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As part of our Croatian winter itinerary, we finally went to the hotsprings! And I came to the conclusion:

THERMAL BATHS ROCK!

Why? Because Croatia in winter weather is still beautiful, and for the most part, mild. Yes, I ate a few too many Christmas cookies, and I wanted to swim in warm water again. Winter baths are a tradition in Europe, and they don’t have to be expensive. As a joint birthday celebration, we escaped foggy Dalmatia to investigate the Roman Baths at LEŠĆE – on the River Dobri (translation: The Good River). Here is a peek:

We got our ticket through Ponuda Dana, an online booking service with great discounts. They offer special packages, and we signed up for the toplice (“terme”) which is a type of spa vacation. What did we pay? The price was 440 per couple for two nights, with two meals per day, free biking and unlimited bathing included. Massages cost extra, but at a 20% discount during the time we were there (70 kunas or roughly 10 euros per massage).

All together, our two night stay cost us 880 Croatian kunas, which is about 120 Euros plus the cost of fuel and road tolls (another 60 euros). In those two days, we relaxed, regrouped, and got away from the winter tedium. I would rate our excursion as a 4 out of 5.  We checked the weather and made sure to go when the weather was good, in order to avoid the snow. It was supposed to be clear, and I have to say, it was well worth it!

Where: So we found ourselves in KARLOVAC, in the heart of the Croatian hinterland, in a totally different environment than usual (i.e. we are usually near the sea). As you can see by the photos, there are wooden barns, octagonal shaped roofs (as if the building was wearing a hat from the early 20th century) and neatly manicured yards where animals roamed.  Add a haystack and horse-drawn tractor and you’ve got the ambiance!

How:

The road to Karlovac was a piece of cake.  We took a 2-1/2 hour drive on the toll highway E65 then E71, which cost a little under 100 kn each way (about 12 euros). It was a scenic drive with snowcapped mountains and rolling farmland, interesting trees and other foliage. We took the Bosiljevo exit and an additional 30 minute drive along a country road till we reached our destination: Terme Lešće (tehr-mah lessh-chah).  Dobra Došla (Welcome)!

We were heartily welcomed by the Receptionist, Miranda. Middle aged, full of information and jolly, she gave us a complete run-down of the joint, so to speak. Lunch is from 7-9 so don’t be late. It’s not a smorgasbord, you get two to three entrees to choose from and that’s it  (it wasn’t a problem).  Lunch can be ordered separately but since we were thinking along “eating less” we skipped lunch and waited for Dinner.

OUTDOORS

In case you are missing junk food i.e. cookies and chips, there is a tiny store at the front of the property, they also sold white wine and other staples, but we never did get around to buying anything. Next to the store is a small bar, which we also didn’t visit, we were busy doing other things.

On our second day, we cycled around the property and uphill across the street. Nordic or any other kind of walking would have been an option but the river was rising and the walkway was too slippery with mud and slime. So nix. The bikes were in fair condition, and we got some good use out of them.

The houses in Karlovac have an interesting feel. Many of the houses here are over 100 years old, with stone / brick construction, deep basements and chimneys.  As far as population goes, many have left farming, and moved to the capital (Zagreb).  This emigration began after WWII and surged again after the Homeland War. But you can see that the people who have stayed behind are not doing badly – many have vehicles with company names printed and the homes look quite comfortable.

In the summertime, it’s aa whole different world at Terme Lešće. A huge pool (now empty) shows tents and seating area for literally hundreds of people to enjoy. There are changing rooms and other places to sit poolside and enjoy a cool drink or just people-watch.

INDOORS

We took a classic double room on the upper level. In the hallways, we found a step machine, stationary bike and foot massager.

Our room was equipped with a TV, double bed and double paned windows. Eating in the room is strictly forbidden. Just sayin’. It had a massaging shower which kind of worked and kind of didn’t. All the same, the central heating worked fine, and we were never, ever cold nor was it too hot, either. The whole place is heated by a wood burning furnace.

On the same level is the restaurant. The service was fine, and the dining room was quite interesting! Semi private seating areas, and artwork was found on every wall. Here are some of the pictures:

Upper left hand corner: Caesar placing an olive wreath on someone’s head.

Lots of oil paintings depicting the area, including bridge over the River Dobri.

we also have the Croatian Grb (red and white checked coat of arms). This is definitely Croatian country 🙂

THE FOOD!

