One of these days I will get around to the interesting things of our daily life in Albania, but other things have been happening that are not part of what will be the usual daily routine, and I will share these first.
During the communist era Albania became the first and only nation in history to officially declare its religion to be atheism. The regime in power opposed, outlawed, and persecuted all religious expressions. The dominant faith at that time was Islam, which was natural given Albania’s hundreds of years as part of the Ottoman Empire. Muslims and the minority who were Christians (primarily Orthodox) faced very difficult times. Evangelical Christianity was basically unheard of, and missionary activity was illegal. It was a very dark time in the life of Albania.

After the fall of communism things changed. Religion was no longer illegal and missionaries of all kinds began to work in the country. Islam, because of its historical dominance, resumed its status as the leading religion, but it did not come as the culturally dominant force it exists as in some Islamic countries. It is rare to see a woman dressed in Islamic garb or with her head covered, and most of the Muslims do not regularly attend services at the mosque. The first two photos on this page are of the main mosque, which is in the central square, and the call to prayer can be heard in Nancy’s classroom every noon, but the call does not stop the regular goings on in the city, and few appear for the prayer.
Last week in the class Professor Morin, a professor at Bucknell University who is the leader of the class, led a very interesting discussion on religion in America. While the majority of students professed their Islamic allegiance, none of them were in the least bit intolerant sounding about other faiths, and all agreed that their own, and most Albanians’, religious affiliation was loose. The discussion was honest, thoughtful and intelligent.


As a result of that obvious interest, Professor Morin asked me to lead an extended session on the role of religion in America. Of course I agreed, and I marveled. The recent openness to mission work which I mentioned above has resulted in a flurry of missionary activity. I have come to know the Stevens Center, a gathering place for mission workers and other English speaking people. The Center has a café in it and during the several lunches I have had there, I have overheard the conversation at several of the tables and the topic has been the missionary activity of those gathered. The Center itself is sponsored by a Christian ministry. In other words the sense I get is that there is a lot of effort being spent by a lot of groups here in Albania. And each of these groups is obviously looking for ways to make contact with locals, in order to share the gospel. And here I was, not coming as a traditional missionary but as the spouse of an honored guest in the country, and I was being asked to talk about faith to a group of 39 young, intelligent, and future leaders of the country… I think this fits a new paradigm of missions—coming with a skill to offer the people and seeking opportunities to share the faith. If it does, I am thankful to God for being part of it! Maybe you have a skill that could be used abroad, and by offering it could be part of this new missionary strategy as well… Have you ever thought or prayed about it???
So, yesterday I gave my presentation. I talked about the history of religion in America, the current state of religion, church-state relations, and the individual and faith. Of course Calvin was featured in stories I had to tell. The class had many intelligent and interesting questions and the presentation went on for about two hours. In the end only God knows what impact I had, but I thank him for the opportunity that he gave me.

In addition to this event yesterday, another event took place that altered the usual for the entire city of Tirana. Last week we had learned that a special visitor was coming to town, and yesterday we learned that it was Donald Rumsfeld. All last week there was a buzz of activity around the embassy, and yesterday when we took our usual walk to Nancy’s class there were armed soldiers on the streets and large men in sport coats standing at the street corners between the embassy and the Sheraton. Traffic was being redirected and streets were being closed. And suddenly it became clear to me why, after what I understand had been months of inaction on a paving project in front of the parliament building, during the previous week work had been going on non-stop… I had a need to go to the Sheraton to get a fax sent, and the place was like a fortress. I could get in easily by telling guards I was going to Reception, since the hotel was still operating as a hotel and the assumption would be I was a staying there, but it was an experience. Today some of the same is happening, as our Secretary of Defense continues his “thank you for your participation in Iraq” visit. Interesting to observe. And some of the large men in sport coats are still in place at the same corners—either trying to be inconspicuous and to blend in, and failing in that attempt, or maybe not trying…
Enough for today…
The third photo is a night view of some of the Italianate buildings on the central square. The last one is The Professors --Morin, Ackles and Ackles.

