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Brda Dok Wine Day Slovenia 2012

The International Club of Slovenia had an event planned for Brda Dok Wine Day. We met and took a bus into the wine region of Slovenia that borders Northern Italy and visited six different wineries. Since it was wine day this meant you paid 10 euros for a wine glass and then drank all the wine you wanted. By the end of the day I had tasted many great wines to the point of not wanting another sip, seen a beautiful region of the country, met many new and interesting people, ate cow tongue by mistake, and enjoyed a wonderful family style dinner of Slovenian food (and more wine!).

While I’ve not been to Tuscany yet I heard people comparing this region to it. It’s actually exactly what I was hoping for when I do get to visit parts of Italy. The land is beautiful and there is a rich sense of history, tradition, and family here. My favorite winery was the last one we visited where it felt like you were a guest in somebody’s home. In fact, I think we actually may have been in their home! All these wineries are run by families and most of them have been in the business for generations. At this particular winery children ran in and out of the celler while we were served the most amazing pršut (prosciutto) I’ve ever had in my life. Carefully hand sliced as if it were an art form to get each one paper thin and consistent all the way through. As long as you stood by the pršut it just kept ending up in your hand. And of course the wine was flowing endlessly as well. Each place was a bit different and had its own appeal. In one small village there were numerous wineries housed in storefronts. We filled our glasses and enjoyed them in the cobblestone streets and soon a group of men began singing a cappella. At another one the tables had complimentary olive oil, breadsticks, and some sort of meat that was really tasty. After eating a few pieces I learned that it was tongue! Oh well, it really was good and it didn’t stop me from having some more. One winery had an amazing view while another had to be reached by foot, where we enjoyed some cherries from the trees lining the path up.

I came home with two bottles of a sweet red dessert wine. I usually am not a fan of dessert wine but this was excellent. At the place where I bought this I actually met a guy from North Carolina who has been living in Italy for the past 10 years and now in Slovenia. He is trying to move back to the states and bring the word of Slovene wine to people. He is a distributor so if anyone reading this has connections to wine stores, restaurants, or specialty shops that you think would be interested in amazing, close to unknown Slovenian wines please let me know so I can help him out and send you his info.

June 22, 2012
Croatia Day 1-Plitvice Lakes National Park (Plitvicka Jezera)

So as mentioned in my Vienna post, I was invited on a trip to Croatia with Oliver (my host in Vienna) and a group of his friends. The journey started on Wednesday night when I hopped on a train to Maribor, Slovenia. The group would meet me there on their way to Croatia and give me a ride. The train got in sometime around midnight and since not much was open at that time I grabbed a Kebab and waited outside the station. Then I got a text from Oliver with bad news. Two of the people had forgotten their passports after having already drove about 2 hours. One of the cars would have to go back and the other car would meet me and we all would wait in Maribor. So the trip started off with some unexpected challenges but after the group arrived, grabbed a bite to eat, and we toured around Maribor a bit we were back on the road by 3am. This actually worked out OK because it meant we would arrive to Plitvice Lakes National Park around 6am, just before the gates opened at 7.

I slept a bit on the car ride but was certainly pretty tired when we got to the park. The weather was much colder than expected and so we all bundled up and walked over to the main attraction. The park wasn’t open yet and no one was around so we just walked through to the viewing area. What was saw is pictured above.

So this spot is sort of the main attraction but is really just a small part of the whole park. After viewing this for about 1 minute we were told we had to leave since the park wasn’t open. At this point half the group decided they were going to continue on to our final destination, Zadar. The other half, including myself, wanted to stay to hike one of the trails through the park. I was so happy others wanted to as I couldn’t imagine getting all the way there and not spending more than a minute enjoying it. We chose to do the shortest hike which was marked as 2-3 hours. This one didn’t hit the spot shown above but it was filled with just as many beautiful sights and we were not disappointed.

