was just like in those
movies. We got a tray with the food on the picture above. It was delicious,
especially those balls which look like potatoes. It’s a kind of dough with jam
in it.
After the
lunch we went to Ljubljana and we had a tour with information about the
important buildings. I think the teacher told too much about every
building so it became a bit tedious for me, but the city was very nice.
Roos
We awoke at
8.30. It was an hour later than normal. We had to be at school at 9.30. We
drank coffee at a bar first. When we were at school we had presentations from
the Slovenian students. It was informative but a little bit difficult because
the weather outside was beautiful and everybody wanted to go outside. We had
lunch in school but I didn’t really like it. After lunch we went to Ljubljana
city. We had a city tour and a little bit of free time. The city tour was not
really in interesting, because I actually don’t like city tours. But it was
nice to be outside because it was 25 degrees. In the evening we went to a
festival. Before the festival we bought drink in a supermarket and drank it in
a park. In the park there were a lot of people. The festival was really busy
because it was for free. It was a nice festival and we were home at 1 o’clock I
think.
Paul
The next
morning we stood up at 10 o' clock because it was the first day. Then we went to the school where we had a tour across the building. It is a bit old building
but very big. After the showing part of the school we had another tour in the
center of Ljubljana. It is a very nice city. Many people live there, its
also very big. They showed us many important buildings and stuff like that. It
was a nice day also because the weather it was very warm, I think close to 30
degrees. After the tour we went home.
Maike and Dieke
We had to
get up at 09.15 AM, so that was sleeping in for us! We had a great breakfast and
her grandparents were really kind, but sadly enough her grandfather wasn’t
staying at our house anymore. Her grandmother brought us to the school and it
was 20 minutes by car, but it’s longer by bus. When we arrived we listened to
presentations from the Slovenians about their culture and country. It was very
interesting to listen to! After the presentations we ate at the cafeteria at
their school and then we went to Ljubljana with the whole
group by bus. First we ate a ice-cream at the square and then we had a tour
through Ljubljana. It was quite long, because it was a very hot day, but it was
very nice. Ljubljana is a really beautiful city.
In the
evening we went to a festival and we noticed that going out in Holland is quite
different, because here everyone is sitting outside in parks. It was really
nice to experience!
Day 3 I Thursday May 10 I Bohinj, Slap Savica and Bled I -breathtaking activities in Slovenia
Eduard
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| canoeing at lake Bohinj |
Roos
On Thursday
we went to Bohinj for sports. We were on the lake for canoeing and on the
mountains for mountain biking. I really liked it because the weather was nice
and the environment was really nice to see, and totally different from the
Netherlands. After sporting we went to Slap Savica. There was a waterfall. We
had to walk on the mountain and that was pretty heavy because I’m really not
used to it. We took a lot of breaks on our way up. At the end we
arrived and it was really nice to see. It was so beautiful. When we were
finished with looking and taking pictures of the waterfall we went to the bus
again and we drove to Bled. In Bled we ate something typical Slovenian,
Kremschnitte. We liked it. It was different from the Dutch food, but it was
okay. We lay in the sun after eating. It was just for 30 minutes or something.
Then we had to go home. In the evening we went to a billiards cafe. It was nice
but a little bit short because we went home at 12 o’clock.
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| Marloes, Roos and Fleur |
On 8 o’clock
we met with the group on school. Then we drove with the bus to Bohinj. We went
on the lake with canoes. It was pretty hot! After that we went into the
environment with mountainbikes. The view was beautiful and we enjoyed it. After
that we went to the waterfall at Slap Savica. Everybody said that you would be
on the top in 20 minutes. But Roos, Marloes and I were on the top in I think
half an hour. It was terrible!
After that
we went to Bled, there is a lake with the smallest island of Slovenia. There
was a hill with on the top a castle, it was a nice view. We ate a Slovenian
dessert. Then we had free time and spend our free time to lay at the grass in
the sunshine. We ate as dinner potatoes and a sausage. In the evening we didn’t
do anything because we were tired.
Stef vW
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| lake Bohinj |
After lake
Bohinj we went to the Savica waterfalls. We had to climb the stairs all the way
to the waterfall. The journey to the top was very exhausting, but the view and
the waterfall were a real treat. It definitely was worth the journey.
After the
very nice waterfall we went to the village Bled to eat their well-known cream
cake. The cake was very delicious. The restaurant where we ordered it, stood
next to lake and was very nice. After the visit to the terrace we went to the
lake and laid in the sun.
