Forgot to mention, soon after we arrived in Dubrovnik, the son of cousin Staka called from Belgrade.  They just wanted to know how we were, was the weather good and did we like Yugoslavia!  He or his sister called every day.

June 10- We traveled to Sarajevo.  Followed the sea for awhile then began to get into the mountains.  Words to describe the beauty we saw- just aren’t available.  Yugoslavians utilize every inch of their ground.  The mountain-sides are terraced and farmed.  Main crops seem to be corn, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes, and lots of fruit trees.  Every home has a vegetable garden and lots of flowers.

We stopped in Mostar, an old Turkish town, for lunch.  There were several castles on the hills around.  Arrived in Sarajevo late that afternoon and left early the next morning.  We were sorry not to have seen more of the city, but after all we saw it on T.V. this winter!  Still it was a thrill to be there.

June11- Arrived in Belgrade about 4:30 p.m.  When Marie went in the Hotel Yugoslavia-our relatives were on the phone.  Before we could even wash our faces, George and Savka, cousin Staka’s son and daughter, were in the lobby waiting for us.  Kisses and hugs abounded!  They are lovely young people- about 33 and 35.  We never understood George’s job, but Savka is a lawyer for the government.  We were immediately taken to their parent’s apartment- more kisses and hugs!  George and Savka interpreted for us.  We were served a delicious supper of ham, cheeses, homemade breads, fresh tomatoes, lettuce and strawberries.  Staka, Bud’s first cousin, and her husband, Dusan are great people as were all of the family.  They have two other sons- Milan and Nickola.  We had tea at Nickola’s home one afternoon.

Didn’t get back to the hotel till late in the evening.  We were all exhausted and went straight to bed.  Promptly at 7:15 a.m. the next morning (June 12), we left for Kolut to visit Big Bob’s (Robert Kmezic Maras) sister, Soka, and many more family members.  George drove his Mother and Father.  Savka traveled with us.  When we arrived in Novi Sad, we picked up another cousin, Nilan and his daughter Vesna.  This girl was so sweet and beautiful, we all fell in love with her.  She has long black hair, big black eyes and skin like a Magnolia blossom.  She is at least 6’ 3” tall and is slated to be on the Yugoslavian national basketball team.  Her Father felt it best for her to get an education.  She will either teach or go into radio and television.  Her English is very good, so her help in Kolut was a great help.  Between Vesna, Savka and George, we were able to communicate very well.

We arrived in Kolut, a small village about five miles from the Hungarian border, at 11 a.m.  The greetings we received there were very emotional and overwhelming.  A man, who looked a lot like Dad, opened a gate into a courtyard.  Bud was told to drive in.  Don’t think a car had ever driven in there.  Very few members of our family own cars.  On the porch sat this lovely old lady, all dressed in black- Dad’s sister Soka.  She is at least 92.  Her eyes, the most beautiful blue, were filled with tears but she had a big smile for us.  When she saw Bud, it was almost too much. He looks so much like his Dad.  She grabbed his hand and held it to her chest.  She hardly left his side the whole day.  These people have so little material things, as we think of, but they gave so much of themselves.  It was very heartwarming!  Many family members were present.  Our meal was a banquet with everything homemade.  Chicken soup with noodles, turkey, a huge platter of pork, bread, cheeses and fresh green salad.  For desert, a delicious pound cake and a twelve layer chocolate torte!  We returned to Belgrade about 8 p.m.

June13-Savka arrived very early to take us on a tour of Belgrade.  She first took us to a park where an ancient Turkish Castle is located.  It was a hot day and it was too much walking for all of us.  Bud and I went back for the car, planning to pick up Mom and Durkee.  We missed them, so we went back to the hotel.  Soon Durkee and Mom arrived by taxi.  The four of us had a relaxing lunch on the patio of the hotel, looking out over the Danube River.  Poor Marie spent a hard afternoon sightseeing with Savka.  Later, we found Savka holds the record for the fastest 400-meter runner of Serbia!  No wonder we couldn’t keep up.  It was that afternoon we had tea with Nickola, Milan and their families.

