Vacation Week 4a: Slovenia

The stars have finally aligned and we've found our vacation groove! We've spent the past two days driving the wine route in Austria and exploring bits of Slovenia, which was hands down my favorite country visited during this vacation.

The capital, Ljubliana, is lovely! Most of the downtown area is situated around the Ljublianica river. This is a student town and you really see that reflected in the abundant sidewalk cafes and boutiques.

We took a 2 hour walking tour through the historic downtown and were impressed at how well-maintained everything was. Slovenia stands out head and shoulders above its former Soviet / former Yugoslavian brethren. The roads and cities we saw are well maintained and the people we spoke to seemed optimistic and proud of their country.

I used the almighty power of the mother veto and we had a fabulous lunch at a vegetarian cafe. S wasn't exactly enthusiastic at first but ended up enjoying his edible salad bowl in spite of himself.

After lunch we hiked up a hill to visit the 12th century Ljubliana Castle, which gives spectacular views of the city and surrounding countryside. We savored the panorama and then were thrilled to discover the "Library under the Treetops". Slovenia is apparently the "World Book Capital" for 2010 and in celebration they set up reading corners in various parts of the city. We must have spent the better part of an hour stretched out in lawn chairs and savoring magazines and travel books. This was definitely the highlight of my vacation!

The next day we also quickly visited Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city. Because of an unplanned (and very enjoyable) detour on the way, we got there quite late, drove around and took a walk along the Drava river. We started getting hungry and asked a well-dressed couple if they could recommend a restaurant where we could get some good Balkan food. The man smiled sweetly and said in impeccable English: "I don't know, we never eat out, my wife is an excellent cook!" and gave her a hug. In the end they were able to recommend a place within walking distance and we had an excellent meal.

I thoroughly enjoyed what we saw of Slovenia-- would love to come back sometime and spend a vacation in Bled! I think maybe I could even convince the rest of the family, especially if I promised S that we would keep the vegetarian restaurants to a minimum! ;-)

Borders

The road is narrow, serpentine, and flanked on both sides by vineyards and pastoral bliss. But it's also got another plus point: for about 3 km it travels along the border between Austria and Slovenia, maintaining a perfect tightrope balance between two very different worlds separated by culture, language, history, politics and every other barrier that humans can think of to separate ourselves into distinct groups.

Even after 20 years of travel, border crossings still fascinate me. I turned to S and B in the back seat: "Hey guys! Check this out! We're driving along the border! Daddy and S are in Austria and B and I are in Slovenia! How cool is that?!!"

They are not impressed. In this vacation alone they will have visited 7 different countries. To them crossing a border just means a trip away from whatever swimming pool we happen to be camping next to that particular week.

S and B are the ultimate global citizens and the world is truly their village. They were born to a generation for whom the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union are only vague, abstract concepts. Thanks to the Schengen Treaty we barely even slow down when passing a border checkpoint.

I keep noticing that their view of the world is much more fluid than mine. This manifests itself in so many ways, even right down to the language that they speak. They can start a sentence in one language and end it in another, switching effortlessly right along with their train of thought. This flexible, borderless mentality is completely organic, and it fascinates me. S and B have such a huge advantage in this limitless way of thinking, but part of me thinks it's a little sad that they miss out on the tiny thrill I still get whenever I pass over into new frontiers...

Vacation week 3: Gleinstätten, Austria

The campground is small and nestled in an idyllic landscape just south of Graz in the heart of Austrian wine country. We had great plans for travel, but have been grounded for 5 days. The kids have caught some kind of a stomach virus and I'm feeling restless and claustrophobic.

Our neighbors are a colorful lot. There's an emaciated, free-spirited woman with a dog so aggressive that he wears a lampshade collar to protect other dogs, his owners, other campers, and even himself from the destructive effects of his snapping jaws.

Across from us there is an elderly couple who start guzzling beer at 9am. They keep the crate for the empties in a shopping cart that they've pilfered from a nearby supermarket. They've got an old tv with them-- during the day they watch soap operas with surprisingly foul language, and at night they watch Schlager festivals hosted by Andre Rieu. The frenetic music blares at full volume and elicits giggles and moans of dismay from neighboring tents. One night it was so loud that M went over and convinced the guy to turn it off. On his way back to our camper four different people thanked him for his act of civil courage.

This campground is owned by the county, and the second floor of the sanitation unit is apparently used as social housing. Our pitch backs right up to this building. Due to the delicate nature of S and B's digestion this week, we're happy to be right next to the toilets. This proximity is less advantageous in the early morning hours, however, when the tubercular man upstairs starts to cough and gag and vomit up copious amounts of phlegm.

