Whoa!

Okay, never mind all the crazy details. I barely get the time to share the main ideas of my journey.



Leaving Bol was very sad. I almost cried because it was so beautiful. I loved the refreshing waters and quaint town where I quietly enjoyed ice-cream a lot. I loved it but I have to tell you about Dubronik.



I spent I think about six days there. We had been having these weird thunderstorms where it rained cats and dogs for fifteen minutes and then suddenly stopped. There would be violet lightning flashes illuminating the sky like a light show to say good-bye. We ran from place to place and the last day we bathed in the water while it began to pour. It was sort of ironic, we were so attached to getting the best swimming days of our lives that we dared to go swimming even in bad weather.



I watched parasailers try to use the wind as the ocean started dashing.



But, to the point:



I went to Dubrovnik, the walled city that is the most famous if not the most visited attraction in Croatia. It is a small walled city, built Venetian style that is over 500 years old.



On the car ride there, we had to keep the girls very quiet for Mato so he could concentrate. We maneged as one does, kindly reminding them, keeping them busy with coloring. We slept a little bit.

We said bye to the cousins and hello to Svanko at the airport.

My suitcase was the biggest, mainly in bulk not so much in weight.

The first thing I honestly thought when I saw the high walls was "Is this is a castle?"

We had to walk up a drawbridge, the kind wher there is a 20 foot gap over what used to be a moat and is now a garden. As we quickly rolled our suitcases down step after step to the apartment, I tried not to slip on the age-old steps . . .

erm, I'm in Sweden and have to go pony a horse to the arena which is a ride from the summer field.

The Last Two Days in Bol were . . .

AMAZING! I feel so blessed to be here. I think an oppurtunity like this comes only once in a lifetime, excuse the cliche. Let me recount the last two days I had in Bol.

When I was getting ready to go out, I suddenly realized I'd promised to do dishes so I went about that diligently. I told Jenn I'd meet her at Zlatni Rat with the kids but I couldn't find her unfortunately after walking all the way to the tip of the beach. Zlatni Rat is supposed to be reallz famous due to the fact that the beach has less rocks. It is more like soft white pebbles that are reallz small and the water is really clear, just like a salty pool with a small current. I didn't want to pay for the lawn chair so I threw my pack on the pebbles and walked straight in and swam like a nut to the edge of the line. Here, they have these swimming lane lines that run far out so that boats don't go into swimming areas.

I lay on my back, enjoying not caring or worrying about anything for once. Some of you know that I can be a worrywart unless I'm left to my own devices. I tend to handle being completely alone really well. I looked for Jennifer and the kids or floatie but gave up at one point.

After I swam out, I lay my head right on the edge of the shore with the small tide rocking my bodz back and forth in the water, it was magic . . . my dream vacation.

Sorry if this is getting into a cheesy, making you jealous blog, but it really is magnificent here and I have a limited vocabulary here with a funny keyboard . . .

I went and lay on the pebbled beach until I had a pebbled dents along my right thigh. I am reading The Heart of Horses by Molly Gloss. Thank you Frances, really enjoying reading about main character Martha Lessen and her riding a string of horses around Utah . . .

I got up and grabbed an ice-cream which melted in my mouth. I walked quickly because I had the keys to the apartment. I worried that Jenn would try to get in and would be unable to. I got my shorts on and took a ride on the trampoline with the harness set. I flew twenty feet in the sky in pure bliss. I did backflips and felt weightless, let all my troubles just bounce onto the tramp. I got tired quickly though and switched to the regular tramp.

I ambled to the aprtment in the muggy heat and opened the apartment. I got on the internet and stuck slouching for 2 hours. Then I had a shower and got prettied up. I picked up some nougat and dropped off postcards. I licked up another ice-cream. Errrr, there are stands EVERYWHERE!!!!! Iresistible to lick while I let my feet dip in the water off a dock.

When I got back to the apartment, I tidied up and Jenn arrived. We hugged and exchange what happened. We ate out at Topolino's . . . . mz hour on the internet is gone already, agggg. I will come back tomorrow AM to this cafe to tell you about my last day in Bol and where I am now - Dubrovnik!

Raining

Today we've been having light rain showers all day today. It is quite humid. I bought souvenirs for Rosemary and my parents some souvenirs. There wasn't anything really horsey but there was some sarongs, etc. PLEASE comment with the type of thing you love as souvenirs. There is some lovely white Brac stone that most of the White House is made of put into boxes, earrings, rings, and necklaces. There is also lots of things made with olive tree wood.

We swam a little despite the pouring rain. I keep slathering on sunscreen like there's no tomorrow because I'm afraid of those damn sun blisters and rashes. We tried another beach farther down and the girls went on bungee-cord-trampoline contraption. We've decided that we will go kayaking tomorrow. . . .

I am watching the U.S.A. vs. Slovenia game now. Slovenia is whooping the U.S . . . .

Catch-Up

So, I haven't been writing a blog post every day like I should but let me make up for the last week.