The entire trail is a boardwalk so you are literally right in the middle of everything and for the majority of the hike you’re surrounded by crystal clear aquamarine water. It’s really hard to believe that this place is real and I found myself pondering over the existence of a higher being. If you’re like me and haven’t come to a decision on what you believe, a place like this will push you closer to believing that there must be something out there greater than all of us. Places like this seem so intentionally designed.

I don’t really know what more to say so I will let the photos do the talking. They really don’t do the place justice but they serve their purpose. The only downside to the visit to Plitvice is that swimming is not allowed and it truly is torturous to be surrounded by PERFECT swimming holes and ledges made for jumping.

By the end of our hike we were all pretty tired but we grabbed a strudle on the way out to refuel and continued the drive to Zadar where we had rented a house. A special thank you to Oliver who drove the whole way, hiked 3+ hours on no sleep and then drove some more. I felt like a jerk every time I dozed off in the car but it was close to impossible to keep my eyes open!

Part II will be coming soon.

June 12, 2012
Couchsurfing in Vienna, Austria

My friend Will from Melbourne who I met years ago at a work conference in Las Vegas has been traveling through Europe for the last few weeks. His most recent stop was Vienna, Austria so I decided to take a trip to see the city and meet up with him. Will was in Budapest until Saturday evening and was staying with some friends in Vienna. So I decided to try couchsurfing for the first time and logged on to see if somebody would host me.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with couchsurfing. I know that some hosts will show you around their city while others just provide you with a place to rest your feet and sleep. I didn’t have any expectations going into it and figured that I could always sitesee by myself on Saturday until Will got back into Vienna. But of course if I made a new friend and got to have a local show me around, it would be an even better weekend. I wrote a few people who seemed to have similar interests as me and were around the same age. Oliver responded first that he could host me.

Friday at 4 I jumped on a train to Vienna. Some people had suggested that the train is a bad way to go because it takes a long time (6 hours to Vienna). It turned out to be a beautiful trip through the mountains and small villages. So many castles on top of rolling green hills and places I wished I could stop to tour around for a bit.

Oliver offered to pick me up at the train station when I got in which was really nice. Of course I was a bit nervous to meet him but so far our exchanges had all been very pleasant and I thought it was really generous of him to pick me up. When I arrived I immediately felt at ease. He’s one of those people I could tell I would get along with and I felt comfortable and welcomed right away.

We walked around the city for a bit so that I could see it at night and looked for a place to grab a drink and a snack. Vienna is dramatic at night with all of its massive intricate buildings lit up. We walked “The Ring” of Vienna which goes around the city and pretty much has all the major sites on its route. At City Hall there was a festival going on to celebrate Istria, one of the regions of Austria, and here we grabbed a bite to eat. Oliver had told me he was a bit sick with tonsilitis so I expected we wouldn’t stay out too late. But after we saw the city he drove towards his flat which is a bit outside city center in the hilly wine region and drove us to the top of a hill where we hiked back to an old chrurch and got a great view of the whole city at night. Afterward we arrived at his flat where we stayed up talking until about 2 in the morning over some wine. I am now a huge fan of couchsurfing! I’m sure each experience will be different but I think for the most part its a network of like-minded people who want to see the world, have great experiences, and meet interesting people. Oliver told me a lot of great stories of couchsurfing through India and Italy and now he wants to give back by hosting others since his hosts were so generous to him.

Saturday morning we woke up and went to Naschmarkt which is a giant farm market and flea market. If I lived here I would shop there every day. There was such a variety of fruits and vegetables, spices, olives, pickles, greek food, cheese, meats, etc. I could probably spend all day looking through the flea market but it was crowded and we had things to see. So after what seems to be the standard breakfast here (soft boiled egg, bread & marmalade, fresh squeezed juice, and of course coffee) we walked “The Ring” again in daylight. We saw Hofburg, the Museum of Art – Museum of Nature, Parliament, City Hall the University, Karl’s Church and went inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral. When we entered I was really blown away. I had read about it in my guide book and it talked about the stained glass windows. Colored lights streamed across the dark cathedral painting the arches and walls in a rainbow. It took a minute to realize that this wasn’t from the stained glass but from some colored cellophane the hung over he windows. We weren’t sure the reason for it. Oliver wasn’t a fan but I kind of liked it because it meant I was seeing the Cathedral a bit differently than most people get to see it everyday.

