There will not be a typical day, 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 on campus and while in Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia.
In approximately 2.5 weeks spent in Slovenia, students will learn the basics of the Slovene language through a brief course at the Center for Slovene Studies in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. Day and afternoon trips to literary and culturally significant sites are likely to include 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 Škocjan caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site that looks straight out of Lord of the Rings; not to mention modern literary sites such as the Celica Hostel in the classic European capital city Ljubljana.
Our week-plus trip to Croatia will feature visits with writers, students, and translators in both the capital city, Zagreb, and the university and coastal tourist town of Zadar; a side trip to the Adriatic island of Rab; and exploration of a national park. We will also spend three-to-four days in Bosnia, touring both Mostar, famous for its rebuilt Ottoman bridge, and touring Sarajevo, where the first shot of WWI rang out and in the 1990s citizens struggled for almost four years under a siege that was only ended after international intervention.
Each day will require a sense of adventure and flexibility as we embark on our scheduled activities.
Week 1: Ljubljana and Celje, Slovenia
Week 2: Zagreb, Croatia; Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia; Jajce, Travnik, and Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Week 3: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Zadar, and Rab, Croatia; back to Ljubljana, Slovenia
Week 4: Piran, Kobarid, Radovljica, Lake Bled, and Ljubljana, Slovenia