We were warned early on that, as is Slovenian custom, visitors are given gifts when they depart, especially things like homemade wine, liquor, etc. We did not want to insult our generous hosts by refusing items we couldn't carry on the plane, so we went out early to buy a new hard-covered suitcase to transport the gifts home. When we got back to the apartment, Miha picked us up and we headed off to Novo Mesto, the town where Andrew's anscestors came from.
We arrive earlier than the family was expecting us, so we take a brief tour of Otocec Castle to kill time. It's a beautiful piece of history-turned-hotel, with a wooded walking path guarded by families of swans. From there we head up to the hills above the town, where the small family farms are nestled.
We meet Ivan, the family patriarch, and his wife and some of his daughters, who are cousins Justina. Ivan (who didn't speak english, so Miha translated for us) told us some family stories and wished us many blessings in our marriage.
Down the road a short walk, we come to the original family farm, where a cousin and her husband now live. They showed us around enthusiastically, and told us about how their great-grandparents raised 13 children in two bedrooms. They also showed us their home distillery, and gave us a bottle of homemade Slivovitz.
Miha then drove us to the other side of town, where we met another cousin, Melita, and her parents and about 20 other relatives. They had prepared a feast to celebrate our visit! It's amazing how similar the family gathering in Slovenia was to Andrew's family gatherings here: lots of talking, laughing, food, drinks, and teasing young couples about when they would have children. The food and company were equally delightful.
After the feasting and talking were finished, we were presented with a number of gifts, including homemade honey, honey liquor, a photo book about Slovenia, coffee mugs, and a few other items. Off to downtown Novo Mesto, where we visited Miha's friend, who own a restaurant called Pri Belokranjcu. We drank too much wine, at too much food, and if there were such a thing as laughing too much, we did that too.
Much like America, when you've drank too much and it's late and you're hungry, you go for cheap greasy food. Only, in Slovenia, there's no Taco Bell, the drunk food of choice is a dish called burek. It's like fried a meat pita/pastry, and seriously hit the spot. Another day well spent!