The owner of this overworked set of lungs is a gnome-like, misshapen, greasy character who spends his days loitering around in various locales. One day he approached our neighbor in a restaurant and asked him if he was a famous German football star. (He's not) Once he'd left the cafe owner shrugged his shoulders and said: "That was our very own clochard. Which saves you a trip to Paris to have to see one!"

Tomorrow we're planning to resume our travels with a trip to Ljubliana, Slovenia and I can't wait to be on the road again!

Vacation photos: family

Three brothers, fancy car, a rain dance, monkey love, fanatic soccer player, jockeying to become the favorite uncle and more...

Macho

I'd just gotten back from a long walk with the dog. Even though it was still early the day already promised to be a scorcher. I hosed D down at the dog showers and when I leaned down she gave me an enthusiastic full-body wet doggy tackle.

Right about then my father-in-law showed up with a cup of coffee. He smiled, and then his expression turned to one of complete shock.

"Is that REAL? Um, I think you should probably take a look in the mirror."

D's wet fur had transferred onto my chest and left me with a thatch of chest hair that would have turned any sailor green with envy!

Vacation week 2: Lake Constance, Germany

This week we camped in a small town near Lake Constance. M's younger brother and his family moved on, and M went back to work, so our group was reduced to 10 people.

I really enjoyed our time in France, but arriving in Germany was like coming home. Even just popping into the supermarket, with all of its organic produce and its neatly arranged aisles gave me a happy feeling!

This campground was larger than the last one and featured a petting zoo with an assortment of barnyard animals with varying degrees of friendliness. B racked up an impressive list of animals that bit him over the course that week: 2 miniature ponies, a goat, two swans and an overenthusiastic sheep. (S just stuck with insects and kept getting stung by wasps).

The campground featured a huge sandbox that kept the kids occupied for hours. They'd eat breakfast and then take off to dig tunnels and build dams and castles. There was also a really nice lake nearby, (Constance's little brother) which was well-equipped and perfect for little swimmers. The kids made friends with a lot of other children on the campground and S and B functioned as their own mini-UN by translating and mediating squabbles among various factions.

A and T took all of the kids to the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen and the monkey paradise park in Salem. (B was relieved that he didn't get bitten by any monkeys.)

I took long walks with D around the lake in the morning and enjoyed devouring all of the Dutch magazines that Oma and Opa had brought for me.

M showed up with a Dodge Challenger one evening, much to the delight of S and B and every other manly personage camping near us.

It may have rained less this week, but the weather was still crummy and in the end A and T left a day early to drive back to Stuttgart where they could take advantage of our warm, dry beds and nice, big bathtub.

M drove down after work on Friday and we spent a nice, relaxing evening with Oma and Opa. On Saturday we broke camp and traveled on to the next campsite in south-east Austria.

(Pictures to come)

Vacation week 1: Charolles, France

The first campground we stayed at was off the beaten path in a beautiful rural area near Charolles. It was so small that at any given moment at least 75% of the guests were related to us in some way.

The owners were friendly and welcoming and we had access to a small, relatively shallow swimming pool, perfect for all the little people who could come and go as they wished.

The kids spent their days dashing madly from the swimming pool to the grassy soccer field and back. D was crowned the official V family vacation mascot and wasn't even tied up most of the time. She just wandered from tent to tent, got stroked to her heart's content and devoured anything sticky that anyone left behind.

I took long walks in the mornings and evenings. Sometimes accompanied by a husband, always accompanied by a dog. I really enjoyed the idyllic pastoral landscape with all the Charolais-rump-steaks-to-be happily grazing or chewing their cud under the nearest shade tree.

We had a lot to celebrate this week! The first day we had a childrens' birthday party to celebrate all of the summer birthdays. Opa turned 72 later on that week, and M and I marked our 15th anniversary with a romantic 7 course dinner at a local Michelin-star restaurant.

The only fly in the ointment was the weather. It was unseasonably cool and rained for about half the days we were there. Which created the perfect conditions for slugs-- thousands of them. They crawled over the tents and under the chairs. We found them in our shoes, in the vegetable bin and in the caravan! So we also weren't alone when we took shelter from the rain in the tent attached to our camper. Picture 15 people, 7 of them under 10, and 1,679 slugs all compressed into one extremely humid 6m x 2.5m space. Some moments weren't exactly pretty.

