Stories from the past
WHY BANDURIĆA
estate?
Funny I should start writing these thoughts sitting by the pool in a village that people emigrated from due to the shortage of water and now it's the retreat for people who appreciate peace and quiet in the middle of the untouched nature in Herzegovina, garnished with a touch of tradition. But luxury, too. Isn't it amazing how life goes in circles? Hi, I'm Ana, the owner of the Bandurića Kuća Estate. I inherited the very place from my mum, who had before that inherited the land from her father. It was not customary for a daughter to inherit much in Hercegovina of the era, but her father had insisted, having always felt that he had not given her enough of anything. She accepted it only because it was the place of her birth, hers and of her many, many siblings and cousins. Let it be noted that my father had unwillingly accepted the offer from his father- in- law because he himself was from Imotski, yet another area where you didn't want anything from your wife's immediate family. I wonder, however, if my grandfather had a vision of what this place would look like one day in the future. He must have, having been a man ahead of his time. Even back then, he used to say that the main road would be passing through the village. It seemed like wishful thinking and, boy, look at us today! We can almost reach the toll booths of the highway Split – Međugorje. Suddenly, we are not a godforsaken place, we are here, just around the corner from the main highway. And still, we have kept the peace and quiet, so coveted in this ever- changing world. P.S The very nickname of my grandfather in question had been Bandurić (Bandurich) and we have named the place after him to honour the memory of one
great man.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Ever wondered what it must have been like living on this very spot almost a hundred years ago? Well, I might have some idea based on the stories my mum once told me. I wasn't particularly interested back then, but these days they seem like a treasure. So, if you don't mind, I would love to share some thoughts with you. Herzegovina then and Herzegovina now are somewhat different, but it is important to cherish the memories of those times, while enjoying the touristic potential of the area today. So, come along, take some time and read about our ancestors while sipping a glass of best Herzegovinian wines or admiring Kravica Falls.
FUN FACT
Sitting on a porch of the Ljilja house, I sometimes think of my ancestors. They were humble people, peasants, whose way of life seems surreal to us, people of the 21st century. The porch itself was built on the very spot where my grandfather and his brother had a miniature stone house and the two families shared the place. How was it mathematically possible for 20 people to be squeezed under such a small roof ? And from what I heard, they were always cheerful and you could hear laughter all around. The good vibe of the era seems to surround the place to this day. We have been feeling it from the very moment we decided to invest into the place and we feel that the time has come to share it with others. So, nature lovers, Herzegovina lovers, cycling lovers, luxury lovers, do take a look of Bandurića Kuća Estate in a tiny village of Zvirići in Herzegovina, on the very.
border with Croatia, or better yet, its pearl Dalmatia. The beach is not far, either.
BEAUTY STANDARDS
One of my aunts had beautiful dark hair and even more appealing green eyes. It was exactly because of those eyes that she was sure not to have a suitor in Zvirići.. If you are wondering why, then you should know that only dark eyes were perceived as attractive. Blond ladies or fiar-eyed ones never stood a chance. Therefore a funny thing happened to my aunt when she was travelling on a train . She met a stranger who started flirting with her. She was flirting back until the moment he complimented her eyes. She said that at that point she knew he was making fun of her! Talk about beauty standards. My poor aunt never realised that her fair eyes were actually stunning anywhere else in the world, but in Zvirići. Talk about beauty standards!
SONS AND DAUGHTERS
It was a totally different thing to be born a boy or a girl in Herezegovina of the time. My mum and her aunts should know having been a bunch of girls born into the families of my grandfather and his brother. Both families were desperate for a male to be born because a house without labour was doomed .
Once my uncle Stipe was born, he was welcomed like a prince, although there was no kingdom, nor a castle for that matter. Even to this they 'the girls' would tell stories of them hurrying home after shepherding the sheep, all famished and exhausted, whereas my uncle would walk slowly and carefree. He didn't need to worry because ladies of the house would always strech their hands to feed him first.
Upon hearing these stories today, my uncle always feels the urge to apologise to them realising how unjust things must have been.
Indeed, we have come a long way when it comes to equality of sexes. Let's not forget, though, how things were. Let's not hold a grudge because it was not about bad intentions, it was simply the matter of survival.
RAISING CHILDREN
Our ancestors would probably argue that we are being overprotective of our children. For instance, they had no problem letting a small child run an errand on its own, doesn't matter how far that might have been. My grandma, for example, would put my mum on a donkey to go to the mill near Kravica Falls. It was a few kilometers away and no parent today would feel comfortable letting the child go alone on an animal's back, but those were different times. Fear was no option. Wheat needed to be ground and everyone else had been busy. Luckily, the donkey knew exactly which mill to go to and my mum simply followed along.
THE REDDEST APPLE
My mum must have been around 9 years old. Born into poverty she had never expected much in her childhood. Therefore when she got something she was thrilled beyond measure. That particular day she went to a nearby village of Žabar with her mum.
Somewhere along the way they stumbled upon a boy, whose house was near the river, and he offered my mum an apple. In her words, it was the reddest and the sweetest apple she had ever tasted. She even refused to eat it. She planned on saving it for Christmas ( although it had been far away.)
That's how much she valued the gift. The aroma of the fruit lingered in her mouth forever. No chocolate would ever surpass it. The boy who had given it to her had later become an extremely successful businessman in the USA. He must have done many good deeds in his life, but I don't think anyone was as grateful to him as my mum had been for having been given one plain apple.