Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Old Tobacco Factory

Today had all the makings for an great story, say your worst DMV experience times ten, but things didn't quite turn out as we expected.  This was good, but we apologize for the lack of entertainment...

Just outside of the city center is a maze of huge old tobacco factory buildings that have been converted into government offices, and it's where visitors get their residency permits.  Everyone I had talked to about going there responded with a knowing smile that said, "Wow, what an experience."  So, this morning, the five of us headed west prepared for the worst, thinking about the potentially day-killing combination of a formerly-Communist bureaucracy, our lack of linguistic capabilities, and the fact that no one had stamped our passports when we came into the country.

However, as it turns out, the most complicated part was finding our way to the tobacco factory complex, which was partly my fault (completely my fault if you ask my wife), and then figuring out which building to go to once we were there (thank goodness for nice, helpful Slovenes).  Once inside, there was actually a fairly efficient system for getting people in and out and we there less than a half-hour.  On top of that, the woman who waited on us was a little bit friendly and even smiled when the kids got excited to see their pictures on a sticker.  Crazy.

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