Coming in July 2010

This year, from July 6 to August 2, I'm headed to the homeland. Slovenia, of course! Turns out that my great great grandmother emigrated from a community of Germans living in present-day Slovenia around the turn of the century. Her name was Mary, and she brought her two brothers with her, pretending they were her children. I never knew her of course; I didn't even meet my grandfather, her grandson, my mom's dad. But thanks to the magic of the interwebs, I have found the village she was from, and with GPS in my rental car...we'll see what I can find.

But Slovenia is only a part of the trip. My friend (also named Erin, so be prepared for some sort of delightful shorthand on the blog, a la Erin 1 and Erin 2...I haven't decided quite what, yet) and I will drive to Croatia, and travel along the Dalmatian coast. Then, we fly to Krakow, visit Auschwitz, then train to Berlin where we'll meet up with Erin's friend who will host us for a few days. We shall part ways in Berlin, but no sooner will I have said goodbye to one friend, then another will join me! Donica has managed to escape a very demanding new job for just one week, during which we will visit Berlin, parts of the Czech Republic, and end in Prague. Phew.