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| Slap Savica |
The next day
we went to Bohinj. We traveled a lot with a bike and we have been rafting on a
very big lake. It was a very nice view and we had a lot of fun. But we where
also very tired. On that day we also went to see a very beautiful waterfall. It was
hard to get over the many steps, but it was worth it. When we arrived at home diner was already made, that was nice. It was a very good diner, we had 'chebab cici'. Afther diner we went to Aliasj and Edd to play a game of fifa.
It was very nice.
Marloes
This day was
a really sportive day but very nice! First we went to Bohinj, which is a lake
in Slovenia. We have canoed on that lake and after that we had a mountain bike
tour. I liked that!
Then we went
to Slap Savica. It is a waterfall. First we had to walk up the mountain. The
students said it would take us 20 minutes to go up, but Fleur, Roos and I hate
walking and hills, so I think we climbed for 40 minutes with many stops in
between. But we came up! And it was really beautiful and the temperature there
was nice: a bit colder. But this was also was a very hot day, woooooow. I had
to lubricate much sun cream on my skin.
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| the castle of Bled |
In the
evening we had diner at Tajda’s place. We ate sausages with potatoes and a kind
of sauerkraut. It tasted good. There, we also met her father. Her father and
mother do not live together, but they are still married. They are good friends.
Her father and mother are very friendly. That evening we didn’t do anything
because we were so tired! The night before we slept I think only 4 hours so
that was not enough.
Dianne
This day we
went to Bohinj and lake Bled. I had to get up at 6.00 a.m. That was really
early. We left to school by bus at 7.15 a.m. We went to Bohinj first. Our bus
left at eight. It was a long trip but it was defintly worth it. First we went canoeing at lake Bohinj and after an hour we went mountanbiking. We cycled
through a small farmers village and the beautiful nature. I really enjoyed
these sportactivities. The next event was a visit to Slap Savica, a beautiful
waterfall. To get there we had to climb 515 stairs. So we were really exhausted
when we arrived at the top, but the view was stunning, so it was defintly worth
it. Then we went to lake Bled. That was also really beautiful. I tried a
typical Slovenian dessert there, called kremsnita. It tasted really nice and
looks a bit like our tompouce. After that we went home again. At home I tried
another Slovenian dish. They were these small sausages. They were called
cebapcici. I really loved them. In the evening we went to a biljartcafé. That
was really nice, even though I can´t play biljart at all.
Stef W
In the
afternoon we went to a waterfall. It was very big. It was around 75 meters
high. It was a nice view, but it was very hard to get here. We had to go over
500 steps up to get there, but it was definitely worth it.
After the
waterfall we went to Bled, a city at a lake.
We ate a specialty of that town. I
liked it, but not everyone did. After that we went to the lake and we lay down
on the grass.
It was a
nice day and Slovenia has a great nature.
Daan
So after
that we had some sleep, we went to the bus that would take us to the Slovenian
nature. We arrived at the lake of Bohinj, and I was stunned by the fascinating
mountains and the clear lake. We first went canoeing on the lake, which was
quite refreshing and relaxing. After canoeing, we ate our lunch. When we were
finished with the lunch, it was time to go mountain biking. I felt like;
“mountain biking isn’t really my thing, but okay, I will give it a try.” It
turned out to be really good, because it was a very nice trip. We cycled from
small town to another small town, seeing high mountains nearby. The weather was
also great, which made mountain biking even more fun.
After lake
Bohinj we went to Slap Savica; a waterfall which lies quite high in the
mountains. There was a beautiful view over the canyon and the lake, when we
were at the highest point. Also, the waterfall itself was really interesting.
In the Netherlands, there isn’t such a high waterfall.
In the late
afternoon, we went to another lake; Bled. We had spare time in which we drank a
coffee and lay on the grass. There was a nice view on the castle of Bled, we
could relax in the burning sun.
Maike and Dieke
We had to
get up really early, at 6 o’clock! Then we went to the school and we went to
Bohinj. After a trip of two hours we arrived and went canoeing. It was really
nice, because the weather was very sunny! We were pretty lazy while canoeing,
because the weather was so good. When we were finished with canoeing we went
mountain biking. The landscape here is so beautiful with its mountains and
houses. After mountain biking we got to rest for a while and we ate an
ice-cream and an ice coffee. Then we had to go into the bus again and we went
to see a beautiful waterfall: Slap Savica. First we had to climb 550 stairs
and we were all very tired. Then we went to Bled, a place known for its crème
cake. The crème cake was really nice and then we just sat in the sun for a
while. It was a really tough day for our legs, but still much fun! When we
finally came home we rested and went to bed early.