The food (and the service) was OK! Smiling and accomodating staff members 🙂 I particularly enjoyed the homemade bread – firm and tasty, and it was a very nice texture, especially the darker bread. Coffee was also good, and the meals were generous.

The first night, we had blitva and potatoes, salt and olive oil and fresh trout from the river. So tasty and so healthy. The dinner meals came with soup AND salad, so we had no chance of being hungry after that.

The next two mornings we had a nice mushroom and cheese omelette – also good – and dinner was spaghetti with cream sauce and mushrooms –  a bit too creamy and not our personal favorite, but it was nice all the same.

THE POOLS

We enjoyed unlimited bathing and exercising in the heated pool (33 degrees) we went in every day. Hours are 7 am to 8 pm, with a break from swimming between 8pm and 11 pm. After that, it reopens for “night swimming”.

Here is the changing area, with wooden walkway to the bathing area. The entire room looked like a darkened cave with countless stars dotted on the ceiling. Tacky but fun! The water was the reason  we came. The walls were posted with helpful instructions on how to exercise the back, legs, arms, shoulders and so on. Recommended immersion time is no more than 1-1/2 hours.

We could have tried the other, cooler pool at 26 degrees, but – it just didn’t appeal to us! The warm water was great…

Once we finished, there were shower stalls to rinse off dry skin and a changing area adjacent to that. A blow dryer was also available.

I didn’t feel like making new friends, but heard people talking in other languages besides Croatian. I would guess that they were speaking Russian.

WEEKDAYS

I have to say, going on a weekday was a good idea, because there were less crowds. There were some older people (60 plus) and there were some kids as well! When we woke up around 7, we noticed cars of people coming for a day at the hot springs. Guess they wanted to get their money’s worth, why not?

ACCESS BY TRAIN (HZZ)

The weekends, I was told, can be full of guests from Zagreb, who take the train to Karlovac getting out at the General stol station which is 4 km away, and then the manager comes and picks them up.

OTHER THINGS

At this particular location, you are right across the border from Slovenia, so if you want to drive over and visit another country, that is definitely an option. It was clear to see by the license plates that other people from Slovenia had come to spend their Croatia winter itinerary enjoying the hotsprings as well.

MONEY

Croatian kunas are holding steady at approximately 7.5 to one Euro as of the date of this writing.

Slovenia uses Euros so you will need to change your money or just make an ATM withdrawal from your bank – it will spit out Euros instead of kunas or any other type of currency that you’re currently used to using.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

The town is officially located in General Stol which, in Croatian “Generalski Stol” means “Table of Generals”. The history behind its unusual name is the fact that generals gathered here from the Austrian republic trying to work out a strategy to block the neighboring Turkish forces from penetrating any further into West Europe in the 18th century – not so long ago.

Here is a link to a blog describing the area in great detail.  It’s in Croatian, however: but can always be translated if needed.

The table is now quite fancy – and probably not the original. However the generals succeeded in keeping the Turks any futher west, into Europe.

I love winter excursions – it helps break up the doldrums, there are less people, and often the weather is very nice, like Springtime.

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P.S. FREE CROATIAN COOK BOOK

By the way all new subscribers will receive an authentic Dalmatian – Croatian cookbook that I  have tasted and tested. It is a real gem of a sampling of  healthy /  delicious food!

All you need to do is return to the home page and wait for the pop-up. The URL you want is embedded  here==> cookbook 

So dowload and let’s get cooking! Bon appetit / Dobar tek and enjoy!!!

Maybe you will be surprised, as I was, that in little old Croatia, with its 4.5 million population at best, the Zagreb Christmas market was awarded the best Christmas market in Europe? Ho, ho, ho!

Christmas is over – but Winter is still here! It’s not too late to explore and check out the city as well as the legendary January sales.  I wanted to let you in on this marvelous little secret! We really enjoyed the Advent festivities and plan to return next year, as well! As we live in the south where the weather is a bit warmer and a little un-Christmasy, it took just one weekend of Northern chillier air to get us in the Holiday mood.

Although it’s the third year in a row, we honestly had no idea, until we got here, that little old Zagreb, with its scanty one million population, took the #1 prize (again) this winter. Beating out towns like  Brno, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria and the cute little German towns just a bit further down the road…

Why? Because the Croatian capital city  is known for being safe, clean, centrally located and very motivated to receive guests year round, particularly during WINTER.

