Slovenia

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The early morning ride through Eastern Slovenia was beautiful. The train ran beside a river with mountains rising on each side. The morning mist, which had not burned off yet, added to the scene. I believe all of us would have liked to stop and spend several days here. The quaint mountain villages begged to be visited, at least in my mind. There was little traffic on the two-lane road that ran along the other side of the river.

We noticed the wild, turbulent water became very calm and placid. Soon we understood why. A low dam blocked the rapid flow of the water as it passed through the mountains. Further on we saw that the riverbank was being lined with stone and that two new low dams were being constructed. To my non-expert eye they appeared to be flood control dams. They did not appear large enough to be used for generating electricity.

Soon the train stopped and customs agents from both Slovenia and Croatia climbed aboard. They gave our passports a quick glance and handed them back to us. I must say these customs agents had a much more relaxed attitude than the stern faced ones at home. It seemed that every agent we met spoke some English. We monolingual Americans are very fortunate that English is so widely spoken. It certainly makes travel much easier, perhaps less adventurous, but easier.

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Photos

Slovenia
The train ran for miles and miles along this mountain river.