On Saturday, June 10, 27 of our members took part in a excursion to Goriška. We visited the monument to the defenders of Slovenian land in Cerje and attended the lighting of the European charcoal pit with a message of peace in Lokovec. 

In Cerje, guide Konrad Marušič gave us a comprehensive introduction to the fighting in World War I, especially on the Isonzo Front, about which we also watched a multimedia presentation. The monument is a seven-story tower with a viewing platform, which will also be supplemented by an exhibition of events from World War II and the War of Independence. The theme of the war is also featured in the exhibited paintings by Rudi Španzel, one of which is called the Slovenian Guernica.

From Cerje, the path led us to the scene in Lokovec, the longest Slovenian settlement, where several local craftsmen offered their products at stalls. There, our guide Nada Humar took care of us. We were also greeted by the president of the Lokovec Cultural and Tourist Association, Miroslav Šuligoj Bremec. To make it all the way to the central scene, we first had a snack "on a spoon". We visited the Church of St. Peter and Paul and an interesting iron cross in the cemetery, which is the work of local blacksmith Franc Golob. We also visited the blacksmith museum in a former school, where a local guide told us some information about the once widespread craft. Now only a few people are involved in blacksmithing, and even then only as amateurs. We could admire the work of the younger blacksmith Timotej Kušta, who is originally from Kočevje, and an older local blacksmith.

In front of the church, the mayor made a solemn proclamation about the lighting of the charcoal pit in interesting old Slovenian. We then walked to the charcoal pit and experienced quite a few surprises along the way in the form of entertaining performances by local singing, acting and folklore groups, firefighters and hunters. The charcoal pit, which contained 30 cubic meters of wood, was already ready, but it took two hours for it to be finally lit. First, we learned from the main liaison that 30 charcoal-making societies from Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France and Poland were participating. Charcoal-making is one of the oldest handicraft techniques in the world, also entered into the register of intangible cultural heritage of Slovenia.

After the listing of important guests, speeches followed, and in between, a rich cultural program. Some thoughts were shared with the audience by Samo Turel, mayor of the municipality of Nova Gorica, which is this year's European Capital of Culture, and Karl Josef Tielke, president of the European Charcoal Association. An extremely interesting and meaningful speech was given by Dubravka Kalin, general director of the Directorate for Tourism, with the basic message that peace is always the right choice. Individual charcoal burners then collected and lit the charcoal they had brought with them, and then selected guests carried it into the charcoal pit, and with the motto "Let it smoke in peace!" the event ended.

Our day continued with a late lunch at the Oddih guesthouse and a drive towards Gradež.

There will be more in June's Trobla.

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