Diary for Another Idiot Abroad


Nasvidenje Slovenia

2017-04-30

Glad to say that the good weather was still with us yesterday morning, so a good opportunity to have another wander and get a nice breakfast.   A cracking omelette,  luke warm naturally,  as was the coffee,  but nice all the same.   

Checked out of my hotel, which has Bed and Breakfast in its name, but doesn't serve breakfast!  Was a good place,  very basic, but in a brilliant location. 

Had another walk around the old town, which was absolutely heaving as it was a nice day.  It was all going on, but Ljubljana could definitely do with a greater variety of street entertainment.   Every one of them played an accordion and tried to make it not sound like the theme tune to Allo Allo.....unsuccessfully!

It was soon time to get a train towards Krsko for the speedway,  although I was actually staying in the next town along the track at Brezice.   I was fortunate to get talking to a chap called Metgod, who lived en route and was a bit of a guide, pointing out significant landmarks along the way.   I had already read that Slovenia boasts Europe's tallest chimney,  at Trbovlje Power Station and my new mate was not only able to point this out,  but also Europe's oldest iron bridge, just a few miles further down the line.   Does it get any better than that?  It even 'Trumped' going through the current First Lady's former home town at Svenica.  That's before she became a top model, moved to the USA and decided the future's orange! Almost puts the World's oldest wooden wheel in the shade!

Brezice is right out in bandit country and the station there makes Acle look like Clapham Junction, so a taxi was needed to find my next accommodation.   A little disturbing to see no-one at reception,  but at least there was a outside door and room key for me.  The taxi driver had an idea of the crack and hung around and gave me a lift back to the station to get a train back to Krsko, thankfully.

On the train was a chap called Nick, a volunteer fireman, who was an absolute diamond.  He was also going to the speedway and was good enough to show me the way.   He was happy that I had arranged for a taxi back to Brezice as well, so we could share the cost. A whole 12 bucks!

One of the first people I saw after taking my seat was an old boy in a Kings Lynn Stars coat, who was about as happy.........as you'd expect someone from Kings Lynn to be.  The rest of the organised tour were also very nearby, including a couple I sat next to on the flight out and who I have seen at the castle and Tivoli Gardens on consecutive days.  Not surprisingly they refer to me as their stalker. 

As for the speedway,  it was good to see Tai Woffinden outside posing for selfies and good to see him win the first race of the night.   He'll consider this an opportunity missed though, after failing to reach the semi finals despite two heat wins.  Our man from the Stansted flight,  Freddie Lindgren, was runner up, but deserved winner was Vaculik from Slovakia,  who's national anthem is refreshingly very short.  

Had a beer and probably the World's biggest burger with Nick afterwards, where out on the concourse a party had started.  So unlike a British sporting event, where the stadium could not get rid of you quick enough,  the bars get busier,  a whole new load of food is prepared and the music is turned up to full volume.   A girl dancing on a platform completes the party nicely!  We left at 11pm with no sign of it winding down and fortunately all the taxi arrangements paid off well.

Very surprised that there was still no-one on reception for check out this morning, so I just left the keys where I found them.  Managed to find the station about 20 minutes walk away, which was just as well as you do well to find English speakers out in the sticks.  Even my attempts at the phonetic translations for hello, goodbye and thank you are met with a shrug out there.  One guys did ask if I was Scottish and instead of walking off in a huff I should have probably given him the benefit.   He was the last English speaker I saw until getting back to Ljubljana!

Just waiting now for a bus to the airport.   Fingers crossed there will be no dramas and I'll be back in Blighty by mid afternoon.