Blogs from Maribor, Styria, Slovenia, Europe

Aamulla satoi. Paikallislehden ennusteen mukaan lahipaivien saa onkin sateista ja paljon aiempaa viileampaa. Piti siis kaivaa esiin sateenvarjo ja takki. Junassa oli hyvin tilaa. Mulle tuli juttelemaan itavaltalaismies, joka oli matkalla Rijekaan asti. Mariborin asemalta sai hyvin Ljubljanan junien aikataulut ja Mariborin kartan. Junia menisi joka tunti, joten ei ollut tarvetta ostaa lippua. Poikkesin menomatkalla turistineuvonnassa. Siita ei ollut suuresti hyotya. Hostellin ovella oli numero, johon piti soittaa. Sielta vastasi mies, joka kehotti minua hakemaan avaimen lahibaarista. No sielta tultiin vain avaamaan ulko-ovi, ja huoneessa odotti avaimet. Hostellin muut huoneet olivat tyhjia. Mies tuli myohemmin rahastamaan huoneen hinnan, joka piti siis maksaa kateisella. Rapussa oli tietokone, josta paasi nettiin. Kysyin miehelta myos neuvoja siita, missa kannattaisi kayda kaupassa ja ... read more

On my first Monday in Europe, after two days of settling into Klagenfurt, the team and I loaded on to a bus and drove to Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia and European's 2012 Capital of Culture. We stayed at the Dras Center, a very comfortable hotel that had a volleyball court and training facility inside. We trained twice a day for four days and ate amazing meals. Eat, sleep, play volleyball... that is what our life consisted of. Unfortunately I have no photos that prove that we trained. Instead, I will share with you some pictures of our excusion up the moutain on the ski lift and down the mountain in tabaggons. Enjoy!... read more

We arrived in Slovenia via train from Graz. While there is no border crossing as both Austria and Slovenia are members of the EU, there was one thing we noticed immediately - the change of language! Suddenly we noticed that we had no idea of what people were saying or what the simplest of signs meant. When we arrived at Maribor railway station I had to give in to a call of nature and found myself standing at two doors, one labeled "Zenski" and the other "Moski" - luckily I could understand the pictures below the names! From that moment on Lorenza and I suddenly invented a whole new language between us, with every word ending in "ski" - for example "do you want a drinkski?" or "do you want to take a walkski" and to ... read more

Yesterday I took a little drive with Reini to the border of Croatia. We had planned to drive at least 3 hours, and weren't very excited about that. The weather was really hot and humid, and Reini's air conditioner decided to poop out on us a week ago. Oh well, we said, for we needed to take the trip in order for me to be allowed to stay in Europe for another 3 months. The stamp in my passport from Croatia would be proof that I would be there for touristic reasons. I don't know if you'd call me a tourist of Austria, but if that's the way things must work here, well, then I guess I am, legally speaking. We packed a bag full of sandwiches and brought a bottle of sparkling water with ... read more