Hey y’all, the last time I checked in was on Wednesday night when I was in Graz, Austria with my wife Anna-Maria and her parents, Klaus and Inge.
On Thursday, we all got up and checked out of our hotel room at about 11 am and had a quick bite to eat before parting ways with Klaus and Inge. They headed back home to Germany and Anna-Maria and I took off for our next destination of Ljubljana, Slovenia – 2 1/2 hours to the southwest. We were headed there to play a couple of gigs with my Slovenian buddy, Jimmy Blackmore, and his Pointless Rebels band and the first one was going to be later that evening.
One last stroll through old town Graz on Thursday early afternoon. Graz is a city of constant tram traffic. So long Graz! Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Austria). Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Austria). Hitting the Slovenian border not long after getting on the road. Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia). Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia). Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).A church on the mountain about halfway there. Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Graz to Ljubljana scenery (Slovenia).Hitting a long tunnel just before entering the Ljubljana metro area. Hitting the outskirts of Ljubljana. We were running a little late for the gig, so I convinced Anna-Maria to just do some quick McDonald’s for dinner. She was not thrilled about it. 😂The hotel we had in Ljubljana had an arrangement with a parking garage – but it was 600 meters away from the hotel, so we had to hoof everything there upon arrival. Somewhat annoying. It was extremely hot on Thursday in Ljubljana. Here you can see people trying to cool down under a mist machine in the old town.
After finding the hotel and getting checked in, we called up a taxi and got a ride out to the location of the show. It was at a biker bar attached to Ljubljana’s Harley Davidson dealership. The event was a double birthday party and they’d hired the Pointless Rebels to be their entertainment. Jimmy was nice enough to invite me to be a guest musician at the show and we wound up having a great time!
Arrival at the Two Bikers bar on the southern edge of the city. They had a rare American style semi truck there that they were taking turns riding around the block in and revving the diesel engine in the parking lot. Ready to rock out with the bikers. We chilled out inside and had a beer while waiting for Jimmy and the rest of the band to arrive. It was a festive atmosphere outside, but it was very hot and it was a little awkward to be there without knowing anyone or being able to speak Slovenian. But it wasn’t too long till Jimmy arrived and we got caught up with him and got introduced to people and starting setting up the stage. This is their new drummer, Allen. We hadn’t met before, but he turned out to be a nice guy and a great drummer. Jimmy and bass man, Gasper, working on the stage set up. Folks eagerly awaiting the show. They even roasted a whole pig for the event. Cutting up the piggy.
At about 9 o’clock it was time to get the show on the road. Jimmy and the band played a set and then invited me up during the break to play a few songs before returning to close out the show with the band. At the very end, I got up and played a few more and everybody there was highly receptive to their and my music.
The bikers all went out and fired up their Harley’s to signal the party was ready to start in earnest. This was pretty cool. Jimmy, Gasper, the two birthday boys, and another guy.
Pointless Rebels doing a little “Green, Green Grass of Home”I found my namesake beer at the Two Bikers bar. I had no idea this existed and it wasn’t too bad – but I’m not a huge fan of IPAs.
Here the guys brought me up to do a little “Jambalaya” with the band. The Pointless Rebels have great stage presence.
A little CCR I played while the band was on break. I was accompanied by their harmonica player, Robert.
Playing a little bit of “Last Kiss” during the band break. The birthday boys back up to sing “On the Road Again” with the band. Gasper – one cool cat 😎🤠Here one of the bikers joined the band to play the guitar case. 😂Here Jimmy brought up his occasional band member, Dorman, to sing some Johnny Cash.
Dorman singing some Folsom Prison Blues. They had a nice turnout for the event and everybody loved the music. Jimmy showing off a little, playing guitar behind his back. Our little corner of the patio.
I had told Jimmy a few weeks ago to check out David Allan Coe and you wouldn’t believe my shock when they busted this out in their closing medley. 😂😂😂
After the band finished up, I came back up and played a few more songs. This was “Jolene” and it was a big hit with the ladies.
Busting out “Hotel California”, a new one I’ve been working on since arriving to Europe. The tip jug was pretty full after the party and Jimmy and the other guys were kind enough to share 50 euros of it with me. Between the money, the free drinks and food, the friendly bikers, and the amazing night of music – it had definitely been worth coming out for!