The banner headlines streaming across the lower part of the screen on our television set just announced that “The Albanian representative to Italy is going to meet the Pop.” Ah, the interesting things translators inform us of...
This past week the news reported that a contingent of Albanian soldiers, I believe it was 129 soldiers, was leaving for duty in Iraq. That was correct—Albania has more soldiers in Iraq per citizen than any country besides the United States (and perhaps the UK). Albanians are very pro-America and they like Americans. They want to be like us and want to show that they are our friends and allies. You will not find much, if any, criticism of the United States or its policies in this small country, instead you will find respect and support.

Much of this goes back to the pre and post-WWI period. In 1912 a Balkan alliance defeated the Turkish/Ottoman armies and an independent Albania was recognized by the Great Powers (Britain, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Italy). However, that recognition, while creating an independent state, ignored the ethnic realities of the region and left almost half of the ethnic Albanians outside the new state—some in the south, as part of Greece, and even more in the north (Kosova), as part of Serbia. At the end of WWI, Great Britain, France, and Italy wanted to partition Albania among its neighbors, but US President Woodrow Wilson vetoed that plan and Albania was declared an independent and free nation. The United States was the prime mover in this freedom, and the Albanians have not forgotten either our country or that president…

I suspect that another component in this positive attitude towards the United States is American opposition to communism, a form of government that was expressed in the extreme in Albania from 1944 until 1990. After WWII occupation by Italy and Germany was ended, the Albanian Communist Party successfully gained power, and the country became officially the People's Republic of Albania. Enver Hoxha became dictator, and the country became perhaps the most closed nation with the most repressive government on earth. In 1985 Hoxha died and as the communist empire collapsed, so did the grip of Hoxha’s successors weaken. In 1990 independent political parties were legalized, and in 1992 anti-communists won a decisive electoral victory, opening up the country to the rest of the world. Looking back on the hardships of the communist reign, Albanians look forward to the democratic world—and America.
The State Department has a rating system for assignments overseas. The rating is based on the perceived level of hardship the one assigned will endure in a particular country. The highest rating, that is the greatest hardship level, is a 5—and Albania carries that ranking. But with only one week of experience, I do not quite understand that rating. I will write about that more, as I describe what life is like here for Nancy and me. But that is enough for today…

The first picture in today’s entry is of a small waterway that passes through the capital and that we walk by on the way from our apartment to Nancy’s classroom. The other pictures are of the central square of our home for the next four months, the city of Tirana, the capital of Albania. The statue is a depiction of the founding hero of Albania, the military genius Gjergj Kastrioti who lived from 1405-68. Known as Skenderbeg, he rallied the Albanian princes and succeeded in driving the Turkish occupiers out of Albania, and for 25 years, the rest of his life, he frustrated every attempt by the Turks to regain Albania. The large building labeled OPERA houses both the opera and the national library—which has a room sponsored by the US embassy, and appropriately called the American Corner. For years the United States supported libraries designed to inform people about America. They were usually located in or near the US embassy. All these have been closed in the recent past, due to budget cutbacks mandated by congress, but in some places enough funds have been allocated to support something like this one room in a library. It contains books on America and American life, internet access for study about America, and provides a classroom/meeting space for events such as Nancy is involved in these first two weeks—a class on Life in American Today, led by an instructor flown in from the United States for this specific class.
The third photo is of the Opera Building, which also houses the National Library and American Corner. I understand Opera is well done and inexpensive, and plan on being educated on this art form, which is completely foreign to me, while here.
The fourth photo is of one of the government buildings on the main square. If you recognize the architecture as Italian, you are right. Albania, being directly across the Adriatic from Italy, and having been occupied by Italy during WWII, has a strong Italian flavor, and that flavor is reflected in its buildings as well as its pizza.

