LESE - The infamous village of death.

It was the 12^th day of May 1945.

Officially WWII had been over and done with for four days.

The Allied Forces had defeated the German Army and the final signatures had been affixed to the documents of

“unconditional surrender” on the 8^th day of May 1945.

In Slovenia, as in many other countries, the hatreds against all that was “German” burnt high and the call for revenge was loud and clear.

Withdrawing German troups had murdered entire families, men, women and children, where they suspected that even one member might have belonged to the “Partisanen” (Resistance Fighters)

No questions for proof were ever asked. The trigger finger always was quick and efficient.

When Slovenian resistance fighters ( Partisanen ) obtained lists of German speaking Austrians living in Bleiburg and several other communities, who were accused of even the most remote “Nazi” activities, they quickly and mercilessly rounded them up, brought them to the Slovenian village of Lese, took them to a field nearby and summarily executed them.

It was the 12^th day of May, 1945

29 citizens of Bleiburg did not return from this massacre. Two were merchants, operating a Grocery Store in Bleiburg. 

Mr. Othmar Mory ran the store with his wife, Maria, who was a member of the women's guild.

Christin was the daughter-in-Law of Othmar and Mary.

Today, this hatred has largely subsided, thanks to the efforts of good men on both sides.

One of the best is Othmar Mory, oldest son of the above named victims.

In painful memory

of all innocent

victims of the time after the War 1945

from Carinthia and Slovenia.

This is Othmar Mory, ( Otti, for short )

oldest Son of  the murdered 

Othmar and Maria Mory.

Otti's  heart could be full of hatred,

he, however, campained tirelessly for peace and understanding.

Otti is one of the  heroes of this time.

Lese in Slovenia

It was a lovely day. 
Just right for a drive in the country side.
So I crossed the border into Slovenia, right into the hills,
where ancient farm houses nestle snugly up against the hill sides.
I will later report about the terrible history of this place, after WWII in May of 1945.
But first some more innocent images:

a lonely farm, with not one square inch on level ground.

A mill in which rhye was ground between two stones.

"Snow Roses" in abundance.

Two kinds of "Sympathy?"

In the grocery store they also sell candles. Fancy candles, with gold inscriptions.

                              "Honestly felt Sympathy"

which makes me wonder: Is there a "Pretended Sympathy" ?

and if this is how you felt, would you actually say so ?

I looked and looked  but could not find a candle with this 

inscription.

EARLY HARBINGERS

Crocuses in  our Garden

Bertstravels 

just has to start working with a tripod again.

Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs, commercially dyed

and hand-decorated

The Easter Story.

Well, it's that time of year again. The Easter-bunny makes his annual appearance and the story of Easter in the biblical sense is told over and over again. Both stories make about the same sense.

Why would a rabbit bring coloured eggs ? And chocolate goodies ?

I have asked this question many times before, never received an answer which made sense and I will ask this question again:

Why would the gruesome killing of a man bring about the absolution for a sinful world ? Why would the death of this man cause the forgiveness of all sins and pave the way to heaven for righteous men and sinners alike ?

There are, of course, no “righteous men”, since, according to the teachings we are all sinners.

A “Sin”, as I understand it, is a transgression against God's commandments, and a “debt” which we owe to the Creator.

Let me just for a minute stay with the concept of “debt”.

If many people, say everybody, ows me money, in other words, a debt, would it ever occur to me to say: “If you kill my son, I will forgive all debts”.

The world would consider me insane. And yet, we say:

“And God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, so that hose who believed in him would not perish but live forever.”

I have asked this before and I will ask it again until some one gives me an answer which does not consist of meaningless gobbledegook:

Where is the connection ? “You kill my son and as a reward I will forgive your sins.”

(1 John 4:10) “This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Wouldn't it have been simpler for God to say:

“You are a sad, sinning lot. I will send my Son who will teach you, and if you honour him and believe in him, and do his bidding, I will forgive your sins and you shall live forever.

A short time on this earth and then, with me in heaven forever.

Would this not have been a good deal simpler ? And much more just ?

What good did the murder do and why was it needed ?

Who was responsible for his Death ? The Romans ? The Jewish High Priests? The jewish population ?

According to Jesus himself, nobody was responsible:

He, in fact stated: “Nobody can take my life from me but I lay it down of my own accord....” (John 10:18)

So, please, somebody tell me: Could an all powerful, an all-just, an all-merciful God not have avoided such cruel torture and final crucifiction and found an easier solution ?

Now we find Jesus on the Cross, between two thieves, one of whom seems to be a believer and Jesus makes a promise he may not be able to keep. He says:

“In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise !”

