I remember how we used to walk from Hemuševec to the Drava river, in Oporovec, five kilometers on foot. We swam and played in the backwaters there, because we weren’t allowed into the Drava itself. My father made me swimming aids from ‘tikvice’ (gourds) – called ‘šefovi’ – and I learned to swim on them. That feeling of freedom and playing with other children by the river remains my fondest memory. The Drava was wild back then, and we experienced it as a place for socializing, swimming, and life. Although it was simple, it was beautiful. Today, that landscape is more developed, there is a dock and a cheese farm, but I mostly remember the backwaters and islets where we spent the summer as children.