Europe: By land, sea, and bench.

Hah, sorry for that last post. It seems every time I sit down to make a post, crazy Italians burst in and start jumping around. Actually, this time it was Aussies who were doing the distraction, spouting obnoxious crap that made me grind my teeth. It's odd; for all the Ugly Aussies, and Ugly Germans, and Ugly CANADIANS I've met, haven't come across any American jackasses. Not even Chris Pontius/Party Boy in Tokyo.

Well, it's been a little game working to get to Dubrovnik. Yesterday I got into Ljubljana, Slovenia, which was quite a charming little town. Its old town has some neat bridges, a big pink church, and a huge hill with a castle on top. Made for a fun afternoon just cruising around. I eventually found some path to the top of the hill, and the views were gorgeous. Long rays of afternoon sun were piercing a light layer of mist rising from the nearby forests, and the orange glow lit up the ranks of town, hill, mountain, and finally, off in the distance, huge friggin' alps.

*I'd love to put some pictures up, but ever since I started that, I've been posting rather infrequently. It is, of course, quite difficult to find a cheap connection with USB ports and picture software, so the pics will come when they come.
[Update 9.17.05- Enjoy]

Anyhow, it was then a dinner of Krvavica, a Slovenian blood sausage, with sauerkraut and (julian? julianned?) potatoes. Quite tasty, and accompanied by two glasses of a bold red, this all came to 6euro.

My bus to Rijeka was scheduled for 0630, so I thought it might be risky to get a hostel, since I always oversleep in a bed. So, I saw some bellwethers at the train station, and set up there for the evening. I say bellwethers, since "homeless" is a sad and perhaps misleading title, but if I see some sleeping on benches, it means I probably won't be bothered by rent-a-cops. So, with an inflatable pillow, warm sleeping bag, and valuables locked up in the station, I read for a while, and chatted with another BW before getting some shuteye. Quite a nice chap, though he spoke no English and I no Slovene, so it was more like charades. Bought him a big breakfast for $1.60. I think that hitch-hiking must have been like this way back when; a neat, cheap travel alternative, before it was eventually spoiled by a few nutcases. So if any nutcases are reading this, please don't go bagging it.

So now I'm in Rijeka, waiting for a ferry to Dubrovnik that leaves at 2000. It's a funny little harbour town, this, and pretty as it is, there isn't much to do or see. I may run out of paperbacks if I don't find a book exchange soon, though I did trade the German History text for a copy of Dumas' MC-Count. That may last me a while.

I don't think there will be much hiking any time soon; the land mine hazard is still rather serious, and I'd rather not take stupid risks. Just makes me miss Etown more, since upstate NY really is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Anyone at home, do go for a hike, walk, or ride for me.

I'm off to ask some Croats about their favorite Serbian Football players. More soon (if I still have fingers).