There will not be a typical day in Slovenia, but here is a sense of what to expect. After morning individual and/or group metaphysical time, we will have classroom or excursion time. Coursework will involve reading and writing, experimenting with translation, and most importantly visits/interviews with writers and translators whose works we will be reading both during the Country Studies course and while in Slovenia and Croatia.
Students will learn the basics of the Slovene language through a brief course at the Center for Slovene Studies in Ljubljana. Day and afternoon trips to literary and culturally significant sites are likely to include the Tolmin Gorge and Kobarid, known for World War I and Ernest Hemingway; the Predjama castle in a cave: Lake Bled, a picturesque mountain lake with nearby waterfalls that have inspired poets and writers over the centuries; Celje and its castle; the Postojna and/or Skocjan caves, the latter being a UNESCO World Heritage site; not to mention modern literary sites such as the Celica Hostel in the classic European capital city Ljubljana.
Our four-day trip to Croatia will feature the university and tourist town of Zadar; and a side trip to the Adriatic island of Rab.
Each day will require a sense of adventure and flexibility as we embark on our scheduled activities.
Week One
Monday
- Arrive at Ljubljana
- Orientation in Ljubljana
- Boat tour on the River Ljubljanica
Tuesday
- Language class
- Literature class / cafe time
- Hostel Celica tour with Janko Rožic
Wednesday
- Postojna Caves
- Predjama Castle
- Tour of Vipava; including a tourist farm, cultural dancers, and the mayor
- Evening church testimony meeting
Thursday
- Language class
- Literature class / cafe time
- Literature course with Jason Blake and Slovenian students at the University of Ljubljana
Friday
- Semenska Knijzica (Seminary, Baroque Library)
- Ljubljana Castle
- Slovenian food at Open Kitchen food market
- Literature class / cafe time
Saturday
- Pokrajniski musej (Celje Regional Museum)
- Celje Urban Forest pedagogy activities
- Old Celje Castle
Sunday
- Group church service
- Self-planned tours
- Literature class / cafe time
Week Two
Monday
- Language class
- Slovene Writers’ Association speaker: Ifigenija Simonović
- Slovene Association of Literary Translators speaker
Tuesday
- Tour of Zagreb
- Meeting with writer/translator/publisher Ivan Sršen
- Travel to Zadar
- Sunset at the Sea Organ
Wednesday
- Tour of Zadar
- Meeting with Tomislav Kuzmanović’s graduate world literature students at the University of Zadar
Thursday
- Ferry from Stinica to Misnjak, Rab Island
- Literature class / cafe time
- Evening church testimony meeting
Friday
- Tour the town of Rab and its towers
- related to the book A Castle in Romagna by Igor Štiks (translated by Tomislav Kuzmanović)
- Literature class / cafe time
- Ferry from Misnjak to Stinica
Saturday
- Language class
- Literature class / cafe time
Sunday
- Group church service
- Self-planned tours
- Literature class / cafe time
Week Three
Monday
- Language class
- Meeting with author /professor Andrej Blatnik re: publishing/literature in Slovenia and his short stories
Tuesday
- Kobarid WWI Museum
- Hike the ridge of Kolovorat, Mt. Na Gradu
- Boka waterfall
Wednesday
- Vršič Pass
- Bled Castle
- Boat tour and potica baking workshop on The Bled Island
- Literature class / cafe time
- Evening church testimony meeting
Thursday
- Radovljica (medieval town)
- Vintgar Gorge
- Museum of Apiculture (bees)
- Gingerbread museum (honeybread)
- Vrba, birthplace of France Prešeren
Friday
- Strmol Castle
- related to the book I Saw Her That Night by Drago Jančar (translated by Michael Biggins)
- Slovene Writers’ Association’s courtyard / Gajo jazz club
- Abroaders read original Slovenia-themed wreath of sonnets
Saturday
- Explore market
- Literature class / cafe time
- Work on final projects
Week Four
Monday
- Škocjan Cave
- Piran
- Secovlje Salina Nature Park (salt flats)
Tuesday
- Final event map presentations / sharing
- Wrap-up
- Dinner at Guzina (Old Town Ljubljana)