Hodos: small town, big fun

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My next destination was another couchsurfer in another tiny village, Hodos, Slovenia. Their names are Ivo and Megy. I had emailed Ivo and asked for their address and he told me ‘7’. I figured there was a bit of a language gap and he didn’t understand my request. So I emailed him again and he assured me that his address was 7, Hodos. He was right! The town was so small that they didn’t use street numbers. They just gave each address in the village it’s own number. I think the biggest address I saw in my three days there was 64.

Ivo and Megy were originally from the city. They each had been divorced and met each other online. They fell in love and moved to Hodos. Again I was blown away by the generosity and friendliness of a family that I had just met. We ate, drank and saw all the local sites. We even drove to a small parking lot and then walked quite a ways to the point where three countries come together, Slovenia, Hungary and Austria. We also had a great visit to one of the many abandoned army barracks that I had run across. This one had been converted to kind of a camp for students and a retreat. The owner was very, very busy but acted like he had nothing better to do than sit down and talk to us over coffee.

I think my favorite spot in town was right next door to Ivo’s house (8, Hodos). Ivo’s neighbors, Ludwig and Anisa, owned a bar. But it was more of a gathering center. While in Hodos we went to the bar probably four or five times (after the first time I made sure to have a coat and sweater. I don’t think the place saw sixty degrees all winter.) I think I caught a glimpse of a customer once but maybe not. Ludwig and Anisa, were older and I think quite poor. Ludwig was a retired major from the Yugoslavian Army and his face had been scarred by fire or something but he was constantly smiling even though he seldom had time to sit and visit, he was always out on his tractor, working his field with his little dog on his lap.

Ivo has a cousin that lives about an hour away from Hodos. We visited with her and her family one evening and it was easily the highlight of my time in Slovenia. I am ashamed to say that I have forgotten their names. Ivo’s cousin, her husband, two boys, a grandma and a few pets made up their household. They lived in a very nice home complete with their own vineyard and a view of an idyllic valley. Out back was an old barn that had quite a few stainless steel tanks with a variety of wines that they were producing.

My visit there consisted of a little wine, a walk in the woods to get chestnuts, a little more wine, roasting and eating the chestnuts (my first time ever), a little more wine, a tour of the home, a little more wine, a great dinner a little more wine followed by conversation and….a little more wine.

We were able to communicate very well. The husband spoke German and I know a little, and Ivo would translate when necessary. Perhaps the best time of the evening though was when the family got to talking and kind of forgot about me. It was very enjoyable just to sit back, listen to the chatter and the laughter even if I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about.

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Photos

Ivo, me and Megy
At his cousin's home

Roasted chestnuts
make for dirty noses