Postojna: Our Urbas Heritage

Sorry folks, no photos today! This morning it was off to Postojna we went, Janez and I, to meet with a judge in the heritage court of Postojna. Actually, that was only the first of four appointments for the day, but possibly the most important! The judge was cool but not unfriendly, although she was very business-like and did not make eye contact with me at all. Her clerk was more friendly, but still very professional. At least the clerk flashed a smile or two of encouragement.

Our inheritance issue was not as simple as we had hoped. There was one inconsistency in our paperwork and one other issue that forced me into a corner, but in the end it was completed and the judge agreed to rush the final signatures so that we can have them by the end of the week. The biggest surprise was the fee I had to pay to finish the process. They didn’t mention a fee until after the entire process was finished, and then they produced invoices totaling over $1300. Not in taxes, just in court fees! I bravely pulled out my credit card and gulped! Guess I should have known!

After paying, we visited a notary who functions a bit like a combination of real estate agent and lawyer. He advised us that we must publish a notice of sale for thirty days and to notify the surrounding property owners of our intent to sell. We expect to receive an offer from the caretaker of our property (and the adjacent landowner) Albreht Rajko, however the goal of publishing our intent to sell is to solicit higher offers than Rajko’s. The notary also informed me that his fee to prepare this notice will be about 150 Euros and that he will also prepare the contract between the buyer and the seller, but he will not handle the money or coordinate anything between buyer and seller or any other parties. It’s a different system over here and I am learning slowly.

Next we headed back to the courthouse to obtain the names and addresses of the adjacent property owners. Later today I will prepare a letter to each of them. And after we got those names, we visited Rajko in Planina. He and his wife were expecting us and we spoke for about an hour about the entire situation and discussed an offer to purchase the property. We agreed to a basic concept, and agreed to meet at the notary’s office on Friday to iron out details. At that time, I expect to have the order signed by the judge and all of the other paperwork that will assure Rajko that I am authorized to act on behalf of the heirs.

Finally, Janez drove me to Logatec to visit our cousins from Grandma Louise’s sister’s side of the family (Jozefa Milavec Kermavnar). They served us lunch and we shared pictures and memories of our family. I asked several questions:

1. Was Louise (Alojsija) Milavec from an important family? They answered yes, that her parents were rather wealthy landowners and owned a lot of forest land. Her brother John inherited everything and also immigrated to the US (somewhere in southern CA). We must look them up, just to reconnect with more family.
2. Were Andy and Louise (Andrej and Alojsija) closely related, enough to cause a scandal of sorts when they planned to marry? The also answered yes, and agreed that when we meet again in a few days, we will write it all down on paper so we can understand the situation.

We agreed to meet again later in the week, when the rest of their family could also join us. Uroš (Janez’ son) has agreed to accompany me on this visit, to translate and help me understand everything fully. In the meantime, I hope to visit parts of the country – maybe this week I will go to Piran or Bohinj. I am itching to do some photography – the old barns and churches here are incredible, and I have been sitting in one place a bit too long, so I am ready for a change!

I hope to have more photos for you all soon! 

A New Grandbaby

Today our friends Janez and Meta became grandparents for the first time! Daša gave birth this morning to a healthy baby girl - Maruša.

I met Daša yesterday for the first time and she appeared quite ready for her June 2 due date. Not long afterward, she began her labor and delivered around 10am Sunday May 30.

Here are a few more pictures of the proud family:

Meta showing off cell phone pictures of the new baby sent by the baby's father Žiga.

 

The proud grandfather, Janez, speaking to Daša on the phone.

Uroš should be a wonderful uncle, as he was a great hit playing with the young cousins at today's party.

A Weekend in Dragomer

So far it has been a very relaxing weekend. Meta arrived home yesterday (Friday) around 4 or 5pm. I have been so relaxed that there has been no need to watch the clock. Yesterday after the big breakfast, reviewing our court hearing papers, visiting the local grocery market and cooking the Serbian Beans, we didn’t do much else but chat and relax.