There were several sunny days, though, in which we dashed out to explore our surroundings. We made a great field trip to a chateau in Buxy. This castle was in fantastic condition and had some really amazing 12th century frescoes in the chaple which were surprisingly well preserved.

We also spent a fun afternoon in a children's park which was a bizarre mix of life-sized board games, wacky bicycles, sunflower and wildflower labyrinths, trampolines, and an outdoor museum honoring that bovine wonder, the cow.

Lunchtime came and we all were a bit shocked to see that the snackbar carried little else other than baguettes and 7 different kinds of alcohol infused local pâté. Ohhhh yeah! C'est la vie, baby!

Mukhtar's birthday

Schmutzie posted a link to this film this morning and it made me smile. (and cry, actually, if the truth be told. I'm becoming an old sap...)

Open wide, baby!

Interesting babyfood choices at the Italian supermarket. Somehow I can't see Publix stocking these any time soon...

Before and After

Goofball actually wasn't all that far off when she asked if we were still stuck on vacation.

Well, that's an exaggeration, but our vacation did end up lasting longer than planned due to a flat tire on the way home. Luckily we noticed it on time and it didn't cause an accident, but we did end up spending the night at a rest stop until the camping store opened the next day. The kids missed a day of school and got to eat junkfood from a nearby gas station while we read Harry Potter amidst the piles of dog poop on the side of the road. What an adventure! Personally I preferred the beginning of our vacation to the end...

Breakfast in paradise

Two boys and a dog... :-)

So far being middle-aged isn't all that bad...

Hello from beautiful, sunny Lake Garda! I celebrated a milestone birthday yesterday and did it in style. We arrived on our favorite campground at 6pm-- I mentioned at reception that it was my birthday and asked if they could recommend a nice restaurant. She said she'd look into it, and about 15 minutes later someone arrived at our campsite with a map and the news that a reservation for us had been made in a restaurant at the harbour about 10 minutes walk away! What a nice surprise!

We enjoyed some really nice food and wine and then drank espressos while looking out over the twinkling lights of the harbor. (The espressos were, luckily, decaffinated so as not to tax my now middle-aged body and cause me to go into shock. ;-) )

Today has been really relaxing with an early morning hike, a good book, a snooze in the shade and a run through some really beautiful countryside. This evening I'll make a big salad and some fresh pasta and sit out back in a deckchair and enjoy the view with my sweetie.

Man, if this is any indication of the coming decade then I think I'm going to enjoy my 40's!

A centurion in our midst!

M's Grandmother celebrated her 100th birthday on the 13th! Her grandchildren organized a full-day event which included a boat trip, a visit to a wooden-clog museum and a dinner. We all had such a nice time and I think that Oma really enjoyed her fête!

Taekwando Prüfung

M and B passed their Taekwando Prüfung a couple of weeks ago. B has now earned a yellow-green belt and M has moved up to green-blue! They both worked really hard and I'm so proud of them!

Jolene

Can't get enough of this song today!


And here's one of the "prettiest, singendest, song-writendest little blondes in Country Music right now (1974)"...


And although I don't like this version much I'll include it just for the camp factor:

Awesome!

Insanity: 2:20 am

Betsy, are you listening? I asked you something!

I rolled over, but couldn't bring myself to open my eyes: Wha-?

M is impatient now: "Who is that guy walking the holy path?"

I was completely confused and thought: Do we know someone doing el Camino?

Betsy!? Who's on the holy mission?!

The name "Ahmadinejad" inexplicably bubbled up from my subconscious.

M continued: Because he wants to do the Prüfung.

The what?!

He's really annoyed with me now and says "The PRÜ-FUNG!", patting my hip with each syllable.

Ahmadinejad is doing Taekwando with you?!

M snorts in disgust and rolls back over to his side of the bed as I sink, completely confused, back into the inky blackness.

This is me.

(in 20 years...)

Yo Dawg! Wassup?!

So I just rounded out an afternoon full of drama by shutting S's hand in the car door. Luckily I had the common sense to plunge his fingers directly into a snow drift. (Although I can't exactly pat myself on the back, because if I'd been paying attention this wouldn't have been necessary in the first place!)

It turns out we had luck in our bad luck, as the Germans like to say. The door didn't close all the way and caught him square across the middle of his fingers and missed his joints and nails. I filled a bag with snow and he kept it iced for a half an hour.

When I asked him if he was going to be OK he got a twinkle in his eye and said:

Well, I can still do this:

Looks like both his fingers and his sense of humor are still intact, and for that I am grateful.