Now on to Albania…
I arrived in Tirana, the capital of Albania, at Mother Teresa International Airport in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday, September 16. Mother Teresa was not from the country of Albania but was ethnically an Albanian. I had begun the day in Zurich and taken Malev Airlines (the Hungarian national airlines) to Budapest and on to Tirana. My arrival was set to be about 4 hours before Nancy arrived on British Airlines (she had gone Greensboro, NC to London on US Airways, then London to Tirana on British), so I sat in the only place to sit at the airport—a 24 hour coffee shop adjacent to the terminal. The literature on Slovakia had made the comment that the national pastime of Slovakia was smoking, and my immediate impression was that the Albanians had learned from the Slovaks. The café was filled with people drinking coffee (tiny cups of strong espresso, which, along with cappuccino is the only coffee drink available most places)—and smoking.
My wait at the café was made interesting by watching the people and by an extensive conversation with a young man who, at 4:00 in the afternoon had arrived to begin a vigil of waiting for his Lufthansa flight which left at 5:30 the next morning. He had been in Albania visiting friends for over a month, was enamored by the country and its people, was studying Albanian, and realized the foolishness of trying to get any sleep before needing to be at the airport two hours before a 5:30 flight. Our conversation was lively and I think it kept him engaged as well as it did me.
My entry into the country was fairly easy. In the back of my mind was a horrible experience I had on leaving Albania two years ago, when I had to fight my way in a hot, crowded holding area for over 4 hours in order to get to the immigration desk, but that horror was not repeated. The line for immigration was moderately slow, but not bad. And my bag arrived just as it should have, unlike the last time I flew to Europe for a cycling vacation and my bicycle did not arrive for three days. There were plenty of taxis and others outside the terminal looking for passengers to convey into the city, a 20 minute drive, but after saying no, thank you, several times I found the café and entered it as a sanctuary.



Nancy’s flight was a little late, and I had understood that someone from the American Embassy was supposed to be there to meet her. I kept looking for a likely candidate for that person, and saw no one, but soon after her plane landed there she was being escorted out of the terminal—chatting with someone while another person carried her bags. This welcome was completely unlike any I have ever received upon entering another country (or the USA), but it was just an introduction to the kind of treatment she is receiving as a Fulbright Scholar. When she saw me we greeted and she introduced me to her newly discovered hosts, and I became an honored visitor to Albania as well.
A comment on the Fulbright program. It is the longest running and most prestigious program of its kind in the United States. Funded by Congress annually, it sends scholars and researchers/students to universities in other countries in response to their requests, and it also brings foreign scholars and students to the United States for academic research or teaching. Our orientation in Washington DC clearly stated that Fulbright scholars such as Nancy are not employees of the State Department or any other branch of the United States government, but they are academicians who, while sponsored by Congress, go freely as academicians and individuals. This means several things. One is that Fulbrighters are free to express their own opinions about the United States, or anything or anyone else. While expected to act in an appropriate manner as representatives of the United States, there is no expectation or requirement that Fulbrighters express or support a particular governmental person, party, or policy. Another is that while Fulbrighters are seen as “honored guests” in a country, and afforded special attention by the embassy staff in the country, Fulbright participants do not have access to the resources of the embassy as if they were employees. This means that while we receive special treatment and attention by the embassy—greeting, hosting, helping around, orienting, etc.—we can not enter the embassy without special prior permission, and then only with an escort, and embassy services such as medical services are not available to us.
In practicality it has worked out like this. Nancy (we) were met at the airport and taken to a hotel that the embassy staff (Public Affairs Office) had arranged for us. We were driven around the city by one of the embassy staff and guided to appropriate banking facilities and helped in getting set up with a phone and phone card. We were taken to dinner and given a tour of the embassy, with introductions to most of the Public Affairs staff. A realtor was arranged to show us apartments, with the embassy staff following through to make certain that the apartment we chose was adequate, furnished and ready to occupy. We have been given phone numbers to call, Nancy has been guided to the class she is helping with these first two weeks, and we have been given tickets to a special showing of Modern Kosovar Art in the National Gallery. Next week we will be given a special embassy briefing on things to know and do in Albania. In short, we have been well treated and well guided. I guess that is the welcome that “honored guests” get—but how should I know, since I have never been one before…and when I cross a border wearing cycling garb and sweaty I am looked upon with a modicum of suspicion, not honor…
Photos embedded in this blog are taken from the balcony of our third floor corner apartment. The first photo looks east to the hills. The first building on the left is a student dorm for a school across the street. The second building, with the red base, is part of the university where Nancy will be teaching. The second photo looks south across the street, with hills in the background. The third photo looks west down the street and towards the center of town (not visible). The low yellow/brown wall stretching down the street is the wall of the American Embassy compound—if the breeze were blowing you could see the US flag flying in front of the main building. We chose our apartment for its openness and proximity to the embassy and Nancy’s teaching site.

