斯洛文尼亚／Slovenia（Part 1）

当初游中国时，在阳朔的青年旅舍认识了来自斯洛文尼亚的Mirjana，这也是我结交的第一个斯洛文尼亚朋友。当她知道我打算从中国游到东欧时，她就交代我一定要到斯洛文尼亚玩，好让她介绍她的国家给我认识。原本斯洛文尼亚并不在我的计划之内，但无法拒绝她的盛情，最后就答应了。
While touring China at the start of this trip, I got to know a girl from Slovenia, Mirjana while in Yangshuo. This is actually the first time I got to know of someone from Slovenia. When she heard that I will be travelling from China to Eastern Europe, she insisted that I drop by Slovenia so that she can show me around. Slovenia was not on my plans originally, after at Mirjana’s insistence, I thought, “Why not?” and hence made a promise to see her in Slovenia.

就和其他东欧国家一样，对斯洛文尼亚的认识并不多，只知道它曾经是南斯拉夫的一部分，根本不知道这是什么样的一个国家。去了之后才知道，这其实是个非常漂亮的国家，摩登、新潮，感觉上与西欧国家没有什么两样，尤其是这里使用的是欧元，物价可以媲美西欧国家。
Just like my knowledge of the other Eastern European countries, I know nuts about Slovenia. All I knew about this country prior to arriving there was that, it used to be part of Yugoslavia. Only upon arrival, do I know that this is actually a beautiful, modern and well developed country, just like the Western European countries. The fact that Slovenia uses Euros as its currency meant that cost of living here is high, which makes it all the more closer in culture and living to its western counterparts.

＊卢布尔雅那／Ljubljana
Mirjana就住在斯洛文尼亚首都卢布尔雅那。不过我抵达斯洛文尼亚的当天，她正好与朋友约好了到郊外“野餐”，于是她和男朋友Rasko开车到边境接我，然后带我参加他们朋友的聚餐。
Mirjana is originally from the northern parts of Slovenia, but is now living and working in the capital city, Ljubljana. On the day I was arriving in Slovenia, she actually had a date for picnic with her friends. In the end, she and her boyfriend, Rasko, drove to the borders to pick me up, where I was arriving by train via Zagreb, Croatia, and brought me to join them for the picnic.

原来所谓的“野餐”是到友人在郊外的渡假屋去聚餐。除了我之外，其他的客人还包括了一名在斯洛文尼亚工作多年的韩国人，以及正好来探访她的好朋友。晚餐是欧式拼盘——鸡肉、马铃薯、番茄等全放入一个大锅，然后在户外烘烤，美味！
The “picnic” was actually a gathering at the summer house of one of Mirjana’s friend. There were other foreign guests other than me, i.e. a Korean girl who was visiting her best friend who is working for the South Korean Embassy in Slovenia. Dinner was a big platter of chicken, potatoes and tomatoes, which was then cooked outdoors, oven-styled. It was really delicious and definitely a good introduction to the Slovenian way of life! 不知道是不是斯洛文尼亚的空气不太适合我，才刚到就病倒了，结果到那里的头几天一直都躲在Mirjana的家里，哪里都没有去。直到身体稍微好一点，才到卢布尔雅那市中心去走走。
However, before I can get to enjoy more of Slovenia, I came down with flu and cough. In the end, my first few days in Slovenia were spent in Mirjana’s house, admiring the “scenery” from the windows. Only when I felt better after a few days rest was I able to take a walk in Ljubljana’s city center. 卢布尔雅那虽然是斯洛文尼亚的首都，但因为斯洛文尼亚本来就是个小国家，卢布尔雅那也就没有其他欧洲首都那样的喧闹和拥挤，反到是整个城市有种小镇的感觉。路上行人不多，即使走在卢布尔雅那市中心的主要街道上，你也不会看到拥挤的人群。
Although Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia, it is not as congested or as bustling as the other European capital cities. Because it is one of the smallest countries in Europe, you do not see crowds of people in the streets. In fact, the whole city exudes a small town feel, which makes it really pleasant to stroll around in. Even walking down the main thoroughfare of Ljubljana, there is not much hustle or bustle, making shopping here a pleasant experience. 这是卢布尔雅那的城堡。和之前看到的城堡比起来，当然逊色多了，但很喜欢城堡周边清幽的环境。
This is the castle in Ljubljana. Of course, compared to all the castles I’ve seen before, this castle is really nothing to crow about, but I do like the quiet surroundings of the castle.
Mirjana并不是卢布尔雅那人，而是来自斯洛文尼亚北部，而北部的食物与其他部分有点不一样，所以有一晚Mirjana带我到一家餐厅去品尝她家乡的食物。Mirjana的家乡菜以猪肉为主，所以这里的所有食物都是各式各样的猪肉食。虽然我不是特别喜爱猪肉，但这些食物还真不赖。
After a few days of eating at home while trying to recover from my illness, Mirjana decided to bring me for some proper Slovenian food. She brought me to a restaurant in the city, where the restaurant owner is actually from the same region as her, and hence, does food that you can find in Mirjana’s hometown. Apparently, people eat more pork in the north, and as such, all the dishes contained pork. Although I don’t normally like pork that much, I must say this pork meal is one of the most delicious that I had.