A visit from Cymru!

Welsh General / Questions
#1

Now the waiting is over and it really is happening!

Yesterday I’ve spent lovely 4 and a half hours with @margaretnock talking almost exclusively Cymraeg. We walked around in Ljubljana and talked at the same time about many various things. I didn’t even count the time and I was kind of surprised I’ve managed to hold with speaking the beloved language I learn for such amount of time. When you start talking and if you’re with person as great as Margaret is, it just caries you into more and more talking … talking. …

Well, there were many words I didn’t know or remember and Margaret kindly and patiently helped me with them however … my brains quite many times just forget what they heard the second (or minute) before so she had to be patient with me repeating some words or word structures over and over again. …

If everything goes right way (which at the moment I think can’t go any other way then that) we have another 2 or 3 days ahead to siarad Cymraeg and explore Slovenia a bit.

I’m extreamly happy especially as I didn’t just get the chance to talk in Cymraeg that big amount of time (it’s like kind of mini bootcamp just less strict with “no English” rule) but Margaret brought to me a part of Cymru with in lovely presents I’ve got … And … now I’ve got my own Welsh flag too. YAY! :slight_smile:


.

And thank you for one more thing, Margaret. You made me aware I should return to some history studies about my own country as I all of a sudden found myself not knowing too much of a history of certain things… Yah, I didn’t travel around for quite some time …

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Siarad Cymraeg yn Ljubljana - 3 years in a row!
The Diolch! Thank you! thread
My challenges
#2

@margaretnock - when you’re back, if you’d be willing to write this up, it would make a brilliant story for the blog (and I’d imagine there would be a few media people interested in the story of someone from Wales going out to Slovenia to help a learner practise…) :sunny:

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#3

Great story, sounds like a great visit

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#4

Margaret is very lucky Tatjana. Slovenia is a little gem of a country ( fel Cymru) My wife and I were there in 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The landscape is beautiful, the people are friendly and it’s affordable. The fly fishing is also excellent! Anyone who hasn’t experienced the old city in Ljubljana or visited Bled with its magnificent lake, should go and have a look. It’s also an opportunity to get a phrasebook and practise a bit of Slovenian. Nasvidenje.

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#5

:question: Is that some sort of Facebook thing? Can’t we have it on here and/or in the Newsletter?
to @tatjana and @margaretnock Carry on having a great time and keep us posted! I keep losing Slovenia on the map :confused: so need lots of lessons in geography and history!

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#6

No, it’s the blog: http://saysomethingin.wordpress.com - hasn’t been updated in a fair old while, but when it is, we usually publish links to in in here, on Facebook and on Twitter.

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#7

I now understand that Ljubljana is a city, at first i translated it as Pyjamas (no idea why).

Cheers J.P.

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#8

What a great story! I’m so happy for you @tatjana (and you too @margaretnock)! Yes, do carry on having a wonderful visit and siarad yn y Gymraeg.

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#9

Oh, thank you all for so many comments and likes first!

Wow! this sounds nice!

It is great. We’re all (maybe) a bit tired in the evening because we walk quite a lot but it’s great. It’s like haveing holidays for all of us (me, @margaretnock and my husband). :slight_smile:

Diolch yn fawr iawn! And yes it is to me to.

I’m happy you did enjoy staying in my little country. This makes me feel special.

Nasvidenje in vrnite se še kdaj. (Goodbye and return back some time.)

Slovenia is here:

Haha! A walk in Ljubljana in pyjamas! EPIC! No, we didn’t walk in pyjamas, definately although it was around 23 °C during the day. I believe the name came from the word “ljubljena” what means the beloved person (or might mean beloved thing aswell) and obviously someone got that deeply in love with the city to give its name like that. Well, the historical bit of truth might be a bit different though but basically this is it. So, no pyjamas in Ljubljana unless someone has pyjamas party in mind. Yup, they happen in Ljubljana too (privately though I believe) :slight_smile: And, yes, Ljubljana is a capital city of Slovenia and the biggest city in the country at the same time.

Thank you. We surely intend to have a great time as much as left of it yet.

Now for the bit of updates …
We were to Bled and it’s castle today where we’ve gone to see the museum where you can get some detailed knowledge about the creation of the Lake Bled, how the city of Bled was formed and who were the lords living in the castle. You can see also something about the railway of this area and you can virtually take a ride with the old steam train … And we had a walk along the lake a bit.

For you @guynicholson to our saddness not one “pletna” (the big wooden boat) did drive across the lake to take us to the church on the island due to some local problems which arised in those days but I believe for the time you might come back they’d drive across again. :slight_smile:

There was a bit more English spoken today as my husband was with us and we just wanted him to understand some things we’ve talked along aswell. So I’d say we’d speak alltogether about 2 or 3 hours of cymraeg today however @margaretnock established (very rightfully) I need some English speaking improvements too so it was useful for me to talk in English aswell. :slight_smile:

And some pictures to wet your mouth … :slight_smile:

A view from the castle

A scene from the museum

Postojna cave tomorrow (at least it’s what we’ve planed for the day) :slight_smile:

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#10

Really great to read how excited you are Tajana! :smile:

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#11

This is great. I didn’t go anywhere on my holidays so it good to at least read about other peoples. and Tatjana, I that castle in the lake looks absolutely beautiful. Spectacular.

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#12

It sounds like you are having so much fun! Love that photo of the view from the castle. Mwynhewch!

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#13

Well, in the lake there is a church in which is wishing bell with which non-married wimen (well I believe men too) rang in their wish to find significent other and marry him/her. The castle is on the hill above the lake and we were there when taking this picture. And, yes, the view is magnificent really.

Here’s one photo from 3 years ago but it’s no different now. The castle is the same and it didn’t move anywhere from that time. :slight_smile:

Thank you both. Yes we have great time walking, talking, exploring a beat of eating along the day too of course … :slight_smile: We can’t be hungry and thursty, can we. :slight_smile:

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#14

Toni finished off your meal last night and we know he can speak Welsh when he declined to finish off mine as well!

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#15

@aran, I think we’ll make it a joint blog, somehow, for you.

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#16

Gwych, diolch o galon.

Pity you won’t be in the Postojna caves just when a visiting Welsh Male Voice Choir decides to do an impromptu mini-concert because the acoustics are so impressive… :sunny:

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#17

HAHA! Yah, he prooved to learn something at least to understand a bit. And … yah what concerns my meals at that restaurant, it (almost) always happens this way. I just can’t eat everything what amount they bring … :slight_smile:

Yup, we agreed on this one. :slight_smile:

To be honest, I wasn’t at any concert in Postojna cave either. But for the taste of it here’s the recording of “We are singing festival” in Postojna cave. I couldn’t track down any Welsh mail choir but you could get at least a bit of idea… Enjoy in music of many nationalities. Maybe there is some of Welsh performers singing in this video, I don’t know as I didn’t watch it all.

#18

It must have been almost fifteen years ago now, so not surprising you missed it…:wink:

We also sang in the church on Sveta Gora, which was breath-taking. :sunny:

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#19

To bring your memories back …

and I was not there yet either. :slight_smile:

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#20

I :heart: all these reports!! (“Envy is a naughty sin!”, she tells herself!) But I really am glad you are all having such a great time! If any SSiW person deserves a bit of fun in good company it is you @tatjana! :sunny:

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