THE SLOVENIA CHRONICLES

TRIGLAV VISITS SLOVENIA AND

THE FOLKLORE GROUP MANDRAČ-TELMONT

PART ONE

By Bryen Lebar

Arrival

"Well...looks like it will take awhile for everybody to finish the paperwork on the missing luggage. I'm going for a beer, " I said. Just past the departure entrance was an outdoor bar and on such a warm day there was no point in standing around when there was a chair and beer under an umbrella just a few meters away. It looked like we weren't going anywhere for at least half an hour and a cold beer seemed like a good idea. Of the eight arrivals, four were missing luggage and the rest of the group had to wait until all the forms were filled out. Slovenian bureaucracy moved slowly and sometimes ineffectively, as we were all to find out. " Anyone want to join me?"

" Ya, sure," Mark said in a generic eastern European accent.

Soon there were enough of us to fill two tables. Beers all around and a couple of soft drinks for the minors although they would have been served if they had wanted to drink a beer. The waitress brought the tall half liter glasses of cold beer.

"I'll get this one," said Mark as he took the bill." Let's see.... five big beers and a soft drink and a mineral water...a thousand tolars. How much is that?"

"About seven dollars," I replied. A big smile came to his face.

"Wow. Seven large beers for seven bucks. I'm going to like Slovenia, ya." The accent this time exaggerated even more.

A pleasant half hour went by and just as we were finishing our beers it was time to load the bus. The missing luggage would be forwarded when it arrived tomorrow so there was no point waiting around any longer.

The Bus Ride to Koper

Our bus was a standard European touring bus. It was newer and proved to be reasonably comfortable which was fortunate because even though we were traveling relatively short distances according to Canadian standards all trips seemed to take a long time. Trips of thirty kilometers often took more than hour so it shouldn't have been surprising to us that the short distance of ninety kilometer from Ljubljana to Koper took us over two hours to traverse.

About half way there we stopped at a rest station which consisted of a fairly well stocked store, a restaurant and coffee bar. The day had turned gray and there was a cool wind so all the Slovenians had to have a coffee. We also learned that day that fifteen minutes at a bus rest stop really means anything from thirty to forty-five minutes, depending on who needed what. This stop was one of the lengthier ones.

The first half of the bus trip was quite noisy. Even though many of the groups on the bus had been awake now for over twenty four hours the level of energy and excitement was palpable. There was chatter and laughter, sometimes raucous, sometimes more subdued.

The Slovenian countryside rolled by with picturesque villages tucked into valleys among rolling hills. On occasion someone would spot a steeple atop a high hill and we would wonder why it happened to be up there. Surely there must be a more convenient place to put a church.

But maybe convenience is not the only reason why people put things in certain places.

After the rest stop the bus grew quiet as the fatigue of the flight set in. There were quiet murmuring throughout the bus as people talked with their seat partner.

It wasn't long before the sea was visible and the town of Koper came into sight. For most, if not for all of us, this was the first time here. I was expecting a larger city but as we quickly made our way through to the center of town it was obvious that it was quite small and not as touristy as expected. There were no hotel strewn beaches, no loud outdoor discos. It was, in fact, a quiet seaside town.

Dijaski Dom

The bus pulled up to the Students' Residence to the resounding sounds of accordion music and singing. Standing outside at the front doors of the dorm in full costume were representatives of our hosts Mandrac-Telmont. As we got off the bus we were greeted by smiling faces, salt and bread and shots of liquor. We followed the musical procession into the dining hall where the music and singing continued. We were then officially greeted by one official person after another. First it was the president of the hosting group and then the president of the regional cultural association and then the manager of the residence, each in turn saying how happy they are with our visit and they hope that we will be satisfied with everything. I look around the room and everyone is smiling. It is a joyous time.

It is time to go to our rooms. They are small and very cramped for three people, not bad for two and tolerable for one. The washrooms were communal including the showering area so the art of discretion needed to be quickly acquired.

Because of its hollow brick construction it tended to be noisy, sound carried and echoed. There were no soft surfaces or carpets to absorb the sound and conversations a hallway away sounded as if they were right next door. But no matter. We were finally here and that was good enough for now.

The Rest of the First Day

When we gathered together in the lobby for our tour we were greeted by an absolutely delightful young woman and her toddler daughter. They were to be our guides. She claimed to speak very poor English so she would do the tour in Slovenian and somebody could translate. Although many of the group understood a reasonable amount of the language, many did not so English was important. At the start, anyway. So it was up to Kristina, Stan and Erma to provide the translation which they did admirably.

The tour took us into a small green square just meters from the dorm. We sat by a fountain and listened while our guide told us the history of Koper using examples from the buildings in this square. There was a lot of picture taking, as is always the case on your first day anywhere. Everything is new, everything is interesting, and everything is for the very last first time. It's all worth remembering.

As I sat there listening I began to pay attention to the life that was being lived around me. Behind us, on the far side of the square in the shade of some lush trees sat three women. Older and dressed in dark colors. I remember thinking how stylish they looked. Not the old Baba type I was familiar with from my village. I noticed them when we first came into the piazza and they remained seated there till we left. They talked in strong tones and they talked steadily. I could hear their patter over the noise around me.

To the right by the entrance into the square were two parking attendants that controlled the movement of traffic through this tight space. They seemed to be very earnest about their job as the directed cars in and out of the square.

Then came the old square with the church and bell tower. It is here in the bell tower that Koper truly reveals its Italian influences.

"First group picture," somebody yells and then someone points to a staircase that could be outside any Venetian palazzo. They quickly lined up along one side of the two sided staircase, which met at a large doorway.

"Smile everyone! Click! Great!"

"No wait! Take one with my camera!"

"And mine!"

And mine and mine. This was only the first time of many such sessions.

We walked and listened and walked and didn't listen and by seven most of us were pretty hungry and getting a little listless.

Our guide maintained her enthusiasm throughout even as large numbers of the group had veered off to explore some shops. And after a couple of more short streets we were at the sea.

The sea has an affect on everyone. No one can be indifferent to it and the turquoise blue of the Adriatic is striking in its appearance. Everyone rushed to the water side and then took off their shoes and put their feet in the Jadran for the first time. As the waves lapped on the concrete steps that led into the water an occasional one would spray higher causing some of the girls to come sprinting out holding on to their wet skirts, giggling.

"Let's come back tomorrow or sometime. I want to go swimming," said one of the girls. This was followed by a chorus of agreement.

The talk all the way back was about the sea and going swimming and wasn't it beautiful.

Before we knew it we were back at the dorm and lining up for supper, cafeteria style. It was beef cutlet and mashed potato. We were all very hungry and it tasted great. Our hosts had provided us with red and white wine, beer and of course some more friendship liquor. A few more speeches and presentations and then more music and dancing.

The wine was good and it helped the tongue. It took away any bashfulness or uncertainty about being understood and replaced it with an attitude of nothing ventured nothing gained. We found ourselves immersed in conversations that were helped along with the patience and caring of the listener. Our regional dialects were understood and appreciated. Whether from Bela Krajina or Stajerska or Gorenjska or Prekmurje or wherever, what was brought to the table was appreciated.

It had been a long and busy day and for some it was time to get some rest. For others it was simply an opportunity to move the party to a different venue. And so the day came to a close for each of us in a different way, each of us remembering it in a slightly different way, our own way.

On to Part Two

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