Scenes from the weekend: an Elvis tribute, cookies, friends and lots of eating

Busy week/weekend for us.

 -thankfully it was a sunny weekend so we were able to take Beli to the playground, she was so happy.

-drove downtown and came across a free concert: a tribute to Elvis, the guy was very good. 

-Christmas shopping

-had coffee with friends here and here and here!

-had lunch with friends here

-baked white chocolate chewy cookies and drank mint-green tea with friends

-Beli helped Baki, Grandma decorate the Christmas tree and she said something that just melted my heart, " this is the most beautiful star in the world" a phrase my Mother-in-law had said days ago and she was beyond excited placing the ornaments on the tree.
 And she saw St. Nicholas on the eve of December 6th. She was afraid at first but when St. Nick called Beli's name and showed her a  present, she said, "poklon?" and ran towards him!

- I've been packing and rearranging the stuff in my suitcase.
 Amazing how quickly the weigh adds up, I know there is more than the 25kg limit! So how was your weekend? Did you baked cookies?Went shopping? Took long naps?

It's a culture thing

Photo by: MARINNYC

Weather permitting, every day (from 10am-1pm), you will find cafes busy with Mommies and their toddlers as they gather for a fun date with their friends. So after Beli had her breakfast, I packed a few snacks and headed to the nearest cafe to meet my friend and her daughter.

Like the locals I have perfected the art of taking a coffee, as it is called, often making a single cup of coffee last for hours.

It was a nice morning almost like a summer day. A few people were sun tanning and I even saw a man swimming! Brrrrrr...

You see, in Croatia all sorts of meetings from casual conversations to business discussions, take place over cups of coffee, never on the run. The concept of coffee to-go is not very common, which I believe was the main reason Starbucks reconsidered and indefinitely postponed opening its first store in the capital city of Zagreb (which was planned to open in October). And I was even planning a special trip, driving 4 hours, to have a venti white chocolate mocha. Yes, the things a dedicated coffee enthusiast will do! But for now I'll continue and be like the locals, sitting at a cafe and passing the time with a cup of coffee, it's a culture thing.

The Bougainvillea at the Le Monde Cafe

After our leisure walk around the city, we found a lovely restaurant in the Varoš neighborhood.
It was the bougainvillea draped around its entrance that drew us in.

We ordered pasta followed by chocolate crepes.

The waiter was very nice and even interacted with Beli and sang along with her as she hummed, "Medo brundo, ne pona aj se ludo...."(something , something in Croatian)

I will definitely return again. I can picture myself sitting here having a cup of coffee and a slice of their homemade cake.

There is also a loft designated for meetings or birthday celebrations. I will have to bring my classmates from my Croatian class to have a lovely dinner together.

Their website couldn't say it better, "You'll find a special and unforgettable authentic Mediterranean atmosphere in the center of Split."

Plinarska 6
tel. (385-21) 32 22 65

Open 12:00 - 23:00

My haircut at Filomena Spa

I finally had enough of my long hair so I called and made the appointment at Filomena Spa, conveniently located a few minutes from our apartment in Znjan. I was quoted the price of 40 kunas (8 dollars).

"A special price for the month of January," the lady on the phone informed me. I thought, "for that price why didn't I call sooner?"

I wanted a new style. Short. Very short. I asked my sister for her opinion and she told me over email, "Mochatelo cut-it off, New year, new hair-cut!" I showed up at the hair salon with my digital camera on hand, to show the lady how short I wanted it. I said, "I want it short, but long enough for a ponytail." In Croatian it went something like this, kratka, ali dug rep. She smiled and nodded. "Did that mean she understood my broken Croatian?" I hope so!

She shampooed my hair and massaged it, then conditioned it. Heavily. Did I mention my hair is super-dry? Reason #2 for wanting to cut it off. Reason #1, I tend to always style my hair in a ponytail and I wanted something different. She sniped here and there and vola all done! I looked and yes my hair was shorter but not as short as the girl in my picture. At that moment I said "OK, I like it." But I felt disappointed and angry because I didn't have the guts to try something totally different. I played it safe. Not too long but not too short.