After the city tour we headed to the vineyards closer to where Oliver lives. We took a nice long hike with some great views up to the top. We both decided we weren’t in the mood for wine so we ordered their fresh grape juice mixed with soda water. I’ve never had this at a vineyard before. It was really pretty amazing. Especially after a long day of walking in the sun it was pretty refreshing. Oliver wasn’t hungry but as normal I was. Inside you could order a meat and cheese board. I chose a few slices of different kinds of meat and cheese and a pickle for a snack. Oliver pointed one type of meat out and said I should try it. I wasn’t sure what it was but it turned out to be my favorite so I asked him. I knew I didn’t really want to know… it was blood sausage. Oh, well… I will eat it again it was that good!

After the vineyards we went back to the house to relax a little bit. I got in touch with Will who was back from Budapest but after the long day we decided to meet up with him on Sunday instead. Later we went to dinner at a local restaurant that served typical Austrian food. We ordered a dumpling soup and then two skillet dishes that were another sort of dumpling. One reminded me of macaroni and cheese and the other something I would eat for breakfast with eggs mixed in. They were both very good comfort food and we couldn’t even finish it all it was so filling. Oliver is also a designer and is working on building up his own advertising company that caters to people in the health and exercise industry (personal trainers, chiropractors, nutritionists, yoga instructors, etc.) So we had a lot in common to talk about and shared some ideas.

On Sunday we decided to hit a few places that are a little bit outside of the city center. We went to Schönbrunn Palace, Belvedere Palace, Hundtervasser house, and The Plater. As a thank you to my host I treated him to his first ride on the ferris wheel in Vienna where we got a great view of the city. We had a beer in the famous beer garden there and watched as other people ate giant legs of pork. I wish I had gotten a photo of a waiter carrying the huge tray of pints because it was really quite impressive. Afterward we went down to the Danube River and rested our feet for a bit. The weather was really nice and some people were swimming. I think it’d be pretty cool to live in a city that has a place to relax and swim so close by.

Sunday night we finally met up with Will and his friends at a beer garden that was pretty close by. Will was staying with a friend from Australia who married a Viennese girl and moved there. Another of his friends from Australia who is now living in Hamburg was also in town. We ate dinner (another dish with blood sausage! ) and drank so many beers I lost count. Everyone was so much fun and we were talking and laughing late into the night. It was really cool to be able to meet up with Will again after so many years.

Monday was my last day and we woke up a tiny bit hungover and went and got some breakfast at a place Will and his friends recommended. Actually, they had showed us a photo of their breakfast the night before and their whole table was covered with plates and so of course I wanted to go. It didn’t disappoint. We hung out for a little bit there with Oliver’s friend Max and then headed out to another hiking spot with some good city views. This place had a tree for each birth month and a placard describing what a person born in that month is like. Then we took a short hike through the woods to a small chapel and after that we headed off to the train station so I could head home.

Vienna is an amazing city but I don’t think my experience would have been anywhere close to the same if it weren’t for staying with Oliver. I really lucked out by meeting someone that I was instantly friends with. The best part is that Oliver and his friends were planning a trip to Croatia and he invited me to come along. Actually, as I am typing this (two weeks late) I am on the train to meet them in Maribor to head to Croatia for a few days. So, couchsurfing actually turned out to be an amazing decision and I’m looking forward to traveling to other places and meeting more great people while I’m here.

Click the gallery to scroll through images. They are in no particular order as I am lazy right now. Perhaps I will add captions later.

