June 16, 2009

Remember that trip you took to Europe the summer after you graduated from high school? You and a friend catch a cheap flight to Paris and spend the summer backpacking around where WW II happened. Well for me it was like my fiftieth birthday party. It never happened. In fact it never even occurred to me that I could go Europe after I graduated. The only kids in my high school class who went to Europe did it on Uncle Sam as members of the U.S. Army or Air Force.

Forty-six years later I’m doing it. I sold my business last July and now have the time to do it. The only rub is I can’t do it on the 1963 “Europe on $5 a Day” which is what my income is. To help solve that problem I’m spending time with some friends and relatives who live in Europe. My wife Nora and maybe some friends will be joining me later and we’ll travel around together. I’m posting this so those of you who wish may check in on me from time to time. I will warn you now, don’t expect this to be anything profound. I’m not searching for the meaning of life, my roots, or much else. It’s just an experience that I feel I should have. I’ll use it to try to improve my writing ability but it has been a struggle for decades so I don’t expect it to change much now.

As I sit writing this I have been gone a little over a week. I left San Francisco on June 8th after cashing in some United Mileage Plus Miles on a ticket to Frankfurt. I spent four-and-a-half days there with Nora’s cousin and her family. It was good to see them and they were very gracious and kept me busy. I toured the Opel auto plant, attend a high school music program, and sports award night; spend two afternoons in downtown Frankfurt seeing sites and museums, saw a soapbox derby, Chagall’s stain glass windows in St. Stephan’s church, a restored Roman fortress and ate some good food. It was all very enjoyable and fun.

Sunday morning June 14th, I boarded the 8:20 train for a twelve and one-half hour ride to Zagreb, Croatia. The train ride was pleasant if somewhat long. I enjoy trains, it seem like you always meet interesting people on them. Two cute little Russian sisters (9 and 11) were in my compartment for about 39 Km. When I told them where I was from they wanted to know if I knew Kelly Clarkson. I also met a woman from Slovenia who was returning home from a trip to the U.S. that started in NYC and ended in San Francisco. She wanted to know what time of the year it’s warm in San Francisco.

Customs was no problem except in Slovenia where they questioned and searched the luggage of my three compartment mates because they were Croatian and Bosnian. Put them through the hoops like immigration does with Latinos in the US. Slovenia is in the European Union but as a country they don't have much to offer. Mostly they are a place Europeans go through to get to Croatia. They have opposed Croatian membership into the EU and harass their citizens at every chance. They want Croatia to give them about 20 more miles of coastline so they will have a deep water sea port but Croatia refuses.

My friend Zdravko met me at the train station and we drove the 15 miles Northeast of Zagreb to his house. We had a dinner of Sauerkraut soup, ricotta cheese and bread.

Zdravko is one of my excuses for taking this trip. Zdravko lives with his wife Julia in Sonoma County, California. Summers he comes back to Croatia where he was raised to maintain his family’s farm house. Last summer he bought another piece of property and wants to do some repairs on it. He has been asking me for the last few years to come visit him and help him in exchange for room and board. This year I took him up on it.

Zdravko has two pieces of land with houses. The old family farm house where we are staying now (I call it House 1). The problem here is no running water because the pipe to the well froze last winter. We take water from the well by bucket for our needs. Unfortunately the pipe broke under the kitchen floor which is tile so he doesn't want to tear it up now. The house needs some other work to be sure but if the water was working it would be fine.

This is the house he lived in as a youth. The barn was his dad's woodworking shop where he made furniture for the villagers. The house was built in the 1890s by a royal family for their stable hands and the large barn was for their horses.

The other property is the new one up the mountain about a mile away. It has two houses (House 2 and the old house). House 2 is newer, about 1960. The old

house next to it is wood construction and is over 100 years old. He is waiting for the village to turn on the water to house 2 and then we will move up there and work on clearing the land which has grown up since no one has lived there for 15 years. He has made a good start on the clearing. The property has pear, apple and walnut trees. The Village has to have their person come out and connect the water to the main line. There is one person for the whole district and Zdravko has been waiting three weeks already. I find it hard to believe they have water lines out here; this is not in a village it’s out in the country.

The old house he wants to restore. Most of the wood support is in good shape but it will take some work for a few years to get done. Zdravko is very much into starting an Eco or self sustaining community. He wants to eat only fresh grown fruit and vegetables, raise his own chickens, turkeys, pigs and goats. No TVs. I have found so far that Europeans are much more informed than many in the US about "green issues".

I think Zdravko is glad to have some one to talk to after spending several weeks alone. He said he has been getting up at 5 am to start work because he goes to bed so early. There’s no TV or internet. I told him that I brought a deck of cards and to my chagrin he informed me that he does not play cards. That does not bode well.

It is very hot today so we are not working. Tonight or tomorrow morning I will go out and look at the Village. In the house it’s cool and comfortable this afternoon. There is a slight breeze that blows thru the open windows. The birds are loud outside and an occasional car or tractor drives by. Zdravko is taking a nap because his back is sore.