Day 4 I Friday May 11 I Maribor I - visit to another school
Paul
The next day
went to Maribor, the second biggest city of Slovenia. We had a tour in a very
nice school it was a classic building whit a lot of students. There we met two
students of that school. They gave us a tour in the city. We also went to a
library, when we where in there a needed a toilet. When I came back from the
toilet every one was gone, they forgot me over there. Maribor is a very nice
city it was also the culture city of 2012 in Europe. After the tour we had some
free time we went to the shops and picked a terrace to drink a pivo. When we
came back in Ljubljana, we prepared for a big party called Vičstock. It was a nice party, although I do not prefer that kind of music. But the energy was very nice. We had a lot
of fun. It was awesome and we went home very late.
Marloes
On Friday we
went to the city of Maribor. It is the ‘capital city of Slovenian culture’.
First we visited one of the high schools and a teacher told us something about
their school and Maribor. Then we had a guided tour in the city from two
students, it was a little bit hard to listen to them all the time, because it was to hot
outside. After the tour, we also had free time and that was good. First we went
to the Mac Donalds and then we were shopping. I bought a pair of pants and a
shirt.
That day,
the mother of Tajda had gone to the dentist because she had toothache. Because
of that, we had dinner in a restaurant. Fleur and I ate a pizza and it was
good! In the evening we went also to a festival, Vičstock. First we had a drink
to imbibe and then we went in. The music was not my favorite music, but we had
fun. Fleur, Roos and I were talking to random people and that was nice.
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| Maribor PRVA Gimnazija |
On Friday we
went to Maribor, the second largest and the cultural city of Slovenia. First we
went to the school in Maribor. They gave a presentation to us and we got a tour
around the school. After that we went with two guides from school to the centre
of Maribor. It was a nice city. It was quite different than Ljubljana. We also
had some free time. That was very nice because at that time we could eat
something and walk around the city on our own.
That evening
we went to a punk rock concert. I liked the music but I couldn’t understand the
text because they sang in Slovenian. It was a nice day.
Dianne
This day we
went to Maribor, so I had to get up early again. First a teacher gave us a
presentation about the school. She also gave us a tour in and around the
school. After that two students accompanied us for a walk in and around
Maribor. They explained things about the history of Maribor. We also had time
to do some shopping. At one o´clock we already went home to Ljubljana, it was more than one and a half hour drive. In the evening we went to another festival. This
time they were only playing rock music. It was quite fun, even though I didn´t
really like the music.
Maike and Dieke
Today we
also had to get up early, but it wasn’t that bad. We had to be at school at
08.00 AM and then we went to Maribor with the Dutch group. It was a long trip,
because it was about 2 hours driving. The weather was still really nice. When
we arrived we went to visit another Gymnazija, and we had a little tour there. Then two
students showed us around in Maribor. It was also a beautiful city and we
noticed that all cities here look different! We went shopping for about an hour
and it was fun. Once we arrived at school Karla picked us up and when we came
home grandma had already made our dinner. We really like the food here! This
evening we ate meat with pasta and vegetables. After showering we went to
another festival: Vičstock. The music was nice, but all in Slovenian so we
didn’t understand it.
Daan
This day we
went to Maribor, with only the Dutch students from the exchange group. It was
nice to have a break in having to talk English, because it’s more exhausting
than you’d think to talk English all the time. Maribor was a nice place, but
after being there, I think I’d prefer Ljubljana above Maribor. I think the city
atmosphere was better in Ljublana. Ljubljana is a city, but I still think that
it was more sociable than Maribor. We went back and we had some nice
conversations in the bus. Everybody seemed to really enjoy Slovenia and the
exchange group, and that’s a good thing.
In the
morning we went to Maribor, the people call it the 'capital of culture'. We
were accompanied by two students. First we were guided through a gymnasium
school, it was almost the same as in the Netherlands. We were walking through
the city. It was very beautiful and warm! We had an hour free time so we went
to the Mac Donalds to eat something and we went shopping. At three o’clock we
went home, we ate at a restaurant. Marloes and I ate a lovely pizza! After
dinner we went home and met her father. The family of Tajda is very sociability
and funny, we laughed a lot!
After dinner
we prepared us for the evening. We were going to a festival organized by
students. The music was very habituate, but it was nice. After and before the
festival we sat in the grass and drank a little bit.
Eduard
At the
fourth day, that was a Friday, we went to Maribor. We went sightseeing over
here, this was a beautiful day, but it was very hot. We first visited some
school, it was a beautiful but old school. Two students of that school gave us
a sightseeing tour and that was pretty nice, the city was beautiful. In the
evening we went to a rock festival, this was awesome even though it's not really
my music, but i did enjoy it. It was a very good night. We came home very late
and that really was exhausting but it was still fun though.
