G'day mate

Ker vsi v razširjeni družini ter njihovi in najini prijatelji ne znajo slovensko, bom tokrat poskusil z dvojezično objavo.

Since not everybody in our extended family (including some of our friends) speaks Slovenian, this time my blog post is bilingual.

Najina zadnja doživetja so se prepletala z zgodovino naše družine. Del nje živi tam spodaj, kot radi rečemo, daleč stran od nas – v Avstraliji. A razdalja, ki nas ločuje, nas ni ločila. Družinske vezi so močnejše.

Our last adventures are closely connected to our family history. A part of it lives far away, in the country down under, as we like to refer to Australia. However, the physical distance between us only made our family bonds stronger.   

Tri mesece, preden sem se rodil, so stric Sandi, teta Milena in njuna hči Vesna odšli v obljubljeno deželo, ki je postala njihov novi dom. Poleg Vesne sem dobil še tri sestrične: Natašo, Sandy in Anči. Leta so tekla, dekleta so se omožila, dobila otroke, pa vnuke in danes v Avstraliji živijo že štiri generacije. Če bi vsi naenkrat prišli domov, bi rabili svoje letalo, toliko jih je.

Three months before I was born, uncle Sandi, aunt Milena and their daughter Vesna left for the promised land, which became their new home. Besides Vesna, I got three more cousins: Nataša, Sandy and Anči. As time was passing, the girls got married, had kids, and later got grandkids. Today, four generations of the family live in Australia, and if they all wanted to visit their homeland at the same time, they'd surely fill up a plane.

Čeprav živimo daleč narazen, ali pa prav zaradi tega, smo ostali močno povezani. Avstralci so prihajali na obisk v Slovenijo, mi pa v Avstralijo. Stric in teta sta si vedno želela še enkrat domov, a pot je dolga in draga. Vesna in Spiro, sta dobro vedela, kakšno bo najlepše darilo za stričevo osemdesetletnico. Letalski karti za Dunaj!

Even though we live so far apart (yet, this may be the reason for it), we've remained a close-knit family; our Australian relatives have visited Slovenia, and vice versa. Uncle and Aunt had always wanted to return home once again, but the journey is long and expensive. Vesna and Spiro knew perfectly well what the best present for Uncle's 80th birthday would be – two plane tickets to Vienna.

Druga sreda v septembru je bil lep dan. Z Vlasto sva na letališču nervozno iskala znana obraza. Stric in teta sta prišla! Veselo snidenje, objemi, solze sreče … trenutki, za katere je vredno živeti. Nikdar, pa če bom živel sto let, ne bom pozabil, kako težko sta čakala, da smo zapeljali skozi Karavanški predor v rodno deželo. K Maruši v Begunje smo prišli, ko je bila zunaj že trda tema. Po skorajda tridesetih letih sta se brat in sestra spet objela …

The second Wednesday in September was a beautiful day. Me and Vlasta were at the airport, nervously looking for two familiar faces. Uncle and Aunt finally arrived. A cheerful reunion, hugs and tears of happiness followed – these are the moments making our lives worth living. Never in my life will I forget how hardly they waited to leave the Karavanke tunnel and behold their homeland. We arrived at Maruša's when it got dark outside. After almost thirty years, brother and sister hugged each other tight again.

Skorajda istočasno sta se na potovanje podala Sandy in Simon. Medtem ko sta Sandi in Milena srečevala sorodnike, stare prijatelje in obiskovala znane kraje, sta onadva zaokrožila po Evropi, nazadnje pa prišla v Slovenijo.

Od slovesa v Sydneyu je minilo šest dolgih let. Že dan pred njunim prihodom na Tržaško letališče sva jima odšla naproti. Prespala sva le streljaj od letališča, če bi slučajno prišla prej :-).

Sandy and Simon set off almost simultaneously. While Sandi and Milena were visiting their kin, old friends and sights, they were travelling around Europe, and finally made a stop in Slovenia.

Six long years had passed since our farewell in Sydney. We headed for Trieste a day before their arrival, and spent the night in a hotel neighboring the airport, just in case they'd show up a day earlier :-).

Tvegal bom zamero ostale »žlahte«, a povedal bom povedal po resnici. Eden od najlepših trenutkov v življenju je bilo snidenje z najljubšo sestrično. S Sandy in Simonom naju veže posebna vez! Ne vem zakaj? Morda zato, ker smo si podobni?

Although the rest of my kin might feel insulted, I'll be frank: reunion with my favorite cousin was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. There's a special bond between me and Sandy&Simon. I wonder why. Is it because we're so similar?

Štirje mušketirji - The Four Musketeers

Le deset dni smo bili skupaj. Veliko premalo, da bi se pomenili o vsem, kar smo v tem času doživeli, da bi skupaj prevandrali več, kot nam je uspelo.

We spent only ten days together, which is far too short to talk over everything we experienced in this period or see more sights than we managed to.

Zapeljali smo se preko Vršiča v dolino Soče - We drove up the Vršič Pass and continued downhill into the River Soča valley,

premagali 2.050 m visoki Viševnik - managed to climb Mt. Viševnik (2,050m),
 

se najedli Zdenkinih kremšnit - tried Zdenka's delicious cream cakes, 

se srečali z vso »žlahto« in prijatelji - met all the kin and friends,

dva dni s Krištofom preživeli v Dolomitih - spent two days in the Dolomites with Krištof,

se sprehodili po Bledu - took a stroll around Bled,

veslali na otok - rowed to the lake island,

in pogledali z gradu na Bled in okolico - and enjoyed a wonderful view of the area from the Bled castle.

Da bi bil petek »petek  trinajstega«, je zmanjkalo deset dni. A je bil za vse nas to vseeno najbolj nesrečen dan, za katerega sem si želel, da bi nikdar ne prišel. Treba se je bilo posloviti. Solze v očeh, stiski rok in objem … Avto, ki jih je odpeljal, je izginil za vogalom …

Ne pozabite! Rekli smo: »NA SVIDENJE!« 

It wasn't Friday 13th, but it was a most sad Friday. I wished it had never come - we had to take leave. Tears in the eyes, hand shaking and hugs again. Then, getting into the car which disappeared around the corner.

Don't forget, we parted saying »SEE YOU«. 

In na koncu za vse najine sorodnike in prijatelje in vse tiste, ki so daleč od svojih najdražjih:

Kisses to all our kin, friends and those living far away from their loved ones:

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Upam, da se kmalu spet vidimo! - I hope we'll meet again soon!