you often hear about the benefits of the wonderfully compact yet diverse terrain of the country Stretching over a territory about the size of New Jersey Consider the vast underground limestone cave systems just a short drive from the flatlands of the Pannonian Plain are mere minutes from the 30 miles of Adriatic coastline that stretches far south into Dalmatia Yet this is just an hour or so from the northern mountainous region As an American expat happily living in Slovenia for many years I love exploring my adopted country and looking into what makes it such a wonderful place to visit and reside that you can ski in the morning and swim in the ocean in the afternoon To get from the town that I now call home - Kamnik which boasts three castles and stands at the foot of the Kamnik-Savinja range of the Alps - to the coastline takes just about 90 minutes But I don't know anybody who has actually tried it Could I actually ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon Beyond the idea that this might make for a very warm morning of skiing and an extremely cold afternoon of swimming there was the question of whether any ski resorts stay open long enough into the spring (or open early enough in the fall) to make swimming feasible without wearing a dry suit The most important question was: Even if it is logistically feasible A quick look at a map reveals that covering distances is the least of my worries Krvavec is the nearest resort to Kamnik - only a 20-minute drive away - and is therefore my go-to local ski site The problem is getting to the top of a mountain to ski down it Most of the ski resorts close at the end of the season which is about 30 minutes farther away from the coast and the highway Vogel is the highest ski resort in the country and keeps snow the longest so that's my best choice to balance a functional gondola and snow-thick trails with a quick route down to the coast and an Adriatic Sea that has as much time as possible to warm up An early-morning view of Slovenia's Lake Bohinj and the mountains rising above it I spend the night in a tiny village just a few miles from Lake Bohinj and a few more from the Vogel ski resort Artpartment is a rental on the top floor of a family home converted into a wood-clad oasis by young master craftsman Izak Mrgole I prepare a traditional breakfast of unpasteurized yogurt apples and "mountain" tea (a mixture of wild alpine herbs) as well as an enormous mug of Turkish coffee winding through spectacular scenery that recalls the climax of "The Sound of Music," which was filmed on a distant section of the same mountain range Vogel is ideal for me - a lousy but enthusiastic skier It is full of long trails of mid-level difficulty including one that is open only weather permitting sweeping all the way down the mountain in a single beautiful run that is skiing at its most delightful and least fussy I can take in a good two hours of skiing before I need to think about setting off And because it is a weekday late in the season there are almost no other skiers on the slope and since the highway takes me right past the capital I could opt for a quick meal and grab some cevapcici - the favorite fast food of the Balkans a cross between a meatball and a sausage eaten with fluffy warm pita bread called lepinje and a butter-cheese hybrid called kajmak which is possibly the best deal among San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants with a five-course prix fixe for about $50 while driving the smooth stretch of highway to the seaside town of Koper I begin to get nervous about the impending swim Adrenaline is certainly not my middle name and if a swimming pool isn't bathtub warm a running coach and ski instructor who leads sporty tourists on combination ski-run-swim holidays as long as the slopes stay open He makes a point of swimming at least once a month and in February he took a dip in the ocean when it was 40 degrees He does advise me to walk actively before entering cold water "convincing my prefrontal cortex that all is well." Easier said than done followed by screaming and running out to shore Once an import city as the capital of the Istrian Peninsula Koper is an endearing maze of narrow streets It also boasts an impressive cathedral housing a worth-a-journey painting by the Renaissance Venetian master A view of the house in which Artpartment is located in a village beside Lake Bohinj and Vogel Ski Resort in Slovenia With a keen desire to get the swim behind me I head straight to the piers at the edge of town It is many degrees warmer here than it was in Ljubljana and I'm struck by how few miles I've traveled to go from wearing my ski pants and jacket atop Vogel to the 60-degree air of Ljubljana to the 72 degrees of Koper Slovenia truly is a concentrate of terrains and climate I strip down to the bathing suit that I have been strategically wearing all day under my ski pants with a thick bathrobe and - a key bit of advice from several Slovenian friends - a hip flask of my grandmother-in-law's village-prizewinning homemade schnapps I still feel like a cannonball would be the best approach have a chat with my prefrontal cortex and step into the sea off I sprint to my wife and the bathrobe and My ultimate Slovenian day trip proved a success I was able to comfortably ski and (sort of) swim on the coast little-undertaken cliche that Slovenia's miniature size but grand variety allows you to do it all I'll keep my skiing and swimming holidays apart rated the 10th best restaurant in Europe by the Daily Meal and certainly one of the best values on the list A half-day ski pass costs about $33 per adult A 2-hour ski pass costs about $28 per adult Director General of the Police Jože Romšek Mayor of Cerklje na Gorenjskem Franc Čebulj Director of the Kranj Police Directorate Jože Mencin and Commander of the Ljubljana Airport Police Station Jure Lešnjak formally opened the new premises of