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| the oldest grape vine in the world |
Stef vW
On day four
we had to be at school at eight AM again. The good thing was that we went to
another school. The school in Maribor is more of an art school. We saw the very
beautiful first gymnasium. The first gymnasium is a very old and characteristic
school. After a small tour in the school we went into the city off Maribor.
Maribor is a very nice city it looks a bit like Ljubljana, but the people a
very different. We even saw the oldest wine plant there.
The grape vine was just amazing, because it was so big and beautiful.
Roos
On Friday we
went to Maribor. I was really interested because they said it was the capital
city of culture. It was a really hot day so we just wanted free time to be in
the sun. But we first went to a school. We had a tour in the school and a
presentation. After that we went to the city. Two students leaded us in the
city. We saw a lot of things, and I liked it. We had an hour free time and we
went to shopping. In the afternoon when we were home Eva took me to a lake. We
were there for an hour I think. It was a really beautiful lake and we were
sitting in the sun so it was nice to be there. In the evening we went to
another festival. We also drank before we go in a park. We met a lot of people.
Some people were really ATK but they were okay. We were home at 2.00 PM so
the next morning was really heavy.
Day 5 I Saturday May 12 I Škocjan, Hrastolvje and the coast I – the day of fear
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| deep canyon in the cave |
The fifth
day is the day that I didn’t like at all, because every thing was very high and
deep.
At first we
went to the caves of Škocjanske. These caves are very beautiful until you
arrive in the large hall. It is very deep over there and I don’t like that at
all. We even
walked a bridge that was 145 meters above the bottom of the cave..!
After the
caves we went to Piran. Piran is one of the five harbor cities of Slovenia.
On our way
to Piran we stopped at a very charming church. The name of the village where
the church is, is Hrastovlje and the whole inside is covered with frescos. The
frescos tell the story of the old and new testament. They also have a painting
of 'the walk of the dead' that
reminds you that all the people will eventually die.
When we
arrived in Piran we went sightseeing. We went to the highest point of the city
and we had not only a view over the sea, but also over the city. The city of
Piran is very old so it has a lot off narrow alleys. When we had free time we
went to the beach of Portorose. It was very nice and it was like summer. We sat
at the terrace and laid on the docks. Just baking in the sun. It was a very
sunny happening.
 |
| Hrastovlje -Dance Marcabre |
The next day
we woke up very early. We took the bus to caves, it was nice and cool, we had a
guide who explained everything. After that we visited a little but a nice
church, the whole story of god ‘s creation was painted on the walls. It was
nice to look at it.
 |
| fresco's in the church of Hrastovlje |
Dianne
This day we
also had to get up really early again. First we went to Škocjanske jame. These
caves were really beautiful, even though I am afraid of hights. The guide told
us a lot about the caves and the area around them. Then we went to Hrastovlje.
We visited a small church. We saw some fresco´s. It was nice if you like art,
but I didn´t really like it though. After that we went to Piran and Portorose.
We weren´t in Piran for a long time, but I really liked it. In the late middle
ages this was an important port, were they traded salt with Italy and other
countries. Then we went to Portorose. Because the weather was really beautiful
(it was almost 30 degrees) we went to the ocean an swam a little. We also went
to a café and had some pizza.
Roos
On Saturday
we went to the caves Škocjanske jame. They told it would be cold in the caves
so everybody had warm clothes with them. We walked a lot in the caves so it was
pretty intense, but okay. It wasn’t really cold, Marlous and me were almost
dying of heat. After the caves we went to Hrastovlje, the church. I don’t
really like churches but it was nice that we could sit inside. Then we went to
Piran. The teacher, Manica (in short: MPO), showed us the city and the churches
in Piran. It was not really interesting because she was walking fast and we
couldn’t see it for a long time. But it was nice that we were quickly finished
so we could go to Portorose to lie on the beach. We have also been swimming in
the sea, it was cold but nice that we could go swim! We also ate an ice cream
there and drank something in a bar. Then we drove home with the bus. In the
evening we went to Tajda’s place with almost the whole group. It was nice but
everybody was tired so they were all gone at 12 o’clock. I slept with Fleur and
Marloes in a room so it was nice.
Daan
Then, we
drove with the bus to Hrastovlje, which was a quite interesting church, because
of the paintings. We learned something about the religion and culture of
Slovenia there, besides learning about the landscape. The nature around there
reminded me about France. Actually, when I think about the landscape of
Slovenia, I see France, Austria, Italy and maybe even Germany.
