The Farm in Croatia – end of January 2004

Katarina let us pitch our tent in her barn

The Farm in Croatia – end of January 2004

We had the luxury of sleeping in the next day, then we ate with Katarina, her son Zjelco, and their neighbor Josef. Zjelco is a baker, and the bread and pastries we had for breakfast were out of this world. The best pain au chocolat I’ve ever had. The warm chocolate was oozing out from the inside. The TV was on in the background as we conversed. Many shows are American or South American, with Croatian subtitles. We watched “Oprah,” a show about an American success story, and it was kind of embarrassing to be watching a show on American wealth while we were sitting in a poor farmhouse that looked as if it was getting ready to cave in.

The house was tiny, the stove burned everything. There was electricity, but no running water. There was a pig in the pen out back behind the house, and you could watch the hens and rooster walk by from the outhouse, where the door didn’t close properly. It was cold enough that the eggs from the henhouse cracked open. Piles and piles of sausages were hanging, drying on the sidewall of the house. Katarina gave us some before we left – the best saucisse we’ve ever had!

Zjelco showed us around town in the evening – the next town over – the hospital, the elementary and high schools, the bakery, the police station, the bar, the cafe. It was a thorough tour. He told us that the police check drivers frequently, either for speeding or driving under the influence. The alcohol limit while driving is 0.00% – zero tolerance. Last month he was stopped for speeding, and the ticket was 40 Euros – for a 300 Euro/month salary! Imagine one speeding ticket being 13% of your monthly salary!

Chili pepper drying outside

When we came back, we found that Katarina had left us her bed for the night and was sleeping on the couch next to the stove. Zjelco set up a TV in the bedroom and we watched “Fight Club” with Brad Pitt. I mean, Bradu Pittu. The duvet was crazy. The largest one I’ve ever seen in my life. We almost drowned in the mountain of feathers, and we had trouble seeing the TV over top of it. Was it ever warm, though – it more than made up for the lack of heating in the room.

Eyes wide, Katarina was eager to help us pack up the next morning. She sent us on our way with her homemade saucisse. What a warm introduction to Croatia.