We fell in love with Slovenia from the moment we arrived.On the surface it appears to be a country untarnished by the blight of capitalism and tourism.After a wonderful two and a half week stay in Slovenia we realised some of the depths of suffering that this country has endured both in its history and today.Yet somehow it seems to smile on.

We spent a week in Osp in the south eastern part of Slovenia.Our days were divided by rock climbing on the looming limestone walls above the village, napping and generally soaking up the appreciated luxury of having an apartment.A private space we could cook, sloth and shower in.So wonderful!

The man who owned the apartments was a most congenial host.We could ask him anything and he would be delighted to help us out, whether we wanted information, directions or anything else he cheerfully spent long stints chatting to us.So one day we asked him about the history of Yugoslavia and the change in his demeanour was palpable.He was happy to talk to us about the changes that had taken place but he cowered and talked in a whisper as though he was still afraid of who might be listening.

He told us much of the history of the region but one of the most interesting thing we learned was how much Slovenia's economy had suffered with the breakup of Yugoslavia.He had worked on the ports for a very long time and explained that Koper/Capodistria was the major port for the whole of the region, now every country had their own port and the repercussions on employment were huge.

After a week we couldn't take anymore self indulgence in Osp and headed north to Bovec in the Julian Alps.Here we discovered another perfect little town set in a stunning alpine valley.On closer inspection you realised that all the buildings in town were new.Turns out there were two enormous earthquakes in the last 10 years which entirely destroyed the town.Half of the village in the first and then several years later the other half was wasted in the second.From what we could gather insurance didn't cover the damage and everyone we met was working crazy hours to try and pay for the rebuilding. A cruel act of God was how it was described to us.

We set up camp in the campground downtown and readied ourselves for a spot of climbing.Surrounded by peaks and summits we initially picked on Mount Rombon at 2200 meters with the trailhead a short stroll from our tent.

The trail to the summit was unbelievably steep and unrelenting.There is a section of the Bon Accord track to the summit of Mount Hotham that is whispered about by hikers called 'the wall', its reputation is fiercely steep.Well climbing Rombon was one long 'wall'.Toward the summit we had to cross large fields of snow and we tottered across in our sandshoes only to be confronted with the screed slope from hell.Up the screed we crawled, and we could smell the summit.The way to the top followed the tight and very steep gully that was filled with snow up to 20 feet deep.There was no way for us to sketch our way up this one.Luckily the ice had melted back from the left hand cliff face, enough for us to squeeze through.We pulled up through the muddy rock steps and chipped footholds in the ice with a sharp rock.Finally our narrow slot ran out and we had to climb up and over the top off the ice to gain the path for the final 200 meters to the summit.Facing off a 500 meter slide down the steep ice and the screed slope we looked at our sandshoes and the rock in our hand and realised that our climb had run out.The remnants of an overly severe winter had defeated us.

Halfway up Rombon there are literally dozens of caves that have been cut into the limestone cliffs.Some still have beds or blankets in them.Lots have rusty tin cans.They were all so damp and some were literally dripping.There are plenty of coils of rusting barbed wire just lying around.All a testimony to the depths of history that this little town has endured.The caves had been the positions for the Austrian forces, primarily in the World War I in the fight against Italy who was dug into the other side of the valley.Where we were staying at the foot of the valley were the positions for the Austrian artillery.This went on for years and the villagers were forced to leave.Their town was destroyed.After seeing the caves I am not sure who had the rawest end of the bargain; the displaced villagers or the young men who had to sit for years it the bitter cold high on the mountain in dank and dripping caves.Bovec in turn through the years has been occupied by the Austrians and the Italians depending on the war, then sharing their borders with Yugoslavia.Their independence is relatively fresh. Our 'landlord' in Bovec was a dissident against the Communist regime. For his efforts he had his teeth knocked out and was thrown in jail.It is only since Slovenia became a member of the EU that he has had a passport and a voice.

The weather in Bovec was either co-operative or unco-operative depending on how you look at it.There were plenty of rainy days to get frustrated or rest up between exploits.We ended up climbing a few mountains and squeezing in a few killer runs.Rabbit is training for Bright's Four Peaks race this year and has decided that high altitude training in Europe will be the secret to his success .