Before going
to swim, we went to Piran. Piran was a nice little town with a lot of small
corridors, which I haven’t seen before in Slovenia. There was a nice view over
the sea in Piran. It really gave me a summer feeling, looking over the sea.
After Piran,
we had some spare time to take a swim in the sea. The water was warmer then I
expected, so we had a nice time. I thought: “hey, at home, at this moment my
friends are working at school, while I’m relaxing in the sun.”  |
| wall around the church of Hrastovlje |
Marloes
On Saturday
we went to see caves: Škocjanske jame. They told that it would be cold in the
cave but on the contrary, Roos and I were almost dying of hotness. There were
many stairs and hills we had to climb and that was so bad. But the cave was
beautiful to see. At the end we could take an elevator to go upstairs. Lucky
us!
After the
caves, we visited Hrastovlje, there was a church with a wall around it, with
fresco’s on the wall and ceiling. It was not that interesting for me because I
don’t like churches that much.
But we also
went to the seaside! I like the sea very much. First we had a little guided
tour with the Slovenian teacher, Manica, in Piran. Piran is an old harbour
city. It was a little bit heavy to walk through this old village because it was
to hot, again..
When we were
home we ate Greek food and that was so nice! In the evening some people came to
Tajda and we chilled there but I was too tired to enjoy. Eva and Roos also
slept at Tajda’s place that night and that was cozy.
Eduard
At this day
we went to Škocjanske jame, that is a beautiful and enormous cave. I've never
seen a cave this huge, it had over 1500 stairs. After we finished with the cave
we went to the restaurant that was attached to the cave. We took a rest over
here. When we were done at the restaurant we went to Hrastovlje, that is a
small church. For me that wasn't something special but the view out there was
very beautiful, inside the church there were alot of drawings on the walls, and
those drawings told a story. After
we went to the church we left to Piran, thats a city at the shore. You saw alot
of boats over here and this was a very beautiful place, it was a very warm day. At last we went to Portorose, where we
went to a beach. This place was also beautiful. In the night we went to Taida, one of the exchange students
from Slovenia, we played some games and we just had some fun. It was a good
night.
Fleur
We went to the
caves in Škocjanske jame, inside the cave it was pretty warm because of the
humidity. But it was very beautiful. I can scarcely believe that it is all made
by nature itself. Then we went to Hrastovlje. There was a little, cute church.
It was not so nice because we wanted to go to the beach and not into the
church. Well, then we went to Piran a little village but with a very beautiful
view. It has very small streets, I like that because it is very cozy!
Then we went to the beach of Slovenia, it has very short coastline. We were lying in Portorose on the scaffold. It was pretty warm and the sea was cold but we liked it because we had it so warm. The whole week we had been looking forward to that moment. Lying on the beach in the sun and doing nothing! It was lovely to burn in the sun and we enjoined the view. Marloes, Roos and I went to buy cacao, Tajda said they sell there the loveliest ice cream. And I think it is!
Then we went
home and we BBQ-ed with the family of Tajda. It was delicious! After dinner the
most people of the group were going to Tajda’s home. Everybody was too tired to
be cozy so the evening was rapidly ending. Roos and Eva stayed that night also
at Tajda’s place.
Stef W
On Saturday
we went to Škocjanske jame, it’s a cave. On Friday they said it would be cold
in the caves so I wore warm clothes. The problem was that it wasn’t even cold.
It was hot in the caves. We had to walk very much so that was a bit too hot.
After that we went to a small church the whole church was painted with stories
of the bible. I didn’t like it, because It wasn’t really beautiful. It was just
a very small church with some bad drawn paintings.
That midday
we went to Piran, a harbor. It was a very nice city. It’s weird that all those
cities don’t look like each other, because in Holland you don’t see very much
difference between the cities.
After Piran
we went to Porto Rose. We went to the beach there and we swam in the sea. The
sea had a very nice temperature. We had two and a half hours free time so that
was great.
Maike and Dieke
We had to
get up early again and we went to Park Skocjanske jame to visit the caves
there. At the beginning the caves looked a bit fake to us, but later it was
really beautiful. Again we climbed a lot of steps. After that we got into the
bus again and we stopped at a little church. On the wall in the church were
fresco’s and they explained what the fresco’s meant. Then we went to Piran, a
city at the coast with very cute houses. We saw a very beautiful view: we could
see Trieste and Venice. After that we went to Portorose and we went swimming.
