Ten easy pieces from here

Finally it’s raining and I can put up some photos as an illustration of my stay in the country of origin. Petra, don’t stop reading! The cake is coming up!

I’ve been all over the place and it’s hard to organise thoughts and images. We have been treated so well by my family and friends that I don’t know where to start.

The annual tarock card garden tournament, 14th already, was excellent and calm and sunny, and father proved that there is none higher. Thank you, parents, for your help and good spirits, and uncle for the territory and patience and lifted blinds, and sis for the coffee.

These four have all visited me in Tuscany already.

Happy winner (and the 4th placed behind him).

Then it was mountain time. I didn’t even realise how much I’d been missing them. A friend took me and amore in his shiny sneakers on a visit to the Alpine valley Logarska dolina by the Savinja river, and “picture-postcard” doesn’t quite describe it. You’ll have to see it for yourselves (and pay 7 EUR to enter the valley with the car). We walked for not even 15 minutes to Rinka Waterfall and a bar built as an eagle nest above the waterfall – hence its name Eagle Nest. Gelato in Mozirje rounded up a beautiful day. Thank you, Alenka!

Kamnik-Savinja Alps from Logarska dolina valley.

Change of scenery for this Romano. Photo: AG (Thank you!)

Rinka Waterfall in Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

The Upper Savinja valley.

Yesterday we had a stroll around hot Ljubljana but since we came from 35 degrees in Roma it felt like a breeze in comparison. We had lunch with friends and they alerted us to Torta Ljubljana, Ljubljana Cake, a cake designed to represent several typical Slovenian regions and products. Thus it contains buckwheat, chestnuts, figs and pumpkin seeds (and chocolate). If you go, ask the seller to include the fairy-tale about the origin of the cake. It’s available in several languages. We took some home as well and father proclaimed this the news of the day. Thank you, Petra and Marjan!

For me the news of the day came late in our walk: all of a sudden familiar Ljubljana landscape was intersected by a novelty – a minaret. Ljubljana is getting its first džamija, or mosque. For some reason I find this news calming and reassuring.

VW radio in my friend’s office.

Torta Ljubljana at Ljubljana Market.

The minaret of the mosque has been built, the rest will follow.

“All we do is travel.” Especially Badfish, and this Slovenijales sign is for him.

Photo: a © signature mmm production (except the one of us)

Meanwhile, Slovenia has its first Olympic medal this year. Judoist Tina pinned them all down one by one. (In comparison, Italy already has 9 of them but nobody is counting.) It’s good to be in the country for this. So many Slovenians only allow themselves to get emotional over sports.

As for the rain, today we have tickets for an open-air, no-roof concert with a bunch of students as part of Festival Urbano dejanje. The ticket was 3 EUR in presale. In comparison, in Italy for 3 EUR you are lucky to get gelato. I hope it stops raining. I’d be terribly sorry to miss these excellent Slovenian – but not sounding it – guys:

Whereas tomorrow, tomorrow it’s hiphop night. Either you’re a rapper or you ain’t.