Legrad

The tiny Croatian town of Legrad lies on the Drava River and borders Hungary and it’s where our mum Juliska was born and grew up. Walking around the village, learning about her family, visiting the place where her house once stood, talking to the gorgeous local women and men who remember our ancestors as well as traversing the local cemetery brought tears to our eyes. It was a moment of happiness and joy that we shared and will be indelibly etched in our memory.
There were people who remembered our mum as a beautiful young girl and who saw in us her resemblance. There were people we met who remembered our Uncle, and our grandmother. The best though, was to reconnect with mums best friend ( Gabriellas) daughter, Snjezana. She grew up living her life vicariously through the letters, photos and money which mum would diligently send to her friend. Snjezana said she felt like she knew us both implicitly, as mum and Gabra, never ceased corresponding until, sadly, Gabra died. As girls they’d walk together, ride their bikes around the town, buy sweet biscuits to eat, walk the bridge to Hungry, laugh, sing and wonder where their lives would lead. Neither imagined being separated by such a vast distance and neither imagined never seeing each other again, when mum at the age of about 20, left and never returned. It was pure delight to trace their footsteps with Snjezana who was incredibly welcoming. We walked the parks, we touched the trees, went into the churches, sat in the pews, watched the river continue its journey, indulged in the feel of autumn on our skin as our mum once did. It was a special time in a special place in a tiny part of this magnificent country.Read more