June 14- George arrived early to drive us to Plitvicka.  He brought a bowl of delicious strawberries for us.  At 8 a.m., we stopped at another cousin’s in Ruma for breakfast.  We were greeted by the most handsome, tall man with beautiful white hair, dressed in a three-piece gray suit, his lovely wife and their daughter who had traveled clear across the country to see us. The menu for breakfast was about the same as in Kolut and just as delicious.  We had a wonderful visit with these people even though they spoke no English.  Thank goodness for George again!  George drove all the way to Plitvicka, which was a great help to Bud.  We had a pleasant trip arriving at the Hotel Jezero late in the afternoon.  The area of Plitvicka Lakes was declared a national park in 1949.  It is a valley nestled between high-forested mountains.  Many of the trees are deciduous so it must be a glorious sight in the fall.  It is breathtaking in the summer.  There are a string of sixteen beautiful lakes of crystal blue-green color.  They spill into each other in cascades and thundering waterfalls.  The clear, cool mountain air really pleased us.

After unloading our luggage, Bud told George to take the car onto Vrhovine where he was to meet his parents.  Shortly after we settled into our rooms, George called from the lobby.  He had met cousin Jovan on the road and they were waiting for us.  Mina, a cousin from Karlovac, and her brother, Boro were there also.  Mina could speak English, so between her and George- we had a good visit.

June 15-After a good night’s sleep, Bud and I had a relaxing swim.  Soon George arrived to take us over the mountain to Vrhovine.  It is a twenty-minute drive.  We were warmly greeted at Jovan’s home by Jovan’s very jovial wife Mira, George’s parents (who had come by train from Belgrade) and Staka’s sister.  Cousin Dane, who also lives in Vrhovine, joined us for a delicious lunch, really a banquet.  Mid afternoon, we all went to Dugi Do- the birthplace of Dad and many of the Kmezic family.  It was a very emotional visit.  The Germans burned the original home.  Jovan had built another home where he and his wife lived until a few years ago.  The land is beautiful, lush green farmland, surrounded by dense forest.  Shortly after we got there, here comes the most handsome dark haired, blue eyed boy of about twelve, followed by his precious little Grandmother, all dressed in black.  They had come to see the family from America.  We spent quite a time with memories and just soaking in the beauty.  We saw a stone well that Dad had helped build in 1906.  Then we all went to Dane’s home for a “light” supper of delicious ham, cheeses, fresh lettuce and tomato salad.  This was followed by a beautiful torte with at least 10 different fillings.  Dane’s wife was away, but we met his son, Misha, wife Jelena and their daughter, Svetlana.  Dane showed us some of the most beautiful fox furs- he and Misha are great hunters.   

We had a leisure morning, the weather was delightful, and so we went to see some of the falls and lakes.  In the afternoon, we returned to Dane’s home in Vrhovine for Bud’s birthday celebration.  Marie, Bob and Mom had planned to take the whole family to a restaurant for dinner, but they wouldn’t hear of it.  They insisted on having it in their own home.  Durkee and Mom gave them money to purchase a lamb for barbecue.  Misha spent many hours searching for the very best lamb.  When we arrived, Dane was barbecuing the lamb at a neighbor’s house.  It was the most delicious meat.  Soup, fresh green salad and homemade bread were served.  Misha’s wife had made another super torte, which had 6 birthday candles on it.  Bud was presented with a native cap of Lika (a red, brimless cap with black silk embroidery and long black tassel) and a bell mounted in a horseshoe.  The bell representing the bell worn by their sheep, horseshoe for good luck and the handle has a design of wheat, their main crop.  We also have a list signed by sixteen people who attended the party.  What a memorable 60^th birthday party for Bud!  A great time was had by all.

June 17- George picked us up mid-morning and we started on to Zagreb.  George took us to Petrova Gora, a war memorial.  This place is very important to the family as most of them fought very hard as partisans in World War II. For instance, Stoka went four weeks without shoes helping her husband carry wounded soldiers to the hospital located at Petrova Gora.  We visited the hospital site, which is mostly underground.  The woods are so dense, the Germans couldn’t find it.  There is also a very tall, modern, metal building erected in honor of all those brave people who fought for their freedom. 

George joined us for dinner before leaving by train for Belgrade.  This wonderful young man had taken ten days vacation to travel with us.  We shall never forget him and will always be grateful to him for all his help.