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21-23/06/2003
Bled, 21-28 June 2003 (part I)
Peter Cameron2006-03-12 12:11:12
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a very winding river.
I had expected immigration formalities something like those in Budapest or Prague, but there was no form to fill in and no delay. With the flight ten minutes early, there was no one waiting for me (just someone from a completely different conference), so a changed some pounds into tolars at the automatic change machine and waited patiently.
After fifteen minutes or so, a woman from the agency turned up for me. She apologised for her lateness and blamed the traffic. (I saw later that there was roadbuilding and single-lane traffic.) I got into the car and off we went. She seemed a bit surprised that I had been in Bled thirty-some years ago.
We were driving round a roundabout when her phone rang. After a brief conversation she said "Are you Polish?", which I denied; she continued round the roundabout and headed back to the airport. It seemed that three Poles at a medical conference organised by a different group but sharing facilities had shown up needing transport. It is a bit hard to get used to the fact that the academic organisers, the conference organisers, and the hotel management are separate and money and vouchers have to circulate. I have no vouchers . . .
A second time we were off, up a valley between the steep tumbled mountains, clouds, sun, warm air, dark green high corn in plots by the roadside. At one point, a small plane was taking off towing a glider - lots of good thermals today, I expect; a large bird of prey also using them (from a glimpse, it seemed black and white with wide wings curved in front).
Finally into Bled. A glimpse of the lake, with the old buildings on the clifftop that I remember, before we turned off to stop at the hotel. After checking in, a shower, followed by a beer (the one word of Slovenian I remember from last time is "pivo") and a packet of peanuts from the minibar, while I finished the crossword (not something I can usually do unaided!)
What
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See photographs from:
Slovenia Gallery
