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February 2007
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Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Portoroz, Slovenia.
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Nobody Knows This World Better?

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A story from leading tabloid Slovenske Novice. Click to enlarge.

This one could hurt, because National Geographic has always been good to Slovenia. The country was included in their “50 Tours of a Lifetime” list. They also published a long feature by one adventurous couple, Hiking the Via Alpina, which included some beautiful photos and even a debate about which Slovenian beer is better. (The couple couldn’t agree.)

A Slovenian edition of the magazine hit newsstands last April and shortly thereafter they decided to release a Slovenian edition of National Geographic Traveler called National Geographic Popotnik. Their motto: Nobody Knows This World Better.

You know where this is going, right?

The editor of NGT, Keith Bellows, came to Ljubljana earlier this month to celebrate the launch of the new magazine and, apparently, to try to prove the motto wrong. Slovenske Novice claims the National Tourism Office also paid for his expenses. I should repeat that Slovenske Novice is a tabloid, and that it’s not exactly a beacon of quality journalism. Then again no Slovenian newspaper really is, so they’re pretty much as good as it gets.

SN writes that Mr. Bellows:

…expressed his satisfaction with the fact that he could be present at such an important milestone in publishing in Slovakia. The chief editor of the Slovenian edition of National Geographic, Miha KovaÄ?, who was sitting next to him, immediately whispered in his ear that they were in Slovenia. The American editor apologized unconvincingly and continued with his presentation.

I searched around a bit but found no other mention of this. RTV has an uneventful little story, and 24ur.com has a lousy search engine. I’m glad in a way. I don’t think I could handle it if were true anyway, so I suggest we all assume it’s a made-up story and leave it at that.

(Big thanks to Matty and Mare!)

Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2007 to The Eternal Slovenia/Slovakia Mix-Up

Comments

  • 1

    As a matter of fact, in the interview for Delo’s Sobotna priloga Bellows admits he mistook the two.

         by manca on February 15, 2007 at 7:09 am

  • 2

    Ok, I suggest manca’s comment also be stricken from the record.

         by Michael M. on February 15, 2007 at 8:03 am

  • 3

    So… I’m in Slovenia ?
    That explains a lot of things!

    Michael, you need to get over the denial phase…

         by Disablez on February 15, 2007 at 8:16 am

  • 4

    I suggest an extensive cover-up operation, which would include reprinting the incriminating issues of Slovenske Novice and Delo, nad replacing them instead of the originals in all public libraries. :D

         by pengovsky on February 15, 2007 at 8:58 am

  • 5

    Whatever the true story, I’m sure he MEANT Slovenia. And that was well meant, it doesn’t matter what he said :-)

         by alcessa on February 15, 2007 at 9:19 am

  • 6

    I’m also sure Dubya meant “oil” when he said “weapons of mass destruction” :D

         by pengovsky on February 15, 2007 at 10:04 am

  • 7

    You see? My theory works! And everyone knows it… :-D

         by alcessa on February 15, 2007 at 10:40 am

  • 8

    I’m with peng: only a massive cover-up will do. If anyone ever asks, let’s just dismiss it as an urban legend.

         by Michael M. on February 15, 2007 at 11:58 am

  • 9

    Michael M: Start by altering this post :)… “Keith Bellows extolled the virtues of Slovenia, at the same time poking fun of US president George Bush, who often mistook Slovenia for Slovakia”:D

         by pengovsky on February 15, 2007 at 12:10 pm

  • 10

    I expect pengovsky is right. It was just, er, “a joke” meant to recall Decider Bush’s faux pas. I’m sure Mr. Bellows was surprised when no one laughed.

         by rolig on February 15, 2007 at 1:57 pm

  • 11

    There you go! Spin this story right, and you’ll see that it was actually the axis of evil trying to destroy the “auld alliance” between Slovenia and the USA, but Slovenes saw through this feeble attempt and didn’t fall for it. Well, except Slovenske Novice, which was always a pro-Iranian rag which shamelessly forwarded jihadist propaganda… Man, I should have been a spokesperson…

         by pengovsky on February 15, 2007 at 3:19 pm

  • 12

    Be careful… Or you’ll awake one day and find out you are one. :evil:

         by alcessa on February 15, 2007 at 3:34 pm

  • 13

    But for whom? I hope they pay handsomly :twisted:

         by pengovsky on February 15, 2007 at 5:13 pm

  • 14

    Money for nothing? :-D

         by alcessa on February 15, 2007 at 5:32 pm

  • 15

    I appologize again catagorically for the geographical ineptitude of my countrymen it is a shame and a pity and a crime and disgrace.
    It is up there with the linguistic lazyness of my countrymen.
    This is why we end up at war. for as is stated in ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’ War: An invention for teaching Americans geography
    (The Devil’s Dictionary Ambrose Bierce)

         by Katja on February 17, 2007 at 9:22 pm

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