Enough for today. More tomorrow…

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, September 14 and 15
Thursday: This morning I did not know what the day would hold. I knew my goal was Zurich by Friday night, but the question was how...Looking at
alternatives the conclusion was two long, but interesting train
rides--one today and one tomorrow.
So, I am now on the last leg of a Berlin to Frankfurt day, with the
Frankfurt to Zurich segment for tomorrow.
When you embark on a train trip you never know what it will bring--and
especially who it will bring. This time a young man sat down in the
cabin I had claimed, and for the next three hours we shared
information and ideas in a delightful way. He was just returning from
a trip to Berlin to make final arrangements for a flat for himself his
"woman" (not a negative word as he used it--a wedding is in the
offing), and their one year old. He works for Rolls-Royce designing
airplane engines and his woman is finishing her med school work. I
learned his take on history, geography, faith, and politics as we sped
through former East Germany and passed the places Martin Luther had
frequented--including Wittenburg (95 theses) and Eisenach (monastery
where he translated the Bible into German. A fascinating journey.
Frankfurt was even more crowded than Berlin, and I was lucky to find any room at all--but I did. When I stepped off the train I went to the tourist office at the station (most large cities have such places) and asked for a room. The response was that there were conventions in Frankfurt all that week (there seem to be conventions all every week...) but that they could book me into a hotel some distance from the train station for only 184 euro (about $250). I said thank you and headed out of the station to look on my own. In the end I found an apartment for rent by the day, and while I did not save a great deal I did save some and the location was excellent...

Friday: Today I finished my trip to Zurich. It took several hours on the train, but I arrived in plenty of time to find a room in Kloten, the town near the airport in which I had stayed at the beginning of my trip. I picked up the things I had left at the first hotel I stopped at, and all was in order. I decided to leave my bike in Zurich so that I would have to return and do a little more cycling before completely settling in to Albania, and I was delighted to find that the hotel I was staying at would be glad to store it for me.
The only unusual event of the day was when the conductor on the train between Basel and Zurich informed me that I had to purchase another ticket for that journey, even though in Berlin I had purchased a Berlin to Zurich ticket. On the way out of Switzerland the Austrians questioned the ticket we had purchased in Switzerland--almost denying us transport with our bikes. In the process the Austrian conductor made some derogatory comments about the Swiss railways for selling us a ticket that no one else would sell. Now coming in to Switzerland the Swiss conductor was making derogatory remarks about the German railways for selling me the ticket he did... The comments reminded me of the negative comments the Swiss hotelier had made about the Italians at the beginning of my last trip to Europe...Seems like European unity is not all that it is made out to be...

