Out of all the countries that made up the former Yugoslavia, it is a rational induction that the most modernized, westernized and democratic of the six (asterisk) would be the country furthest west, and therefore closer to the hub of Europe. Slovenia is definitely connected to that hub now, as evidenced by the particularly festive parties going on not only to celebrate their declaration of independence only fifteen years ago, but also to acknowledge the recent cession to the European Union. This promises very good economic times ahead for Slovenia and also puts pressure on the other former socialist states to join as well, if only to equalize their ability to compete with Slovenian trade.

This western most, newly independent state has not only two former Yugoslav mates as bordering countries, but also shares common ground with Austria, Italy, and Hungary. While occupied by Italian and German fascist forces during WW II the captors had to erect a twelve-foot high fence around the entire perimeter of Ljubljana to keep the resistance from bolting. You can still see the demarcation line and are able to follow it around the perimeter of the city even today.

When we finally arrived from the arduous opening journey I had the realization of just how far we had come. We were literally on the other side of the world, in a formerly socialist republic. Tonight we were staying in a housing complex that was a cluster of ten story towers on the outskirts of town that reflected an entirely different history and way of life.

Of course with the overall improvement of the economy through free trade with the West, that amelioration trickled down to most of the people in the more urban areas of Slovenia. Therefore the apartment towers were not as ragged, and shattered as they once were during more depressing conditions of the middle part of the century. I could not help but let my imagination wander back twenty or thirty years, before socialism began to lose grip in the area. When we visited it was a pleasant and comfortable place to live. I wondered if there might have been more chaos, poverty and desperation at one time, because I was able to sense the emotional history that is recorded into the walls of these buildings.

From the city to the farmlands we went and smack dab into the past, present and future of a Slovenian family, whose roots grow deep into Belakrajna soil. This was the area we were entering in order to attend a family wedding, The Belakrajna - the equivalent of the central valley for native Californians like myself. It is the heartland, where most of the food is grown for this little Eastern European country. Everything was green! Emerald green as far as the eye could see, as pastures and vineyards flowed by in a mesmerizing palette.

Now if this was a traditional Slovenian wedding, then I really like how they party! There was a wonderful sense of humor and a contagious feeling of joviality that was impossible to resist. I loved how they honored old traditions by doing a mock bidding war between the bride's family and the groom's family. They literally pulled out the bargaining table and the groom's family actually broke out a briefcase full of cash to help influence the bride's family. Everyone was laughing uproariously during parts of this kickoff event, but of course not speaking Slovenian, I was missing the punch lines. It did not stop me from smiling ear to ear and laughing with the crowd.

ER Harris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.ijs.si/slo/ljubljana/ljubljana-history.html

http://www.ljubljana.si/en/tourism/basic_info/history/default.html