I am writing to you from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Six months ago I had never even heard of it, but my travel guru, Rick Steves, sings its praises in his guide to Eastern Europe, so I wanted to see for myself. Ljubljana is the capital of this small country that used to be a part of Yugoslavia. It is wedged into the corner where Austria and Italy meet, with Hungary to its east. I traveled here by train yesterday from Budapest and was struck by the scenic gorge we passed through over the last hour or so (see photo). Slovenia has mostly been a sleepy backwater through history, but has maintained an independent spirit and language and seems to be populated by universally pleasant and friendly people - at least everyone I have met so far meets
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