The earliest rousing of the trip, breakfast at the hotel, then on to
the train to Berlin. Set to be a 12 hour trip, I have no problem
finding the train and getting my bike on. Then I find I have an entire
"room" to myself--5 seats, a window and small table, and right next to
my bike.
Poland is flat... miles and miles of forests and fields, with an
occasional village or large town. Again things seem worn out and worn
down. Lots of graffiti and plenty of rusting old machinery along with
high-rise apartment buildings that look like they may have never seen
better days.

One common sight around any populated area is a tract of small private garden plots. Every family in Poland was given the right to have one of these under communist rule--they were also told what to grow and what to build on the plot. Pleasant place to spend an afternoon.
When I arrived in Berlin I discovered that it was full... Conventions in town and the hotels full up.. Finally, after cycling down some side streets, I found an apartment that could be rented by the night, and I took it. By far the most costly investment of the trip, but any port in a storm...
I did not have any time in Berlin, because I needed to take the train out the next day, but I was certainly impressed by the bustle and modernity of the city. My apartment was only 500 yards from where the Berlin wall had been--a bit of history that I am glad is over!

TUESDAY, September 12
The first non-cycling day of the trip--but a day of travel planning. I
decided not to return to Zurich by cycling there via the route I had originally set to use to get to Poland. Instead I decided I should (and wanted to!) get to Albania and be there when Nancy arrived. This meant finding the best way to get from Krakow to Zurich, where I had stashed some things I was taking to Albania, and then from Zurich to Albania. This would be somewhat complex in itself, but I also had to find transport means that would accommodate my bike as well as my person... In the end the best I could figure out was to take a train to Berlin then from Berlin to Zurich--not the shortest route but seemingly the best one.
So I will have a day in Berlin then on to Zurich and to Albania.
Oh, yes, we did have some time to look around Krakow, mostly the center square--enough looking around to know it is a city I would like to visit again...

MONDAY, September 11
Today we looked north and saw what we had to deal with--the High Tatras Mountains. This range seperates Slovakia and Poland, and it is foreboding. When we told people in Poprad where we were heading, they shook their heads in dismay and wonder, but we had no choice. I had planned on going over the mountains at one of the lower passes, and that was our route, but it was still quite a task. The pass itself did not compare in height with those over the Cascades, but it was long--and, again, beautiful. Ask most cyclists and they will say that climbs are OK because they have a defined end and a reward for the effort. Cyclists will also quickly compare climbs with wind--which has no end and no reward...
In any case we headed out of town and up and over the pass. The climb was long and hard, but the day was gorgeous and the scenery spectacular. And once over the pass we did have a long roll all the way to Poland!
The border crossing into Poland was like most of the others--nothing. Show your passport and be waved in. The country you are leaving and country you are entering each have their staff, of course, but they often share the same building. As a citizen of an EU country Brian's passport did not get the scrutiny mine did--but then he did not get a single stamp while I got two!
Our goal in Poland was about 30 miles past the border, and we reached it easily. We had planned on staying the night in the village we were aiming towards, but there was nothing attractive there, so we put our bikes in a bus (busses take bikes as well as most trains do) and went to Krakow, the largest city in southern Poland and the place Brian was scheduled to fly out from. We arrived after sunset and cycled to the first hotel we found, where we settled in for the night--our journey completed...

SUNDAY, September 10
Into a new country--Slovakia. And a lesson on the meaning of hills. Long hills...But with them there were the beautiful countryside and the great vistas. More than any country up to now, the stark contrasts between the beauty of the countryside, and even the small villages, and the decaying apartments, abandoned factories, and other depressing villages was startling. Once again, the complete failure of communism was on display in vivid, and sad, images. At one point I was sad as I cycled past an apartment complex at the outskirts of a town--dirt road, dirty creek, and what seemed like hundreds of children dressed in dirty clothes out playing in the mud...
But then I smiled broadly to see whole villages, children, teenagers, and grandparents together, in the fields harvesting potatoes.