Winter activities can include dance, theatre and Vatroslav Lisinski Hall for arguably the best cultural events in Croatia.  It was a mixed visit but we primarily came for Advent.  Since most of the activities take place in Zrinjevac, a car would be more of a hindrance than a help.  We used UBER to get around town in a hurry and Grad Zagreb public transportation when we had time to linger.  During Advent, trams are free of charge during the weekend.  The weather was warm, we didn’t need to wear hats and gloves and the whole experience was *very* user friendly.

Here are a few photos to give you an idea:

Croatia really did a great job in the hospitality department.  Ever street was whimsically decorated, some with ornaments, other times an array of shoes dangling from a wire – including ice skates – mistletoe was seen in various locations – and other ideas from a fresh new breed of young marketing students.  The experience was very creative and full of surprises –

After years of waiting, I finally encountered Santa Claus in real life!  Sorry – no photo – but – he was sitting in his sleigh drawn by two white horses!  (I knew that Santa was for real!) A spirit of joy and magic was in the air. We tasted the spicy mulled wine….

GOOD FOOD at GOOD PRICES

and eventually bought high quality burgers and salad at Good Food (which lives up to its name) near the city center.  I had an excellent Caesar salad and the kids had authentic American style hamburgers with a side of fries – it came to 134 kunas (fair). Jam packed – and delightful.

ENGLISH SPEAKERS

Furthermore, everyone we encountered along the way spoke excellent ENGLISH. This city is the kind of place that people on the street will almost always tell you which tram you need to take to get downtown. They are usually smiling when they hear your trying to pronounce the Croatian words, and offer to explain it to you in your native tongue.  I also must say, to the credit of Zagrepcani (those living in Zagreb) it is first of all, a very attractive population. I must also mention well dressed, and most usually trim and fit.  In conclusion, I am more thankful every day for the lovely place I have chosen to live in.

Those who plan to take advantage of this opportunity next year may want to reserve in advance.  We were fortunately able to rent a place at the last moment (on December 16) when the town (according to Booking.com) was 99% full!  (yikes!)

LET IT SNOW

Another surprise along the way.  I personally prefer bus travel – so I can text with friends, read and unwind – and right in the midpoint of Croatia, around Sveti Rok (Saint Rocco) tunnel there is a big climatic change.  On one side it can be 10-15 degrees higher than the other, since the tunnel is several kilometers long and pierces the mountain thus saving a lot of travel time. So, when we got to the other side of the tunnel, the entire bus gasped gleefully – SNOW!

As a former Californian, I like looking at snow much more than living in it, so playing in snow at the rest stop was just enough for me 🙂

The next morning on Ban Jelačić square (the Trg – pronounced TERG) we met friends at Johann Franck coffee house – the former “uppity” library for the Zagreb elite, a place to see and be seen 🙂  with a dance floor on the top level and lots of books.  There is a winding, spiral staircase between the floors, with a smoking and non-smoking section.  Ambiance, ambiance!

After our visit, eventually we jumped on tram #2 which led us directly to our destination:  The autobus kolodvor (Zagreb bus station) for our express bus back to Zadar (it takes about 4 hours, on the Superhighway A1).

INEXPENSIVE (AND RELIABLE) BUS TRAVEL – TICKETS

The lowest prices I have found (at time of writing) are APP  (150 kunas for a round trip ticket – or 108 for one way) but you’ll first need to make a discount ID card, which is free of charge, with a passport-sized photo – information here) and  Čazmatrans is also reasonable.  The general bus transportation link is buscroatia – Flix bus is good too – but generally more expensive.

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YOUR ZAGREB TRIP – BOOKING

There are many ways to go.  Some phone or visit the tourist bureau.  Others find private offerings by word of mouth or even people holding signs at the bus station. I usually book online by mobile ap.  Njuskalo  is an online want ad forum. This may seem like an unusal place to look, but when all else fails, I look under the Real estate rentals section. A few places do offer night to night accommodations (see below in the Links).

Wishing you a Happy New Year in 2018, filled with promise and hope!

MORE LINKS:

City of Zagreb tourist bureau

Booking.com

Airbnb.com

Njuskalo.hr 

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

As an American expat, I am always on the look-out for exciting ways to enjoy my Croatian experience. Well – I am happy to say – I found it.  And what a jewel of a find.  We attended the Rockabilly Party on the BOTEL – a boat / hotel docked on the Rijeka shore – and what a party it was!