June 10, 2012
Hike to Sveti Katarina

The day after Venice I had agreed to go on an “easy” hike with Anne and some members of the International Group of Slovenia. What I didn’t know is what the definition of an easy hike is here. After walking around all day in Venice, getting lost on the way home, and only getting 4 hours of sleep I figured I could just power through. The plan was to hike Sveti Katarina which is in the hills outside Ljubljana. At the top we would eat at a traditional restaurant before hiking back down.

Turns out an easy hike is actually 18km! But I soon forgot how tired I was because of how beautiful it was. The first part of the hike was a steep incline for about 20 minutes. But at the top of the incline was a small cottage offering coffee and snacks. My type of hike! After we enjoyed some coffee and water and shared a fried dough (my favorite!) we all continued to the top. The geography and weather reminded me a lot of hiking in New York in the late spring/early summer. Even the smell was the same. Since I haven’t been back to New York in three years this was really nostalgic for me.

The view from the top was really beautiful and our traditional lunch tasted like we were guests at someone’s house. Real home cooking! My first hike in Slovenia was a success and now I just can’t wait to go on more.

Really beautiful view. Experimenting with the camera, trying to be artistic. 🙂

Hiking friends. Almost at the top.

Getting close to the restaurant.

Glad I was with a group. Looks like its easy to get lost here.

8 ton barbells ahead!

A traditional Slovene dessert called Potica, and a latté

June 2, 2012
A day in Venice

Piggybacking off my last post, my trip to Venice further reinforced that I enjoy feeling like I’ve discovered something for the first time. I’m not going where you think I am with this though… Venice feels like every inch of it has been discovered already.

Its an interesting place, Venice. There are two opposing energies happening in this city. On one hand you have these awe-inspiring buildings and bridges that are hard to imagine were carved out of stone without the help of modern technology. If you just stand in any one spot in Venice you will see something that will take your breath away as you ponder over how it was constructed. Venice is reminiscent of a time when people took great pride in the things they made. On the other hand the city is now over-crowded with tourists and the place feels somewhat like an amusement park. It’s now about making as much money as possible and at 120 Euro for a 20 min gondola ride you can be sure that they’re making money. I would assume that the only locals we saw were the people working in the cafes and shops. The feelings of claustrophobia, consumerism, and irritation are fighting hard against the romance, charm, beauty, and history that Venice commands. On my visit the negative unfortunately won over.

Initially I thought that I had no desire to return to Venice. But now as I sit back and look through my photos I feel that Venice deserves a second chance. There really is so much beauty there its just hard to see it through the crowds of people in one whirlwind of a day. If I go again I will do it differently. I will go by myself or maybe one other person rather than with a group. I will go without a plan and just take my time wandering without trying to see every “must-see” site there is. Perhaps if I were to visit in the morning before the tourists arrive I would get a better glimpse of the side of Venice that everyone comes to see. I could watch the shops open, the fish market setting up, and sit in a cafe and enjoy some coffee and just watch as the city wakes up.

Whether I go to Venice again or not I will surely return to Italy before the end of this trip. There is one major reason why aside from the obvious. I am extremely sad to report that BOTH meals I had on my first day ever in Italy were pizza! At lunchtime we had forgotten about the fact that Italians close up shop for siesta so the only thing we could get was pizza. It was great pizza and the Italian guy serving it was nice to look at too but it wasn’t the first meal I imagined having in Italy. Unfortunately for dinner we were directed by a local to another restaurant which turned out to be a pizza place. So, Italy…I will be back!

I took a lot of photos so in no particular order they are below. Just click the thumbnails to expand and then hover on the photo and click the arrows to navigate through the gallery.

May 30, 2012
Back to Piran

I’m working in the Events Department at Casnik Finance and a major part of what they do is organize all sorts of conferences and forums in the financial sector. I had the good fortune to attend a financial conference last week in Portoroz, Slovenia which is a coastal town right next to Piran which I posted about previously. Now, since I can’t understand Slovene and this particular conference was in Slovene I was instructed to go enjoy the day sightseeing and maybe visit the Hotel Spa. What a rough job I have! The next conference on Marketing will be in English though and I look forward to being able to attend some of those forums.