Our cycling took us nearly through the entire country, as we were going south to north at one of the narrowest points in the country. We stopped just short of Poland, in a town named Poprad. The main center of the town was lined with small shops and cafes, obviously suited for tourists. When we asked a vendor who spoke English where to stay, he pointed us to AquaCity, something we knew nothing about--but enjoyed greatly! Turns out that there are thermal springs in Poprad, and around and over those springs has been built a very modern and very nice aqua complex. It has the largest indoor swimming pool I have ever seen, and saunas, spas, an ice room (filled with ice shavings to simulate an Artcic plunge), and outdoor warm and hot thermal pools. School children come to it by the hundreds, and it has become a destination site for Russians, Poles and even Israelis (the latter because of a Jewish village nearby--one wonders what that village has seen in the last 75 years...) In any case we thoroughly enjoyed the luxury! And the price as well...
A word on prices--low! Switzerland was incredibly expensive, Austria very expensive, but the former eastern bloc countries, although there was plenty of variation depending on service level, much more affordable...

SATURDAY, September 9
Still in Hungary, today we encountered some serious climbs en-route to
Aggtelek, a town on the border with Slovakia, and site of a UNESCO recognized cave complex. Some of the hills seemed to go on through forests forever, but at least when we got to the top we knew we had a good coast ahead of us and the scenes unfolding were usually spectacular.
We arrived at our destination fairly early in the afternoon, settled into the run-down hotel nearby, and signed up for the cave tour. The tour was interesting, and the caves amazing--but it would have been somewhat helpful if we would have been able to hear a bit of commentary in English, not just in Hungarian (which is a very strange language to us, with little or no resemblance to English--Nancy could say more about the language and its origins...) The season for this part of the country is pretty well over, but since it was a weekend there were a number of people around, and while the stalls selling coca-cola, sandwiches and souvenirs were pretty slow, they did get a little business.

FRIDAY, September 8
Today began in a small tourist town, and ended in
another, this one in the mountains, Szilvadvarad. Both are up out of the plains a bit, and obviously have been centers for holiday makers for some time. They are set up for for people to come to and relax. Not much to do according to US standards, but the trees and walking paths provide a welcome change from the heat and crowds of other places.
A comment on coffee...Starbucks cards are not honored in Zurich, let's
start there. Then, morning coffee is like ours and always offered--but
only in the morning. After breakfast coffee is readily accessible, but
only espresso. Some places will add some extra water if you order
"long coffee", but not often. And Nescafe instant is usually actually
behind whatever form the coffee is delivered to you in...

THURSDAY, September 7
A comment on the food. As we have stayed in small hotels and pensions
breakfast has always been included. It has also generally been
similar--a buffet of cereals, yogurt, meats, cheeses, some vegetable
or fruit, bread, boiled eggs, coffee and tea. Great for cyclists! We
do not stop for a lunch, but usually after 25-30 miles pause for a
coffee, some juice and water, and perhaps ice-cream or something
(there has not been much in the way of good pastry). Dinner is always
the most interesting meal. Menus are generally available in English,
but the words only convey so much. Seldom have we been disappointed,
but often surprised. The volume, shape, and content have varied so
much that we have started ordering a second course only after
finishing the previous one. We try local specialties and
suggestions--with good luck. I have always said that one of the
benefits of cycling is the freedom to eat all you want, and this trip
is no exception...
Today's travel was more plains, fields, patches of forest and lots of
fields. We stopped in a small tourist town, Matafured, on the apron of the hills
bordering the plains and separating Hungary from our next destination,
Slovakia.

WEDNESDAY, September 6
Today our journey went through the Plains. Mile upon mile of flat
lands with corn and sunflower fields. The impressions of the land and
people continued the same as yesterday--dreary and poor. As the day ended
we settled into the largest town in the area, where we did find an
open hotel after discovering that the main hotel, the one advertised
for miles, was closed. Dinner in a street-side cafe with a great "caesar salad" concluded the day.

