Croatia

On the right, the Croatian flag.

St. Mark's church in Zagreb with a tiled roof featuring the crests of Croatia.

To wrap up the loose ends of my trip:

Jelena's brother, Nikola, rowed for Cal Berkeley for four years (graduated in 2010).  Naturally, I feel akin to anyone who shares this passion of mine and understands the depth of the sport.  Their medals hung from a rod the length of the living room wall.  Nikola showed me the gold medal and the blazer that he won at Henley, the most prestigious rowing race in the world!

Croatian food that I tried:

fritule: sweet little balls of fried dough

mlinchi: flour dough similar to that used to make pasta, but cooked in oil, with chicken (Croatians seem to have no aversion to frying things).

poppy seed cake
We drank a lot of warm wine-- white, as opposed to the red served in France.

Dalmatian cuisine: olives, tapenade, Kulen (proscuitto-like meat from the region of Slavonija).

homemade olive oil (made by Jelena's grandmother! Bread from the corner store, dipped in this oil and salt- SO GOOD. Unlike anything I've ever tasted from the store).

homemade honey and dry goat cheese (Jelena's dad has a small farm near the coast).

sarma: ground pork cooked with rice, onions, and spices (similar to stuffed pepper filling) wrapped in a leaf of pickled cabbage then boiled. Good.

I love trying new foods!

While Croatia may not be too well-known in the U.S., when/where it is known, it's often for its beaches.  Its pristine Adriatic coast attracts tourists.  

Jelena told me about her vacations on the coast and I've seen pictures-- blissful.  If I'm REALLY lucky, maybe I'll get to go back and witness that side of the country for myself. :)