We spent two days in the apartment in Neum. We swam each day, snacking on chips, organgina, and living the life. Neva and Natalya made friends with a Croatian girl named Dana. I swam out to a boat's yellow buoy a lot (20 feet out) and reveled in the relaxing water in between sitting under the parasol under a chaise lounge. Jennifer and I enjoyed the fun of switching time on and off as a supervisors for the pixies. There was a big veranda where Jennifer and her cousins enjoyed smoking, drinking, and talking "adult business," as we told the girls.

Our last day in Neum, we had nice long showers with newly bought towels and packed our bags for the next morning. We dressed up for a night out at a new restaurant. I combed the girls hair, jokingly explaining that I'd once wanted to be a hairdresser when I was younger. They smiled as I put a sliver of gloss on their lips and put some mousse in their baby-fine locks.

We attended a beautiful restaurant, a real hole-in-the-wall that had a citrus theme with oranges, salmons, yellows and green embellishing the scene. I had spaghetti bolognese and Natalya had her first Pasta Carbonara which she fell in love with and wants at every place we eat. We limit her to eating it once every two days.

The car ride to Split, sucked, as usual. I was squished to the point of my poor ass hurting most of the way. The silly rental car company had us go to the far end of town to drop off the car before we made our way to the ferry. We caught some very expensive taxis (600 kuna or $100) altogether that took us to the ferry area. We lounged in a little cafe and had drinks (always Coke for the girls, haha) and later ate at an excellent pizzeria, eating pizza, fries, and salad.

The ride on the ferry to Bol was quite enjoyable. It was hard for all of us to pull our luggage up and down the steep, grippy ramps but we all chilled once we were on for a few hours. It was even hotter in Bol than in Neum when we arrived.

So, fast-forward: I am now in Bol, literally in paradise. I almost never eat in but enjoy the best pizza I've ever had. I eat ice-cream every day with flavors everything from Rocher and tiramisu to mountain berry frozen yogurt. I sleep in a very chic, IKEA style apartment with wooden floors and all the goodies. Every night we watch the soccer game and laugh or cheer on various teams. We always go for the African teams because we feel bad for them and I voted for France yesterday despite their 0-2 loss against Mexico. During the day, we go to a special beach at the end. The beaches don't really have sand, rather white pebbles like in a river. I can see fifty feet down through transparent water with lots of sea urchins. Natalya and Neva have floaties for the water and get farther out every day. I have my Savvy String to tug them around with. It is very handy. I'm reliving childhood memories of swimming and doing somersaults or holding my breath under water. I eat fresh fruit from the market, bursting with flavor. It seems all so unreal but it is.

I have done my really amazing things. I totally am pushing out of my comfort zone. Wearing skirts, and a new green and gold sarong I just bought. I bought river shoes and a macrame belt too. I'm considering picking up a necklace too. I have to pick up souvenirs today as well. I met two Australian girls named Ruth and Anna and we laughed a lot. Anna reminded me of Issie, whose playful and rambunctious energy I already miss. I made pasta for the girls a few nights ago and made them eat at the table - it was very difficult for them but we giggled the whole way. We met a waitress who is saving to go to MIT and has been to America a few times. She is really sweet and gives us water when we're passing by.

I absolutely love the cultural mix of this town in the peaceful, breathtaking setting. But I also miss my horse.

Tata for now,

Tessa

HELLO AGAIN!

Hi! I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. I am quietly typing away with two curious and adventurous girls looking over my shoulder. I will give you a week's rundown now!

Plane Riding

The plane trip was really exhausting. We were about 22 hours in total between waiting on the plane and then also being on the flights. Our flight for Chicago left in the afternoon. I packed a lot of things, including my riding boots, three swimsuits, lots of jeans and shirts, and my electronics. While I'm thinking about it, I will be calling some of you through Skype just so you know.

The flight to Chicago sort of sucked. None of the videos worked etc but we could see the digital map. Traveling really blows for me because of my legs but I cheered myself up by writing in my journal a lot. My goal is to complete the journal Ann gave me for Xmas by the time I get back. The girls entertained themselves by coloring, reading, and sleeping.

Chicago had crappy Italian food that made me sick. I brushed my teeth and tried to freshen up between catering for the girls.

The flight to Paris was okay, some good food that Neva rejected. Talk about a string bean - she is quite picky about everything from desserts to food. She eats very little but I've been using the "no thank-you bites" concept quite successfully. She has to take 3-5 bites before she can insist that she's full. Very handy.

Flight to Dubrovnik was great! I met some Swedish girls who were going backpacking in Croatia. They were all really kind and we exchanged info about our countries and had a blast! We laughed a lot! Lena would have fit right in with their gang.

Jennifer seems to make friends everywhere she goes, literally. She sat next to a French couple and I ended up translating a lot. Talk about exercising my brain, trying to learn about Croatia + talking French + trying to write this all down = impossible.

June 11

I met Jennifer's cousins - Marilyn, Cindy, Jeanette, Mato (Mike) and John. They were all quite nice and they live in California. They picked us up in a white volkswagen. It was sweltering - I quickly decided to change into flip-flops and finished my water bottle. I also got a little gift box from a relative of Jennifer's who had asked her cousins to deliver them to us.