TUESDAY September 5
After a short ferry ride across the lake, we embarked on our journey
into the plains of Hungary, an area I had very much wanted to
experience. We worked our way through small towns and past fields of
corn and sunflowers. The general impression I got was that Hungary
had not gone as far down the road of development as Slovenia--the
roads were rougher, the towns more dreary, and the machinery in the
fields less modern. For the first time we saw horse-drawn wagons in
use in the fields and on the roads.
The night was spent in a hotel near the banks of the Dunac (Danube),
from which the Great Plains stretched to the east as far
as the eye could see.

MONDAY September 4
Today was our longest day--85 miles. It began in a gently rolling area
that passel through forest lands then continued to the shore of Lake
Balaton, the largest lake in Europe. There is a bike path along the
lake and we followed it for much of the way. However it did not go the
whole way and sometimes was misleading, which was a problem--especially when we followed its directions and ended up going directly away from the lake we were supposed to be cycling alongside of. We ended the day at Tihany, a village on a peninsula that juts out into the lake,
where we stayed at a hotel that looked and acted like the season was
over. Several hotels (perhaps most) in Hungary are holdovers from the old days--and the old days were not good days, nor were the buildings build for their aesthetic and service values... When the Bible talks about God creating the universe in such a way that it was "pleasing to the eye", it certainly validated a concern for the way things look, not just how they work...i.e. art and beauty.

I intend to catch up in the next few days! Then move on to Albania comments and photos... Here are past posts that I finally have the opportunity to share...Will

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Today we managed to cycle in three different countries, with two
separate entries into one of the three. We started out from Ptuj,
after a substantial breakfast, and cycled through Slovenian territory
to Ljutomer, another Slovenian town. While this town is listed as a
tourist destination, it was almost deserted on this Sunday morning.
After a coffee there, we cycled into Croatia. As part of the EU, there
were no particular border restrictions, and the road we chose was the
straightest route to our destination for the day. I did not see a great
change as we moved from one country to another, except it did seem to
be a bit poorer in sme ways.
After only about ten miles in Croatia, we passed back into Slovenia
for ten miles, then crossed the border into Hungary. Our goal for the
day was Lenti, a small town 40 miles from Lake Balaton, the largest
lake in Europe. I was surprised to find separate designated cycle
paths along much of our route, and look forward to finding more as our
journey in Hungary continues. I was also surprised at the few people
we saw and the few cars that passed us today.
Lenti, the town we are spending the night in, is more like what I have
seen of former Soviet Union areas than the other countries we have
visited. The housing in the town is primarily large, seemingly not
well made, apartments. The stores are small and old. We will see
whether or not this is what we find in the days ahead.



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Today was a repeat of yesterday--about 60 miles cycling through
forests, small towns, and fields. Several pretty substantial hills to
climb, then coast down. Perfect weather.
The surprise and highlight of the day took place not long before we
reached our destination, Ptuj the oldest city in Slovenia. As we
cycled along we came across a group of 12-15 people of various ages,
standing in someone's yard and singing hymns in Slovenian. I stopped
and took out my camera, and the group, although somewhat
self-consciously, finished their song. At its conclusion I motioned to
continue, and they obliged me with beautiful harmony and words which,
although I could not understand them, were words of praise.
When their song was finished one of the produced a bottle of light
wine and two glasses--one for me and one for Brian. Another of the
group came forward and, in good English, interpreted us to them and
they to us. They were a choir from the local church, practicing for
Sunday--and for a local special performance that they were about to be
late for! We said our good-byes and parted, each with memories that
only happen when God brings people from different worlds, but one in
Him, together.



In Ptuj an annual folk festival was going on, so Brian and I wandered
the riverfront listening to music and watching people. Another special
event, a serendipity of travel.
Our hotel in Ptuj. (pronounced just like it is spelled...)


