40 km with problems....                    

 We went as tourists to the EIWC Congress in May. After some research on our own we decided that the best way to travel was flying from Oslo to Vienna, an then to Klagenfurt. As we found out the distance from there to Kransjka Gora was only 40 km, and that there probably were an easy way to get there. The luck was that we travelled early thorsday morning from Oslo, and had plenty of time.

At the Klagenfurt airport we went to the info desk. The lady there had no idea where Kransjka Gora was. So we asked for a bus to Town Centre. She told us we had to walk for about 10 minutes and then find the bus stop. The summer had arrived Klagenfurt this day, and we really got hot on that little walk with the heavy suitcases.

Full of optimism we entered the Klagenfurt Bus Station. We meant this was the place to find how to get to our destination. The tourist information office had a sign on the door with opening hours. 7-17, it said. And as the clock showed around 11.30, we were a little surprised that the door was locked. But when we had got a cold beer a man named Walter came an asked about what we did there, he offered to get his wife to drive us. This offer stranded some minutes later when Walter called home, and found out his wife were just as drunk as he was himself. But the bartender told us to go via Villach. The distance from there to Kransjka Gora is only 25 km, he told us, and the easiest way to get there was half an hour with train.

We arrived at the train station in Villach around 15.30. The train tour after the pub visit had made some needs for us. We found the toilet, but there they had such doors that demands two 20 cents coins. We only had two such ones, and Tina used these. Tore went to the Fast Food beside the toilet to exchange a 1 euro coin. They couldn`t exchange it, and the message from there was to pee in the street, because there were no law against that in Austria. We found a better solution. Beer and pizza across the street. Even the toilet visit was free there. The manager at the pizza house recommended us to take a taxi for the rest of the trip. So after a 70 Euro trip we arrived safe at the Grand Hotel Prisank, Kransjka Gora around 18.00, 11 hours after leaving Oslo Airport. The thought about Austria as a friendly land for tourists had got a really ugly scratch. The thoughts of Austria had now changed to "bad tourist service, but friendly people".

Thusday night and friday with the Congress

Thusday night after checking in at the hotel we went out to look at the Slovenian alpine village. We found a really sweet little place with plenty of places to stay or to get served, but not very easy to buy other things. A typical tourist village, as we expected. The dinner we found at a great restaurant really were both good and cheap, compared to northern european prices. And after eating we went to meet the other Norwegians coming by car. Knut Olav and Øyvind stayed at another hotel with their American friends, and it was a happy gang going to the pub that night. Everybody just happy to finally having found the destination.

It was a calm friday morning with just some small walks around in the town taking a few beers and coffees. The congress at the Compas hotel started at 13.30, and while Tore went there to hear, Tina relaxed at the hotel. As we know the congress is described on the EIWC homepage, so we just skip that part here. We just want to tell that it was very interesting, especially the part with insemination and how to treat and transport seamen. Beside the part with education, the other great thing with this congress is that you meet people you haven`t seen in a long time and only people with the same interest as yourself.

In the evening friday there were a big dinner at the Larix hotel. This is the first time we have got Tullamore Dew on the rocks as a welcome drink. Refreshing... The dinner was really good, and everybody had a great time. After the dinner we went for a pub round in the city, and we met other IW people at all the places we visited. The village was really irish this weekend.

Saturday with show and barbecue.

This morning started with the Slovenian official IW show. The entry number was around 145, puppies included. It is a bit difficult to see all when the show goes in two rings, so we consentrated on the dogs. There were a great number of great quality dogs, (no one mentioned, no one forgotten). The only thing we did`nt like with the show was that the judges did not place the hounds before the end of the day. Too much waiting for the non-winning dogs with ex-quality. The arrangement coimity changed this, so on sunday the dogs were placed after each class. I think there were 5 hound who got the Slovenian CH-title this day.

The judging took its time, and the barbecue party came a bit to quick after the show for many of the exhibitors. We sat on a really international table with the Americans, some Hungarians, Chechs, Finns and the only IW-owner on Iceland together with us 4 Norwegians. Too late we found out there were only allowed to go find food once, so most of us did not get enogh to eat. But that were compared with wine and beer, so the atmosphere around the table were very high.

Later in the evening we found out we wanted to see the result judging of the .Eurovision Song Contest We have never seen this show with such International audience before. The Finn-American-Icelandic-Norwegian jury did not quite agree with the rest of Europe, even in we did the best we could to make everyone hear us. Thank you, Hotel Prisank, for letting us stay the rest of the weekend after such a party.

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After the Song show we went out on the pub again, and as everyone had got enough to drink, some of the visitors disappeared very soon. At the end there were onlt 3 of us Norwegians left, and we decided to try to sleep for a few hours.

Sunday.

The show on sunday started a few hours too early for some of the exhibitors. Some of them came with their eyes half open, and just in time to get in the ring..... The dog classes were won by the same hound as on saturday, but there where another bitch winning. Arrest me if I`m wrong, but I didn`t hear her getting any Ch-title.

After the show someone went home, but most of the people stayed till monday. There were some fresh but friendly discussions at the restaurants that evening, and everyone agreed that the arrangement had been a success.

Monday/Tuesday

As we finally had a weekend without children, we had added an extra day on our Slovenian tour. We looked at all the people leaving before noon, and around that time we rented bicycles. We knew we were just 9 km from the worlds largest ski jumping hill, and we really wanted to take the trip to Planica to look at it. It really was a feeling of prodness to stand on the spot of the world record landing point, and knowing that the man who landed after flying 239m in 2005 was Norwegian. Thank you, Bjørn Einar Romøren!

After the cycling trip we went swimming at Larix hotel, and we really didn`t take it all out this night. It was great just relaxing...

When we had breakfast on tuesday morning we knew what to do. To get back to Klagenfurt where the plane went at 18.30. The hotel ordered a taxi, and we went around 10.30. When we started the taxi trip, the 25 km mountain road was closed for some reason. So we got a bonus trip to Italy, and the distance were suddenly 45 km. Even though the distance were nearly doubled, the Slovenian taxi trip costed only 63 Euro, as the shorter trip with the Austrian taxi were 70 Euro.

After all we had a great Slovenian holiday, even if this bell rang every 15 minutes, ca 40 m from our room.  We really look forward to World Winner /EIWC 2010 in Denmark.