But Jesus actually stays on Earth for three more days, then goes to a purgatory and only on the 7^th day does he sit on the right hand side of his father.

Jesus must have erred in his timing, or the translator-writer of the bible put a comma in the wrong place:

“In truth I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise.”

The relocation of the comma from before to after the word “today” would at least make this a fulfillable promise.

About this one bible-issue alone, there are so many contradictions, so many absurdities, that I truly do not expect any sensible explanation.

So,

Bertstravels.

just has to continue believing in the Easterbunny.

Kirchtag in Eberndorf

A small Village, just outside of Bleiburg, celebrates its annual Street Festival.
A seemingly never ending row of stands offers just about everything there is for sale.
From juicy Hams to well seasoned Cheese, hats and belts and woven baskets, and shawls and coats and dresses and Lederhosen for kids and adults, and wallets and shirts and T-shirts, and pants, and candies and cookies and bird houses and rabbit hatches,  and toys and toys and toys.


Here follows a tiny selection:

Little girls dresses, "Dirndls"

and

flags of all Nations

and hand-woven baskets

and Noah with his helicopter

Hey, Quick ! We need a Saint

This is truly unbelievably “miraculous.”

The Pope has added one more to the long list of Saints which now adorn the Catholic Calendar.

“Mother Teresa”, the Nun who ministered to the very poor in India has performed, or so the Catholic church maintains, the two miracles required for the declaration of Sainthood.

It seems that the Vatican Committee charged with the investigation and final verification of Miracles has decided that Mother Theresa has indeed performed these two miraculous happenings.

The first miracle required for Beatification was confirmed by the Vatican as having occurred in 1998, one year after her death, when an Indian woman, named Monica Besra of Calcutta, who suffered from an abdominal tumor, placed a picture of Mother Teresa upon her abdomen.

“There was a beam of light, coming from the picture, which went directly to the cancer growing in my stomach. And my Cancer was cured.” so said Mrs. Monica Besra.

The doctors of the hospital where Mrs. Besra was treated insisted that the tumor was not cancerous, but definitely benign, and that the remission was due to the medical treatment and was in no way miraculous.

The Vatican Committee, who needed a “miracle” for the Beatification of Mother Teresa chose to believe Mrs. Besra and discounted the statements issued by the hospital and its medical staff.

A second “miracle” was needed for the Canonization of Teresa :

Here come the nuns of the “Missionaries of Charity”, the Order founded by Teresa, who quickly publish a flyer in which they make the following claim:

This second miracle performed by Teresa was the curing of a Brazilian man, on the 9^th of December 2008, who suffered, so claimed the nuns, from an “incurable” brain tumor. When his wife prayed and asked for Teresa's help, her husband was cured instantly.

In fact, when the surgeon entered the room to perform an operation on the man's brain, he found him awake and in perfect health.

(One wonders why, confronted by an “incurable” brain tumor, a surgeon would try to operate)

So, now the Catholic Church has its required two miracles and as quickly as the ink can be put on paper and before it can dry, the Pope announces that on the 4^th day of September 2016, Mother Teresa will become a Saint.

The normal five year waiting period between the death and commencement of Beatification had been reduced to three years, now there was no time to be lost. A person, famous all over the world was found in Teresa and some good news could help in covering all the horror news the Catholic church had been suffering from over the last number of years.

And on such flimsy evidence a new Saint is born.

Bertstravels

can only shake his head at such blatant trickery

The MAASAI are...

...a largely nomadic tribe moving with their herds of cattle in a constant circle from Kenya into Tanzania and back again. As long as the grazing for the cattle is plentiful they remain in location, building temporary huts within a large enclosed circle for their own and their animals' protection.

Some years ago, the then President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyata, (or was it his successor, Daniel Arab Moi ) invited several family elders to Nairobi, the Nation's Capital, in an effort to convince them to abandon their nomadic life, and to settle down in one area in order to farm the land. The Elders thanked him profusely for his hospitality, returned to their temporary homesteads and, as a token of their respect and gratitude, they sent him, as a gift, 1000 heads of cattle, thereby demonstrating their wealth. A clear indication of their satisfaction with their current mode of life.

Nothing further was said about the Maasai's settling down to become farmers.

Their staple food consisted of a mixture of cow's blood and milk.

On my question as to the location of their grave yards, my guide, a perfect English speaking Maasai explained to me that in the event of the death of a family member, a calf or cow is slaughtered and on this rare occasion, meat is consumed. The body of the diseased is taken away from the enclosure onto the veldt, where the animals intestines are placed next to the body and set afire.