Also we ate the best pizza in the world! It seems like we are always hungry
here, because when we came back to Ljubljana we ate again. This time we ate a
very nice dinner at the parents of Karla. We had lasagna and a delicious
dessert!
Day 6 I Sunday May 13 I Family Day I - becoming acquainted with the family
Maike and Dieke
The first
day this week that we could decide on our own at what time we would wake up and
it was awesome! We had breakfast at noon and we had sausages and croissants!
Then the mother of Karla picked us up and we went shopping in a shopping mall.
We bought some new clothes and again we had a too good dinner at grandma’s
place. Then we had to hurry, because we would go to the center of Ljubljana to
chill with Fleur, Roos, Marloes, Tajda and Eva. The weather wasn’t that good
anymore so we sat inside. After some time we went to Klub300 to bowl. We played
the Dutchies against the Slovenians. Of course we lost, because in Holland we
also lost. It was a miracle, but we were hungry again! So we ordered a pizza
and after the bowling we went to a pool café.
Daan
Today, it
was the family day. One thing that was really nice was that I had the
opportunity to sleep in. I’m not used to getting up at 6:30 all the time. So I
had my sleep, and a quiet Sunday morning. Then, me and Luka went to a lake in
the neighborhood, with Stef and the other Luka. We sat on a terrace, drinking a
nice cold beer.
In the
evening, we went bowling with the whole group. It was Slovenia vs. Holland,
which was won by the Slovenians. They really were a lot better. But it was fun
to do of course.
Stef vW
On Sunday we
had the family day so we didn’t have to start at eight o’clock. When I woke up
at one o’clock we had a nice breakfast. The meat was sliced and put on the
plate like a piece of art. It was very nice to see how much time they put in
the preparation of the dinner. After breakfast Luka and me went to the lake
close by. The weather wasn’t as good as it had been for the rest of the week,
but it was still very nice to see the swans. When we came back at Luka's home
we had a traditional Slovenian Sunday lunch. The lunch was very delicious and I
enjoyed eating it. After dinner we took the bus to the bowling alley. We went
bowling to with the whole group and we played with Dutch people against the
Slovenian people. The Slovenian people won because Dutch people can’t bowl.
Eduard
This was
like a family day, we didn't do that much this day. In the midday we played a
game of soccer at a playground near my students house, it was pretty fun
because there was some guy and he was making alot of fun, he was like totally
crazy. In the evening we played fifa. We played a lot of fifa when we were bored at home. At this day the
whole group went to go bowling but i couldn't go because i had a terrible
headache, so i took an early sleep but the next day it was over so that is
pretty good.
Marloes
Sunday was
the family day; we were out with Roos and Eva in Ljubljana. First we went to a
skyscraper and had something to drink. After that we went to a kind of snack
bar where Roos, Fleur and I ate their special Slovenia traditional food. It is
called Burek and it was really good!
After that
we walked along the Ljubljanica river. Tajda and Eva told us that they chilled
there in summer. In the city we also met Carla, Maike and Dieke. We went to the
Mac Donalds and sat there together and talked. In the evening we went to a
bowling center. We were there for two hours and it was nice! After that we went
to a pool bar and had something to drink.
Fleur
We had a
quiet day, we were eating breakfast. Then we prepared us for the day. We went
into a skyscraper and drank something. We enjoined the view. You could see that
Ljubljana is lying in the middle of the mountains. After that we ate a
Slovenian dishes, it calls Burek. It is a kind of kebab with other meat, it was
lovely. On this day the weather was terrible! The wind was very cold and
strong! We were walking along the river it was very cold! After that we ate
with the other girls of the group in the Mac. After that we went to the bowling
centre, it was cozy! The Slovenian persons were surely better! After that we
went to a poolbar and went home.
Roos
On Sunday we
were at Tajda’s place in morning. We had a breakfast there and prepared ourselves to go. Then we went to a skyscraper to drink coffee. We taught Eva
and Tajda some Dutch sentences so that was really funny. Then we went to a
river, the place to be for the young people at evening. It was a little bit
cold but it was okay. After that we went to a bowling club. Till 9 o’clock we
stayed there. I was really bad in bowling and the Slovenian people won against
the Dutch people. After that we went to the billiard café. It was nice and the
drinks were really cheap there. In Holland you pay at least €4.00 for a Malibu
and in the café €1.40!! We went to home at 12 because everybody was tired.
Stef W
Sunday was
family day. I slept until 10 o’clock and we had a nice breakfast. After that we
went playing soccer at their elementary school. It was sad that it had to end
early because Rudi’s brother was sick. We had to go home.