The terrace is a very nice place to pass the time. It is on the north side of the house (the front of the house faces west), and the terrace has lovely views of the hills all around. The neighbors’ houses are packed pretty tightly, but each house has nice garden space and most of the families grow flowers and some vegetables, too.

It has been sunny, humid and about 75 degrees for the past couple of days, but the weather is supposed to turn stormy this afternoon. We are going to a large get-together this afternoon. I understand there will be about thirty people there, including Janez, Meta, Daša and Uroš. I will take my camera and try to get photos of the fun.

Tomorrow is another family event, with brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. Janez has shown me several albums of photos that include many of these people over the years. He is a very worldly fellow and has lived and worked all over the world. I am really enjoying hearing the stories of his travels, from the US to Russia and from England to Africa.

As Monday approaches I am getting more excited to finish the forest business, although Monday will not be the end. I am hoping that we will finalize the re-registration of the current heirs of the forest on Monday. Then we will meet with Albreht Rajko, a potential buyer of the property. I am hoping that he will make an offer at that time. Also on Monday, we will meet with a notary and formally notify the adjacent property owners of the desire to sell the property. I believe that notice of intent to sell must be published for a month or so before we can finalize any purchase.

After Monday, I hope to do some traveling. Janez has picked up some new work, so I may travel a bit with Uroš instead. We’ll see. Everything is still flexible!

Made It To Slovenia!

I arrived in Slovenia yesterday afternoon after a complicated train and bus connection from Salzburg. My ticket was supposed to be direct, with no connections, but near the border between Austria and Slovenia I was required to switch to a bus to be driven across the border and then re-board a new train on the other side.

Neither my ticket or the reservation clerk explained any of this. I was tipped off by the fact that the route sign at the train station listed Villach and Klagenfurt Austria as destinations on the route, and while Villach was a town on my route, Klagenfurt was too far east. My train should have continued south after passing through Villach rather than heading east for Klagenfurt.

I decided to get on the train anyway since the platform, time and direction were correct, and since I knew I could get off at Villach and transfer to a different train later in the day for Ljubljana. Once on the train, I found a porter that spoke English and she explained the bus factor. Then I found another passenger that was taking the same route (and who understood Slovenian and German). She agreed to let me follow her to Ljubljana.

I’ve been lucky finding people who are willing to patiently explain things to me. Sometimes I ask people for help, like the older Austrian woman and the two teenage Austrian girls in my train compartment who insisted on answering my questions in German. I asked the questions in English and asked if they spoke English, but they rambled on in German, I assume telling me how to make my transfer and that it would be OK, the stop wasn’t until quite a bit later. They were sure that I understood them. I merely imagined that I understood. But in the end, it all worked out OK, like I presume they were insisting!

I got off the train at the Ljubljana station around 3pm, and as soon as my feet hit the ground, there was Janez. Like magic, and just like his photos! He helped me with my luggage and we headed to his Citroen and drove about ten miles out of the city to his town of Dragomer. It is a pleasant little residential village, just off the main highway and he lives in a nice house in a small valley, filled with other houses, but surrounded by green hillsides covered with trees.

We had a nice meal of fish and pasta and salad that he put together. Meta was out of town at a short workshop, so we had plenty of time to talk about schedules and paperwork and the general plan and strategy for our forest work. It was such a nice day, though, that we went for a walk in the hills around his home, with his nice dog Gaja. I took a few pictures of flowers and fields and the traditional Slovenian hayracks.

Later that evening, we watched the European version of American Idol. There were seventeen different singers or groups, each from a different European country, all competing to be the annual Eurovision champion. Saturday night are the semi-finals, so I imagine we will watch those, too. During the TV, Janez and Meta’s son Uroš came home. He lives in the basement apartment and is a nice and polite fellow. He is apparently also interested in photography and may accompany me on some of my excursions later next week. We’ll see if it works out.

Today we spent eating, talking and working on our computer files in preparation for our Monday court hearing. It seems that everything is in order, so I am not concerned. If there is anything else needed, we will find out then and do what we can. Janez also spoke with our cousin Helena today. She lives nearby and I met her again when I was here three years ago. I will see her and her sisters on Monday after the court hearing. Janez and I also worked together today to make Serbian Beans (this is very much like American baked beans, but nowhere near as sweet). Here’s the basic recipe:

Serbian Beans

·      Boil 2-3 lbs of large red beans, reserve the broth when beans are tender.

