Michael was there to meet me, asking, “Cheri, is this all of your luggage?”
Well, I had some explaining to do. We went to Casablanca Cafe, on the river, after a quick whirlwind run through Ljubljana. I had to buy contact solution, toothpaste, toothbruch, and film first. (Since all those items were in my lost bag.) We visited the main church square where kids were sniffing glue on the church steps; the triple bridge where a guy from Croatia was starting a travel business and wanted to find out how to write, “Um Die Welt” in unusual languages; and walked past so many nice designer shops and a ton of western influence…Dairy Queen, Benneton…
The city of Ljubljana, Slovenia is so clean and people are so nice, helpful friendly, and all speak English! We were amazingly surprised! (This is 1999.) Slovenia has been independent since 1991 and is the ‘most western’ of Eastern European countries. Outside of the city Ljubljana, it really looks like Austria. Even the houses with Blumen (flower) boxes full of pretty geraniums, petunias; and the typical Tirol white and brown timber houses with wood piles stacked, and beautiful gardens.
One thing they really grow all over is the beans on long bean poles, quite pretty and a part of every Slovenian garden. We’ve seen chestnut trees; hazelnut trees (white and red); huge elderberry bushes which aren’t ripe yet; plum trees of all sorts; a great big apricot tree beautifully trellacing the side of a house; crabapple trees; wild roses and other roses; grapevines; beautiful elegant pear trees-which remind me of Christmas; and so much more…
Wild blueberries, blackberries, brambleberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, and wild preisleberries (like cranberries but smaller). Every berry was special; so was every fruit for some reason or other; and they were hard to get, to Michael had to point them all out to me. There was another special berry like a grape; and an odd fruit on a tree (like an apricot or lychee) which we also tried, and I can’t remember the names.
To contine on Monday evening, after we had a “Union” Slovenian national brand beer at Casablanca Cafe on the riverside, we headed over to the Mexican restaurant we’d noticed earlier. (It was called Don Jose’s or so.) At my request and subtle insistence, going against the grain of what Michael had already planned for the night-at the traditional Slovene place. He was however frohe (happy) once we there were. We started with a pitcher of strawberry margaritas (pitcher being new vocab for Michael) and ending with two Tequila shots at the bar (lemon orange and cinnamom with the Tobasco sauce to make the Hot Shots!) including a “hot shot” for our waitress and another pitcher in between! (We paid for it, or I did, the whole next day.)
I was yearning to dance on the bar, but was restrained by both Michael and the bartenders. For the sake of posterity though, I’ll claim I danced on the bar at the Mexican restaurant in Ljubljana, Slovenia. For eats, I was in heaven! A killer fresh avocado guacamole, she ground (mashed) right at our table; chips and salsa; I had a sort of veggie excellent satisfying quesodilla; we also had another quesodilla, and Michaels chicken enchiladas. It was great for me to finally have some Mexican food. Michael did not think it was so bad either.
Ljubljana
Monday evening, 26 July 1999
