Ljubljana, Slovenia
After an elderly man played a rousing rendition of La Bamba, people broke out into applause. When a few women rushed up to tip him he laughed and said, “I am old and rich, you don’t need to pay me”, and walked away. If that doesn’t sum up the spirit of the Slovenian people, then I don’t know what does.
From the moment I exited the Ljubljana train station the locals were bending over backwards to be helpful and friendly. A man on my train insisted on escorting me and my friends to our respective hostels. If you looked lost or confused for a moment someone would appear to ask you if you needed help or directions. During one dinner, our waitress overhead us discussing where to go out that night; a few minutes later she brought us pamphlets explaining where to go. And when I was heading back after a long hike one afternoon, a woman pulled over and offered to drive me home.
The Slovenian people are very proud of the fact that their country is the only country with the word love in it, and it really does embody their culture. In their main square they have a statue of a famous local poet. They’re quick to point out that most European countries have statues of kings or war heroes in their squares, but they feel that writers have contributed far more to Slovenian nationality, and therefore should be celebrated accordingly. A lot of this thought process comes from the fact that as a young nation of only twenty two years, they didn’t have a lot of national identity when Slovenia was first established in 1991. There was no flag, king, or national anthem, but they did have their language. As a result, language and culture are very important to the Slovenian people. This is obviously a culture that I can understand and appreciate.
Although they didn’t have a national anthem in 1991, they do now, and it provides one more example of the country’s thoughtfulness. Their final verse reads:
God’s blessing on all nations,
Who long and work for that bright day,
When o’er earth’s habitations
No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes, but neighbours be
I can’t think of any other nation who chooses to talk about the rest of the world in their own national anthem. And their one wish is that the whole world will find peace. If more of the world had a worldview like Slovenia—I think we’d be a lot better off.
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