Live music to hits from the 1950s and 1960s – which meant, of course, dancing and whimsical dress-up.  The evening’s festivities also included pin-up girls, a game of chance, and a constantly replenished, complete smorgasbord of meats, cheeses, cold salads and desserts – with open bar – and free champagne at midnight. With such a great vibe in the air, smiling newcomers wandered in after 1 am to join in on the hey-daddy-o beat.  If I had my chance, it was the kind of New Year’s Eve you could celebrate at least a few times a year.

WHY THE BOTEL IS – WELL – UNIQUE

The historical BOTEL Marina was built in Sweden back in 1936, and named after the newlywed  crown princess of Sweden, Ingrid, who was later known for her courageous resistance during WWII.

Many years later, the vessel was used as an island-hopping ferry boat here in Croatia.  After it was retired from its official duties, it was reincarnated as a fully functioning “pocket of joy” and for the past four years, has been a popular edition to the nightlife of central Rijeka. Completely reburbished, it is quite elegant, with rooms accomodating two to four persons, as well as a somewhat cheaper dorm option for travelling students and other frugal guests.

To this day, it is the ONLY boat-hotel combination on the Mediterranean Sea! (and that is covering quite a lot of territory).

HOW TO BOOK THE BOTEL

Located directly on the Rijeka Riva (shoreline), it is available for weddings, seminars and private events. Family owned and operated by Andrea and Jelena Kusheta , it has a level of customer service that is hard to find outside the USA.  The smiling receptionist above is Alexandra – she was kind enough to show me around.

The book featured above explains the Botel’s history, written in both Croatian and English.

The Botel can be reached directly at  +385.(0)51.410.162, alternatively   http://www.botel-marina.com/

Not only is the location ideal, Breakfast is included 🙂

SOLD OUT – AGAIN!

Needless to say, this year’s New Year’s Eve Rockabilly Night was sold out – for the fourth year in a row!

RIJEKA MASKERADE

For those who follow Croatian holidays, one of the funniest events of the year occurs between New Year in January and Easter in March or April.  Better known by its French name as Mardi Gras, the Croatian version of the very same thing is called Maškarada  – or Mascarade.  It was one of the few opportunities for the Croatian peasants to be able to poke fun at their politicians without being severly reprimanded.  People very cleverly learned how to make costumes from old clothes and it was more preposterous and silly than its scarier English cousin, Halloween.

Believe it or not, the best place to experience Maskerade is in Rijeka!  I don’t know why this is so -but it is.  It is an event that people prepare for and think about months in advance with an exorbitant parade and judging.  It is on the news and lasts 2-3 weeks before Lent begins. Click here to see how people dress for it – group costumes are especially popular.

It is not a bad idea to consider booking a night in Rijeka for the wild and crazy festivities!  This year, Maskarade starts on January 17 and ends on February 14, 2018.  The hostels are booking up – and – there is always the BOTEL.

Here is a link to the Rijeka Tourist Board – and – in case I didn’t tell you before – Happy New Year 2018!

Dear Readers and Friends,

This blog is about you, as much as me! I want to bridge the gap because when I first came to live in Croatia in 1999 I experienced some major culture shock! I honestly felt like a dog, I couldn’t speak or understand anything.

But of course, I eventually caught on.

If you want to save this for later, you can pin it to Pinterest here:

Anyway, people have been asking – why in the world did you leave the “richest country in the world” to come to live in obscure Croatia? and so to save time, I decided to write a blog post about it.

Yes, that’s right!!  It’s time for some basic fun facts about me!!

How this Blog began:

In 2015, at the suggestion of a colleague, I start blogging! He said why don’t you start a blog? What shall I call it? Amerikanka in Croatia. End of story!

Due to life’s demands, I was basically an “accidental blogger”.  Now I have started blogging much more regularly, as my time has freed up a bit more.  This blog is about the expat lifestyle.  As emigrating to the European continent has gained popularity, particularly life in Croatia, I thought I would share my experiences about it.

Maybe I can share you a few misadventures along the way, based on my own experiences with getting to know how things work here.

But you also have to do your part and let me know what you would like to know more about.

When have people been asking me – where are you from originally?  Are you an American or are you Croatian?

Well – both!

