paper.. or plastic

Sunday was truly a day of rest for us. Without classes or adventures planned, we took our time just relaxing on the balcony, enjoying the view (which we will never tire of) of Old Town and the Adriatic Sea. Breakfast was unhurried and Cathy and I decided to wander west of the college in search of a grocery store, or a reasonable facsimile.

Uphill we trekked, resting on a bench along the busy narrow road before we crossed a bridge that led to a new and previously unexplored part of Dubrovnik. Walking down what appeared to be a commercial/office building area, Cathy decided to rest a bit while I went in search of something bigger than a 7-11 (or at least the Croatian equivalent). With thoughts of "just around this next curve up ahead" a few times, I decided to cross the street, trudge through a parking lot and see what the parallel road had to offer. When what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a Tommy Mart. Oh joy, oh rapture! Could it be?

I hurried (ok, not really hurried, but I didn't dilly-dally either) back to Mrs. Cathy. "Come see the wonders of the new world I have discovered. I have heard tell of amazing machines and culinary delights beyond our wildest imaginations."

We proceeded to Tommy Mart and took the escalator to the grocery store entrance. There were shopping carts.. there were scanners.. there was a deli area larger than Wegmans.. there was a security guard. We wandered the aisles, delighted to behold such treasures. Fresh produce and breads, meats and cheeses, shelves upon shelves of items that we could not identify were it not for the pictures on the labels. Of course, we loaded our baskets and headed for the checkout. (Sharon V., you will be delighted to know they even had my coveted Aero bars!) Now the problem was schlepping our packages home.

Not to worry. A taxi was nearby. We told him where we lived and he immediately gestured his hand in that direction, making a steep uphill motion. Yes, we nodded, on the top of the hill. We bundled in and Cathy was kind enough to give me the front seat. All the better to view our trip home as we sped up hills and around curves, the likes of which Mario Andretti probably has never traveled. "Don't talk to me while I'm driving uphill," the driver cautioned us. It was easy to keep quiet with my heart in my throat.

We arrived safely, delighted to unload our packages and relax on the balcony once again. Of course, our wonderful landlords made a visit upstairs to deliver pieces of fresh baked cherry cake and blankets for Cathy and Vincent (you know me, I don't need one!). All in all, a peaceful, relaxing Sunday.

Yesterday, Zoran (the student assigned to watch over us :) covered his culture class from 11a to 12p. He brought us up to World War II, which he will finish Wednesday. He is such an intelligent, enthusiastic young man; we found out from Vincent last night that he wrote an essay in a national Croatian contest about why Croatia should join the European Union, and he won! It's obvious he will go far, as he is working on both degrees in hospitality and law. And his sense of humor is delightful :)

Yesterday's Environment class was a viewing of the Al Gore movie, "An Inconvenient Truth". Having not seen it before, it was eye-opening and interesting and as Professor Stasha said, told in a plain language people could understand. View it if you get a chance, it is enlightening.

Art History was a review of prehistoric, Egyptian, Roman, Greek architecture, sculpture and paintings. While the material can be a little dry, its great to have this foundation as we delve more and more into the great masterpieces of all the periods.

Friday is our trip to Mjlet National Park... stay tuned for details on that.

This morning since our classes didn't start early, we still walked in with Mr. Vincent but took a detour for coffee, to go. Yes, coffee in good old fashioned paper cups with plastic lids. Imagine our surprise when we thought perhaps they forgot to finish filling the cups. What they lack in quantity, they make up in quality... and pastries (which we avoided with the willpower of saints)... although I can't say we didn't leave nose and fingerprints on the display cases. Definitely a place to return to, it's just down the alley off the Stradun (the main street of Old Town)... the only problem is remembering which alley.

Well, that's it for today. As always, we send our love and happy thoughts... stay tuned for the next installment of "Cathy and Annette's Excellent Adventure".