Razglednice( Postcards)

Yesterday it rained a bit, today as well, but not for long.

From now on, I'll write from Hvar. I don't know yet

where I'll be staying. I'd like so much to hear from you.

POSTCARDS

I sent you a telegraph this morning and I hope you, too,

got home well and healthy and that everything is fine.

I travelled confortably to Dubrovnik but not as well

as to Sarajevo. The train was noisy, shaking terribly.

Don't write to me up here. I'll telegraph you my address again.

My darling hubby - Dubrovnik is beautiful and we are having

a wonderful time here. I thought we'd find some mail here -

but nothing. Too bad! Tomorrow we're leaving early for Split,

and on Wednesday evening we'll arrive at Plitvice.

Come and we'll spend the whole Thursday together...

Sweatheart, I'm so stupid: every day I expect a word from you

although I know it's impossible I could have received it

even if you had responded on Wednesday at once.

I know you were tired from travelling, that our home

is a mess and that you have a hard time writing.

This immense beauty awakens all senses in me

so that I miss you a lot here.

Today, before departure I was on the small island Lokrum,

not far from Dubrovnik. A monastery, built there in 1020,

was almost completely destroyed during an earthquake

in the 17th century. Later, Maximilian of Habsburg

built himself a palace there and arranged a sub-tropical park.

It didn't bring him much luck either

and the island is still believed to bring bad luck.

The weather is pretty good here, sunny and pleasant.

It was windy this morning but now, in the evening,

it's really pleasant. I'm sitting on a wonderful terrace

after dinner, listening to the music far away,

looking at the sea - only here and there a small light

can be seen sliding away... It's beautiful.

But it would be even more if you were with me.

Here no one is alone...

I think of you today and yesterday and tomorrow.

What are you doing, how do you feel at home and all.

This morning I dreamt of you, you were nice and you said

you only came to say hello, but that you had to return

immediately to the factory.

Ane, please write me a few lines so that I will get them

when I return. Will you? You will make me very happy.

Sweet good night and many warm kisses from your Mia.

Mia and Ane Velickovic Karlovac, The Podrinec factory

Mister Aleksander Velickovic, the manager of the factory

Mrs. Mia Velickovic, The shoe factory

When all work is done, we'll also come here

together with a lot of love and happiness in our hearts.

Not for long because I'd like to visit all these islands

with you, all this places of old fame, even those

I haven't seen yet, from Montenegro coast up to Susak.

Would you like that, dear?

We'll work and save especially for this purpose and then

there will have to be at least once enough vacation for you, too,

when now for years it can't be even one day.

I wish you good health and be as peaceful and happy as I am.

Thousand sweet kisses.

I hug you and warmly kiss your gentle little eyes. Your Mia.

It seems to me that I'm much better when I'm next to the sea.

I wish you were here with me so I could prove it to you.

Today is Tuesday, the weather is getting worse. The sea is rough,

the wind is blowing, but the sun is still very hot.

Even this must be, the end of October is here!

With a sincere wish that you'll once enjoy yourself like I do now,

unconcerned and peaceful. God, already 5 days have passed

since I saw you last. Quickly passes what is only for us...

Will I finally get some mail from you before Sunday?

I hope so! For now bye-bye, my dearest,

good night and rest sweetly every night. Loves you,

hugs you and faithfully thinks of you only, your beloved wife.

I'm leaving for the island of Hvar tomorrow.

The ticket costs 231 dinars, expensive, isn't it?

In general I've spent a lot of money! This evening

I bought a pair of shoes, pretty beautiful and good.

I took the lacquer ones for repair. Some stupid shoemaker said

they couldn't be repaired. I was ashamed and angry.

I didn't search any longer; I hope I'll have more luck on Hvar.

From a park, through the branches, the Franciscan monastery

can be seen, my Eldorado... If I were a man,

I'd take vows at once just so I could stay here.

After their stay on Hvar, they sent a 150 kg bell

as a gift to a monastery. They wrote that they wouldn't

and couldn't ever forget this Madonna.

Greek inscription calls here: The hope of the hopeless.

The icon is so beautiful that it really can't be forgotten.

There are paintings by famous painters, there is a tomb

of a poet Hanibal Lucic, there is a miraculous beauty.

A painting from the church - maybe it doesn't show here,

but if you saw it the way I did - I saw the expression

of unsurpassable mother's pain on the face of Madonna,

standing under the cross. Every line is so delicately shaded -

but differently than the pain of Maria Magdalena.

I can't describe it - you should have been here to see it yourself.

But most importantly - I was standing as if struck

by lightening - I couldn't move a bit. In the reflectorium

of the monastery is a painting by Matteo Roselli:

"The Last Supper." I saw the painting by Leonardo da Vinci,

but such a powerful impression, such an elation

didn't take me over then. This colours, these expressions,

and then in this ambience. Imagine a huge dining room

with narrow tables on both sides and on the entire front-wall