Olympic Flame Forges Ballooning Friendships

by Bob Willbanks

It has been one year since the flame of the cauldron for the largest peace time event in world history was extinguished. For fourteen days last July, the Olympics brought millions of people together with a common goal, to excel and celebrate the positive side of human interaction. For a brief moment Atlanta was brought to center stage and in true Southern style put on the Ritz for all the world to see. A few well publicized glitches aside, word came down that the when the books were closed, a small profit was realized and a quarter of a billion dollars in facilities and venues were left for future Georgians to enjoy. Although I was not directly involved in the Olympic venues as a volunteer, I was presented with an opportunity to exercise the true Olympic ideal. In June, preceding the opening ceremonies, I was able to extend the hand of friendship.

I am constantly amazed at how ballooning has touched by life and taken me across uncharted territories. For me, the 1996 Olympics will be remembered as much for the extended friendships realized through balloon related activities as for the gold metal competitions at Olympic stadium. We all have our Olympic stories to tell and here is mine.

Local Atlanta business man, Lou Lobe, as Olympic Attaché for the Slovenians and second generation American/Slovenian himself, contacted me in March to provide logistical support for the Slovenian pilot during his week-long hot air balloon flight program. I was enthusiastic about the opportunity to provide volunteer assistance to this international balloon team and began to learn details about their needs. A Colt bottom end, retrieve van and trailer, fuel, local knowledge and ground support were provided. I was also eager to learn about the country and its location (along the southern border of Austria). During their week in Atlanta, pilot Avi Sorn (pronounced Schorn), his seventeen year old daughter Masa (pronounced Mascha), also a pilot, and photojournalist Zvone Seruga, forged lasting friendships with my local balloon retrieve team "The Hoot 'n Hollar Gang" and me. Through local contacts, I arranged for the Slovenia balloon to be tethered just yards outside the Olympic village. The tether at the Varsity drive-in lead to a front page color photograph of the balloon on Atlanta's only daily paper, the Atlanta Journal & Constitution. Copies were sent for republication back in Avi's home country and he was a hero.

At completion of the very successful June promotion and week long stay, an invitation was extended by Avi and Masa for us to visit Slovenia. Always seeking new venues for our aviation excursions, I engaged Lou to assist in working out details for the trip. A January date was set and during the following months, we worked on logistics for the upcoming expedition. Our group of ten local business executives and ballooning enthusiasts saw the week-long adventure as a fact-finding mission for developing annual balloon safaris to the former Yugoslav province.

Departing on a cold overcast afternoon in Atlanta, nine hours later we arrive at the Vienna airport to cold snow covered surrounding with overcast skies. After donning our cold weather gear and snow boots, loading the Ford Transport with luggage and nine passengers, we set out on the three hour drive to rendezvous with Avi at the Slovenia/Austrian border. Did I mention that we did not know what the accommodations would be before departing Atlanta. Avi e-mailed that we would not be disappointed. After a long winding night drive through the Slovenian countryside, we arrive at our destination.

He had arranged for our group to stay just a stones throw away from the Croatian border in Olimje. Our accommodations were on a deer ranch, owned by local businessman Borut Jezovnik, near a thermal hot springs resort. The chalets were every bit as nice as those seen in the American ski resorts of Vale and Lake Tahoe.

Mr. Jezovnik, also a balloon pilot, raised and hand fed about 100 head of reindeera menu item in his restaurant at the resort. It was quite an experience to hear Borut call the deer and allow us to feed them corn. They had full run of the ranch including the car park and walkways. His on site orchards and mushroom farm provide unique flavors to the terrific meals that graced his dining table. While at the ranch, the group was introduced to venison dishes presented with mushroom and cherry sauces complemented by fine wines of the region.

Led by Avi, and other local balloonists, who provided all the ballooning and retrieve equipment, our explorers launched balloons over rolling, ice crystal tree lined, hills and snow fields of northeast Slovenia and, in Lobe's ancestral community of Zagradec. The reception of Americans by the Slovenians was always punctuated with smiles and warm hospitality. At my first landing site on a snow covered ridge in the back country, we were greeted by no less than five farm families, each sporting a shot glass and bottle of schnapps; expressing in Slovenian their wish that we compare their home brew. Needless to say my crew chief Ron Hilburn and I were not use to such abundant "White Light'n." With the help of a local farmer and his pig cart we prepared the equipment for transport to the valley below. We started our mile long road walk down the ridge to the valley, pockets stuffed with bottles of local hospitality. And for some odd reason our ears had a very warm glow as well.

After the flight in Zagradec, during a radio interview with Lou, the local troupe was brought into the studio for an impromptu performance of Southern folk tunes for the local country music audience. Never let it be said that my retrieve team "The Hoot 'n Hollar Gang" is shy.

Communication was no problem, as language barriers were overcome with enthusiastic hand gestures and lots of smiles. One of the most memorable evening festivities occurred when members of the Slovenian Par-Olympic Committee hosted a dinner-dance for the Americans. A local small town community center came alive with the joviality of live music, food and folk dancing to polkas and traditional songs. The touring group brought along small packages of Georgia peanuts, which served as representation of local American agricultural crops. In turn, the local Slovenians gestured greetings with the ever present home-brewed schnapps or locally vented wines.

As a young capitalist nation, (six years since their declaration of independence) the Slovenian's interest in developing an international tourist industry is tempered by their vigilant concern for the pristine environment. A small country about the size of New Jersey with population of 2,000,000 people they expect to develop a peasant tourist industry, which emphasizes accommodations provided in small communities with local B&Bs ("pensions") and small hotels. The philosophy meshes very well with our balloon safari concept.

Balloon flights lasting about one hour provide interaction with local farm families and landowners, which could not happen with other types of tourism. There are only about 25 balloons in the whole of Slovenia, so the sport is in its infancy and a very new experience for the locals.

Americans would certainly find the country charming and comfortable. The normal associations of poverty, bad roads, poor water, etc. to former communist countries are not to be found in this booming upscale nation. Small enough to be individualistic and large enough to have a first rate transportation system and economy, they are very interested in furthering their economic development. Delta & Austria Air have connecting flights from the Capitol city of Ljubljana via Vienna and Munich.

In addition to the balloon flights over winter wonderland, we had an opportunity to visit local points of interest including a small family owned chocolate factory pouring handmade confections of superior quality. Slovenia also has crystal factories, spas, expansive cave networks, parks and museums.

A surprising but welcome feature of the Slovenian economy was the very moderately priced food and accommodations. With an exchange rate of 135 tolars to the dollar, our group found purchases to be very reasonable in comparison to other European countries.

As the premier balloonist of Slovenia, Avi and his enthusiastic pilot friends went out of their way to reciprocate with hospitality shown them while in Atlanta. We look forward to having Avi and Masa return to Atlanta in time to drive with us to Albuquerque, and expect to show them other parts of America along the way.

We expects to return to Slovenia in 1998 and will be accepting reservations over the coming months. All inquiries for additional information should be directed to Robert Willbanks, Balloon Safaris International, 770 972-1741, or by e-mail: balloon@mindspring.com.