the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport Police Station The cost of construction of the new 2,200 m2 station amounted to slightly less than EUR 3 million with half of the funds contributed by the European Union will provide 94 police officers with improved conditions for their professional work The new construction comprises business premises garages and parking for all service and police vehicles premises for the operative headquarters of the Kranj Police Directorate and space for the work requirements of the Security and Protection Office at the airport There is also a kennel for three police service dogs working at the airport "The commencement of operation of the police unit dates back to 1963 when Ljubljana Airport was officially opened one of which was intended for the on-call police officer and the other for the unit head and office manager With air traffic considerably increasing at Ljubljana Airport which as the country's central airport possessed increasing economic and social significance and the increasing need for security in air traffic and the continuous presence of the militia at the airport at that time The Ljubljana-Brnik Border Militia Station was established in November 1972 the unit has been 'reorganized' and 'renamed' quite a few times due to various needs and changes with only minimal modernisation," said Director Jože Mencin Director of the Kranj Police Directorate Jože Mencinhands over a gift to the head of the Airport Police Station upon its opening Director General of the Police Jože Romšek emphasised that "during the period of establishing the Ljubljana Airport Police Station the Police have witnessed large changes and numerous challenges which the station always successfully managed One of the greatest challenges recently was certainly Slovenia's entry into the European Union which has brought the Police an abundance of legislative novelties These are predominantly connected to Slovenia's entry into 'Schengen' The Airport Police Station played a key role in this endeavour The extremely well performed work and excellent qualifications of the police officers and other staff have contributed enormously to the positive end result in the Schengen evaluations carried out at Slovenian international airports Experts assessed that Slovenia was also prepared to enter the Schengen territory with regard to the air border one of the most important prerequisites for Slovenia's inclusion in 'Schengen' was fulfilled and the last obstacle to the path of a common security zone eliminated." "The Ljubljana Airport Police Station is a specific unit and the sole defender of the Schengen air space in Slovenia The prevention of illegal migration and disclosure of forged documents smuggling and other forms of crime constitute the security interest of not only Slovenia but the entire European Union," added Romšek "The former building was unsuitable for police officers carrying out such a demanding task The former premises represented far from envious working conditions This was felt most by those who began their day here or spent a strenuous working day here The shortage of space and equipment worn by time were a loud entreaty for us to ensure our employees suitable working conditions." Romšek then thanked everyone who had contributed to the project's realisation and expressed his wish to the police officers that their work in the new premises would prove as easy and pleasant as possible and that they would continue to perform their work with satisfaction The Commander of the Airport Police Station thanked everyone who had helped in the construction of the new premises and assured those present that the staff would continue their endeavours in the new premises those attending viewed the interior of the new Airport Police Station and the collection of police badges and symbols of retired police officer Gortan Simončič Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Providing relevant equipment for protection rescue and relief operations during flood events at national The EUR 28 million disaster preparedness project will be carried out by the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief and supported by the European Union with the contribution from the Cohesion Fund amounting to EUR 20 million The record high amount of EU funding will be used for civil protection and technical equipment for natural disaster relief Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy recognises the importance of disaster prevention and preparedness regardless of whether a disaster is man-made or natural Disaster prevention and preparedness are one of the key pillars of national security and encompass a range of measures in the areas of protection EUR 20 million in EU funding will be used for capacity building of the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief and for increasing its contribution to long-term flood risk management as many as 40 specialist vehicles will be introduced to the Administration’s fleet with 164 vehicles undergoing upgrade or refurbishment and 10 high capacity pumping units provided State-of-the-art equipment and technology will enable a fast efficient and coordinated response to flood events across the country ensuring that lives and property are better protected during flood events The vehicles will be fitted with modern equipment that will make the work of local civil protection teams firefighters and other relevant services easier in 20 designated hydrological areas; the vehicles will be located across the entire country ensuring that no part of the country is left without a quick and efficient emergency response Did you find the information you were looking for Do you want to receive a response from the responsible institution Clicking on the link will open your default e-mail program and automatically draft a message that you can send to the institution responsible for the content of this website ask for a reply