Slavic and packed with too many consonants and not enough vowels,
decorated with various types of accent marks.
We learned to count to 10 in Slovenian, and the morning greeting
is a simple "dobro jutro." The Slovenes are kind and friendly people,
so a heart-felt "thank you" in Slovenian -- "hvala" -- became second
nature for us. The Slovenes seemed thrilled at our bumbling attempts
to speak their language, which of course only encouraged us to try
more.
Slovenia is an unexplored gem with an old Europe graciousness, yet
modern and comfortable. The food is reasonably good, but not to be
mistaken for French or Italian. There is little of the petty theft
that now plagues much of the rest of Europe. Prices are reasonable.
The scenery is spectacular, the cities and towns historically
preserved. The people are warm and friendly, all happy to welcome you
to their country and eager for you to like them.
-- Karen and Bruce Clark are Corona del Mar residents.
* TRAVEL TALES runs on Thursdays.
Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation?
Tell us about your adventures.
Send in about 400 words, accompanied by a couple of photos to
choose from that do not have the Daily Pilot in them, and then send
it all off to:
Travel Tales, 1375 Sunflower Ave.,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
You can also e-mail your story to o7dailypilot latimes.comf7; or
by fax to
(714) 966-4679.