Vultures can smell this burning meat from a distance of many kilometers and come for the feast.

In a short while all has disappeared.

Having visited several of their family enclosures one is left with the impression of an athletic, soft spoken, friendly people who live in the past, when compared to their brethren in Nairobi or similar places.

clothed in Toga like predominantely red coloured cloth, 

this small group is selling double sided spears

as well as necklaces made of  porcupine quills and colourful beeds.

They are, by and large, an attractive people

who seem to be stuck in the past

until...

...you notice a man in typical stance, wearing a modern, expensive watch on his right wrist.

...and here we have a beautifully decorated cell phone holder.

Reporting for "National Geographic" Timothy Baird, 

a Geography researcher asks:

Has the cell phone changed the Maasai for better or for worse ?

In the March 2016 edition he examines the impact 

this ultra modern "tool" might have on the semi nomadic life 

of  the people  living "off the grid".

Phones, says Geography Professor Baird, 

are a profound new tool for them.

There now is instant connectivity where none has existed before.

There now is access to weather reports, prices for animals 

and the possibility of young men flirting with young women, 

in a society where arranged marriages of young women to older men is still the tradition.

Cell Phones, so Baird, can store money, which has introduced Maasai to mobile banking.

Discussion groups, arranged by Professor Baird, amongst groups of Maasai revealed that Maasai men preferred to use the photographic feature on their phones to photograph ( yes you guessed right ) 

women and cows.

(to place these two preferred photographic subjects into proper perspective, it must be pointed out that cows are indeed a most important aspect of a Maasai's life. They determine the individual's and his family's wealth and standing within the community.

Is this modern tool diluting their historically rustic culture ?

The Maasai themselves see this development positively.

They see the cell phone as impowering rather than intrusive.

Cell phone picture taken from National Geographic Magazine

all other pictures taken by "Bertspix"

The Emperor of the Ham elected :

Two postings ago I told you about the "Festival of the Ham" 
( the Schinkenfest )

Now the deed is done, the Emperor elected by the people.

Hans Piko, the Bleiburgian Farmer, per excellance, triumphed over many compeditors.

So, there he is, 

Hans  Piko is not just "a farmer" ! Hans is a "passionate farmer !"

Each Tuesday, as regular as clockwork, he puts up his stand in Bleiburg, on the main square

and offers his product for sale.

Among the finest cuts of beef and veal there is of course his Ham.

He also makes sausages and bakes delicious bread.

Here is the "crowned" Hans.

I think Hans should have a huge jewel studded crown of a real Emperor

"The People elected their Emperor"

The local Newspaper shows Hans and his two closest competitiors.

The Saddlebilll Stork

I recently posted a picture of the Saddlebill Stork. Now I found a better one in my collection which shows the yellow saddle much better.

I must admit, though, that the other one, showing this stork in the tall reeds is, photographically speaking, the more interesting image.

The "Ham Festival"

Each year Bleiburg celebrates the "Schinken" (Ham) by organizing the "Schinkenfest"  (Ham Festival).
Producers of this delicacy come from all over the District to place their product for sale, for tasting and finally for voting the best.
Each producer puts up a stand within a large tent, where he/she may sell their home made "Schinken".
Taste bits are offered to everybody and then it comes to the vote by ballot.
The winner may call himself the "Schinkenkaiser" 
                          ( the Ham Emperor ).
We are not just talking of the King of Ham !
This is the Emperor of Ham who will be crowned each year.
Don't for a minute think that this title does not dramatically improve sales! You bet it does:
So here are a few pictures of this annual celebration of great tasting pork..

Here is the Family Ribeschel, who garnered the coveted title of Emperor of the Ham in 2015

 They would probably be disappointed if they could not repeat in 2016

One of the many competitors to the Ribeschels.

A good slice of home baked bread and a large chunk of "Reindling"

belongs to delicious ham.

From as far away as neighbouring Slovenia, 

they bring their product

in the hope to be elevated to "Emperor of the Ham"

If this does not make your mouth water, 

you probably have never tasted 

Ham from Unterkärnten ( Lower Carinthia)

Gerhilde and Michael, from the Sweet Bakery (Konditorei) Stöckl

don't miss a bet to offer their products for Sale.

Andreas Bernik and his lovely wife operate our favourite Bar:

The Geniesserei ( the Enjoyery)

They too have a stand amid all the Ham 

where they supply much called for "liquid refreshment"

THIS IS THE "SCHINKENFEST"

IN BLEIBURG, LOWER CARINTHIA!