·      Dice 1-2 lbs of sweet onions and sautee in olive oil with paprika, bay leaves, chili powder, salt, pepper and pureed red peppers. Add enough bean broth to keep the onion mixture very moist.

·      Mix beans and onion mixture and put into a large casserole or baking dish.

·      Top with chopped raw diced salt pork and bake at 350 degrees until the meat is cooked and the beans and onions are hot.

Serve warm or hot.

Tomorrow is a big party. For Janez’ birthday, I believe. It seems there will be about thirty people in attendance from all parts of the family as well as friends. Daša and her husband will be there (Daša is pregnant and due next Wednesday). So we will have a busy couple of days, at least through Monday night, and then maybe I will get a chance to travel around Slovenia.

An Evening in Salzburg

I'm really enjoying Salzburg, and hope to come back someday. It is a small city and kind of a mix of residential and ancient history. On one side of the river is the old city with stone buildings, cathedrals and shops at the foot of steep cliffs with an imposing fortress on top. On the other side of the river is the new city - businesses and residences that have been mostly re-built since WWII.

My hotel is in the old town. It is quaint and cramped, but full of character. I like that it is a short stroll from many interesting shops, cafes and historic sights. I could spend an entire week just poking around these little streets, going to concerts, reading historic markers, shopping and eating!

Last night before heading to bed, I went out for dinner and took the camera, waiting for dark. I like the way the lights reflect on the water and to get the right balance between twilight and city lights.

The city is full of historic buildings, church domes, clock towers and other neat stuff. I spent an hour or so just wandering and looking around corners and down side alleys.

The last picture I made was of one of those serendipitous moments. I was walking down a small street, looking up at the approaching thunder clouds (yes, there was a massive thunderstorm around 1am), when I came around a bend in the street and saw the moon come out from behind the clouds, just over the fortress tower on the hill. When I looked back down near the street level, I saw the sign for the Hotel Wolf - a howling wolf, pointed right up at the moon! BTW, I'm not sure if the Hotel Wolf is named for Wolfgang Mozart or Wolf Deitrich, the former prince-archbishop of Salzburg, but it doesn't really matter. The picture is cool either way!

Later today I will try to get some nice city views from up near the fortress. There are a couple of concerts I would like to attend, but time is running short. Forty-eight hours in Salzburg is definitely not enough!

Arrived in Salzburg

Today was a travel day, and a tough one at that, so no original photos. A chip in the rental car windshield, trains departing from unscheduled platforms and rooms advertised with wi-fi that don't really have it!

So I am writing from the public reception area of an ancient stone building in the old town of Salzburg. Veronika, the owner, has been running around for at least two hours trying to get me the correct password for her new wireless internet connection. She is a high-strung, lo-tech Salzburger, with only basic knowledge of English (at least she has SOME). Imagine, though, trying to understand a password, spoken in another language (ah, be, ce, de, eins, zvei, drei vier, etc.), by someone who is anxious and uncomfortable. We finally figured it out, though!

On a more pleasant note, I met two nice people today. First, at my hotel in Tirol, Matthew from Texas, who is also traveling alone, and then on the train from Munich to Salzburg, Emily (and her daughter Sarah). Emily is originally from Kentucky but who has been living in Klagenfurt Austria for ten years. I had nice conversations with both of them - Matthew was curious about going up in the glider, but we spoke about all kinds of things including our general travel experiences. Emily told me about growing up in a military family (her parents still live in Heidelberg), and about her mother's surgery today (they still don't know the final outcome). She also told me about her children (Sarah and an older son), and her job as a controller for the city of Klagenfurt.

Meeting people is one of the best parts of travel. I wish I could speak all of the native languages. It gets really frustrating asking everyone "Do you speak English?". I try to use the pleasantries like hello, goodbye, thank you, etc. when I speak with people, but it doesn't seem like enough.

Tomorrow I am hoping to hear two concerts here in Salzburg, and do some sightseeing: Mozart's Birth House, Mozart Museum and maybe more. Thursday is the train to Ljubljana.

Die Konigschlosser and a King's View, too!

What an exhausting day! I started early for the King's Castles: Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Good thing because it was like being at Disneyland on July 4th. Hundreds of busses, cars and people everywhere. The later it got, the more people arrived.

My tour of Hohenschwangau was from 9:20 to 10:20am and then I was supposed to hike up to Neuschwanstein for an 11:20 tour. It's a one-mile steep uphill hike, and they say it takes about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, I got lost in the woods leaving Hohenschwangau and had to backtrack about a half-mile. At that point, there was no way I would make it in time, and they only give you one shot. If you snooze, you lose. Fortunately, there is a bus that takes hikers about 15 minutes above the castle, so I took that and walked downhill to the castle, making my tour just in time!

This is what Neuschwanstein looks like from the entry courtyard. King Ludwig of Bavaria began building his fantasy castle when he became king at age 18. Prior to that, he lived in his father's castle nearby, Hohenschwangau.

It was under construction for over fifteen years, and by the time Ludwig was nearly 40, only a third of the castle was complete. He lived in it for only six months before he was declared mentally incompetent and then died under suspicious circumstances. Within six weeks of his death, tourists were visiting the castles to gawk at the opulence.

I'm glad I went, even though the display of wealth was extreme to the point of being offensive. The location and natural landscapes were incredible. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the castles, but they did allow us to take a photo out the window. This is a view from one of the upper windows at Neuschwanstein.

After leaving the castle circus, I went to a nearby town called Fussen. It was a place Ed had visited, so I wanted to see it. It was also packed with people on holiday, but I managed to find a parking place and did the recommended walking tour. It's a charming little Bavarian town with a medieval old town core, plus a high castle and a few old churches and Franciscan monastery.

No pictures of Fussen, as I was exhausted from hiking up and down those steep hills carrying the camera gear at the castles. Around 3pm, I headed back to my hotel, ten miles away in Austria, and sat for a while watching the gliders ride the thermals above the valley. I asked the hotel owner if she had ridden one and she suggested I walk across the river and over to the airport to ask one of the pilots to take me for a ride. So I did!

I rode in a glider once before. An airplane towed us up and then released us. We flew around for a while and then came down. This was different. Here, they have a big truck at one end of the runway and the gliders set up at the other end. The truck has two huge rubber bands attached to a pulley and a runner truck drives the other ends to the glider as the truck lets the slack out. The ends are attached to the glider on each side of the fuselage where the wings attach, and when the pilot radios that he is ready, the truck pulls the elastic bands tight. When the pilot releases his brake, the plane begins to accelerate and slingshots into the air. It was a lot like a carnival ride. My stomach was left somewhere back on the runway!

The pilot flies close to the steep mountain cliffs and does tight figure-eights to catch the up-drafts and take us higher and higher. We stayed up for about a half-hour. It was fun, but I shouldn't have eaten right before I went up! I managed to hang on to my lunch, but there were a few moments I wasn't too sure if I would!

The last two photos are of the landing approach. The airstrip is just alongside the river.

Tomorrow I drive back to Munich to drop off the rented car, then take a train to Salzburg. Thursday I continue by train to Ljubljana.

Looping Through Bavaria and the Tirol

I began this morning by swinging by the Neuschwanstein castle to see how crowded things were. It was a zoo (a lot like Disneyland), so I decided to wait until Monday (also a local holiday, but maybe it won't be quite as crowded) to see the castles.

Near the castles is a gondola and "adrenaline" park with a luge course and other fun things to do, so I went for a gondola ride. Some people take their hang gliders and para-sailing gear and only take the gondola one-way. Others hike down. I bought a round trip.

At the top, there was a lodge with a restaurant and a 360 degree view of the Schwangau valley. The flyers were setting up their gear and getting ready to jump. There were young people, of course, and I even saw a woman of about 70 take a jump. She was fearless!

I wandered around the top freely. No one attempted to keep the lookie-loos away from where the action was happening. For quite a while I just fired shot after shot of people jumping.