On Friday mid-day, Anna-Maria and I set out to get some food and join up with a free walking tour of Ljubljana that she wanted to do. I had to cut out of the tour a little bit early because I was to meet Jimmy at 5pm to set up for another gig that he was including me in. This time it was on an outdoor stage in the old town between a few patios where the bars had come together to pay for the show. Jimmy had gotten a last minute offer to play at another nearby bar later on Friday, so I agreed to play the last set on outdoor stage solo so he could take off and do the other gig. Double dipping at it’s finest!
Anna-Maria carrying my souvenir empty bottle of Big Job to the car on Friday afternoon. A gentleman on the street making a sand sculpture of a dog. I was impressed. Crossing the Ljubljana river and looking for a place for a quick lunch before the city tour. Burger and fries for her. And a pretty decent pizza for me. Linking up with the walking tour. It was 101 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday afternoon in Ljubljana. 😰Getting the lay of the land from our tour guide. The mayor of Ljubljana happened by our tour group and said a few words to the tourists about why Ljubljana is such a great city. After this I had to go get my stuff and meet up with Jimmy to set up for our gig. Setting up the stage on the banks of the Ljubljana river. Getting the sound dialed in. We were joined by Robert the harmonica player for this gig. He stayed and played with me after Jimmy took off for his other gig. By the end, we were playing to three full patios of fairly enthusiastic listeners.
Here me and Jimmy played a little “Cotton Fields” together before he departed for the other show. Robert and I split the 90 euros in tips we got during the outdoor concert.
After finishing up on the outside stage and returning the sound equipment to the bar that had provided it to us, Anna-Maria, Robert, and I made our way down to the Three Bridges Bar that Jimmy was playing to catch the end of his show. We found him kicking ass with his buddy Dorman to a full patio and enjoyed watching. He even got me up on that stage for a couple more guest songs.
My roadie on Friday 🤘Jimmy and Dorman tearing it up late Friday night. Robert joined them on Friday night after playing with me all Friday evening.
Jimmy and the boys playing “I Saw the Light” at the Three Bridges Bar.
Me and Jimmy doing “Silver Wings” at the Three Bridges Bar.
Friday night was unfortunately Anna-Maria’s last night with me on this trip. She had to be at the airport at 5:30am on Saturday morning. So we went back to the room about midnight on Friday night and she got a few hours of sleep. I wound up just staying up all night because I hate waking up after a short sleep and I knew I could come back to the room and sleep after I got her to the airport.
Sunrise on Saturday on the way to the airport. An old plane in retirement on the Ljubljana airport grounds. The end of the line for Anna-Maria. We were both sad that she had to go, but we’d had a great 11 days together and it’s only going to be 3 weeks before I’m back home with her in Kentucky. Daybreak on the way back to downtown Ljubljana from the airport (about 25 minutes away from the city). Deserted streets of Ljubljana at about 6am Saturday morning. I hadn’t eaten anything since the pizza on Friday afternoon, so I snuck into the Best Western next to our hotel and partook in their breakfast buffet before heading to bed. I owe them one.
I wound up sleeping until about 2pm on Saturday and woke up feeling fresh and ready for Saturday night festivities. Jimmy had no gig for Saturday, so he and his girlfriend Adriana invited me to come to their place to have a home cooked meal of Slovenian stuffed peppers and do a little drinking at their place in the evening. That sounded like a fine plan to me and I was looking forward to one more hang with Jimmy on Saturday night.
Making my way to Jimmy’s on Saturday evening with a bottle of JD I’d had stashed in the car and some ice I’d procured from a cafe on the way. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find ice in Slovenia. It’s not sold in gas stations or grocery stores like it is back home. I found out the hard way and wound up negotiating with a bartender to get the little bit he was willing to spare. Eating and drinking picnic style in front of Jimmy’s place on Saturday evening. Slovenian style stuffed peppers and mashed potatoes made by Jimmy’s girlfriend, Adriana. It was fantastic and very appreciated. This was the second time she’d cooked for me on this trip. Gasper arrives on the scene to hang for a few minutes. And pick a couple tunes. I’d only ever seen him play the bass, so I was surprised when he turned out to be a good classical style guitar player. Jimmy’s friend from Russia, Marco, also came to hang out and he did some picking too. He was a heck of a nice guy. And Marco gifted me a bottle of pear schnapps. Along with the Jack Daniels and many cans of beer, it didn’t survive the night. After dinner and some hangs on the patio, Jimmy, Marco and I made the walk downtown to see what was going on. The Saturday night crew.
