Too many consonants in a row

Heading north by bus from the Pleet-veet-che Lakes in Croatia (no idea how to spell this- and the location is a comparatively easy one; pretty much given up trying to spell anything around here... often just too many consonants in a row) we stopped for three hours in Zagreb.

We succeeded at storing our bags after circling the train station twice, and purchased 4 tram tickets (two round trips) to the center. Zagreb town center is pictured on the left with the cute little blue and white trams in the foreground.

The wait for the tram wasn´t bad; about 10 min, but we were heartbroken to discover that the town center was a short stroll from where we started... we didn't need those tram tickets; $2 squandered!  I hope the gentle reader can appreciate how difficult it is for us to cope with the high-stress nature of our existence. We lifted our spirits at a place selling Croatian bean soup, kebap, and local beer.

Two hours later we grabbed seats on the train and zipped up to the capital of Slovenia; Ljubljana (that´s Lube-lee-ahh-na), which is Slackerboy´s favorite town in Central Europe. This low-priced burg is bursting with stylishly dressed locals speaking near-perfect English and a groovy riverside cafe scene.

We bunked in a former communist hotel that had recently undergone an IKEA renovation, located next to (wait for it...) the sweet circa 1950 fitness center! Check out the architectural detail in the four-panel photo of this fine vintage fitness facility. Original wood floors, gobs of space, and lots of natural light.

As expected, it was loaded with very heavy vintage weights and equipment that would make Jack LaLanne proud.  A few ancient "jigglers" and their like also graced the floors of the training facility. Beach Boys songs play on the stereo to make us feel at home, and the television is tuned to exciting episodes of "Xena: Warrior Princess" - what more could you ask for?

To be fair, the place also boasts a large selection of new equipment. If you´re looking for a good workout in Ljubliana, head over to Fitness Tabor and talk with the manager, Zdravko (see photo) -- but think twice before joining him in one of his "lite" workouts.

Three nights at the former communist hotel was delightful, but we promised ourselves at least one farm stay during this trip, so we travelled by bus about an hour southeast of the capital to enjoy the overnight hospitality of a rural Slovenian village and hopefully tuck into some super-premium jota (bean and cabbage soup).

Unsurprisingly, we were confused about what bus stop to get off at, but luckily the bus driver was finishing his shift after we stayed on the bus too long. After a sociable cup of coffee, he took us via his personal car to the door of the farmhouse (!).

The landscape was green, green, green - broken up only by cute little houses and the owner´s stupid dog that followed us everywhere. We fortunately were able to get an up-close view of one of the famous Slovenian hay racks - complete with hay and millet/corn drying on grain racks. It rains a great deal here, so the sheltered hay rack is dominant technology.

Sadly the jota we hoped for was in short supply at the farm we selected, so we spent most of our time navigating through gentle paths that rolled through the neighboring farmlands. It was only through great self-discipline that we were able to resist raiding the bee hives and over-feeding the cute baby goats.

With a memory of the great bowls of cabbage and beans we had in the Slovenian capital, we found the courage to try the bus again, and successfully made it back to Ljubljana and then on to a fast train bound for Vienna.

Vienna; former capital of the Austrian-Hungarian empire and as our guidebook aptly suggests "a head without a body." Palaces, impressive architecture, beautiful pedestrian streets, wienerschnitzel, and of course - Vienna coffee. We searched in vain for the General Foods International brand of "Cafe Vienna" and eventually settled for small cups of unbranded coffee at a local cafe.

Austrians seem to love following rules, so they wait for lights to turn green instead of jaywalking - even at 1 in the morning when there are no cars in sight. Thankfully this habit of following the rules spills over into the trams, subways, and trains running efficiently and on-time. Still, they have a few gum splotches on the streets so when it comes to getting a populace to behave properly I give the nod to Singapore.

If I was living in Vienna, it would be easy for me to get blasé about neoclassical architecture. Neo-roman, neo-greek, neo-versailles... it would all just blend together. Even excellent examples of neo-gothic and art nouveau style abound, not to mention the cute little neolithic artifacts in some of the museums, and photos of Neo from the Matrix hanging in video store windows.

One of the classy highlights of our time in Austria was listening to an impromptu Polish string quartet concert in the courtyard of Hofburg Palace. The musicians were aged 17-18; earning a little traveling money by entertaining strollers on a glorious Sunday afternoon.... fabulous.

Vienna locals encouraged us to attend a press conference with some young, politically minded Europeans. The Austrian gentleman on the left was pumped up with ideas on strengthening US affairs-- see him here outlining his plans for growth and development in the California seaside community of Venice Beach.

Vienna is very civilized, but too expensive for Andrea and her manservant -- so we are heading east now through Bratislava and on to Pest. Or should we stop first in Buda? Another decision to be made?! Mercy... the stress we are under!

Note: Photos not taken by the author or his wife were obtained from simple web searches -- since we receive no compensation for blog posts the images are used via "fair use" policy, so there!