Finally I headed back down in the gondola and as we got about half-way down, the view opened up and I saw the Neuschwanstein castle from above. Cool because most of the pictures you see are from below. Once down, I had to try the luge course. It was an aluminum track and pretty easy. But it was fun. Maybe tomorrow I will try another harder one.

After that, I headed north toward a church Ed told me about having seen when he was in Bavaria. He said it was a huge, white thing that was all gilded and carved like frosting on a cake, and it was out in the middle of nowhere. Before I left, we looked it up and found it was called Wieskirche or Church in the Meadow. And that's just what it was.

After Wieskirche, I headed to Oberammergau with low expectations. Once every ten years they hold a "Passion Play" that is attended by millions. The town was expected to be mobbed, and indeed it was. I had hoped to be able to park and shop, as the town is known also for its woodcarving art. But there was not a parking place to be found and I drove around looking for a half-hour or so.

So I continued on toward the highest point in Germany - the Zugspitze! There are many gondolas and ski areas in the vicinity and I had heard that the cheapest and fastest way to the top was on the Austrian side, so that's where I went. It was an incredible ride and although it was warm and sunny at the bottom of the valley, it was cold, windy, snowy and foggy at the top! There was no view to speak of - at least no distant view. But it was fun anyway.

There are two "buildings" near the top - one on the Bavarian side and the other on the Tyrolean side. They are connected by a ramp that used to also serve as a border crossing station. Each side still displays its own identifying signage...

On the final descent, the valley looked so green next to the vertical snow-covered flank of the mountain!

Tomorrow I will try to beat the crowds to the castles and visit the town of Fussen...

Navigating Bavaria

Today was my first driving day - my host Susanne helped me find a good car rental deal and I signed up online with her help. The website and sign-up were in German, so I needed the help. Problem was that I didn't review everything before we clicked to pay and I found out this morning when I went to pick up the car that we had signed up for a car two weeks from now! I was also unprepared for the fact that this is the Whitsun holiday (a big Roman Catholic thing) and the entire population of Bavaria is renting a car and going to the countryside!

I headed west and then south from Munich, toward the Koenigslosser (King's Castles), and the closer I got, the heavier the traffic. By the time I got to the Schwangau valley (above) and the edge of Fussen, the driving was so stressful I had no desire to drive into town. Instead I headed over the Austrian border to the next big town, Reutte. It was also very crowded, so I went out beyond to a smaller town, Ehenbichl, which is much more rural.

Ehenbichl is in a valley below two old castle ruins that flank a mountain pass through which salt was transported through the ages. Nobles would build castles and keep troops handy to enforce the taxation of trade, and these two castles were used for that purpose.

I stopped at a little hotel/pensione below these castles and was informed that they were full - of people in a Rick Steves tour! So Gabi, the owner called her friend Sieglinde up the hill, hopped in the car with me and introduced us. Sieglinde showed me a simple room in a very Bavarian building, with a balcony and castle views! The 34 euro price includes breakfast! Because of the holiday, and the fact that the car rental place is not open on Monday, I will keep the car until Tuesday, then return it in Munich before moving on to Salzburg for two days. So for the next two days - Sunday and Monday - I will visit the fairy-tale castle, Neuschwanstein and its companion castle, Hohenschwangau, plus see as many other local sights before heading back to Munich. This part of Bavaria is adjacent to Austria, so I can hop back and forth at will. There are luge tracks and gondolas to ride, hikes to take, and tonight a traditional Bavarian town dance at the local community hall. Oh, and the world hang glider competition is also this weekend. Maybe I'll get some pictures of that, too!

Dachau and Altes Munich

Friday began with Susanne preparing a big breakfast. I don't each bread or wheat products at home, but I do when I am traveling! She had yogurt, rolls, butter, jam, juice and coffee, and after that and a great night's sleep, I was ready to head out and explore Munich on my own.

After breakfast, Susanne drove me through the Nymphenburg castle grounds, so I could get an idea of how expansive it is, and then she dropped me off at the S-Bahn so I could head to Dachau.

The trains and subways are really easy to navigate, so I easily found my way to the city of Dachau, and then transferred to a bus that took me to the camp - now a museum.

