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Piran

Picture perfect (or Pirano, in Italian) is a small & most popular town on Slovenian Coast. It sits nicely at the tip of Piran peninsula and it brings tons of photo opportunities for both professional and amateur photographers. Everything is pretty close so it’s ideal for a great photos using mobile only.

It’s landmark, the bell tower of the St. George’s Cathedral, is visible from many different angles. One of the best sights is from the path leading to the town from Fiesa Bay, especially at sunset (which we were not lucky to catch).

St. George’s Cathedral, taken with Huawei P20 Pro

Closer look at the tower is the best to get continuing from the same direction (Fiesa) or approaching it directly from the Tartini Square to the NE.

The bell tower from the east, taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Piran - Tartini Square

One of the best spots to look at Piran is exactly from the bell tower of the Church of St. George. Paying a few euros to get to the top is well worth since the tower offers unobstructed views all around. Just come prepared! There are lots of steps to climb:)

Piran peninsula from bell tower

Piran beach from bell tower

However, if you don’t feel climbing to the top of the tower the views from the walls in front of the church are good enough. If you find the church door open don’t miss this photo opportunity as well!

Inside the church, taken with Huawei P20 Pro, night mode.

The tip of the small peninsula can be reached directly from the church following the path along the fence. The small lighthouse of Punta, the historical ‘point’ of Piran, is attached to the round tower of the Church of St Clement.

Punta, taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Walking along the coast past many bars and restaurants, a sight like that would be pretty common out of the season.

Fisherman. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Between the coast and the church on the top is a labyrinth of the old narrow streets so typical for the Mediterranean towns.

Steep and narrow. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Shops and bars everywhere but heavily reduced number offseason.

Streets of Piran

Don’t miss the main – Tartini Square. The place where Tartini Square is located today, was once a harbour for fishing boats of Piran. Today it is the city centre, a place everybody meets, eats out and – takes some of the best photos. I, for example, love the statue of violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini in the middle of the square. He points his finger in a way you can make some nice (funny) photos using just this motive. For sure all the houses built in the Venetian – Gothic style make a great back (or fore)ground for any photo you will take.

Tartini Square

Small piers from the both sides of the harbour offer the best view – the church above the square, reflected in the water. We prefer the pier on the east side, close to the Maritime Museum.

The View. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Reflections. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Standing in front of the square is the best view of the harbour itself.

The harbour of Piran. taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

The only problem you’ll face here (and generally in Piran) is – the crowds. Specially in July & August the town is just full of tourists so try to avoid peak season. If you are not lucky enough and it gets to busy anyway, climb the city walls. This place offers simply the most beautiful view of the whole town and it is amazing all year round. If you get hungry … there is a nice restaurant just behind the city walls. It offers great home food and the prices are (for Piran) very reasonable. If you are lucky enough the restaurant owner will share some interesting stories with you.

Piran from the City walls

City walls

Text and photo by Sanja and Zoran Leban Trojar.

Most photos taken with Huawei P20 Pro courtesy of Huawei Slovenija.

Ptuj from the Drava River banks

There is something about Eastern Slovenia that makes me go back every time I can. It might have something to do with unbelievably  kind people, really good food or ‘just’ stunning nature. At the end … it doesn’t really matter why am I coming back, the fact is … I am. And I do enjoy each and every time.

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Also – there is one more important thing; Eastern Slovenia is not (yet) as popular & crowded as the Western Slovenia with lakes Bled and Bohinj, Piran, Postojna Cave and other touristy places is. I’m quite sure this will not last forever so I try to see & absorb as much of this part of my country as I can. I recommend you to do the same … and maybe … you can start with Ptuj.

Ptuj is one of the oldest cities in Slovenia and, for sure, one of the most beautiful. Any photographer knows red-tile roofs, white houses, bridges (there are 4 of them crossing Drava River) and river (here almost a lake) make a quite a nice photo-combination.

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One of the best places to take photos of Ptuj is the right bank of the Drava River. You can leave your car on one of the parking near Terme Ptuj or Grand Hotel Primus and find your way to the river. It shouldn’t be difficult, since the river is just there. But, if you are not sure, just look for the castle and walk towards it.

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Of course you can also start just across the city centre. The pedestrian bridge is an object for itself to be captured in a few different ways. It can be an additional element in the photo:

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the standing point to take a photo of the old town with the river:

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or the main object of the photo:

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which works in both directions. In the summer you can catch the sunset just in the line of the bridge.

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There are many great spots to take a capture of Ptuj along the right river bank between Terme and the second bridge. Sunrise can be very rewarding time to go for a photo walk.

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

Some morning mist can make the whole scene very mystical.

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When you’re done, you can – (1) walk up to the castle

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sunset over the rooftops can be amazing

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(2) get lost in the streets of the old town

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Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

or (3) just sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or a nice meal.

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If you’d decide to take a nice meal … there is a great restaurant garden by the river just at the pedestrians bridge. Unfortunately we can not recommend the food at the Ribič restaurant anymore since the ownership chamged hands a while ago.

For Igslovenia, @sanya_lt.

PS: Since sharing is caring … be sure to leave your experiences with Ptuj in the comment section. Let us know where to go and what to see & where to go to take best photos. Thank you!

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Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is maybe, just maybe not that famous as the nearby Lake Bled, but this does not help a lot; Most of the year and specially during the summer, the place is crowded! That’s probably the reason why you will have to pay when (and wherever) you will park your car. So, our first #tip would be; Park your car only on the marked parking places and pay for the time there. Otherwise – you will pay a lot. Later:) (#beentheredonethat:)

OK, now to the good part;

If you ask us, Lake Bohinj is the most beautifil lake in Slovenia. Or at least … one of  them. Tucked under some amaznig mountains, hidden away from main roads and traffic, with mostly some crazy weather (rain, sun, fog, snow, wind … you name it … Bohinj has it:) the place is amazing!

 

Morning magic (HuaweiP20Pro)

Even if it is crowded you can find a place to swim, you can rent a boat or just to enjoy walking around the lake. Keep in mind; It is not that small & it will take you a few hours to get around. (The lake is 4.2 kilometers long, one kilometer wide, and forty-five meters deep … now do the math:)

Morning magic II (HuaweiP20Pro)

Try to visit the lake in spring or autumn, if possible – early in the morning. You will avoid the crowds and if you are lucky there will be some amazing fog on the lake that will make your photos – simply magic.

Church of St. John the Baptist (HuaweiP20Pro)

If you are like us, trying to get as many photos as you can as fast as you can, first stop at Ribčev Laz, Church of St. John the Baptist, the Gothic church with a Baroque bell tower and a covered entryway.

First signs of Fall (HuaweiP20Pro)

Specially in the morning (nothing opens before 8 in the morning) when nobody is around, you can get some nice photos of the church and the nearby stone bridge. Go down by the lake, the view there is the best.

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After that follow the signs for Ukanc. The road will take you just by the lake and the scenery there is amazing. Stop at the one (and only) church on the left side of the road and check the wodden pier that is situated across the street. Perfect place for some Instagram magic.

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The next stop must be near Zlatorog Camp in Ukanc. Park there and then follow the signs to Savica Waterfall. As soon as you cross the wooden bridge – follow the path left, back to the lake.

Ukanc from the camp (HuaweiP20Pro)

Crystal clear water & wooden bridge at the begining and the views on the lakefront latter will make you take looooots of photos.

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When you are done, you have to decide, where to next. You have lots of options, but probably you will pick – Vogel Mountain or Savica Waterfall. 

We will discous your other options some other day, today we ask you; Where did you take your best photos od Lake Bohinj?

The Fleet (HuaweiP20Pro)

 

 

500.000 x #igslovenia

500.000. Pol milijona. V petih letih in pol je to skoraj 2.000 na teden. A povprečja lažejo. Na začetku jih je bilo veliko manj. Torej jih mora biti zdaj na teden veliko več. Ne štejeva. A tu in tam se spodobi, da jih preštejeva, da sva vesela in da to tudi naglas poveva.

500.000 fotografij so uporabniki Instagrama označili z #igslovenia. Tujci, Slovenci. Na začetku, pred petimi leti in pol, ni bilo nobene. Sanja si je izmislila to značko, ker na profilu nisva želela deliti fotografij, za katere ne bi imela izrecnega dovoljenja za delitev. Na Instagramu se nekako smatra, da uporaba določene značke, ki ni generična, kot je npr. #slovenia, pomeni tudi dovoljenje za ponovno objavo. Hkrati je tudi dodaten prepoznavni znak profila, če obstaja ta povezava. #slovenia, torej najbolj generična značka, ima 2.240.000 fotografij. #slovenija 318.000. #ig_slovenia, ki je verjetno nastala kot napaka, se je kar dobro prijela s 34.000 fotografijami. #ifeelslovenia, uradna značka z vso promocijsko mašinerijo, ki stoji za njo, jih ima 210.000. #itsculturetime, ki ga promovira v svojem profilu, 61. Ni napaka. Je pa dokaz, da ni preprosto spromovirati nove značke. Na Instameetih v Sloveniji in na Hrvaškem, kjer vedno uporabljamo posebno značko za vsak dogodek, jih redko dobimo več kot 100.

 

Podoba ob drugi obletnici profila danes deluje skoraj patetično. Prvi intervju z nama je 23.9. 2014 naredil Simon Šketa – takrat še ni kuhal – na sketa.si. Takole je povzel: “Več kot 50.000 fotografij Slovenije, več kot 8.000 sledilcev, polovica iz tujine. Nove fotke prihajajo vsak dan, Slovenijo v najlepši podobi na Instagramu pa vse bolj občudujejo tujci.”

Več kot očitno nama je uspelo, tudi 70.000 sledilcev, ki jih je @igslovenia dosegla nekako v istem tednu, to dokazuje. Decembra 2014 je imel Instagram 300 milijonov uporabnikov, danes jih ima 900 milijonov. V tem času je število sledilcev @gslovenia zraslo za skoraj 9x! Še vedno je več kot polovica sledilcev iz tujine. Najboljše objave imajo več kot 50.000 dosega in več kot 70.000 prikazov.

 

Popularnost Slovenije kot turistične destinacije je v zadnjih letih skokovito naraščala. V istem obdobju je naraščala popularnost družbenih medijev, predvsem Instagrama, in njihova/njegova vloga v promociji destinacij. To je bil najin skromen prispevek k promociji Slovenije (in Instagrama v Sloveniji) – 500.000 x #igslovenia.

Zoran Leban Trojar @zokus_gf

Sanja Leban Trojar @sanya_lt

Lake Bled

We can say it; Lake Bled is the most popular destination in Slovenia. Everybody knows it & everybody wants to visit it. That means also – the place is crowded most of the year and we, the locals, try to avoid it at least in the high season (that would be – most of the year) 🙂

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We mostly visit it when somebody visits us. Friends, family and also Instagrammers coming to Slovenia usually don’t mind the fact there is almost no parking space and if you find one you will pay for it too much. They also don’t mind the rude waiter serving the famous ‘kremšnita’ (Bled cream cake) near the lake the annoying fact that you can’t enjoy the amazing view of the lake from the castle without paying the entrance fee. Not anymore.

Framed with HuaweiP20Pro

If a place is so beautiful anything goes. That is the feeling I have about Lake Bled but still … it is an amazingly beautiful place and it is worth visiting it.

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If you are a photographer, an Instagrammer and you have the same idea as most of people I take to Lake Bled (take as many photos as fast as I can) here are some tips for you;

Find a parking space (the prices go as high as 10 euros so – be picky), leave your car in the city and go down by the lake. Take a walk around the lake. There is a path around it, approximately 6 kilometres long so it will take you less than 2 hours to see the lake in all its beauty. Depending on the sun & the light you will for sure find it easy to snap – to many photos.

Before the sunrise – night photo with HuaweiP20Pro

There will be some piers, trees, swans, beautiful houses and boats on your way so we are quite sure you will enjoy your walk. I recommend you to do it in the early morning. Sunrises are as amazing as sunsets but most of the people like to sleep in the morning.

Mist over the lake – taken with HuaweiP20Pro

You will not be alone but there but there will be less people around the lake and (if you are visiting in the summer) in the lake.

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If you have more time, you just have to rent a boat or take one of the tourist boats going to the island. I recommend you a boat of your own so you can really take some amazing photos from the lake and get to the best spots to photograph the famous island and its church.

For the ones that want something extra, a climb to the nearby hills is a must! Only from there you can really see the whole lake and take the best photos. But – don’t be surprised to meet some people also high up there.

 

Magic moment – taken with HuaweiP20Pro

The easiest way to get best photos is to climb the Ojstrica or Osojnica hill, but there are some other, too. Check the list here!  

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Still not enough?

If you ask me, the ultimate way to photographing Lake Bled is from a hot air balloon:) I did it just once and I would do it again. Many times. Balloon offers you simply the best views of the lake, castle, island, surrounding hills … everything there is to see and from a completely different perspective.

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Sanja Leban Trojar, @sanya_lt

 

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Brdo Estate

Castle, golf course, park, lakes, hotel, congress centre … you name it, Brdo Estate has it … but still not many tourists know or visit this place. We are quite sure this has something to do with the fact Brdo Castle is the most important diplomatic protocol building in Republic of Slovenia. Through its history, it hosted presidents, kings, and diplomats from all over the world. But this does not mean you can see it! Brdo Estate is (most of the time) open to public and is well worth of a visit. We’d recommend you to take at least half of the day to really enjoy the place and discover all of its secrets.

 

Brdo Castle

Our favourite part is of course the park. Small lakes, wooden bridges and animals make this place a photographer’s paradise … especially in the autumn when colours take over. In late spring you can admire baby swans, flowers and amazing mountains in the back. We are quite sure even bad winter will not spoil your experience. Moody woods and foggy lakes are something that looks nice on any photo.

 

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If you are an architecture lover or maybe you’d prefer statues … you will find lots of motives here. The Brdo Castle is renaissance chateau, built in 16th century. It is characterized by four dominant corner towers and it really stands out here. Also the congress centre: A modern building in the middle of pure nature makes everything more interesting.

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To know more about the place we highly recommend you to check official Brdo Estate page. There you’ll find everything there is to know about rich history of the area, maps, information … everything you need to know. We’d only add one thing: Don’t forget to stop at the hotel terrace and try one of their sweets. They are as good as they look. Or even better:) #nowyouknow

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Ljubljana Castle

I’ll be honest: Ljubljana Castle is my favourite photo-spot in Ljubljana. Perched on top of a hill, just above the old town, it offers amazing views on the whole city and surrounding area, all the way to Kamnik-Savinja & Julian Alps. Wherever you look, whatever you do … there is something to see & photograph; the castle itself, architecture details, people (getting married), couples in love, rich cultural program, view on the city, mountains in the distance … It really doesn’t matter what are you looking for … you will find it!

There are many trails leading to the top of the castle and every one of them offers different photo opportunities. Ok, the easiest way to get up there is to take the funicular (located near the central market, on the Krekov trg), but taking photos from the funicular is no fun (due to the ‘dirty’ windows you will never get the photo you are looking for).

Ljubljana Castle window

So – walk! My favourite time to visit the castle is spring, when colour green takes over the castle forests. Walking up there between lush green trees opens ‘windows’ in the trees allowing you to take picture perfect photos.

I also love the views from the castle in the winter, when you can see almost all city. I prefer view toward Trnovo district (south-west of the city), where you can take best sunset photos. Don’t forget; You will never be alone at the Castle Hill in the sunset time, so if you are looking for a really nice place and photo – be there before sunset!

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Also – don’t forget to visit the Castle Tower! It offers unobstructed (360) view of the city so – it’s a must! The views of the city from here are the best and you can capture details of the rooftops & Ljubljana’s notable bridges, squares and buildings.

If you get hungry  or thirsty… there are 2 restaurants (that I really, really like), Strelec & Gostilna na Gradu and a Castle Coffe House, so … just sit down and enjoy. If you need more ideas about perfect photo spots don’t forget to check out an amazing SNAPP guide to photographing Ljubljana by dear friend, Luka Esenko.

So … when in Ljubljana … Castle is a must. Also – let me know you are around. I’ll just might join you.

Sanja

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Mommy, mommy, we are on TV!

Jokes aside … it does not happen very often that we end up on television explaining who we are and what we do. Up until now Igslovenia mostly appeared online or in magazines that are specialized in digital marketing.

Since it is always nice to know who is ‘at the other side’ of the computer screen we decided to share a few articles and presentations about us. They are, sorry, all in Slovene. Hopefully, one day … we can do an interview in English:))

The first interview: SKETA.SI > ‘Kokoška’ na Instagramu (Chicken on Instagram:)

About Instagram in Slovenia; Radio Val 202 (10.6. 2015) > Instagrama v Sloveniji še ne jemljemo resno.

Fotkast na mreži podkastov Marsovci (5.1. 2016)> Slovenija na Instagramu

Podcast 091 Metina lista (18.6. 2016) > Metina lista

About Instameet in Koper (24.6. 2016) > Instagramerji bodo obiskali Koper

A short video clip that was shown on TV, so my mum finally knows what we do;) – Svet na Kanalu A (12.7. 2016) >> Igslovenia. Who are we & what do we do?