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
The sun is out, the breakfast of boiled egg, cereal, bread, juice,
coffee, ham, cheese, yogurt and banana was excellent (that is a
typical offering in Slovenia, and rooms always come with breakfast
included). So off we went. Small roads, little traffic, small
villages, short but steep hills, and a river (the Krka) by our side
much of the way. A stop at 35 miles for ice cream and coffee in a
picturesque and historic town called Novo Mesto, then on. The fields
produce corn and hay, and people are out working them, using
everything from modern equipment to hand hoes. The hay is hung on
large drying racks and the corn stacked in bins, waiting to be fed to
the animals.


After 60 miles cycling the day ended in Brezice at a hotel attached to
an Irish pub. Dinner consisted of a typical Slovenian dish of two
dumplings with a meat stew/goulash to put over it--plus a salad. Good
for energy for the day ahead!

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THURSDAY, August 31
This morning the station master assured us that the next train to
Ljubljana would indeed accept bicycles (it was not Yugoslavian), so we
took it. And he was right. In short order we were in Slovenia's
capital, the sun was bright, there was a festive feel in the air, and
we were on our way. A quick look around the city and a lunch on the
river bank, then on we rode. It was fairly late, so we did not go far,
but we found a small pension and settled in for the night.
Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and when that nation split up it went
its way peacefully. It was a fairly prosperous part of the united
Yugoslavia, and has since grown well and become part of the European
Union. Much of Slovenia is forested, much agricultural, and on the
whole it is a wonderful place to cycle. And tomorrow we would start
out in earnest.

WEDNESDAY, August 30
The weather had not changed, so we did.

We went to the train station
and asked about tickets to Rome or Ljubljana (Slovenia), two places we
knew were outside the weather system settled in over central Europe.
We decided on Slovenia, purchased our tickets, and 10 minutes later
were on the train. Our bicycles were safely loaded in the baggage car,
and we were on the move. As the train made its way east out of
Switzerland and through western Austria, we smiled at our decision to
completely change our route--especially as the rain kept coming down
and we could see snow dusting the hills. Our train ride was
comfortable and uneventful until the last leg, from central Austria to
Slovenia. Waiting on the platform, we watched our train pull in, and
looked for the sign indicating where we should load the bikes--such
signs mark most trains in Europe. When we did not see a sign, we asked
the attendant, and were informed that this train did not take
bicycles. Our tickets said it would, but that made no difference. The
only suggestion the attendant had was for us to abandon the bikes and
board the train, hardly a reasonable option. In the end the train
pulled away without us, and we were informed by the station-master
that "Yugoslav trains refuse to carry bikes..." I wish someone would
have told the Swiss ticket-seller!
So, what to do--just keep going! We decided to take the next train
going in the direction of our destination and get off just before
entering Slovenia. While by this time it was late, we followed this
plan and ended up in Villach, Austria for the night.
I don't know the lesson from all this today. Perhaps, once again,
flexibility is what it is about. Years ago a friend said it this
way--You flex or you break. How true!

TUESDAY, August 29
Today began with the same clouds as yesterday ended with, but no rain.
Brian and I set out from Uster, this time certain of the route, and
proceeded along well marked paths and roads. The scenery was
spectacular as we made our way along lakes, rivers and canals that
were surrounded by high alpine peaks. Our general direction was west
towards our inevitable climb up a high pass to join the river Inn and
its famous cycle path, which we intended to follow for 300 or more
miles to Passau, Germany, where it joins the Danube.
However, as the day went on the rain came down in increasing
intensity, until by the time we reached our stopping point at 69 miles
we were riding in a torrential downpour.
From the warmth of our hotel in Bad Ragaz, and from the Italian
restaurant we feasted in, the sound of wind and rain continued
unabated, the weather reports told only of unseasonably cold weather,
including snow at elevations lower than our intended route, and the
hotel manager only shrugged her shoulders...So...Continued on
Wednesday.
The lesson? What a blessing to have the resources to get in out of the
rain! How many do not have them...