I enjoyed lunch at the hotel with my colleagues and then departed with my camera and walked along the coast to meet with the old, charming town of Piran once again. This time I had a a few hours to really explore. Its very small but this is perfect because you can really take your time to see every detail and not feel like you have to rush through and see everything in one day.

I have always loved old things and the prospect of finding some relic from the past, a treasure, or a secret passageway. I’m a huge fan of books like The Davinci Code and The Celestine Prophecy; movies like National Treasure and The Goonies; and antique stores and attics in old houses. It brings my imagination to life and I get excited thinking about times past and the evidence of people who once stood in the same place as me or opened the same door. I should’ve been an archaeologist! Piran had a few secrets to discover…

I’m beginning to really enjoy site-seeing alone. It’s nice to be able to take my time and stop to take a photo (which still takes me a little while since I take the same picture multiple times in different settings). But every once in awhile there is a moment when you see something and wish you had someone to turn to and share their reaction. There are also times that it would be handy to have someone there to give you a boost so you can see further over a window ledge. The picture below was from a building that was being gutted on the inside. You can see that below where the floor would have been they have uncovered the top part of an archway. I was absolutely dying to see what was further inside. I circled the building for a better view but found none. I pulled myself up on the window gate as high as I could but still couldn’t see. I debated climbing up onto the window ledge but in the end decided that would be a bit disrespectful…or maybe I just didn’t have the guts.

I reached the top of the hill at the edge of town and followed the defensive wall back downhill to the beach. There set into the hill I discovered an arched opening that had been boarded up. Some of the boards had been torn off so of course I couldn’t resist seeing what was inside…

Now, don’t you want to know where that staircase leads?! I wish I was a bit more of a delinquent because I really wanted to tear down the boards and go through the tunnel. Instead I walked back up the hill to try and figure out where the staircase ended. The position in which it would seem to be there was a boarded up building sitting on top. Another dead end, I circled the building multiple times looking for a way to sneak inside but once again the responsible side of me took over with the thought of being arrested while on a work conference because I was trying to sneak into an old building that may contain a secret staircase with a passageway to the beach.

Maybe one day when I’m wealthy I will buy an old house in a little village in Europe somewhere and proceed to rip up the floor and dig underground until I find something!

Some side notes from this trip: I had a great time getting to know my colleagues better. We enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner together and then had a night out at a bar in Piran. On day two I woke up to a thunderstorm that continued all day with cold and rain. So, I enjoyed an amazing 60-minute traditional Thai Massage at the spa and then headed back home after lunch. All in all I would say my first work trip was a complete success!

May 21, 2012
A perfect Saturday in Ljubljana

Getting a little backed up on blog updates. Which is a good sign I guess…

Last Saturday my plan was to get up early and go to the open air market. I ended up sleeping in (11 hours of sleep!!) and woke up around noon. I got ready quickly as the market is only open until 2pm and headed down. It was really hot Saturday afternoon (82 F) and quite humid. I wanted to take my time at the market but I ended up hurrying because I needed to get the food I bought home and in the fridge quickly. The market is open all week long but on Saturdays there are a lot more vendors and its a popular morning outing. The amount and variety of food is incredible! I am in absolute heaven and am so excited to get back to cooking meals instead of eating out so often.

There are fruit and produce vendors filling the entire square and all the prices are pretty reasonable. Then there are some specialty vendors selling things like local honey, cured meats, mushrooms, nuts, etc. There was even a whole section of clothing, shoes, and handbags. Once you get through the produce there are two buildings to go through. One is filled with fresh meat, eggs, dairy, pastas, and baked goods. The other building has more of that and in the downstairs a fish market, which was probably my favorite part. Deciding on what to buy was difficult with so many choices. I ended up with some lettuce, tomatoes, some kind of leafy green, white carrots? (smaller than a parsnip), broccoli, ground meat, fresh eggs, a meat that looked closest to bacon, and fresh salmon. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. I will say that I’ve since eaten the salmon and it ranks at the top as the best I’ve ever had.