The gate to the camp has the ironic phrase "Arbeit Macht Frei", literally "Work Makes You Free", also seen at several other camps, including Auschwitz. It was a somber visit. The exhibits were presented in German and English, so I could understand everything, and there was a documentary-style film with old footage of the liberation of Dachau. The barracks (rebuilt), the gas chamber (never used, but the Nazis clearly had planned to have used it) and the crematorium were all beyond comprehension. I came here because I think you have to see these things to believe that humans are capable of being this cruel to other humans.

After such a day (it was nearly five hours altogether), I wanted to see the old part of Munich town and maybe catch a concert, so I headed to Marienplatz. The local tourist info office said there was a performance of Die Zauberflote in the opera house, but when I inquired to purchase tickets, they were sold out.

Instead, I climbed up the bell tower at St. Peter's Church. The view was fantastic (good thing because I needed some time to catch my breath!) and going around the top I had a 360 degree view of Munich, including the entire old town at the base of the tower. This photo shows the town hall (Neues Rathaus) right at the base of the tower. The town hall facade has the famous glockenspiel facing the square (Marienplatz).

After descending, I saw a poster at the main entrance of St Peters that said there would be a free organ concert at 8pm that evening. Since it was nearly 7pm, I decided to head over to the square and grab some dinner while waiting. The glockenspiel had already chimed for the last time that day (I missed it), but there were some musicians busking near the fountain, so I went to listen. There was a violin, a cello, a small piano (on a wheeled platform), a bass and a cajon percussionist. They played an imaginative mixture of classical pieces with some jazz and gypsy stuff, too. The drew a big crowd and I had fun listening. The organ concert was nice, too, but this was really fun. Tomorrow I will be heading to the castles in a rented car.

Munich - The First Day

Arriving in Munich this morning, after two long flights, from Seattle to Philadelphia and then from Philly to Munich, I headed to the S-Bahn to take the subway into the city. On the short walk from the terminal to the train station, I saw an Airstream trailer in the platz and quickly realized that it was no ordinary trailer. It was a hot dog stand, but more than that, it was outfitted with a nine-cylinder Pratt & Whitney airplane engine and wings! Bratwurst anyone?

It's raining and cold in Munich this week. A lot like late winter in Seattle, but I'm having a great time already. I met a local woman named Susanne and she is hosting me for my first two nights. She lives several train stops south west of the historic downtown area of Munich and is a freelance event planner and location scout. She has a nine-year-old son named Cedric and they live in a lovely house in an upscale residential area. Susanne gave me directions to find her neighborhood using the city subway system. It was clean and easy to understand. I took one train to the center of town and they transferred to another before arriving at her station. From the airport, it took under an hour. After dropping off my luggage, Susanne made an early lunch of Weisswurst, sweet mustard (senf) and soft pretzels. Yum! Apparently, Weisswurst is traditionally only eaten before noon. Anyway, it was delicious.

Susanne then took the afternoon off and we took the train/subway to the English Garden, Odeonplatz and the Hofbrauhaus, as well as window shopping in the general area of Marienplatz. The English Garden was gorgeous. It was like a rural Central Park, with canals, a river and horse trails everywhere. At one point near the edge of the park and with downtown buildings in sight and less than a block away, there is a place in the river where the water is rough and makes an eddy that people use to surf! They throw their boards in and jump on and can go for ten minuted, surfing in one place, thanks to the conflicting currents, as long as they don't fall off their boards. Once they fall, the next person jumps in and you have to wait your turn again!

All together, we had a nice walk of a couple of miles and one stop for coffee before returning to the house so I could rest! (I napped a bit on the plane, but haven't really slept in a couple of days now.)

Tomorrow I will be a solo tourist in Munich, maybe go to Dachau, and arrange a car rental for the weekend so I can head to Füssen and the schlösser (castles) of Mad King Ludwig!

Janez, Our Good Friend

Joyce and I have had the incredible good fortune to have met a wonderful Slovenian man, Janez Cerar, while we were looking for someone to be our advocate and coordinator in Slovenia.

