Intentional traveler: Sretan Uskrs! From our Home Stay!

Sretan Uskrs as we say here in Karanac. Croatian is relatively easy to read and pronounce. Every letter is sounded and why bother with vowels if you do not need them? They do have letters such a c that have more than one pronunciation so I am not doing them justice in this blog as I do not have access to all the superscripts.

So last night, when we got home from our new friends house, it was about 9:15. No Internet, no TV, phone pretty well out of battery so sleep seemed like a good option. The bed was very comfortable and the quilt was great. At the hotel in Sarajevo it had been heavy and stiff, here it was soft and warm. I didn't ask who was in the Brown Room next to mine but they came home later and were enjoying talking over the fun time they must have had. We were only in two groups here.

The downside was that Mr. Rooster doesn't tell time very well. Before dawn he was crowing and the others were answering him! I checked e-mail and played a couple of rounds of Words and read a chapter or two that I have been reading on my phone. It is good to have T-Mobile International Service for data and texting because I travel so much. Why not! It doesn't cost extra. And it turns out that it is a leading provider here in the Balkans.

About 6:45 I gave up and got dressed. Coffee and Tea in the Breakfast Room was to be ready by 7:15. The Breakfast Room was Dennis' grandfather's family workshop and gathering room. I think the only way young people, not that they are kids, but their generation only has a house if it is inherited or they live with the in-laws who inherited property or an apartment. In Sarajevo the apartment we visited belonged to the in-laws from Yugoslavian times.

I was one of the first to arrive but the home owners had been up quite awhile. Breakfast making was underway. As each of us travelers arrived we pitched in. Elva was stretching dough to make Croatian version of Grebble. This deep fried doughy treat recipe was in my husband's Volga German family for generations. I used to make it for us and the kids loved it as children. The look was different but the taste and process was the same. Connie has a Russian history and she recognized it right away also.


We always cut them to look like a buckle but here they are rectangular . Also we sprinkled with powdered sugar but this morning we got to choose from home made plum or apricot jam. And the fruits themselves - from the trees in the yard.


And this was only some of Goca's handiwork!


Lana showing off the New Cheese, the actual name, which had fresh garden chives in it.

Connie was tasked with dividing the two fresh cheeses, one with Paprika, into three equal pieces for the three groaning boards.

My beautiful egg did not survive the egg fight which is a Croatian tradition on Easter morning.

By the time we were done with breakfast it was time to rinse the beans started yesterday and begin to make the soup. Everyone was busy peeling the vegetables and chopping the ham to add to the hand made ceramic cooking pots and get the delicious smells started over the the open fire.


Wire on the outside of the clay prevents breaking. The pots are in front of the fire, not on it. The heat moves from back to the cooler front and thus automatically stirs the pot. This comes from when they would have to work in the fields all morning and couldn't be there to stir and keep an eye on things. Daniel, the cousin who had arrived to give us a pttery class explained this to me.

Easily he applied the color in a quick and easy design.

Nothing goes to waste in the village. He deliberately let the bowl collapse and turned it into a garden ornament I wish I could have taken home!

Then we took our turns in the competition. I thought I was clever to make the little bread basket right in front of him. After all we were in the Breadbasket of Croatia.

Jim won the first prize medal made of clay and had to describe his piece. He made an award ceremony acceptance speech. Great fun!

Class was over just in time for Dennis, who liked to call himself Dennis the Menace, to make three quick runs to the Catholic Church. About half of us are Catholic so were glad for the Easter opportunity. Elva came along as well to see what a service would be like in a village in the middle of not anywhere in particular. Those not going to church went for the planned walk around town. They reported back later that we on our ride saw everything they did and more.

Like churches everywhere, this one was full to overflowing for Easter Sunday. Our first four people who went did get a bench upon which to sit. The rest of us stood with many of the locals of all ages. One young woman wore a dress and there were no hats. Even the Lector and the Reader wore jeans so we did not feel out of place as we were worried we might be. Mass was just 45 minutes, the sermon was short, there were lots of familiar hymns sung but I could only join in the Hosannas and the Alleluias! Remember when the Mass was in Latin? It was the same the world over and so I could join in. I haven't learned enough Croatian to respond to anything but with the Amens!

The service was so short we started walking back the few short streets and knew Dennis would find us. What a beautiful day we were having.

Is this a magical house, or what?

The Orthodox Church will be busy next week.

Love a Hemlock tree and this one has been here quite awhile.

Still wearing his apron from making the soup Dennis picked up Elva and I who were dragging along behind like usual.

I had to take one last picture as we were getting into the car. This is a winery and restaurant.

Back at the house it was time to have lunch and head onto our next point of call, Zagreb. I don't like bean soup but loved the left over Grebble and jam. Seems we do more than enough eating on this trip!