Jimmy claimed he could open a beer bottle with a 10 euro bill… But it didn’t work out Saturday night. His other trick using the phone was cool too though. 😂After Marco tapped out for the evening while we were downtown, Jimmy had the idea that we should climb the massive hill to the Ljubljana castle and see the city lit up from above. It was a tough climb, but pretty cool once we were up there. It was hard to get a good picture in the darkness, but the views from above were prime. Headed back to the hotel at about 4am on Saturday night and the streets were once again deserted.
On Sunday, I had to get up and be out of my room by 11. I was hurtin’ for certain, but I got out on time and made my way to the car for the ride to my next destination of Villach, Austria – about 90 minutes to the north. I booked there so I could begin the westward journey to Lichtenstein, where my next gig is booked this coming Friday. I wanted someplace relatively close to Ljubljana where I could go and recover from the weekend, but that would also get me a little closer to my ultimate destination and Villach fit the bill. But I had one mission to fulfill before heading out – laundry.
There was a waffle stand just outside of my hotel so I had one on my way to the car. It was damn good. But I was still hungry, so I grabbed a couple of slices from a fast food place as well. This did the job. Lots of dirty laundry had piled up on me over the last couple weeks, so I decided to take advantage of a laundromat with parking I’d found in Ljubljana to get it all done in one fell swoop before getting on the road. The place did the job and it had WiFi so I could work on this post a little bit while I waited on my clothes to get done. Trunk of the Fiesta reloaded with 100 percent clean clothes. If my calculations are correct, I shouldn’t have to do laundry again until I’m back home in Kentucky. So long Ljubljana – thanks for the great times! Scenery from Ljubljana to Villach (Slovenia).Scenery from Ljubljana to Villach (Slovenia).Scenery from Ljubljana to Villach (Slovenia).I did a very quick detour to see Lake Bled again as it was directly on my route to Austria. I’d been there already in 2019 – but it’s a beautiful place, so I thought I’d check it out again. Lake BledLake BledBack on the road to Villach. Massive traffic jam approaching the Austrian border. One of the worst of my trip so far. Hitting the nearly 8km long tunnel into Austria. First view of Austria. Stopping at a roadside rest stop for gas and food just past the Austrian border. I went with a currywurst and a leberkäse sandwich and both were pretty damn good. An alpine lake just outside of Villach. My room in Villach. I did some hardcore recuperating in this bad boy on Sunday night – researching and booking my next stops and working on the blog.
On Monday, I checked out of my room and headed into downtown Villach to get some breakfast and have a look around the town for a few minutes before getting on the road to my next destination – Bozen, Italy – 4 1/2 hours west.
Hitting up a pretty good breakfast joint in downtown Villach on Monday morning. Villach’s main pedestrian walkway. The Villach cathedral. A statue to the simple Austrian country folk in the area of Villach. So long Villach.
I’d chosen to go through Italy because it was about the same distance to Lichtenstein as my other option, which would have taken me through Salzburg, Austria. My rationale was two-fold. The first consideration was that Salzburg is very close to Germany and it would be easier for me to get back there for a visit from Germany on a future trip than Italy would be. The second was that the area of Italy I’d be going through was known as South Tyrol, and it’s a special autonomous area of Italy where the majority of people are ethnic German. It was given to Italy after WW1, but used to be part of the Austro-Hungaian empire. There is some interesting reading about the history of this region in the link below:
Below are some pics from this very beautiful drive through the Austrian and Italian Alps:
Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria). Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria). One of the many tunnels I went through on Monday’s drive. Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).One of several lumberyards I saw on Monday’s drive. Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Austria).Hitting the Italian border, about 3 hours into the drive. Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).A roadside fortification of some sort in Italy. Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Another lumberyard in Italy. Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).A castle high up on the mountain approaching Bozen. Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Another hillside castle. A pretty impressive engineering feat. Scenery from Villach to Bozen (Italy).Some vineyards on final approach to Bozen. A roadside vineyard. Hitting the outskirts of Bozen about 630pm.
It was a little bit late by the time I got to Bozen, but I still had some daylight left so I decided to try to see as many of the points of interest that I’d researched as I could before it got dark. I wound up making it everywhere I wanted to go on Monday evening and here are some pics of those places:
Roncolo Castle The Old Parish Church of Gries. Some graves in the courtyard of the church. This gentleman perished in 1944 in Leningrad. He was a member of the Luftwaffe and it states that he died “a hero’s death”. It always bothers me a bit to see the graves of young soldiers whose lives were cut short by war – even if they were fighting on the wrong side of the conflict. It’s just such a waste. A WW1 memorial to German soldiers from the Bozen area. It’s fascinating to me that someone who died last year could possibly have gotten a burial spot in a church that is over 1000 years old. Like, how could there still be room for fresh arrivals? The Muri-Gries monastery. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time I arrived. A memorial to fallen WW1 and WW2 soldiers at the monastery. The people who live in Bozen have some incredible views as they go about their daily lives. The 1928 victory monument commemorating Italy being on the winning side of WW1. Mareccio Castle. Another vineyard, right on the castle grounds. Hillside surrounding the castle. Another castle atop the mountain, as seen from Mareccio Castle. Bozen Cathedral. Bozen central market square. Bozen city hall. An interesting looking building next to the city hall. Laubengasse – Bozen’s main pedestrian street. Not enough people out and a little too late for me to bother with busking there on a Monday night. After my sightseeing, I popped into a regional restaurant downtown and had a really nice meal of Tyrol style meatballs, Tyrolean dumplings, and veggies for dinner. Arrival to my room in Bozen.
So you guys – that brings me up to the current moment in time. I’m chilling out in the room and have been working for a few hours getting this blog post ready. Tomorrow, I’m off to Innsbruck, Austria for a couple of nights and then on to Liechtenstein for my gig there on Friday. As always, I hope you enjoyed the update and I thank you for keeping up with me. I’ll check in again soon!
Hi. I don’t know, how I got here, possibly from some Fb post, or email.
Anyway, I was playin’ some harmonica with you at several songs. I hope it was more than good enough 😉
God bless.
Happy you and AM enjoyed 11 days together. Great picks and shows. Be safe.
Zeb South
Thanks Bill!
Bonnie BIngman
What an adventure you’re having!!
Zeb South
Yes it’s been great!! Only a little over one week left…
linda South
As usual, enjoyed all the pics of the beautiful scenery, that’s definitely a gorgeous part of this planet. Love the pics of all the dishes you are eating, how special to have Jimmy’s girlfriend prepare you a homemade meal, it looked fantastic! Sorry to see Mary Anne have to leave but like you said, 3 more weeks you will return back home to Kentucky! So, stay safe and enjoy your time that is left of your adventure!
Zeb South
Thanks mom – it’s actually just one week left now… Glad you enjoyed all the pics and yes it was great to get a home cooked meal in Ljubljana!
Frank Julian
Your descriptions of your days’ events with accompanying photos is very entertaining. Thanks for sharing them.
Zeb South
Thanks for the feedback Frank! Glad you are enjoying the blog 👍👍
Robert Ivačič
Hi. I don’t know, how I got here, possibly from some Fb post, or email.
Anyway, I was playin’ some harmonica with you at several songs. I hope it was more than good enough 😉
God bless.
see the comic I give out at http://www.kh43.com or http://www.kh43.com/0 ( find your language )
( it’s a click or swipe through site )
or more at http://www.LivingWaters.com
My music can be found on http://www.blueharp.bandcamp.com and on 5 more links from there on.
Zeb South
Hey Robert – yes sir it was great!!
William Schwab
Happy you and AM enjoyed 11 days together. Great picks and shows. Be safe.
Zeb South
Thanks Bill!
Bonnie BIngman
What an adventure you’re having!!
Zeb South
Yes it’s been great!! Only a little over one week left…
linda South
As usual, enjoyed all the pics of the beautiful scenery, that’s definitely a gorgeous part of this planet. Love the pics of all the dishes you are eating, how special to have Jimmy’s girlfriend prepare you a homemade meal, it looked fantastic! Sorry to see Mary Anne have to leave but like you said, 3 more weeks you will return back home to Kentucky! So, stay safe and enjoy your time that is left of your adventure!
Zeb South
Thanks mom – it’s actually just one week left now… Glad you enjoyed all the pics and yes it was great to get a home cooked meal in Ljubljana!