Thank you, Ivanka

What a beautiful day! Cool but mostly sunny – just right for a focused trip to central Ljubljana.

Cecile wanted a few skeins of Slovenian yarn to knit with and had read of a yarn shop tucked away on a small ancient street near the river. It had a nice variety of yarn (not that I would really know what constitutes “nice”), so Cecile came away with a good project.

We also stopped at the giant Müller everything-in-one-place store for a few odds and ends – and so I could take a photo of a display shelf I had spotted earlier. Maple syrup! Fresh from Canada, albeit with German labels. I tap a handful of trees on our property and make my own syrup, so have a special appreciation for this honey from trees. I had always assumed that no one outside of North America liked maple syrup, but it looks like our sweet stuff has gone international.

I was also on the hunt for a T-shirt bearing the University of Ljubljana logo. I suppose one consequence of having no collegiate sports is that college logo-wear is rare here. You see shirts and caps from pro teams (including U.S. teams), but almost nothing on the scholastic side. We hit several of the university’s faculty (college or department) buildings scattered around downtown, but came up empty. Only later on the bus going home did I see a student with a hoody that I think was from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. That gives me hope – although journalism students don’t make up as lucrative a market as engineering students.

The main goal of the day, however, was to have coffee with Ivanka Ponikvar. Ivanka is the program specialist at the U.S. Embassy who shepherded me through the Fulbright application process. Without her, I would never have made it the Ljubljana – and I probably would have been rather lost once I got here.

Gracious, friendly and very knowledgeable, Ivanka worked for the international programs at the University of Ljubljana before Yugoslavia broke up and earned Slovenia its own U.S. Embassy – where she now oversees a host of international cooperation programs.

Cecile and I had a delightful time talking with her about both her Slovenian homeland and the U.S., where her son lives. We also discussed setting up some later meetings with Slovenian press people. Journalists cannot help flocking together, you know.

As I told Ivanka, I’m just happy to be here and to be of service any way I can.

Tomorrow is special – my 68th birthday! Cecile is taking me to a festival, then to an outdoor art market and then to a highly recommended Italian restaurant near the university. The best present I could every imagine is to be with the love of my life on the adventure of a life.

Captions: Flags fly at Ljubljana Castle; "Ahornsirup"; A visit with Ivanka.