Sunny Day in Ljubljana

It is perfect weather here in Ljubljana today. Sunny, warm, with a gentle breeze. Unfortunately, I can't really enjoy it because I am rather sick. It is high allergy season in Europe right now, so I finally broke down in Bled and bought some Claritin (thank goodness the woman at the pharmacy spoke English). I thought I would be set, but I managed to catch a bug that same day. Fever, cough, congestion, the whole bit.

The last couple of days have been a blur because of it. On Monday evening, A. drove us around Koper and we visited downtown. Our evening ended with some tea and dessert at a cafe overlooking the Istrian peninsula. There was a storm in full force across the water - dark gray clouds and lightning streaks. Fantastic scenery while enjoying the balmy evening in Koper.

A. has been extremely kind and generous, and my experience here in Slovenia has been enriched by the stories, experiences, and insights of a local. He was born in Maribor, but lived much of his life in Koper on the coast of Slovenia close to Italy. He will be attending Haas this fall at my alma mater, and has an open invitation to be my guest in Chicago.

We stayed at his weekend house in Koper on Monday evening, and Tuesday he drove us to a small village near the coast and gave us background on the area. He was hoping to lunch at a gostilna in the village, but it was closed. Unfortunately, by the time we were done with that morning drive, I was myself done with. My fever had taken over, so I had to skip out on lunch and touring in Piran and stayed at the house to sleep. In the afternoon, A. drove us back to Ljubljana and we are here now for a few days.

Last night, I mustered up enough energy to go out and grab a bite to eat at an Iranian resto. Muhammed was very friendly and made a delicious chicken and lentil curry for me. It really hit the spot as I hadn't eaten since the morning.

Tomorrow we head out to Koper again to catch a bus to Pula, Croatia. My internet access may be quite spotty in Croatia as we are planning to visit some smaller towns. I was happy to find this fantastic internet cafe in Ljubljana, which has fast connections and plays American pop music from the 80s. Quite a surreal experience to write about the Istrian peninsula while listening to 'Word Up' by Cameo.