This episode’s vocabulary
Landlocked
adj. — (of a country or region) almost or entirely surrounded by land.
To pinpoint
verb — to find out or say the exact position in space or time of something.
Subjective
adj. — influenced by or based on personal beliefs or feelings, rather than based on facts.
To lay claim to something
phrase — to say that you own something.
Notable
adj. — important and deserving attention, because of being very good or interesting.
Homeland
noun — the country you were born in.
Notorious
adj. — famous for something bad.
To secede
verb — withdraw formally from membership of a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization.
Landscape
noun — all the visible features of an area of land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.
The sky is the limit
phrase — If you say the sky is the limit, you mean that there is nothing to prevent someone or something from being very successful.
Scenery
noun — the general appearance of the natural environment, especially when it is beautiful.
Well-preserved
adj. — (especially of something old) kept in good condition.
Thriving
adj. — growing, developing, or being successful.
Questions and answers
I'd like to talk about Slovenia, which is an almost landlocked country in Europe that I've always wanted to visit. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where it is, because, well, these things are very subjective, but I would say it's in Southern Central Europe and close to the Balkans. So that means it's to the east of Italy, but North of Croatia. I think it has a tiny sliver of coast on the Adriatic but I am terrible with place names, so I don't know if I've got the name of the sea right. Well, I don't think it's had the same global impact as a large country like Russia or the USA. I think it can still lay claim to some pretty notable things, like being the homeland of Donald Trump's wife, Melania, and Slavoj Zizek, who's this rather notorious philosopher. And not only does it have all these famous people, but it also played a key role in history of the region by being the first state to secede from Yugoslavia in at least what I think was a relatively peaceful transition. And while all countries have beautiful landscapes, Slovenian ones have a reputation for being particularly beautiful, even the coastline, which is absolutely tiny compared to the nearby countries, like the Croatian or Italian coasts, in terms of what it's possible for people to do there. I mean, since it's a fairly modern country in the European Union, the sky is pretty much the limit, and you can do all kinds of things. But I think the most noteworthy things are enjoying the scenery, architecture and culture, which are all rather unique in my opinion. For example, there's this seaside town called Piran that I've been longing to visit for a while now, and it has this amazing town square that doesn't seem to have changed much since the Middle Ages, and that's got very well-preserved churches and city walls. That's just part of the reason I'd like to go there. I've also gotten to know a few Slovenians in my time, and while they're obviously all individuals, they always seemed like some of the most brilliant people I'd ever met. And I'd like to see if that's true for the whole country. There's a little bit of kinship there too, since I'm also from a small European country, and I think it's important that we celebrate and appreciate such places to keep them alive and thriving. If I haven't visited before I'm much older, I think I'll have really missed out since I've been meaning to go for ages, and I don't want to lack the energy for such an experience.
Do you think you'll go there anytime soon?
I really want to go there for my birthday this year, so fingers crossed.