Lipica

Last weekend, I went with Zvonko and his family to Lipica, which is the original home of the Lipizzaner  white horses.  Graceful performances are held for large audiences.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to see them perform.  These horses are born with brown coats, which eventually turn white around the age of five or six.  Lipica is on the south western side of Slovenia, right on the border of Italy.



Photo Credit: Lipica Stud Farm



Young horses

After our visit to Lipica, we went to Nada's parent's house, who live close to Lipica.  It is a beautiful city, and many people have vineyards on their own property.  Nada's father made a delicious bean soup, and her mother made tiramisu and blueberry muffins with amazing frosting.  Nada's brother and his family live below his parents, which is extremely common for families in Slovenia.  The first picture below is of Nada's parent's house, and the yellow house with the vineyard in front belongs to Nada's aunt and her husband.  As you can see, they have a vineyard in their front yard.  We enjoyed a belo vino (white wine) with dinner, which was very good. 

Home of Nada's parents and her brother and his family.

Home of Nada's teta in stric.

Near Nada's parents.

Sausages and Strudels

Hi friends,

Today is my cousin, Zan's, 24th birthday.  We celebrated today by going for dessert here in Ljubljana, as well as last Saturday at a restaurant in the Slovenian countryside.  The restaurant we went to is actually a farm, but on the weekend they have a small restaurant open.  The food is delicious, typical Slovenian food.  They even had homemade jabolcni sok (apple juice). 

Oh, but first, this is a card I made for Zan. 

 

The restaurant was about a 45 minute drive away, on the very top of a hill.  Zvonko, who is an avid biker, cycles this route in the summer.  It's very intense.  The drive reminded me of when me and my friend, Nicole, were driving on the curvy and nauseating Oregon and California coast.  But this road was sometimes one lane, gravel, and extremely curvy.  I didn't bother asking Zvonko what would happen if another car was coming around the bend, because I knew his answer would be to just pull over.  Pull over where?  And at his speeds?  (....Sometimes I like to pretend I'm riding a rollar coaster).  Maybe Europeans are born with a 6th sense of knowing when a car is coming from the other direction.....

                                               



Neza, Zan, me, and Ziga



Bostjan and Lucka



                                                                                                        



Neza, Nada, and Zvonko



Grandpa and Grandma Perovsek
(Anton is Grandma Strazar's cousin)

 

The food was wonderful.  Whenever I spend time with Zvonko and his family, they usually communicate in Slovenian, unless they need to tell me something.  I try to pick up on words that I know, and it's helping that I'm being exposed to the language.  Although they often make fun of me in Slovenian, laugh and me, and tell me I need to learn the language.....  Don't worry Zvonko, my feelings aren't hurt too bad. 

 Zvonko just came for the sausage.

 Oh, and the cappuccino.

 My apple strudel.  Europeans claim their food portions are smaller than American portions.

Need I say anymore?

 Old items remaining from the farm. 

Look at the iron.

 

  



Lucka, Zvonko, me, Ziga, Bostjan, Zan
Grandma Perovsek, Grandpa Perovsek, Neza, Nada



Vse Najboljse, Zan.

Kurent Kraziness

Zivjo!

I'm getting behind on my blog, but last weekend, the country of Slovenia celebrated Pust (pronounced Pooost), a holiday to scare winter away and welcome spring.  The oldest city in Slovenia, Ptuj (pronounced pit-tooowie), puts on a huge parade which has become Slovenia's biggest cultural event.  Everyone dresses up in costumes and, like I said in my previous blog post, everyone eats krofi. 

So to celebrate Pust, I went to Ptuj with Zvonko's family to watch the famous parade.  Ptuj actually dates back to the Stone age and was settled by the Celts by the late Iron Age. 

The Ptuj Town Hall

   

Oh look, a nun drinking wine.

  

And smoking cigarettes!

And the kurents arrive!  These beasts, who wear sheepskin and masks, are named after the Kurent, or a mythological creature believed to have the power to chase away winter and usher in spring.  They wear huge bells around their waists which they shake to make loud clanging noises.  There were 600 kurents!

Check them out in action.

 

Lovers.

Poor old ladies carrying their men.



 

Me with some kurents.

     Fun time.



Earning my krofi

Oh goodness, it's been a while.  I didn't write much about this past weekend, even though this weekend is almost here.  It was filled with Irish music, krofne, and kurents.  Polona took me to an Irish Pub where we saw a Slovenian Irish Band (Slovenian people playing Irish music).  It was sooo much fun.  This tiny pub was packed with people who came to see this 6 piece band play in kilts.  I'll try to upload a video....

On Saturday, Zvonko, Nada, and the girls had me over for an afternoon dinner, where Zvonko enjoyed his

(un)appetizing blood sausages.  But my food was delicious.  Eat, eat, eat! .....Is what I usually hear.  Eat more!   Since last weekend was Pust - celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring - everyone eats a ton of krofi.  (Pictures to come...)  So of course there were krofi for dessert.  But in order to earn my krofi, Zvonko told me that I had to go with the girls on an hour long walk.....

So we did....

There are large open fields with a path near Zvonko's house, which will take you to this brand new arena.  The mayor promised that if he was elected he would have it built.  He was elected, it was built. 

And there is a new soccer (football) field next to it.

This street is just around the corner from Zvonko's house. 

Strazarjeva Ulica.

More proof. 

And yes, I earned my krofi. 

Slovenian Stuff

Hey friends!

If you would like me to send you a postcard, please email me your address (bperhay@yahoo.com).  If you would like to send me a card,  :)  my address is Gosposvetska Cesta 2,  1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia! 

These are a few pictures of a pop-up card that I made for my roommate, whose name is also Rebecca.  I was emailing her for months before I came to Slovenia, and she told me basically everything that I needed to know about coming here.  I don't know what I would have done without her! 

The only art supplies I brought were my trusty exacto, a few watercolors, and some paper.  My sewing machine will be waiting for me when I get home....

"Hvala Lepa" means "Thank you very much."

I gave her this clutch that I made back home.

The other day I went for a walk in Tivoli Park,

which is the largest park in Ljubljana and only about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. 



The park is pretty hilly, and there is a church on the top of a hill, of course. 

                                                   adieu!