After going home and making a giant salad and a burger I spent the rest of the day relaxing before meeting up with some friends for a concert. I met Anne and some of her friends at Le Petite Cafe for a glass of wine before heading to the venue. The night was still warm and it was pretty humid out. Anne’s friends were great and in the fashion of everyone I’ve met so far it wasn’t long before I had offers to travel with one of them to Prague or Budapest when she goes. If that works out it will be great! The concert was a French singer called Zaz who I had never heard of before. There are a few French artists I like so I wasn’t worried about not being able to understand the lyrics. The show was highly enjoyable. The energy on the stage was incredible and the songs and her voice were pretty amazing! You could hear some French influence to the music but it also often had a jazzy feel to it. She really had quite a range and I’ve since found myself listening to her on youtube a bit.

Lots of great looking fruit. This is one of probably 30 or so fruit vendors.

Fresh berries!

Some cured meats. This man was kind enough to pose for the photo. 🙂

Clothing, shoes, and handbags…

Squid, Octopus, Fish, Shrimp…YUM

Scallops

Fish and prawns

Greeted by Kitty again today. He's getting friendlier each time I see him. Lucky day for him…he scored some salmon fresh from the market. 🙂

My delicious salad and burger that I made IMMEDIATELY when I got home

Zaz concert!

It dropped about 30 degrees during the concert and began to downpour. I started to run home but halfway there was drenched and decided it was pointless. Still loving this city in the rain!

May 16, 2012
Ljubljanski Grad (Castle)

In the city centre atop a hill there is a castle. It took me all week before I found time to take the 10 minute walk up the hill and explore. My guidebook said basically all roads pointed toward the castle will eventually lead there so I found one and followed it uphill. Of course I picked a rainy day and didn’t pack an umbrella. Halfway up it started to really come down. Luckily I found a little alcove in the wall to take cover for a good 20 minutes before it died back down. It just so happened it was the only shelter on the whole hike so somehow I lucked out finding it at the right time.

The castle was much more impressive than I had imagined. It was pretty enormous and I spent close to 3 hours exploring I think. There are events and exhibitions all the time at the castle and many of them are free of charge. I entered a few free ones and then paid 10 euro to see the Steve McCurry exhibition. It was 10 euro well spent! I’ve seen some of McCurry’s work before, and we’re all familiar with his most famous piece from the cover of National Geographic, but I had never really seen much more than that. I was completely awestruck and insprired…especially after playing with my new camera all week. This guy captures incredible moments that are so striking you almost can’t believe that it wasn’t staged. The colors, composition, emotion, and technical skill are all perfection. Needless to say it just fueled my desire to master the D90 and improve my photography.

For another 6 euro I was able to go up into the tower. Quite a little climb up a spiral staircase and I found myself looking out over all of Ljubljana. I can’t imagine what this view would be like on a clear day because even with the grey skies it was pretty spectacular. I wanted to try and get a 360 degree panorama so I moved to the center of the tower. Unfortunately I was too short and the tower walls were obstructing my shot. So I climbed up onto this platform in the middle of the tower. To me it almost seemed like the purpose of it was so that you can get a good photo. And let me be clear that the tower walls were a good 5-6 ft away from what I climbed up onto so there was absolutely no chance of me falling off unless a hurricane came through. Even so, I think I managed to make a few people nervous as they were staring at me as I climbed up. I decided to spare them and not stand on top of the platform but just kneeled instead. After I situated myself I heard one of the onlookers rattle something off in Slovenian. The only word I caught in her thick accent was “A-mer-eee-can”. I don’t know how she pegged me but it was somewhat amusing.

After I took about 100 photos I headed back down and took a different route down the hill and through town. Even after spending all that time there I still didn’t even see the Slovenian history museum they had in the castle. Looks like I will need to make a return trip at some point.