Yes, I’m Croatian, and although I have been in Croatia for many years, I came from California.  My hometown is Los Angeles, and I spent 10 (wonderful) years in the San Francisco Bay Area.

San Francisco / Split connection

In my opinion, SF is a lot like Split!  It shares many similarities – like a very European lifestyle with good public transport. The love of coffee, the arts, newspapers, walking and talking by the sea brings people – the ability to live like a king or queen on very little cash.  There are free concerts, libraries, and museums on designated days of the month.  With a little effort, even the poorest of students can attend art galleries and foreign films.  To sum it up – Simple and elegant.

2018 Motto

By the way, my motto for 2018 is – “UNFOLD”  Do you have a motto for the upcoming year?

And now, time for those fun facts about me:

1. My dad was an actor and my mom was a concert pianist.  They met in LA and married less than a year later.
2. I used to work for   Van’s Tennis Shoe Co. and Disneyland while going to college.
3. I earned my degree in Business Administration and worked in Silicon Valley as an accountant and financial analyst.
4. I helped with the UN50 celebration (1945-1995) at Golden Gate Park and met some very interesting and influential people,  including Rosa Parks, Queen Elizabeth, Desmond Tutu, and others.
5. When I first visited Croatia in 1999 I came as a tourist – but I kept rescheduling my return flight!
6. I believe in the expression, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” – in other words, try to be a good guest and adapt to the culture of the people you are living with.
7. I got my love of travel from my mom, who cycled through Europe in the 1950s at only age 22 years of age with a group of other young people.  It’s a good thing she did because a year later, she married my dad :).
8. My Mom is mainly French-American and my dad is 100% Croatian American so I had some relatives to meet when I got here.  (OK, dozens of cousins!)
9. My first time to leave the country was in 1983 when I flew to Australia and visited friends for the summer. I climbed Mt. Ayers and visited the Great Barrier Reef.  Basically, it was an unforgettable experience.
10. I spent the first 12 years in Croatia living on an island in the Adriatic Sea. Since jobs were scarce, I ended up worked five years in a grocery store. After that, I began working online as a native English proofreader and as my Croatian improved, as a translator and eventually was appointed by the courts as a “sworn translator” or as “sudski tumač” as it is called in Croatian.
11. I’m the only one in my American family that speaks Croatian.  I only knew two phrases when I got here – “Kako si (KAaaah-ko Seee) ?” which means, How are you? and Do Viđenja (Dough Vid-jenn-yuh! which means, See you later!). I learned by hanging out, listening, and watching American TV programs with Croatian subtitles.  When I got serious, I plunked down some money and went to school 😉
12. I had my first child at 39 years old, and everything was just fine.  I had my second kid four years later at the ripe old age 43.  Both were born completely naturally here in Croatia and it was great.  My personal experience is that Health Care in Croatia rocks! (Now, is that a fun fact or not?  Most people shuddered when I told them I planned to have babies in Croatia.)
13. Being a mother has been one of the best experiences of my life.
14. After 12 years of living on the island, we moved to the city, where I spent an unforgettable 2 years in Split, where I worked as a tour guide around the Palace.  (I paid at EFST (Split University of Economics) for quite an intense course which cost around 1.000€ and now I have a professional license.) Many expats make excellent tour guides.  There are many historical sites (Klis, Trogir, Brac and Hvar islands) all around Croatia and no less than 8 national parks.
15. I now live in Zadar area with my family. It is estimated at being over 2000 years old.
16. My teenaged kids are bilingual and have dual citizenship, as do myself.  It is not so hard to do, just a lot of paperwork, and things here take time, so plan to be patient.
17. I am self-employed, and besides blogging, I dabble in real estate, linguistics, and tourism. I opened my own business, it cost me a little over 100€ and this was also a great idea though I was scared when I did it.  I pay into a pension fund and will draw a pension here in Croatia, eventually.
18. I traveled back to the USA in the Fall of 2016.  The best and cheapest flight I found was with Norwegian Shuttle and I give them a hearty thumbs up. The cost of airfare has really become more reasonable – a round trip ticket cost me 600€ (basically half of what I paid in 1999).
19. While in America, I reinstated my American driver’s license and had it transferred it over to a Croatian drivers license.  Here in Croatia, you are expected to get an eye exam and take a psychological test!! Imagine that!  It is quite simple, so no worries.  For those who want to convert their driver’s licenses, the best place to start is the local police department.  I have to say – I spent a fraction of what I would have paid had I retaken the test here.  I paid 100€ which is 750 Croatian kunas for the light examination and fees plus ID photo and taxes, compared to 10,000 kn.  It tends to be very costly and time-consuming because a driver’s license is treated like a luxury, but in reality, it is more of a necessity.
20. Last but not least, I hope to provide an insider’s view of life abroad – particularly here in Croatia.  Compared to other places, it still seems to be one of the cleanest and safest countries. The only “downside” is that the economy so if you feel a bit of entrepreneurial spirit flowing through your veins, working on the world wide web is a viable option.