When we were home
again we ate for the second time and we went upstairs. We played some guitar
and cello. Rudi can play cello very good. It was really nice to hear. After
that we played some computer games.
At seven o’clock we went bowling with the
whole exchange group. We did Slovenian people against the Dutch. We lost with
one hundred points difference.
Dianne
Today was
the family day. First we went to a birthday of a friend. We have been there for
two hours. After that we went shopping in a mall. Unfortunately I didn´t buy
anything. My hosting family got a new puppy so we played with it for a while.
In the evening we went bowling with the whole group. It was really fun, but I
wasn´t good at it. Unfortunaly I had to go home early, but that was also really
nice, because now I could sleep a bit more.
Paul
The next day
it was family day but we slept that day a lot because it was the only free day.
When we woke up my partner was sick. So he stayed in his bed. After that we ate
with the whole family. Then we did a game of bowling. It was very nice to do
but I wasn’t that good.
Day 7 I Monday May 14 I – experiencing Slovenian education and paint balling day
Stef vW
On the
Monday we followed some lessons. My first lesson was an biology lesson. First
we had dissection of a fish. That part was very gross, but when we were
finished and cleaned every thing we had a chance to see the animals. The
teacher brought a snake, a lizard, toad en salamander in the class room. It was
very exciting to see all the animals. It was also very educative. After the
biology class we had physics and English.
After the
lunch at school we went to the shooting ranch. At the ranch we went
paintballing. I was very fun and exciting. The downside of our shooting
adventure was that it hurts very much when you are hit. I still have a lot of
bruises from the hits. But I’m
still glad I did it.
Maike and Dieke
And again we
had to get up early, because we had to follow classes with the Slovenia
students. First we had two hours of biology and we had to cut a fish. Maike
thought it was disgusting at first, but after a while not anymore. When we were
finished with this they brought in living animals and we could hold them. The
teacher was explaining about the skins and habits of the animals. It was really
awesome! After that we had a few more lessons and a break in school. In the
break we heard that we would go paintballing in the afternoon. When we arrived
there we dressed in really charming suits and helmets, but the games were
really awesome. We were better than we expected. We got home and we had
meat-day at grandma’s place! We just ate meat and some bread, so good! After
dinner we had 15 minutes to shower and get ready to go to Newcastle, a café.
That was our last evening and it was really cool. When we got home we had to
pack our suitcases.
Marloes
On Monday we
were at school the whole morning. It was a little bit exhausting because we
couldn’t understand everything. First we had two hours of chemistry. Then
science. Then English. And at last we had Geography. English was the nicest
class because the teacher, Jolande, was really friendly and of course she
talked English so we could understand the subject. We had a discussion with the
whole group.After school we went to the city. First to do a little bit
shopping. And then we played paint ball. Someone hit me on my face with a paint
ball and that was not nice. Roos and I fired our balls at random haha.
Back home,
Fleur and I got nice food again. Musaka. Greek food! After dinner, Fleur and I
recieved presents from the family Jager. This was really nice of them and the
presents were cute. Our last evening was amazing. We went to a bar, called
NewCastle. The cocktails were ‘two for one’ so everybody got a bit tipsy and it
was really fun. I think it was the best evening!
Paul
The next day
I was sick too, so I missed the school lessons but I think I didn’t missed that
much. At 12 o’clock I felt a lot better, so I walked to school. When I arrived
the lessons had already finished. After the lessons we did go to the center for
shopping and stuff. After that we went to play paintball, I never did that
before so I didn’t know what to expect. But it was so awesome, and a little
painful.
Dianne
At Monday we
had to follow lessons at school. First I had to dissect a fish. Even though it
was quite a messy job, I really liked it. In that same biology lesson we studied
some other animals. I held a turtle and a lizard. After that we had physics. I
didn´t really like that lesson because everybody was talking and I didn´t
really understand were the teacher was talking about. We also had an English
class and geography. During geography the teacher asked us questions about the
Benelux. But they were quite hard to answer.
After school
we first did some shopping but we only had two hours, because we would go
paintballing at four o´clock. I really liked the paintballing, even though it
really hurts when to get hit. Luckely I only got hit once, but I shot four
people as revenge. In the evening we went to a bar which is called ´New
castle´. It was also our last night in Slovenia.
Fleur
We went to
school and joined classes. It was quiet difficult because the teachers talked a
lot Slovenian. After school we went to a paintball centre. It was nice but
sometimes the ball hurts. And in the evening we were going to a pub, calls New
castle. Everybody had drinks and said in Slovenian: Jaz sem pijan(a). It was
the best night because it was so cozy!