All roads lead to the castle…

The view from my rain shelter on the path up to the castle

Seems like there should be fairies living in these woods

This snail and I may be the only ones enjoying the rain

Getting closer to the top, quite a view from here

Can you imagine all the people that have walked through that door throughout the centuries?

An art installation inside the castle

A gallery of old wall paintings

Art installation – Giant ants holding a broken Euro

Steve McCurry Photography Exhibition

The castle's chapel

Heading up the tower – lots of steps

View from the top. Empty streets on a rainy day

Heading back downhill into town.

More interesting graffiti

I've found a few spots like this. Anyone know what it means?

Love the peeling paint

More great architecture

Even this boarded up doorway is nice to look at.

This feels very European

More nice signage

More buildings in town

Art in the alleys

Greeted by the black cat and pigeons again when I return home

Kitty decided to get friendly and I have to admit he freaked me out a little bit at first. Can't decide if he's evil or nice.

May 13, 2012
Coachsurfers, Crossfitters, and Coincidences

I attended the coachsurfer meeting again for the second time. This is really a great way to meet people as there are some new faces every week and some returning ones as well. This time however there was an American traveler in the group named Mike. I asked Mike about his travels and almost immediately he mentioned that he is traveling while working on a business idea that has to do with CrossFit. Obviously the CrossFit nerd that I am got excited and we realized we both had attended the same CrossFit here in Ljubljana. Then I remembered he had said he was from Cincinnati and my friend Jeff back home in Encinitas is also from Cincinnati and is a CrossFitter… turns out they know each other! What are the odds?! I always look at coincidences like this as a sign and so I was excited to learn more about Mike. Before the night was done we made plans to go to the same CrossFit class the next day.

So far I’m really liking the classes I’ve attended at CrossFit Plamen. Twice a week there is the option of doing a two hour strength class which focuses on either powerlifting or olympic lifting. I decided to give it a try. I was given a partner and a customized workout. Mine was as follows:

3×3 Deadlift (60kg, 70kg, 70kg)

5×3 Back Squat (45kg, 45kg, 50kg)

4×6 Good Mornings (25kg, 30kg, 35kg, 40kg)

7×2 Jump Squat (20kg)

3x Max rep deadhang pullups (6, 5, 4)

3x 1min planks

After class Mike and I walked back into town and picked out a restaurant with tradtional Slovenian food. We both decided to be adventurous and so we ordered the Game plate. The translation said Venison, Wild Boar, and Stag (at the time I was thinking stag was horse because its not uncommon here but have since learned a stag is a male deer…which i’m not sure why we got two versions of deer). The dish was good but I wasn’t floored by it. Each meat had a sauce on it that kind of drowned out the taste of the meat anyway. I’m looking forward to trying traditional food again but at a restaurant that’s come recommended and isn’t touristy.

So far the best part about being here has been meeting so many new people and all the interesting conversations I’ve had. I think CrossFit and Traveling seem to have something in common; a sense of community. When you have a common interest it makes conversations so much more comfortable and enjoyable.

May 10, 2012
Don’t Smoke!

I have to post this now as its one of the coolest things I’ve seen in quite awhile! During lunch today I walked down to Prešeren Square. There was a tent set up for a non-smoking campaign. I passed by from behind it and didn’t pay much attention. On my return walk I passed by the front and I’m so glad I did! They had actual lungs set up to demonstrate the effects of smoking! There was a healthy pair and a destroyed pair. I’ve seen this kind of campaign before in pictures but let me tell you that its totally different to see it in real life. The lungs were hooked up to a air pump that a demonstrator would step on from time to time to fill them with air. How cool!! I’ve always been intrigued by medical shows and watching surgeries, etc. but this was just so mesmerizing. I think I probably missed the point because I was more interested in looking at the healthy lung fill with air than checking out the disgusting black lung. When the black one filled with air it hardly inflated at all. Seriously though, just look at the photo again. If you’re a smoker and this doesn’t make you want to quit, I don’t know what will!

May 10, 2012