Hello for the last time from Slovenia as I fly back tomorrow. Its not been cold here but very foggy while the rest of Slovenia has had the better weather for a change! A few final observations:
Public Transport
While I was waiting for the bus back to Piran, from Skocjan Caves (see the previous blog) an old man approached me and started talking. At first I though he was just being friendly and was hanging around the station because he had nothing else to do. But then he started asking whether I smoked, then whether I wanted to go for a coffee, then a drink, then he was willing to go get some CDs for me. It took me a while to work out that all he wanted was to get a free cigarette, coffee or drink. The missing teeth should have been the give-away for me.
Disabilities
I saw a person the other day walking down the street who looked quite agile, carrying her crutches. I am not sure whether she was on her way to a worker's compensation doctor.
Supermarkets
The other day I was waiting at the supermarket checkout and of course a knucklehead was in front of me. Here you don't get shopping bags for free. Apparently this person must have decided to do his weekly shopping on the spur of the moment as he didn't bring any bags of his own and he certainly was not prepared to purchase them. Instead he made use of the free cardboard boxes. The only problem was that the box he brought back was only big enough to hold a third of the stuff he had (that was obvious to me as soon as he came back with it). So then he started stuffing shopping into the small (free) bags they provide for frozen stuff etc. And of course he couldn't pay until after he had finished stuffing these tiny, thin, bags. If it were not for someone that knew him and helped him, I don't know how he was going to carry all that stuff. It would have been hilarious if I was not the one immediately after him in the queue.
Rescue Service
I am thinking of setting up a Tourist Rescue Service in Piran. I might even charge for it. The other day I was on the bus headed back to Piran when I met a Belgian tourist. He had just come from Ljubljana, the capital, and was going to stay in Piran. He hadn't booked any accommodation in advance (it was after 7pm when we arrived) and expected to find accommodation for about $60 without any problem. Piran is not Ljubljana. There are only a few hotels in Piran and $60 wont get you in the door in a hotel. Most accommodation is hostels or private apartments/rooms. I took him to the first hostel I knew of but reception had closed at 7pm and you had to ring them, but he didn't have a phone. So I rang and they were full. So I took him to the next hostel (which was near my apartment) and, luckily, reception was open. I dumped him there and ran. He didn't have any idea about Piran nor have a phone but, as I found out, he did have a good supply of cigarettes.
A Couple of Firsts
I went to Koper, (main regional city near here) to buy a few things and go to the cinema. Two amazing things happened:
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See you in Australia!
Some final photos...
Public Transport
While I was waiting for the bus back to Piran, from Skocjan Caves (see the previous blog) an old man approached me and started talking. At first I though he was just being friendly and was hanging around the station because he had nothing else to do. But then he started asking whether I smoked, then whether I wanted to go for a coffee, then a drink, then he was willing to go get some CDs for me. It took me a while to work out that all he wanted was to get a free cigarette, coffee or drink. The missing teeth should have been the give-away for me.
Disabilities
I saw a person the other day walking down the street who looked quite agile, carrying her crutches. I am not sure whether she was on her way to a worker's compensation doctor.
Supermarkets
The other day I was waiting at the supermarket checkout and of course a knucklehead was in front of me. Here you don't get shopping bags for free. Apparently this person must have decided to do his weekly shopping on the spur of the moment as he didn't bring any bags of his own and he certainly was not prepared to purchase them. Instead he made use of the free cardboard boxes. The only problem was that the box he brought back was only big enough to hold a third of the stuff he had (that was obvious to me as soon as he came back with it). So then he started stuffing shopping into the small (free) bags they provide for frozen stuff etc. And of course he couldn't pay until after he had finished stuffing these tiny, thin, bags. If it were not for someone that knew him and helped him, I don't know how he was going to carry all that stuff. It would have been hilarious if I was not the one immediately after him in the queue.
Rescue Service
I am thinking of setting up a Tourist Rescue Service in Piran. I might even charge for it. The other day I was on the bus headed back to Piran when I met a Belgian tourist. He had just come from Ljubljana, the capital, and was going to stay in Piran. He hadn't booked any accommodation in advance (it was after 7pm when we arrived) and expected to find accommodation for about $60 without any problem. Piran is not Ljubljana. There are only a few hotels in Piran and $60 wont get you in the door in a hotel. Most accommodation is hostels or private apartments/rooms. I took him to the first hostel I knew of but reception had closed at 7pm and you had to ring them, but he didn't have a phone. So I rang and they were full. So I took him to the next hostel (which was near my apartment) and, luckily, reception was open. I dumped him there and ran. He didn't have any idea about Piran nor have a phone but, as I found out, he did have a good supply of cigarettes.
A Couple of Firsts
I went to Koper, (main regional city near here) to buy a few things and go to the cinema. Two amazing things happened:
- a person on a scooter stopped for me when I was about to cross on a pedesrian crossing
- I was the only person in the cinema - on a Saturday!I think they weren't even going to open up until I got there.
And don't forget to subscribe to email notifications by visiting: www.worldmog.blogspot.com, and entering your email address into the the top right hand box, clicking, and then you will get a verification email.
See you in Australia!
Some final photos...
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