Aaaahhhhh

You hear that? Yep, we’re finally relaxing. The Dutch have a great word for it: onthaasten; un-hurrying. It took a couple of days, but it’s finally happening.

Today we got up early and went for a run. The boys were on bicycles and the dog was all over the place—we raced through olive orchards and into a small village nearby. The buildings are brightly colored, yet decrepit. It’s a strange cross between the Province and rotting Soviet-era glory. In other words, we felt right at home… ;-)

In fact, although I wouldn’t admit it to any Croatians, there are a lot of things here that remind us of Russia. There are kiosks everywhere, and they sell the same sort of crap wares. Many of the older women are compact and wear shapeless dacha-wear. And the language is surprisingly similar—I can actually read menus and food labels. Had a great time in the grocery store wandering from aisle to aisle and reading everything I could get my hands on. (Go ahead-- just sign me up as Ms. Nerd America...)

The boys are taking swimming lessons every morning from a beefy Croatian guy. He’s friendly but strict and shouts out commands like ZURÜCK! and SCHWIMM NUR MIT HÄNDEN! as if he were an Olympic coach with the national honor on his hands.

Today we journeyed into Poreč and walked along the pier. We took S and B to see some Roman ruins and a 15th century church, but I’m sure that instead they’ll remember hazelnut ice cream and the fish that suddenly jumped out of the sea right next to us.

They'll probably also dwell on the drives past the barbecue stands that litter both sides of the main road. There are inevitably two or three whole pigs turning on spits above a roaring flame. They are horrified each time we pass and I like to tell them that those were probably pigs who didn’t listen to their mothers…

It’s raining this evening, which means it’s cool and there’s a cozy tapping on the roof of the camper. S and B have actually escaped the bar-b-que spit for today and have made it alive and well into bed. Time to shut this down and go relax with a glass of wine…