Wednesday 061808

The guy in the bandanna is our live-in houseboy, Vincent. He jogs and hikes and even managed to find a gym at a local luxury hotel. They sold him a pass for two months for 250 Kuna, around $50. We only see him just before we go to bed at night and in the morning, we all walk to work together. He was right when he told us he was a night owl. I don't know how he gets along on such a little bit of sleep.

Also, he is a vegetarian and eats such strange stuff. Would you eat pasta mixed with zucchini, carrots, olive oil and peanut butter for supper??? Yuck. Annette and I go out for lunch and supper, but the food here is different than home. So many great salads and sandwiches and not heavy at all. The portions are not super-sized, so I will not be surprised if our weight stays the same, or we even show a loss.

We are so relaxed and happy every day. We comment on how great we feel and how all the stress of our lives seems to have melted away. I have been sleeping well, 8 hours a night. We wake before the alarm at 6:00 and are refreshed and smiling.

We are checking into taking an overnight ferry to Italy next week. June 25th is a holiday and we wont have class. We are not sure what the holiday is as of yet, but that is OK. Any holiday is great, right?

There was a little light rain last night when Annette and I walked home. We were bummed because we had our hearts set on the chicken salad at Cafe Dubrava, but we were worried that the rain might turn into a thunderstorm. The streets and stairs and paved walks get so slick that it is dangerous. We stopped at our local mini mart and bought ham and fruit and eggs and pickles and Nutella (for our sport crackers which are like animal crackers). Obviously we will not starve if we can not eat at our favorite cafe.

Annette left for work early this morning to get some work accomplished before the students show up, Vincent left next and I sat on the couch and watched CNN and knitted. Such a relaxing morning. I left home at 9:10 and was here by 9:30. Great time if you don't mind having to wring the sweat out of your clothes. I think I will take an easier pace next time.

The picture of the two of us is from our walk to the BIG supermarket. There was a building that was all mirrored and I couldn't resist. I wanted to watch myself do a little dance routine, but Annette dragged me away before the local politsa did.

We will be going down to hear the Wednesday session on Croatian culture in a few minutes; my turn to caption. Jackie doesn't care about getting a print out, but needs them to understand the speaker, Zoran. She has difficulty understanding when people speak with an accent and also, he wears braces which changes the shapes of his words.

That is it for today on "Days of our Lives in Croatia". Stay tuned. We miss you all.