Maribor on my mind

It's not an exaggeration to say we traveled from one end of Slovenia to the other during our four days there. After landing in Ljubljana, we rode a train northeast to Maribor for the Glee Club's competition, after which we took a bus to Koper on the southeast coast, right next to Italy and Croatia. 

map via Wikipedia

The train ride from Ljubljana to Maribor took about two hours. Slovenia is not very big and there's not a lot of distance to cover, but the train runs about as fast as those shopping mall kiddie trains. But that's nothing to take issue with, because the route shows off Slovenia's idyllic green landscape to stunning advantage.

Slovenia is a ridiculously gorgeous country. Marlon and I were tired after our early departure, but didn't dare nap. Not with the constant stream of gorgeousness outside: farmhouses, streams, cattle grazing freely...

... hills covered in green, meadows carpeted in flowers, trees in bloom.

After months of gray in Amsterdam, I could finally believe it was spring.

A stroll around Maribor, after the jump!


In Maribor, we checked into our apartment for four at the Youth Hostel Pekarna. It was spotless and kind of cute as far as hotels go, and completely transported me back to my touring days with the Glee Club. Marlon and I couldn't help but laugh when we saw two single beds in our bedroom. "Gapangin mo na lang ako mamaya," I snickered.

Maribor is pretty much how I remember it. Twelve years ago...

... and today. The riverside has been developed as a kind of promenade with bars, restaurants and that sort of thing, which is nice.

Mimi and I had to take a picture together to commemorate our return to Maribor. The Glee Club was the first-ever winner of Maribor's International Choir Competition in 2000. Back then, we would have never ever thought we'd be back...

... with our husbands, no less! 

Being able to share these special places with the people closest to you is a huge gift. It feels like opening your arms to reveal a small treasure or a find that you'd been hugging close to yourself. It feels like letting them get to know you just a little bit better.

Maribor is tiny, and most of its attractions are in its old center, close to the river Drava. 

 

Strangely enough, the sounds of running water were being blasted from speakers lining the bridge. The speakers were attached to every. Single. Post. But only on one side of the bridge. Weirdness or art? Probably both.

On the Old Town side, we strolled along the river, stopping by the Jewish Synagogue...

... and Water Tower, for photos.

That Sunday morning, I could totally believe that Slovenia's entire population is just 2 million. At 116,000 inhabitants, Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia. But it was completely deserted,  almost to the point of being eerie.

Fortunately, three Filipinos and one Filipinized French man can laugh loud enough to drown out any eerie silences.

Photo via Mimi and Pete Duhamel

You can just imagine how our laughter echoed in the streets of Maribor at the sight of this cafe. Ah, Pinoy humor. Saves the day every time.