SOC 337L Study Tour
Hello there!
This week my class, SOC 337 (sociology), went to Slovenia for most of the week and Italy for a day. I would have never thought of going to Slovenia, but I'm so glad that we went! It was beautiful. When I stepped off the plane, the airport was surrounded by mountains, 360 degrees around. I couldn't believe it! I arrived on Tuesday in the afternoon before our class had to be there so we got to check in early. The first thing we did as a class was take a walking tour of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Even though it is a capital, it doesn't feel big at all! Slovenia has 2 million people in it. It is very laid back.
This week my class, SOC 337 (sociology), went to Slovenia for most of the week and Italy for a day. I would have never thought of going to Slovenia, but I'm so glad that we went! It was beautiful. When I stepped off the plane, the airport was surrounded by mountains, 360 degrees around. I couldn't believe it! I arrived on Tuesday in the afternoon before our class had to be there so we got to check in early. The first thing we did as a class was take a walking tour of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Even though it is a capital, it doesn't feel big at all! Slovenia has 2 million people in it. It is very laid back.
On our first full day as a class, we started out with an interview. It mainly asked about where the person's identity belongs and their beliefs and values. We headed for the main square. I looked for people mainly on benches that didn't look as busy since the survey was a little long. At first, I spoke to an older man but he didn't speak any English. Then I spoke to a woman. She had inspirational views! She identified not as a Slovenian or European citizen but as a global citizen, saying that we all belong to this Earth. She also thought that the environment was very important and that gender equality, animal rights, and so much more needed to be at the top of everyone's lists. Once we had finished our interviews, we were allowed free time for lunch. I went to the daily farmer's market and got the sweetest strawberries. Next, we went to the National Parliament where we learned about Slovenia's fight for independence, the joining of the UN and EU and the structure of their government. It is actually very interesting. Their government is the opposite of ours. The presidential figure is the weakest while the two chambers of their Parliament have the most power. All of the elections are held at the same time, not in shifts. One big problem they do have though is corruption since the country is so small. It was an intriguing lecture. After visiting the Parliament, we went back to the hotel to change back into casual clothes for our food tour! We stopped at 6 different restaurants around Ljubljana that showcased foods from all the regions around the country. I felt as if I was in a food coma afterwards, we had so much good food!
On Thursday, we started our day off at the Museum of Contemporary History. It had exhibits starting around WWI to present times. They had displays that got messages across in ways I've never seen in a museum. Each one connected to the next. After that, we visited the National Art Gallery that houses art painted or scuplted by Slovenian artists or that portray events in Slovenian history. I particularly loved the family portraits, landscapes, and impressionist paintings. We then had two lectures at the University of Ljubljana about Slovenia's independence and political and economic aspects. We then asked questions about the subjects of the lectures and what it is like to go to school in Slovenia (which by the way they go to school for FREE, yes, you read that right for FREE). We were on our own for dinner so I went to the Ljubljana Castle. I got a dish that we sampled the night before on the food tour. It was pasta filled with mashed potatoes and a lamb ragout. I also had some Slovenian white wine to go with it. Delicious! The views were also incredible from the castle. The city is just so pretty!
Friday was one of my favorite days of the whole study tour! First, we visited the Bled region of Slovenia. We went to Bled Castle where we saw the most magnificant panoramic views of the lake, island, and surrounding area. I could have stayed there all day long (but it was a little chilly because of the wind). Then we toured the castle. Once we got to explore a little bit, we got back on the bus to go to the Vintgar Gorge which is part of one of Slovenia's many national parks. It was GORGEOUS! (haha see what I did there, sad puns aside) I could have hiked there for the rest of my life. The water was as clear as glass and so blue. There were multiple waterfalls. Everything was so green! I loved it! Since we had to leave, we went to another lake in the Alpine region, called Bohinj Lake. The weather wasn't agreeing to well since it got quite foggy and we couldn't see many of the mountains. Nevertheless, it was still beautiful. Our last stop of the day for the tour was Skofja Loka, one of the oldest towns in Slovenia! We got back to our hotel to have a quick rest before dinner at Allegria Restaurant. We had a huge meal that included traditional Slovenian folk dancing!
Our last full day of our study tour started out by exploring the Skocjan caves! They were incredible! In one of the caverns, our tour guide informed us that we were under the parking lot. Our Earth is just so amazing and complex with the infinite amount of surprises it holds for us! Next, we went to the Lipica Stud Farm. I was in heaven. I think I got my horse fix that will hopefully hold me over until I get back on US soil. I've missed being around horses so much and this made it even more clear! They were all adorable though. We got to meet the stallions, geldings, mares, and the stallions that are most likely going to be involved in the Above the Ground training which is the most difficult dressage to learn specifically Lipizanner trained! After I was pried away from the barn, we went to a little coastal town called Piran. At one point, you could see Croatia, Slovenia (of course because we were standing there), and Italy! It was a picturesque village, but we were soaked and so cold! I still loved it though! We then took our bus to Treviso, Italy where we got to stay in a 4 star hotel. It was really nice because it was close to the airport for our flight early this morning.
As I said before, I never really thought about visiting Slovenia. But, I'm so glad I did. It has become one of my favorite places and won me over with its charm and nature! I can't wait to go back and explore the country even more!
Talk to you soon,
Kirsten
P.S. This next weekend I'll be traveling to Amsterdam! (And it's prime tulip season!)
Talk to you soon,
Kirsten
P.S. This next weekend I'll be traveling to Amsterdam! (And it's prime tulip season!)