Here Janez is pictured with his wife Meta and their daughter Daša, on Daša's wedding day last fall.

Janez has worked tirelessly and patiently with us to help us understand the Slovenian bureaucracies surrounding our issues of heritage, inheritance and agricultural real estate. He has been generous with his time as well as patient and kind when we didn't understand! He has translated all kinds of documents for us, searched for court records, coordinated meetings, hearings and assessments, and generally been "Our Man in Slovenia"!

Early in our discussions with Janez, we discovered that he may also be an Urbas relative! We are looking forward to comparing notes and finding just how related we are! Wouldn't Andy & Louise be pleased and proud to hear that one of their countrymen came forward like this to help us finally complete our project?

Janez and Meta have offered to be my hosts during my stay in Slovenia, and Janez also plans to accompany and guide me through the process of re-registering (and possibly selling) our forest property, as well as showing me around his beautiful country!

What a great time I am going to have, and what a great friend we have found!

 

Please Post Your Comments!

Thanks for reading this blog, everyone! My goal is to share this adventure with anyone who is curious. Some of you are members of this Urbas family and may have information or perspectives that I lack. Maybe you know something that contradicts my view.

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A Forest in Slovenia

In 1970, as an eight year-old, I visited Slovenia (then Yugoslavia) with my Grandma Olga. I was vaguely aware that she was the eldest daughter of immigrant parents who had settled in Pennsylvania after arriving in the US in 1908.

Our trip took place right after Olga's father died, and the purpose was to try to come to a new agreement with family members who had been taking care of her father's land for over 60 years. For a number of years, it had been more and more difficult to communicate with the family in the old country. Maybe they felt it was so far and it had been so long that we couldn't possibly care about the property anymore. Maybe they just wanted us to forget about it and leave the land to them. We'll never know for sure.

What we do know from reading many old letters in both English and Slovenian, is that Olga and her parents tried in vain for at least thirty years to regain control of their land. We also know that they did not forget about it - their attachment to the land was strong and the children and grandchildren kept that land in their hearts out of loyalty to their grandparents. Over the years, "Grandpa's Forest" has become a family legend - the kind of story whose mystery deepens with every retelling, and with every subsequent generation.

Olga's parents were Andrej and Alojsija Urbas, and came from Planina pri Rakeku, Slovenia. Upon arriving in the US, they took American names, Andy and Louise, and that's how we grew up knowing them. They worked hard in the mining town of Conemaugh, Pennsylvania, and had five daughters: Olga, Christine, Louise, Martha and Sophia. Andy eventually became a barkeeper and restaurant owner, and the family periodically sent small amounts of money to family in the old country. In the 1940s they moved to Phoenix Arizona, where Olga had already been living for several years.

Both English and Slovenian were spoken in Andy & Louise's home, and the daughters all learned to speak to some degree, but only Olga learned to write in the old language. Years later it turned out to be a blessing, since it helped her stay in touch with the Urbas family back in Slovenia.

In 2007 I had an opportunity to return to Slovenia and had a wonderful time (you can read my blog about this trip here). It was a nostalgic trip for me - remembering my earlier visit with Olga, and trying to find some of the same people and places that I had visited before. I was remarkably successful, with the help of a few random, but curious Slovenian citizens! Another granddaughter of Andy and Louise, Joyce Lazok, who lives near San Diego California was particularly interested in my 2007 trip to Slovenia. She encouraged me to look for "Grandpa's Forest". Through a series of lucky encounters, I found the current caretaker and he took me to visit the forest.

Since that visit, Joyce and I have been working steadily to find out how to register the latest generation of heirs on the deed to the forest. In 2009 we were again fortunate enough to stumble upon a professional translator, a Slovenian gentleman named Janez Cerar, who was gracious and generous enough to agree to assist and guide us. Upon hearing our story, Janez declared that he was certain that we were distantly related, as he also has Urbas cousins! This last year has been a whirlwind of activity, all guided by Janez, with the goal of helping us achieve our goals (and Olga's dream) of recovering "Grandpa's Forest"!

Wish us luck, and please bookmark and visit this blog regularly during May and June 2010 for updates on this epic adventure!