WHAT A BLAST !!!

Spell check ?

The "Spell Check" on my e-mail either has a great sense of humor, or it is in dire straights in respect of translations from German to English:
When in my e-mail I use the words: "Bleiburg" ( the town in which I live ) or "Klagenfurt" ( the Capital of Carinthia) it underlines these words in red, telling me that there is a spelling error.
Usually I ignore this message, because I know how to spell these names.
The other day I decided to check what "corrections" my spell check would suggest.
Here are the results.  No foolin' that's what my spell check suggests as alternatives to 

Bleiburg:  Bedbug, Bluebird, belabour..

I can accept Bluebird.  But Bedbug?

Klagenfurt:  Gelignite, Jackknifed, Golconda, Collectivity.

If I am  not mistaken, Gelignite is an explosive, and "jackknife" is what a truck plus trailer may do in a accident. Also, when I was a kid, I had a jackknife, with a wooden handle...

For Bleiburg, at least, my spell check looked for words starting with the same letter.
but Gelignite or jackknifed instead of Klagenfurt ?????

I am now convinced that there is a little man sitting in the Spell-Check department of my computer who has a weird sense of humor, tries to find the most outlandish Spell-Corrections and is killing himself laughing at my amazement.


Bertstravels
has found a new computer game.

The Borders of the European U nion:

What a glorious idea it was:

Let's abolish all borders, dismantle custom buildings, absorb all border guards into other such uniformed units, allow free transit from country to country, discontinue the collection of import duties,

Have the same currency, the Euro.

Establish a "European Government"

In short: “Be United, Europe!”

All the above was achieved with more or fewer difficulties.

Two of the attributes which bedevil European Unity, however, could not be put aside that easily:

The multitude of cultures and languages and, more importantly, the multitude of suspicions, distrusts, and, in some cases, a quiet dislike, up to an outright hatred broiling underneath the surface of this so-called unified Europe.

I only speak of Austria and Austrians, but I assume that the very same feelings are present in most, if not all other European countries.

What is more, I do not speak of “all” Austrians, since there are many tolerant and non-bigoted people living here.

The Xenophobia, however, is wide spread and often right on top and up-front.

Not much is said here about Austria's neighbors which could be classified as complimentary:

The Germans are considered to be militaristic, and without charm.

The Swiss know only money

The further South you go into Italy, the lazier the people get.

Slovenians are good farmers, but that's all they are.

Hungarians, actually a dubious folk and last but not least there are the Checks whom you cannot trust further than you can throw them.

These, unfortunately are the opinions of many Austrians regarding their neighbors.

It is, however, difficult to meet a friendlier, more hospitable people than the Austrians.

On a One-to-One basis there is nobody in Europe friendlier, kinder, or more tolerant than they are.

( Given the usual exceptions )

It is also true that in each of the above named countries, as well as in Austria, there are people whose character and/or personality corresponds with the attributes ascribed to them.

However, I've met many Germans who are peace-loving and charming, Swiss who care for nature and friendship and less for money, diligent Italians and on and on.

The difference in cultures and languages, unfortunately, stands in the way of a truly united Europe.

Add to the above the challenges of dealing with the refugees who seek asylum in Europe, the financial problems of Greece and the political differences between Turkey and the rest of Europe, and you have a boiling kettle of disagreements, fights, name calling and a blaming-game playing, which threatens to spoil what had begun with such promise.

These are the extreme poles:

“Welcome to Austria” were some of the signs carried by welcoming Austrians at the border crossing points where families consisting of mostly women and children, from war torn Syria, Afghanistan and several other strife-ridden middle eastern countries had arrived, seeking nothing but safety and peace.

“What's the problem ?” asked a well educated man at a small party which I, unfortunately, had attended, “ships are sent to rescue these bums from their rickety boats, what for ? Let them drown !”

May Europe stay united and may this Continent find peace !

Bertstravels

is but an observer.

It snowed again !

No sooner did we think that winter had blown its last,
than it dumps another load over night.

Snow and Hoar Frost

A farm house in the valley...

... and an abandoned hey-turner,

which has seen better days.

The Lilac Hooded Lady Roller

The "Lilac Hooded Lady"

rolls up the bar

so you may see the ...

"Lilac Breasted Roller"

Beautiful Birds

Are you joking ?

...no, I'm punning !

I relish the fact that you've mustard the strength to ketchup to me.

Bertstravels says:
Gosh, that's corny

Canada : Coast to Coast

This should give you an approximate idea of the size of Canada: