Friendly Friday Enlightenment

In Slovenian we have very similar words for Enlightenment and illumination (razsvetljenstvo vs. razsvetljava). Let’s play with that. And there are some women to celebrate too. And the towel.

Since Amanda calls for more light for her and Snow’s Friendly Friday photo challenge, here is a collection of enlightened scenes from my birthtown Ljubljana in Slovenia.

We start around Christmas, when Ljubljana goes a little light-happy. Just a tad too much, if you ask me. There is more, including a surprising snake appearance. At a concert.

Let’s let the light in.

• 

  The Castle and the sperm. (Not a joke, ask the artist. Can you see it? 10 o’clock.)

• 

  Ljubljana needs all these lights because it’s cold.

• 

  Beware you don’t get inseminated.

• 

  The ceiling of lights.

• 

  These are just notes.

• 

  To make it hard to guess.

• 

  As if a bunch of not so talented kids took over.

• 

  The Arcades with the market behind.

• 

  On all the trees? Really?

• 

  The feeling is “could be anywhere but here”.

• 

  Pretty but unrecognisable.

• 

  This I know: The pink church in the centre.

• 

  Creation?

• 

  Križanke church. Someone lit the door up for me.

• 

  Inside Nostalgija Bar. These were nicked from a hairdresser.

• 

  Edo Maajka, Bosnian rapper, in concert. Check out the scarf of the lady on the left. It moves.

• 

  Union beer kegs at sister’s garden birthday party.

• 

  By the train and bus station in the early morning.

• 

  Dusk on my ex street.

• 

  A special look up. It spelled home and it still does.

• 

  Trnovo church, “the place of unlucky name” if you ask poet France Prešeren. She wasn’t game.

Next, some things go together better than others. Have a look at these four women (all apologies for borrowing their photos off the line):

Jelena Isak Kres

Andreja Inkret

Špela Kasal

Nina Voda

They are (in a brief and simplified version): translator of The Iliad into Slovenian and poet; another classical scholar and professor with the doctorate from Oxford; fine art and fashion photographer living in Paris; and free spirit, beyond-rock-star, world traveller, dog lover and simply Nina.

What do they have in common apart from being Slovenian? They are all illuminating and enlightened in their own ways, we spent some time together (the least with Nina, but my Nina has) in Greece, Hudi Log, Cres, Vienna…, I haven’t seen them for a while now (and barely recognised one of them in the photo), and finally – they all celebrate their birthdays today. Stars are funny in this way sometimes. Congratulations!

And finally, today is also Towel Day. I shall never forget the lightness that came with reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Long live and rest, Douglas Adams. I’m not sure if the friendly Don’t Panic inscription, which could be seen from space, is still there near Vitanje in my country but it was in 2015.

Vitanje, Slovenia, 2015. Photo: Rok Deželak

For Friendly Friday Photo Challenge hosted by Amanda from Something to Ponder About