Holiday entertainment on the online portal of national TV station Praznični koledar MMC RTV (8.12. 2016)

Local news coverage of photographers who made into top 10 2016  (12.1. 2017) Koprski fotograf med top 10,

18.1. 2017 Ajdovski in koprski fotograf med naj instagramerji

Interview in a national daily Dnevnik (3.2. 2017) Ljudje se zaljubijo v fotografijo na Instagramu 

 

Since we are on Instagram almost from it’s beginnings we also have some exoeriences to share – we did a few seminars and workshops and were invited to lecture or participate at roundtables on the topic:

Seminar : Instagram in tourism marketing, 6.10. 2016  with Marketing magazin 

Workshop: Instagram od A do … 22.12. 2016

Workshop: Instagram in Marketing, SEMPL 18, November 2016

Workshop: ABC Instagrama, Njami Food bloggers conference, November 2016

Seminar: Instagram in Marketing, 30.3. 2017 with Marketing Magazin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 instagrammers from Slovenia 2016

It has been an amazing year for Igslovenia. We have organized 3 Instameets and some very successful workshops (next one >> 22. 12. 2016!) beside having published almost 450 photos from 285 photographers. At the end of the year, is time for recap – who are the best photographers of 2016 on @igslovenia?

Let us explain the criteria first; We have been looking for best instagrammers from Slovenia. They were the most featured photographers on our page in the past year, so they are (mainly) landscape photographers sharing photos of Slovenia and tagging #igslovenia. Their photos are of supreme quality, they are always searching for new locations and sharing lots of information about specific places. We also highly appreciated their interaction with followers. All of them have been featured on Igslovenia profile at least 5 times in 2016.

So, here they are, top 10 instagramers from Slovenia 2016 (in alphabetical order).

Ana Pogačar >> @anapogacar

Velika Planina Ana2 Ana3

Borut Trdina >> @boruttrdina

boruttrdina borut2 borut3

Aleš Krivec >> @dreamypixels

Dreamypixel dreamy2 dreamy3

Iztok Medja >> @iztok_medja

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Jaka Ivančič >> @jaka_ivancic

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Jan Čermelj >> @jancermelj

jancermelj jan2 jan3

Luka Esenko >> @lukaesenko

lukaesenko luka2 luka3

Luka Kotnik >> @lukakotnikphoto

lukakotnik lukak2 lukak3

Peter Zajfrid >> @peterzajfridphoto

peterzajfrid peter2 peter3

Simon Primožič >> @simonprimozic

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PS: All photos used here were published by top 10 instagrammers – on Instagram.  To see the originals in high quality check their webpages & follow them on Instagram.

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Instagram od A do … (delavnica za vse, ki ste že aktivni na Instagramu)

Ste navdušeni uporabniki Instagrama, a nikoli niste povsem zadovoljni z objavljenimi fotografijami? Si želite več komentarjev in več sledilcev? Vas zanima, kako se fotografije znajdejo med TOP 9 ali kako veliki profili izbirajo svoje objave? Si želite svojo fotografijo videti na Igslovenia? Vas zanima uporaba Instagrama v poslovne namene?

Če ste vsaj enkrat prikimali, potem ste toplo vabljeni na naslednjo Instagram delavnico, ki jo tokrat pripravlja ustanoviteljica profila @igslovenia, Sanja Leban Trojar, dolgoletna instagramerka (@sanya_lt), poznavalka družbenih omrežij in mobilne fotografije.

Preverili bomo, kaj je to ‘dobra’ Instagram fotografija, katere ključne besede in kako uporabljati, kdaj in koliko objavljati ter najpomembnejše, kako povedati svojo (foto) zgodbo. Našteli bomo napake, ki jih uporabniki Instagrama najpogosteje delamo, iskali primere dobrih praks in se spoznali z (mobilnimi) aplikacijami, ki nam uporabo Instagrama močno olajšajo.

Delavnica je namenjena vsem, ki Instagram že poznate in uporabljate za osebne ali poslovne namene. Govorili bomo namreč tudi o uporabi t.i. business’ profilov in njihovi povezavi z drugimi družbenimi omrežji.

Delavnica traja 2 uri, število mest pa je omejeno! Cena delavnice je 60 evrov. V kolikor z delavnico ne boste zadovoljni, vam denar vrnemo.

Več informacij in prijava: info@igslovenia.si. Ne pozabite navesti povezave do vašega Instagram profila in morebitnih vprašanj za predavateljico, da boste na delavnici dobili vse povratne informacije, ki jih potrebujete.

Termin: 22. 12. 2016 ob 18:00.
Lokacija: Tivolska 50 (2. nadstropje), Ljubljana