It's always a thrill to see professionally shot travel shows going to a place you know well, to think about out what they got right and wrong, the image that was presented to the viewers at home. This month the BBC's The Travel Show made a trip along the River Sava, heading towards Belgrade, the first in a series on the Balkans, with Slovenia being the first destination. The video is available for a limioted time on the BBC site here, after which you'll have to do your best to track it down on YouTube or by other means.
00:00 Introduction
01:10 The show's host, the charmingly timid yet always game Rajan Datar, enjoys some bellyaking on the river. (A bellyak is kayak you lie on rather than sit in.)
04:30 A stop at Bled, but no kremsnita.
05:25 Tito and the end of Yugoslavia.
05:40 A stop in Ljubljana, including a ride around town with the Mayor Zoran Janković, who takes pride in the various green initiatives that have been implemented during his time in office, as well as their effects on hospitality and tourism-related businesses.
07:30 A brief profile of Filip Krzisnik and Blaz Slanic, two street acrobats, and their work keeping Ljubljana clean.
09:30 Folk music and dancing in Redece.
Overall, it makes the city look very nice, an all too rare example of a place that has gotten better over the last ten years, and has some inspiring plans for the future.
As such, expect even more packed cafes and bars along the riverside next year.
