Autumn light

Happy Sunday!

Day trip to Iowa city

On Saturday Beli and I drove about two hours to Iowa city to met up with some friends and my sister and her kids. It had snowed the night before and I was a bit worried about the driving conditions but by the time I left the house (around 12) most of the snow had melted.


Photo from my previous trip to Iowa City in May 2010

So I learned something knew. Can you believe that I went to school in Iowa city (for 4 years) and I never knew that the city had such a huge important place in American literature? On November of 2008 UNESCO designated Iowa City as a City of Literature, making it a part of UNESCO Creative Cities Network. I knew they had the Iowa Writer's Workshop and of the endless authors that visited the campus. Can you believe they even hosted a writing program in Slovenia? Maybe they can head south to Croatia next time?I found this very interesting page if you are interested to learn more about why Iowa city is often referred to as the Athens of the Midwest.

After lunch it was too chilly to walk around the beautiful campus so we headed to the Coral Ridge mall to give Beli and my friend's kids a chance to stretch their legs at the indoor playground. Afterwards we walked across to the Barnes & Noble bookshop. I could spend hours there. Really. I could. I love books.

And we ended the day trip with a warm cup of hot chocolate. Beli chose a cream puff pastry to go along with her hot cocoa. We skipped the Children's Museum because it was already too late in the day,the kids were cranky and the adults were exhausted! So we will be returning to Iowa City some time soon!

Chic Noel

 A gift from Spain has arrived! I purchased a homemade advent calendar with a special friend in mind. You may remember my friend N and her words of support about learning the Croatian language? 

Well this gift is perfect because the artist, Lala is from France and when I requested the messages to be written in French for my friend she said not a problem. " ..each little box contains a quote to read to your loved ones, each day to gradually get in a sweet Christmas mood." ~Lala

 She is very talented in both her photography and artwork so if you happen to be in Granada,Spain this weekend you should check out her Paperie Show!

 two photos courtesy of Lala you can see more photos on her lovely blog, A castle in Spain here and her Etsy shop here.

Thank you Lala! your chic Noel card is sitting on my desk, I love it!

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.

I'm having house guests

My good friend and her husband are traveling from Colorado and will be arriving today in Split. Hubby will be picking them up at the port as they are arriving via ferry from Dubrovnik. I'm beyond ecstatic to see them! Everything on my checklist is marked off: windows cleaned... check, bed linens washed... check, stock the pantry..check, prepare dinner...check! Am I forgetting anything? oh yes and we will be having a glass of wine out in the balcony enjoying the Adriatic sunset! Tomorrow a walk around the city to visit the Diocletian palace. Yes it will be a fun weekend.

Lazy Saturday morning

This morning I glanced out the window and saw people walking to the beach and it was only 9am. I prepared coffee while hubby got the pool ready for Beli. With scorching temperatures we thought it was safer to stay at home.

Beli spent the morning running in and out of the terrace.

She couldn't decide between the pool and playing indoors with her small collection of toys so she did both!

I also tried to change her into underpants for her 'potty training days' but I guess she's not very fond of the whole idea. Here she is hiding from me because she went pee-pee behind the couch.

In the afternoon we called our friends in NYC to wish them a happy birthday and learned they are celebrating by going to Philly! Can't wait to see the photos from their trip. Have a happy 4th of July, be safe and eats lots of bombones smores! What plans do you have for the weekend? We will be with hubby's grandparents, hopefully the episode of the missing kernel is long forgotten.

Greetings from the Island of Šolta

One of the many things I enjoy about living in Croatia is the proximity of the thousands of islands along the Adriatic coast. Today we took a day trip to the Island of Šolta.
A friend of the family rented a yacht for a week and invited us to come along for the day. The plans were to have lunch in the terrace of the newly restored 303 year old castle Martinis Marchi then visit the beach on the island of Ciovo before heading back to Split.
In the beginning Beli was a bit anxious (it was her first time on a boat) but she quickly took charge and was allowed behind the steering wheel.
brave little one................................

According to the website, Luxury Croatian Villas "The castle was originally built by the Martinis brothers in the early 18th century to help protect the Split mainland and islands from pirate attacks as well as to develop a community to work the land."

Le château Restaurant, where you will find friendly staff, overpriced lunch but a fabulous view of the fishing village Maslinica.

She enjoyed her fish soup so much she was dipping a piece of homemade bread into the broth.

Initially we were the only guests and Beli took the liberty of running around the terrace as if it was her own backyard. You noticed she took of her sandals?

Doesn't this look picture resemble something from a movie set?

As we were near the island of Ciovo we saw a storm approaching us and it began to rain but after 10 minutes the sun returned.

Everyone went for a swim except Beli and I. We weren't that brave.

Afterwards we headed back to Split, said our goodbyes and our friends were off to their next adventure.

Day for Pampering

Thursdays are spent with friends from school. We call it our Day for Women. It's when we leave our kids at home and we gather for a morning of fun. The idea started a few weeks ago as the result of our desire to continue practicing our Croatian language as well as getting to know each other better.
Since today was a very warm day, or so the forecast advised, we first walked a bit around Marjan Hill then took a detour to the beach. I love,love the clear blue sea. Afterwards we walked to N's home and we prepared a quick lunch. I peeked around her backyard. Look at these fruit trees! Oranges won't be ready until this fall.

But lemons will be ready soon.

And look at these peaches! Maybe we can make peach cobbler? Or remember the French-Croatian lemon cake I made a few months ago? Maybe prepare it with peaches instead, what do you think, any ideas?

We didn't make specific plans for next Thursday, maybe a movie? I heard Sex and the City Part II is coming soon to a theater near us.

How do you pamper yourself?