Whether the people of Slovenia are more talkative or we simply connected with them more we learnt plenty about the effect of the EU on people at a grass roots level.Yet we have heard the same story again and again in other countries on our travels.In Slovenia the average wage is between 300 and 500 Euros per month.Yet the prices in stores are comparable to Australia, but in Euros.Many people are living below the poverty line.Prices were simply converted to Euros, effectively double or tripling the cost of living. Wages were not.

After a week and a half in Bovec we left for Austria.The rainy weather finally drove us out. On the way we stopped for two nights at Cortina d'Ampezzo in the eastern Dolomites.We had been told about a Via Ferrata that climbs up one of the mountains that overlooks the town of Cortina as a must do if we were in the area.A Via Ferrata translates to an 'iron way'.They consist of steel cables snaking up cliff faces, with the occasional metal rung or ladder fixed to the sheer rock.They originated during World War I, to allow soldiers to safely gain positions high on the mountains.

Via Ferratas are very popular in Europe as they are a natural extension of hiking in the mountains whilst requiring little equipment or technical knowledge.W e as rock climbers assumed that this would be a stroll for sissies.We parked our car at 8 in the morning at the base of the mountain ready for the 5 hour return journey.Armed with lunch, a couple of litres of water and a jerry rigged Via Ferrata set up.Helmets are recommended equipment due to the exceptionally loose rock in the Dolomites but we didn't have any and refused to cough up the money to buy some.So we used the closest thing we had - our plastic breakfast bowls held in place with either a hat or a beanie.Not ideal but better than nothing.We felt like Bill and Ben, the flowerpot men.

An eight am arrival meant a one pm finish.We scrambled up to the base of the mountain, across screed slopes and up a boulder choked gully.By midday we gave up ever finding the start of the trail, ate our lunch, polished of one of the litres of water and admired the looming storm clouds.We headed back down the mountain and cursed the Italians lack of signage.At the bottom we found the track.Damn!So we headed back up the mountain to find the starting point, so we could come back tomorrow and try again, as we were already pooped and it was now raining.

We found the start of the Via Ferrata, the iron way and figured as the rain eased off that perhaps we should take a little look.So up we headed.We followed the snaking cables and tiptoed across ledges.I wasn't so sure about climbing the rusty ladder that hung a thousand meters over the abyss with its spinning rungs, but by this stage we were committed to heading up.The summit had to be just over that rock step.So up we headed deciding that perhaps these 'hikes' were not for the faint of heart after all.We reached the summit after 600 meters of vertical climbing and admired the view of Cortina, the surrounding mountains and rock spires and the uninterrupted view of our car a thousand meters below us in the car park.

On the summit we ran into the two German guys we had met that morning in the car park.In our travels so far the Germans we have encountered have been the friendliest, most outgoing and funniest people we have met.There goes that stereo type out the window.We all headed down together, dreaming of water, food and cold beer. The German guys had gotten lost too.We laughed, slid and tried to ski down what must be the grand daddy of all screed slopes.With aching legs and parched tongues we finally reached the bottom of the mountain where we headed directly to the pub to admire our climb and rehydrate with beer and peanuts.

Our new friends Oliver and Torstin were more than a little interesting.Oliver was the export manager of a very large company and Torstin is an accountant.Together they knew quite a bit about the European economy.They explained to us that the average wage in Germany was around 26,000 Euros, with about half of that being lost in taxes and compulsory health insurance.We wondered how people survived on 13,000 Euros a year.They went on to explain a little about how the EU worked. How some countries were pay countries and others were receiver countries until their economies strong enough and their standard of living high enough to become a pay countries themselves.The idea being that a united strong Europe would be a formidable economy.

Unfortunately this system is not perfect.Let's take Spain for an example.They are original members of the EU and have always been a receiver country, until this year.Now they are meant to be a pay country but are refusing to pay.With 18 percent unemployment that is spiralling and and a crashing economy they simply don't have the money.Needless to say long time pay countries like Germany and the UK are not amused.We are seeing cracks and tensions starting to form in the EU system and being based in France over the next couple of years should be a very interesting place to be.

We left Cortina and are now in beautiful Solden in the Otztal Valley in Austria's Tyrol.We are climbing and hiking and really enjoying our time here.... but that is another story.