Oh well. Next time.

After the haircut I walked downstairs to the first floor where my friend worked. She told me she was on break so I invited her to have coffee. We talked about motherhood, careers and adjusting to a new culture. She missed New York, and while adjusting has been difficult she wouldn't have any other way. Her break was over and she returned to work. I stayed behind and finished my coffee and just then the waiter brought some edible flowers!

Sugar-glazed edible pansies! I tried one. I was curious.

The texture was crispy like a Pringles potato chip without the saltiness of course, and quickly melted in your mouth. And eating one did something strange to the palate. Remember the Frito-lay Commercial, "Bet You Can't Eat Just One!"? It's true. I ate 4 or 5, maybe 6 if you asked the waiter. I left feeling happy and content. I hopped on bus #8 and went downtown to have more coffee with @pondjumpers. My new friend from Twitterworld!

And as soon as I figure out how to style my new haircut, I promise to post a picture.

Friends learning Croatian at a Cafe

"And the rooster goes Cockadoodle Doo!," exclaimed Peter.

We all spoke English well, with the exception of Clementino who insisted we speak only in CROATIAN--after all, it was in taking our Croatian class that we met one another. And we were all living in Croatia yet didn't speak the Croatian language.

One evening after class a few of my classmates and I decided it was time we got acquainted. We agreed to have coffee at the Cafe Luxor, an Egyptian-themed Italian restaurant located inside the Diocletian Palace. The cafe was luxurious and from the moment we stepped inside, we were embraced by the friendly waitress and consumed by the warmth of the cafe's atmosphere. She took our coats and offered us a table, "I will give you a few moments to look through the menu," she said in a polite and sweet tone. We looked around at the intoxicating interior design. Directly above us was a ceiling that resembled a small portion of the Sistine Chapel with angels floating on white fluffy clouds. "I wished I had my camera," I thought. A big black piano sat in the corner of the restaurant as someone wooed us with Italian music.

Our after-class meet up was very international: Peter was Canadian, Clementino was from Italy while his girlfriend Visnja, was Croatian. John was American--from New York--and me, well, from Mexico. Quite a diverse group, right?

We ordered drinks and began a conversation in English but Clementino interrupted, "Govori Hrvatski Jesik. Speak Croatian!" Easier said than done and I could see it by the expression on every one's face that I wasn't the only one who was worried. This was only our 3rd class. I wondered how to say, "This place is lovely." But I was lost in translation. We all stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity with no one saying a word. Silence. Then we heard, "So Peter how are you adjusting to life here in Split?," Visnja asked.

"Well, I really like the city...," Peter answered, but he was quickly interrupted by Clementino who again shouted, "GOVORI HRVATSKI!" And after several more minutes of awkward silence, the strangest thing occurred.

John: What's the sound of a dog, in Croatian?
Visnja: Vau-Vau
Peter: How about in Spanish?
Me: Guau-Guau
Clementino: Bau-Bau

This was fun. Adults at a cafe in Croatia making animal sounds over coffee. Then I got the question-asking bug and got in on the fun. "What about a rooster?," I asked. Everyone got a cheerful glee in their eyes and took turns.

Visnja: Cucu-riku
Peter: cockadoodle- doo
Me: Kiki-ri-ki
Clementino: Keek-a-ree -kee

We roared with laughter as we exchanged other animal sounds. People at the cafe thought we were crazy and we gave them reason when we began to sing Old Macdonald with each of us sounding out animal sounds in our native tongue. It went a little something like this:

Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i oh!
And on that farm he had some dogs, Ee i ee i oh!
With a woof-woof here and a vau-vau there,

here a guau, there a bau, Everywhere a guau-guau.
Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i oh!

It was an exciting and fun evening although the natives thought we were intoxicated. But we didn't want to stir trouble since we wanted to return to this cafe. We said good-night and good-bye and promised to do this again--minus the animal sounds but we couldn't make any concrete promises. So the next time you encounter someone who doesn't understand English very well, and you need to communicate with them, try animal sounds, it works every time! I'm not sure how that will work out in an emergency, but it'll be fun finding out!

What silly things have you and your friends done while in public?