I love my family, they are the greatest:

I travel around a lot – for business and for pleasure.

That’s all for now.  Remember, if you do like my writing style, be sure to subscribe in the box below.
Have a great day! You can also follow me on Facebook + Pinterest and Instagram!

Till next time,

Anastasia

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2017

The holidays are upon us!  EEEEEkkkkkk!

I love the lights and scent of pine trees – hate to take them down when all this is over – but the pressure to buy, buy, buy can be almost overwhelming 😀  And now, for a little Croatian  history….(no blood I promise)….

CROATIAN TRADITIONS

In the olden days (up to about 15-20 years ago), the Christmas tree went up on Christmas Eve, known as Badnjak -(bad -un-yack) when it was decorated (not before!).  Christmas decorations included foil-wrapped pinecones – the foil was saved from chocolate bars.

The traditional Christmas Eve food was Bakalar (bacca-larr) – which is Cod Stew, and Pasrate (pah-sure-aught-tee), a fried donut hole. A large log was put in the fire and people would stay up late singing songs and exchanging presents, which was quite unusual for people who got up at dawn and went to bed at sundown.  Sometimes, people went to Midnight Mass.

The next day, families went to church and there was a big dinner at mid-day. The holidays weren’t officially over until the 6th of January, known as Three Kings, at which point the Christmas tree was taken down.

Hi!  The links in my posts are people who I follow and things that I like, including my own personal recipes and other tidbits.  Consider it an early Christmas present 🙂

Nowadays the trees and lights are put up a lot earlier but still much later than in California 🙂

GIVING TUESDAY

After all the Black Friday ads and Cyber Monday deals flooded my mailbox, I received an amazing post by a South African woman named Ann Wilson, also known as the Wealth Chef.  She is big on financial independence, advising people on how to live on their investments and free up their time away from the “exchanging time for money” routine.

She wrote about “Giving Tuesday” – the day after Cyber Monday, and introduced the most amazing project – a water project known as the Spring.

THE SPRING

(The video, located in sentence 3 of this paragraph, explains it all).  I am quite impressed by how a former hedonist from NYC got sick of the life he was leading and went to work as a volunteer photo journalist in Africa.  Here it is – right here in video.  To cut to the chase, unhealthy water filled with bugs, germs and diseases is the root cause behind many of the health problems poorer nations face, including parasites and huge facial distortions.  I also applaud Scott that every single dollar of this project goes to the water program itself – not to administrative expenses. Those funds are raised separately.

MAKING SENSE OF CENTS

I follow and subscribe to an amazing financial planner turned blogger, Michelle Schroeder-Gardner who always has great ideas for saving money.  Last week she sent out  a list of Eight Ways for helping others instead of buying often unused presents. To read her suggestions, please click here

DECEMBER – what does it mean in Croatian?

Today is December 1, and in Croatian, it’s called Prosinac. I was a bit shocked to find out that prosi means to beg.  It is a time of begging!  There are plenty of people whose basic needs are not being met, so it’s also a good time to think “what can I do to help”.

CARITAS

Here in Croatia, we don’t have Red Cross.  Caritas is the most common way to donate unused clothing (things your kids won’t wear, old “fat clothes” or things you hate in general).  In most large cities there are large bins to place a large bagful of clothes into.  It’s nice to think of another person getting some kind of benefit from it.

ADOPT A SHELTER

When I lived in Split there is an organization called MOST which means Bridge. They take care of homeless and nearly homeless people.  We also heard about a shelter that appreciated donated meals, so a friend and I made Komiška Pogaća and man, the men ate it right up. Where there is a will – there is a way, so that is what this post is about – the spirit of giving.

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Stay well and see you soon!

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