Visiting Maribor, Wine Country

Last Saturday my kids were supposed to attend a primary activity at the district primary president's home out in Maribor, in Eastern Slovenia, a good 1.5 hour drive from Ljubljana. Being the good little ambassadors my kids are, they invited a couple of their friends from school to go with them.  It was a great opportunity for us to visit this part of the country, famous for its vineyards and wine... Perfect time of year too as the vineyards are in full bloom!  

 Then the activity got cancelled because none of the other families could make it.

But I said, screw it, we're going anyway. 

Cosette brought Marielle and James brought Dante.  Caroline begrudgingly tagged along grumbling that as a twelve year old she was too old for such nonsense as primary.

And Emily had other plans with school friends so she got left behind 😞

The Fidler family was gracious to have us over, even though the official activity was canceled.  

Before we went to their home, we visited a beautiful spot in the vineyards famous for its overlook of a road that is naturally shaped like a heart.  

Can you see the 💚 ??

James, not quite feeling the 💜

Aww, these two girls are so cute together!

The heart-shaped road was a cool photo op, but I was more enchanted with the surrounding views:

Then we drove a little ways and climbed to an overlook tower.  There was this walking group that was out with their poles trekking along the narrow roads that weaved through the vineyards.  One lady was super friendly and invited us to join them.  They were off to some wine festival in a nearby village.  When we told her we were from the states she told us the funniest story:

She was a foreign exchange student at a university in Arkansas when Clinton was governor.  He hosted a reception for all the foreign exchange students, and when he asked her where she was from upon meeting her, she replied, "Slovenia."  He said, "Where the hell is that?" She had the audacity to say, "You know, if you're going to be running for president, you really should know your geography!" And he said, "Aww, I know enough" which apparently was true since he went on to be elected president! 😂

Views from the tower

Then it was on to the Fidlers home where we enjoyed čevapčiči, chicken wings, apple crisp, horseback rides, and good company. They live on seven acres of land and have chickens, horses, cats, and a dog.  Marielle was terrified of all of them... even the chickens! 😂 I admired (and a little bit envied) their garden.  I'm so mad I didn't think to get a group photo of our two families.  The Fidlers are such nice people.  She's from Salzburg, Austria, and he is from the Maribor area.  He converted to the church as a young adult and shortly thereafter served a mission to California.  He is the branch president over the Maribor branch, the only other branch besides the one we attend. So, just he and Ben are the only branch presidents in the whole country!

 Marielle's little safety zone, where the animals couldn't get to her 😅

Cosette chugging down a beer 😂 (alcohol-free of course)

Even the horse can see how crazy she is

Cosette's first time on a horse!!

I loved my horse ride... the highlight of the day!

Thank you, Fidlers, for an awesome day!!

Monument Unveiling Ceremony

We had a really neat experience on Saturday that is worth documenting.  

Ben, as the US military representative in Slovenia, was invited to speak at a monument unveiling ceremony that honored ten US crew members of a B-24 bomber that crashed in Slovenia on March 19, 1944. The wreck was a result of an attack by German fighter planes on a fleet of US bombers that was en route back to Italy from bombing a munitions factory in Austria.  The bomber, "Moo Juice" came down in the Slovenian woods near a small settlement named Štravberk, near the village of Otočec in the region of Novo Mesto. Three men were killed before hitting the ground, while the rest were forced to eject. Five men were captured by Nazi sympathizers and turned over to the German occupiers, where they ended up in a prisoner camp but miraculously survived. The final two members were rescued by partisans with the help of the local residents. They sheltered them, fed them, nursed their wounds, and ultimately led them on a long and dangerous trek to safety in present day Bosnia from where they were able to fly back to their airbase in Italy. Tragically, a villager who helped one of the US airmen link up with the partisans, was ratted out by Nazi sympathizers, arrested, and sent to a concentration camp where he ultimately died. 

 The ceremony, accompanied by a brass band, was attended by several villagers, the mayor of Novo Mesto, and Slovenia's minister of defense.  They, along with Ben, gave great speeches.  But the highlight was hearing from one of the surviving crew member's son, Steve Nordwell, who traveled all the way from Seattle with his daughter to attend this ceremony.  It was his first trip ever to Slovenia, and a real treat to learn more about his father's extraordinary experience.  He expressed his gratitude for those that helped save the life of his father, Ernest Nordwell, and he held up a family picture showing his father's large posterity, saying none of them would be here today if it hadn't been for these selfless and courageous Slovenians.  It was so touching!

Steve Nordwell, son of nose-gunner Ernest Nordwell, 

 and his daughter.

Here is the brass band playing the Slovenian National Anthem:

And here is the speech by Ben: 

If you're patient and wait until the end you can hear him recite some poetry in Slovenian 💞

Bravo Ben!!👏👏👏

Unveiling of the Monument

Villagers in attendance

Emily was sick, so she couldn't come 😔

Caroline, exhibiting her reverence for the monument. 

After the ceremony we enjoyed a lunch with all of the villagers.  It included delicious tender venison stew (goulash), and locally prepared breads and pastries.  We sat with Steve and his daughter and enjoyed learning more about his father's incredible experience. We also conversed with the daughter of the last surviving eyewitness to the crash, Franc Blažič, who sadly passed away last year. He was just 14 years old when it happened.  He helped collect and bury the bodies of those that perished.

The tent where we gathered for lunch 

Steve kept saying what a priceless experience this was for them. It was fun to watch them experience this precious day!

The villagers were so friendly and hospitable!  The son of Franc Blažič, the last surviving witness to the crash who died last year, invited us to his home down the road.  First we stopped by his late father's home, which still remains in the family.  One of the airmen landed in his backyard!  The home was covered in amazing vines with perfectly ripe grapes!

Before we knew it he was getting out the ladder to trim us some bunches of grapes!

They were soooo tasty!

Somebody has been busy.  My dad would appreciate this woodpile. In fact, I thought of my dad several times during the day.  He would have LOVED this experience. 

Cosette, my faithful prop in all my pics.

Then the son took us to his home where he brought out the ponies for the kids to enjoy.  His love for horses and his land was very apparent, especially with all the horse paraphernalia and decor in his home!  

Three generations of ponies... daughter, mother, grandmother.  The grandmother is over thirty years old!

Then he brought out all this wreckage from the B-24 bomber that they have found and kept in the family over the years. 

A rusted oxygen tank from the plane.  The locals repurposed many of the parts and used them as kitchenware or in whatever innovative fashion they could think of 😂

Artifacts from the wreckage

A live round that they found in the area recently.  So cool!

On the left you have the son of the Slovenian farmer who witnessed the wreck and helped in the aftermath (and his grandkids), and on the right you have the son and granddaughter of the surviving crew member.
Soooo cool!

Ben presented him with a 101st airborne patch, screaming eagle.  He loved it! 

All around, a great experience!

 It's interesting to see that even though those who were part of the events on March 19, 1944 are no longer here, the significance of it is remembered and preserved by their posterity.  Slovenians and Americans alike hold these events close to their hearts! Both are duly proud of their heritage.