don't be afraid

Croatia's sea temperature is perfect !

surprise................

When you read this, Hrvatska has become the 28th member of Europe.
So Hello Europe, this is Croatia calling, your sunny southern neighbors.

Recently I told someone about those old days, when the very first locomotive was steaming through the countryside.
Noise, dirt and danger they said.
ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE !!!

Will the cows still give white milk, will our women still give birth to healthy baby's, won't the beer turn bad.
NOTHING HAPPENED !!!
Life went on as it always did, only travelling became more easy, cows still gave milk, mothers gave birth to noisy little monsters (sorry dear parents), and the beer tasted as good as always.

Will Croatia change Europe or Europe change Croatia.
NOPE !!!
(Or bit by bit).

Europe still in a bit of a crisis, as is Croatia (not to mention the USofA).
Things however will be better (as they can't get any worse).

If only one thing changes for the better, NO MORE WAR on the Balkan, than the result is already tremendous.
Even better it would be, to all them well educated youngsters who seek a decent job, when new initiatives and investors discover Croatia as a superb starting point to penetrate the Balkan.
(So what are you waiting for, all you brilliant CEO's of all those international companies).

Serbia to become the next new member of the EU in due time, hopefully followed by Bosnia, those three former Yugoslavian countries can start to be equal partners in united Europe.
And Europe, lucky Europe, got a magnificent new place to enjoy true summer at the cleanest, clearest seaside.

Unless you have the brains of an ostrich :-), you understand the future looks bright. 


Welcome Europe to Croatia    &    WelcomeCroatia to Europe.

If you feel like it, you can always send me congratulations, remarks or questions by email.
My address is in the right topside of this blog.

celebrating Sveti Ivan

 

 

Some years ago, a tiny fire on our land, introduced us to an old "Catholic" tradition.
Lots of Saint's days in Croatia, and Sveti Ivan, the day of Holy Ivan (Sveti = Holy) is one of them.
Some of those Saint's days just come and go, some other are celebrated in for instance Split, Solin or Trogir.
(Don't ask me when, how or why).

Overhere, in our neighborhood a couple are worth mentioning:
Sveti Marko, on which day a sermon is held at an old chapel on a mountaintop.
Funny detail of that day is that the crowd circles the chapel three times, to ask for a good harvest.
Sveti Jure, another sermon another chapel, another mountaintop, high on the ridge between us and the sea.
A straining climb, followed by a gathering around the chapel, and after the catholic sermon, a pick-nick and on returning home, picking herbs to make one of those many liqueurs (this one called Travarica).

And than there is Sveti Ivan, the day we adopted, to share our happiness with neighbors and friends.
Being a (pretty good) hobby cook, I prepare a "grand buffet" for all our friends and take care there is plenty of refreshments.

What started with some close neighbors, a small fire, a beer and "goodnight" again, grew to be a great gathering with about 40 people (and increasing !!), a huge  fire and a great evening together.

We feel at home here, and are invited many times here or there to hop in for a drink or a diner, so this is the perfect way to say THANKS/HVALA to all our friends !

Of course we're not only depending on all those Saints, we've got many occasions through the year where we meet and help each other (picking grapes or olives, planting potatoes or cleaning our roadsides).
The great thing of life here is that it's still a true community, sharing each and every moment.
And most of those moments are a good excuse to eat, drink and sing together.

Many more happy days to follow, with once in a while a sad day too, but all of those moments and days are shared together, and that makes life here more than special.

Lucky you, if you experience one of those moments during your holidays in Dalmacija.
You might one day decide to do like we did.
Living in paradise.

As that's what it feels like.

"relax", said the mouse to the cat

Living here, in our hidden paradise, surrounded by nature, we've got cats around the place.
That's a common fact, as cats take care of pests like snakes and other less wanted animal life.
At least, that's what all neighbors say and do.

Thank god we do not see many snakes, and if we see one, most of the time it's a dead snake, that stayed just a second to long on the warm asphalt when some car was passing.
And if a snake comes to close for comfort, people around say the cats take care of them.
Guess that's true, as we never see snakes on our land or around the house.

Also we hardly ever have problems with mice, however that can not be because our cats are such splendid hunters.
Feeding our cats regularly with a proper breakfast, a decent lunch, some snacks through the day and a quality supper before we (and them) go to sleep, those damned cats seem to have forgotten that they are supposed to hunt, kill and eat mice.

Cats and mice should be enemies, running for or after one and another.
Not in paradise however, it seems.
Not here.

H.O.T.

No small talk for the moment, because it's f#*cking HOT.

With sea temperatures of 25 C. and the air being over 33 Celsius, who wants to climb behind a computer, entering pictures and writing simple (but original) stories ?
Not me, hell NO !!!

So enjoy your summer, like I do mine.
In Dalmacija of course.