The car ride was miserable. I had the worst motion sickness and we had to stop halfway to our lunch spot so I could go sit outside as well as getting me to sit crammed up front with John and Mato. That didn't do much because I apparently turned light green and vomited. My abs hurt really bad that night, uggg.

We ate lunch and I drank a lot so I felt much better. The restaurant was right near the water and I managed to dip my feet in the Adriatic for the first time. It was so refreshing and transparent. I fell in love with it.

When we got to our lovely, 2 bedroom apartment in Neum, Bosnia, with a great view and a lovely kitchenette, I quickly unpacked my bag. We threw on our swimsuits and jumped in the water, rather . . . everyone but Neva. The poor thing was too cold.

Let me give you a second to understand that the country where I resided has been terribly war-ravaged. It is a fight over religion. From what I can understand from Jennifer (a Croatian view): Trouble started brewing in the 90's when Slovenia declared independence without any trouble. This sparked tension about the various states breaking away. Serbia started bombing mainly Bosnia and Croatia along with it. Croatia was mostly Catholic but Bosnia was various religions all mixed up. The Serbs slaughtered many Muslims during their Communist regime, especially in Bosnia. Part of the concessions at the end of the war was that Bosnia received a small bit of coastline right in Croatia (maybe 1/2 mile).

So, I stayed on that concessioned bit and every time we had to go even ten minutes away we had to present all of our passports (9 total). The guards didn't actually look at our pictures, just had to make sure we all had passports and then they sailed us through.

We didn't bother with dinner if I can remember . . .

June 12

This day was the family reunions of the Jurkovich family. I tried to dress the part, wearing a turquoise crochet top with white pants and leather flats. We packed into the van

Border crossing was easy and we sailed on to Metkovic. We visited a friend of the cousins called Lude, who was a young Croatian well-versed in English with a lovely wife. We ate some sweet cookies and ice-cream. Jennifer tasted her first cup of Turkish coffee and got instructions on how to make it.

Next stop - the reunion was in Scezosce. It was on a small farm that we pulled in to. We went exploring the farm, seeing some very skinny cats and a guard dog. Poor Nini (Neva) was a bit dismayed at the bad condition of the animals but she smiled all the same. We saw some chickens and a stinky pig pen.

Jeanette is a historian by hobby and showed us all the houses that various family members grew up in, etc. She told stories and went on about who was born when ,etc. Perhaps because it wasn't my own family, I was terribly bored. I put on a kind face and stood tall in the sweltering heat that was making me fall over with exhaustion. After a half-hour of her telling stories, we ambled back to the long benches and tables where I almost fell asleep. Jennifer gave me some homeopathic pills to help my adrenals.

What we ate:

1. Yummy tiny pastries
2. Broth (this is what they consider soup)
3. Cucumber salad with tomatoes
4. Cabbage leaves and grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice - it looked really weird and the relatives mashed it up a lot, ick,
5. Meat and roasted potatoes - the potatoes were sooooo good - they reminded me of the ones my late uncle used to make with his BBQ
6. Lamb - ewwwwwww
7. Cream and custard cake was very rich and delicious.

Neva ate some tomatoes and broth. Can't remember what Natalya ate. I ate a bit of everything except the meat stuff, tomatoes, and lamb.

We were about 20 at the table and there was SOOOOO much food. The people here don't recycle or compost so most of it went into the trash sadly, except the desserts.

We were all worn out after the long reunion with the kids, babies (2), and all the adults. After driving back, we went for a swim, except Neva and ate butterfly pasta for dinner with sauce while watching the FIFA soccer game.

I'm here!

Hi all!

I'm here! I only just received internet service. I will Skype some of you today but for now, I'm GREAT! I have to take the girls to the market here in Bol but I will type later tonight when I can relax. . . .

The clothes

Hi,

So, yeah, when I went shopping, I forgot to mention a very essential thing. I used to hate shopping!

My godmother, Rosemary Lincoln is a color consultant. Based on personality and appearance, buying clothes based on your colors is really easy and convenient. The idea is that everyone embodies a season and that if you wear clothes, make-up, etc that suit your season, you radiate your inner beauty on the outside.

For example: My bubbly personality and happy ways say that I'm a Spring. I therefore wear lots of specific greens, white, pastels, reds, etc. Rosemary can determine what looks best on me by consulting my skin, overall shape, hair, etc. She even goes as far as knowing which of my colors looks good for casual versus formal occasions

This has made shopping really fun! I know what colors look good on me so it's easy for me to decide what to buy. I just pick out my personal color fan and browse the racks. For the record, I buy most of my clothes from Marshall's and Ross Dress for Less so a color consultation fits any budget.

Having a color consultant for a Godmother certainly has its perks. Rosemary is a mine source of info and I highly recommend her to anyone who has trouble finding clothes.

Right now in Croatia, I get tons of compliments on everything I wear and yesterday I bought a lovely gold and green sarong and feel fabulous.

XOXO

Tessa R.