Daan
This day was
meant to learn some things about the school system of Slovenia. So we were in
some lessons with Slovenian students. We had to decompose a fish, with two
random other Slovenian. I think there was not much difference between the
school systems. The biggest difference is that school starts earlier.
After this
we went to a terrace again with the boys, and the girls went shopping. It was
nice, because of the location and the good coffee. When everybody was finished,
there was a paintball competition on the planning. It was very fun, I never did
it before. Eventually we actually built a true team spirit of the whole
exchange group, which is a good thing I think.
Roos
On Monday we
were in class with the Slovenian students. First we had chemistry with MPO and
after that we had English class, Physics class and geography class. It was okay
but the geography class was really boring because the teacher was talking in
Slovenian language all the time. After school we had lunch and went to
Ljubljana to shop. It was just for a little time because we had to take the bus
to the paintball centre. I didn’t really like paintball because I’m too scared
for it. But the other people had fun so it was okay. In the evening we went to
the café New Castle. We heard that it’s a cheap café and really nice. So we
went there and the drinks were indeed really cheap. So everybody drank enough.
Stef W
We went to
school and we followed some lessons. The first lesson was biology. We started
with a practicum. We had to examine a fish. It wasn’t that great because we had
to cut in that fish. After that, there came living animals in the classroom.
There was a snake, a turtle and some other cool animals we could feel and hold
in our hands. I was really excited because I had a real snake in my hands. The
next hours we had physics, English and geography. Those lessons weren’t that
different as in Holland.
Eduard
At this day
we went to school, we could see how the lessons are in Slovenia. I had to
follow chemistry, physics, english and geography. After school we went to the
centre to look at some shops, and after that we played paintball, that was
really awesome, everybody enjoyed playing paintball. Some students were really
good at it. In the night we went to a pub called Newcastle, this was a really
beautiful pub, the only bad thing is that it was really far away and we got
home at like 3 A.M. We had alot of fun that night, it was amazing.
Day 8 I Tuesday May 15 I - there is an end for everything
Marloes
My alarm
went on at 6 o’ clock. As every day. I woke up
and packed my suitcase. We went to school to write this report. This is our
last day. It is sad. The time went to fast.. ! We were lucky with the weather
and we have done very nice things.
It was a
great week and I will never forget it.
I thank you, Tajda Jager, and your family. You were very hospitable!
I will miss
my exchange partner...
Eduard
We went to
school to write this review, this isn't really a good day because we are
leaving and that is not good. We took our luggage in the morning to school and
we started writing the review immediatly. We had a break at 10.25. We will
arrive back at Holland in the night.
Maike and Dieke
First we ate
our last breakfast and we gave presents to Karla and her grandma. They were
very pleased with them. Then we went to school and we had to write this report
about our awesome week in Ljubljana! Tonight we will fly back to Holland.
Paul
The last day
is now, I am writing my essay. But I had a very nice time over here and I
definitely will go back some time.
Roos
Today is
Tuesday, the last day of our exchange. Now we are writing a rapport about the
week. In the afternoon, when we finish school, we will go to Ljubljana. And at
5 o’clock we have to be at school, to say goodbye and take the bus to Trieste.
Tonight we will be home at 22.30. And that’s the end of a really great and
awesome exchange!!
Fleur
Today we are
writing our stories about the last week. It was so fun! And I will never forget
it! Slovenian is so beautiful! It’s pity that we go home today. We are all very
tired so we will sleep in the bus. The farewell will be hard. I will miss all the people!
Stef vW
Sadly enough
there is an end for everything. I don’t want to leave so soon, but I think I
have to. I still love Slovenia and especially the weather. Most of the things
we saw were very beautiful and interesting. The family Dejanovič is very very
kind. They were way to kind. I think I have never been spoiled that much in my
whole life. So I can’t thank them enough.
Dianne
On Tuesday
we had to make some homework and write a paper about the exchange. After school
we went to do some more shopping. Around five o´clock we had to be at school
again. Half an hour later we left for the airport.
Stef W
I really
liked the exchange and in my opinion it was a bit too short. We had a very nice
group and every evening we were together. I hadn’t expected that because the
Slovenian people live quite far from each other. It was a great exchange.
Daan
When we
arrived at school on this day, we had to make this report. So now I’m sitting
here, looking back on an awesome week, making this report. It was such a nice
experience. It was weird, fun, beautiful, amazing, awesome, at the same time.
It was something I will never forget. The counrty is amazing. So were the
people. At 16:45 we will leave. I think it will be an emotional goodbye.
