Loving Ljubljana

Sunset with Slovenian flag.

We survived the first full week of school.

The girls are making friends, getting used to a new school and a very different setting.  I'm getting a little more organized with my teaching - learning how to deal with classroom management and pacing, trying to re-teach myself some topics I haven't thought about in a LONG time, e.g. latitude and longitude, estar v. ser, the writing process, and how hunter gatherers evolved to farmers.  Whew!

Ljubljanans are Active!

We were ready to kick back Friday evening.  I took a run with Bobo in a nearby park.  In addition to the normal joggers, walkers and hikers, I saw a bunch of kids ski-jumping.

This may explain why Slovenia does so well in the Winter Olympics!

I continue to be impressed with how active people are in Ljubljana.  Seems like everyone is biking, walking, jogging, playing tennis, soccer, doing calisthenics.  Ben has enjoyed his weightlifting encounters (see previous posts).  Badminton is big too.

I have managed to exercise a little bit every day, to keep my 5-year streak alive, but I'm doing a lot less than normal, which is not good.  Hopefully I'll work fewer hours as I get more used to the job, and then I'll have more time to move.

Friday Night downtown

After I got back from the run and Ben got back from a wine festival, where the girls also got introduced to the 'wine life', we all biked downtown to enjoy the weekly Ljubljana Food Festival.  We arrived a little late, so most booths were closed, but we still had a nice dinner, followed by cakes at our favorite bakery.  (There are amazing gluten free cakes here!)  Then we biked back home.

Downtown is super lively every night.  Cafes, bars and people line the river, along with live music, various performers and vendors; it's great people watching.  I'm glad we live close enough to enjoy it as much as we want, but far enough away that we can have peace and quiet in a residential area too.

Getting to Know Slovenes

We are getting to know some Slovenian people through school and work.  I am woefully ignorant about the history of this part of Europe.  I am learning fast though.  I've heard a lot of interesting thoughts on Tito, Communism, religious and political freedom.  Slovenes I've talked to are very positive about the U.S., especially our freer economy.  There are still a lot of state-owned entities here, and a lot of regulation.

A few differences
At lunch one day I was admiring a student's homemade feast of meatballs and vegetables.  It looked delicious.  He said it was a Czech specialty, and the meatballs were made from horse meat.  Nobody thought that was odd at all.  Biking home from school I pass this cafe:

It is exactly what it sounds like.  Horse burgers, meatloaf, even horse meat tortilla wraps.  I know rationally speaking this is no different than eating cows, but I am not ready to try it yet.

More soon.

Indya