ASEF WEEKEND GETAWAY 2024
On the weekend of July 13th 2024, ASEF Junior Fellows embarked on a two-day getaway. Eighteen Junior Fellows from different generations – both from the Visit Slovenia and Research Abroad program – gathered for a weekend of bonding, fun and exploring Slovenia’s wonderful nature and local culture.
Departing in Ljubljana, we drove towards the gorgeous Predgrad in the Lower Carniola region, where we arrived to a warm welcome at the Skender Homestead in Laze pri Predgradu. The homestead in Laze, a small village on the Kolpa river, houses a family-owned camping site and rafting business. Greeted by kind locals and scenic views, we were escorted upstream to begin our rafting journey.
For over three hours, we floated down the Kolpa river, enjoying the sun and making stops at the river bank, expertly descending down bubbly rapids, greeting passing friends and locals and swimming in the refreshing water. After a good amount of rowing competitions and other water-soaked activities leaving us famished, we returned to our camp in Laze for lunch.
After lunch at the Skender family restaurant and some well-deserved rest, we continued with an afternoon of water sports, exploring the surrounding nature and comparing experiences with our own home countries. The Junior Fellows from the Visit Slovenia program received impromptu lessons in Slovene and, in return, shared some of their own culture from California, Kansas, Cleveland and the UK.
An active day of fun and bonding was concluded with a post-dinner session of card games, guitar-playing and singing. The multicultural note continued into our musical repertoire, where we borrowed from artists all over the world, teaching each other about our local music and even receiving an honorary acapella performance of an Argentinian song from one of our fellows.
“The ASEF weekend getaway was an amazing experience that will truly be unforgettable for me. I made so many great friends, connections, and memories that I will never forget. One of my favorite moments of the trip was Saturday night when we were all gathered around and singing to Ti moja rožica with the guitar. This is a song that I blast in the car and sing with my Slovenian friends back at home, so to be singing it in Slovenia with all my new friends created such a nostalgic feeling for me.”
Maja Košir, ASEF Junior Fellow 2024
The second day of our trip began with a traditional Slovenian breakfast of butter, jam, honey and fruit. We departed towards Sela in the municipality of Osilnica – also known as the land of Peter Klepec. There, we tested our courage and athleticism in the Osilnica Adrenaline Park. Led by our trusted guide Klemen, we gained the necessary safety knowledge to enjoy two hours of ziplining, slacklining, climbing, abseiling and various rope exercises among the treetops – all while surrounded by the beautiful Osilnica forest.
Afterwards, we headed towards Ribnica for lunch at Harlekin, a countryside inn priding itself with a blend of modernity and tradition. At Harlekin, they offer traditional Slovenian food and operate on principles of locality, upholding rural values and living in harmony with nature. Their menu reflects their mission as the delicious traditional Slovenian lunch left us all in a daze.
After a wonderful time at Harlekin, we arrived at our last stop: the Ribnica Handicraft Center. Ribnica is home to Slovenia’s famous local tradition of making and selling woodenware or “suha roba”. The mission of the Ribnica Handicraft Center is to nurture and preserve this tradition. In their own word:
“The mission of the Ribnica Handicraft Centre is continuous care for the overall preservation and development of cultural heritage and its integration with modern areas of creation; collection, protection, documentation and research of cultural heritage with the aim of providing the public with information about its significance in the past, present and future; building connections between cultural activities and tourism, as well as other industries; education and training; promotion of the cottage industry, the artisanal handicrafts, as well as contemporary artistic creativity.”
Ribnica Handcraft Center
We were given a workshop on the process of making a wooden basket by the kind and knowledgeable Mr. Nik. He guided us through the process of picking the correct branch of hazel, treating the wood, cutting it and planing it into a long smooth strip also called a “vitra”. Our Junior Fellows got to test their skills in splitting and carefully planing the wooden strips. Amused by our excitement and eagerness to learn, Mr. Tim generously rated our first very own “vitras” as a 7/10 and let us use them to weave a proper wooden basket.
Following this fun and educational workshop, we continued to the Center’s Woodenware and Pottery Museum, where we learned more about Ribnica’s local crafting traditions. We walked through the history of peddling, a tradition of traveling and selling woodenware. The tradition is over 600-years-old, but officially began in 1492, when Emperor Frederick III granted a Peddler’s Patent to the people of Ribnica. Thanks to the hardworking people of Ribnica and institutions such as the Ribnica Handicraft Center, peddling is, in its contemporary form, still very much alive today.
We were honored to learn about local traditions and the rich history of Slovenia’s Lower Carniola Region. The 2024 ASEF Weekend Getaway concluded with many new friendships and empowered connections to Slovenian heritage. We would like to thank everyone who warmly welcomed us and made our trip a memorable one: the Skender family at Kolparaft, Adrenaline Park Osilnica, the Harlekin Inn, the Ribnica Handicraft Center and the ASEF team; Aljaž Jakob Antloga for organizing this trip and Marina Vitković for event support and communication.
We also thank the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and the Office for Youth for their support.
