h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's a surprising amount about Slovenia here on Hootoo. I've been looking at it, having heard so many nice things about the country.

It has mountains, is in the Alps, but also the Adriatic coast. The people are supposed to be unbelievably nice. It's small and has a population of 2 million.

It's an idyllic region which prised itself off of Yugoslavia before things went haywire there, and has never been involved in any of the conflicts which took place much further South.

It's tucked in between Austria, Italy and Croatia.

Yesterday I went to the travel agent and booked a holiday there.



I DO NOT want to go on holiday. I live far enough away from home as it is.

But if I don't drag my husband away somewhere else, he'll complain after six weeks' school holiday that he needs a holiday. I don't know why he can't just sit in the garden instead of impersonating a plough-cum-combine-harvester alias Mighty Mole all day. We could spend a lovely holiday just in our own village, which has plenty of water, easy access to lots of nice towns, and not have any hassle about where to sleep, how to get the washing done and where the next meal's coming from.

OK so I'm boring. My backpacking days are done - I've seen enough.

We don't leave till the 17th - I'll keep my spirits up while we're there by drafting an entry on Slovenia in my head.

Lots to do for the first half of my holiday off work (have got 3 weeks off, and are away for the final ten days). The World Youth Day is happening big time. Even though I'm not going to Cologne, I've got to organise stuff here. And do lots of singing.

>>I live far enough away from home as it is.

And how long have you been living away from home?

Surely, home is where you live. And everybody needs a break sometime.

I know all that in my head, but I've turned into one of those people I couldn't believe existed. i.e. - don't want to travel about and find out about the world.

Apart from which, I spend such long hours at work, it seems like a holiday to be able to do what I like with my time at home.

It's 31 years since I moved here for good. It's lovely and I recommend it for a quiet holiday, the countryside is fantastic, the local tourist sights are abundant and fascinating, the people are friendly and the food is good; particularly the wine, about which I could wax endlessly lyrical, but it's not where I come from.

However, I'm not sure I'd feel "at home" if I was back there either. . What matters to me is being with people I like. And there's not much time to get to know people on a ten day holiday. Particularly in a country where you only have a minimal grasp of the language.

I'm beginning not to remember what it's like to holiday in a country where people speak a different language! I think I understand - I remember when I was in Cap D'Ague (I think that was the spellig) in a naturist camp (and incidentally one of the nicest and friendliest holidays I have ever been on) meeting a really nice French family (it really helped that I could speak reasonable French). The wife said that in the main, the French didn't holiday outside France - it was so beautiful!

Or am I misinterpreting your feelings, TC?

O/~

Slovenia was one of the places I always meant to visit when I was based in Europe. Anyone I met from there - and I know that's not much of a statistically representative group - was very friendly and lovely, and was enthusiastic about me coming to Ljubliana.

Relax.

Switch off.

Enjoy doing something out of your normal routine, for a fixed time.

Send us a postcard

Yes - I know I have to switch off for a time. But I'd like to do it another way. And I'll see if I can log on some time while I'm there.

All my holidays are spent in the town where I was born.

I like my own bed, my own kitchen and my own bathroom.

I never used to be such a homebird but it wouldn't be a holiday if I had to do without my home comforts.

So you're not alone, TC.

... not forgetting the bad back business. If you're sleeping on a hotel bed and wake up feeling like you've been booted up and down the stairs all night, what sort of a holiday is that?

I can't even imagine not sleeping on my wonderful new mattress now.

head!! Don't wanna climb out in the morning, and I'm so fit I could do push-ups!

Well...

Backache? What backache?

well, we have only driven through Slovenia - which makes me feel guilty, because the parts we saw (four times in total) are gorgeous.

I'm pushing for us to camp there for a couple of days next year, on our way to or back from Croatia.

Tell us all about it, please!

Entry coming up soon I hope