What a great idea! Coin operated grocery carts. You get your kuna ($) back when you return the cart. No longer are carts floating around the parking lot, drifting into people's bumpers and side doors. No inconsiderate consumers leaving their carts at the edge of the street. All carts are returned to the store or under neath their carport. When money is involved, everyone wants theirs back. 
Countdown street lights! No more wondering when the light is going to change or impatient driver's trying to run the red light. You know exactly how many seconds you have before you have to stop and how many before you can go. Of course everyone starts to go when it's close and the light turns yellow. We still have to watch out for the anxious driver. But at least you aren't kept in the dark wondering when it's your turn to go.
Since I have five teenage grandchildren. This picture is for them. Yes, even Croatian teenagers have to take driver's education!
Chris is a true Croatian with his love of fresh baked bread. There is no need for me to even try to make bread, as on nearly every corner is a Pekarna....a bakery, filled with fresh loaves of bread, rolls and special bread confections!
One of the first things I did wrong here was at the grocery store. Our first night we picked up some fruits and vegetables and took them to the checkout stand. With an expression of irritation, the clerk took them to a different counter and weighed them. We have since learned that you always weigh and print out a price tag before putting the produce in your cart. Oops! Bad me!!
True European Flavor are the houses covered with flowers. Every window seems to be covered with beautiful lush growth. Somehow it makes even the most run down home, beautiful! Each one seems more spectacular than the next and I'm afraid I keep taking pictures. What will I do with them all??
Every building is made from cement. Not just the foundation but the walls and ceilings. These buildings are built to last...and they do for hundreds of years.
For Andy, who is the family expert in everything cement, here is a picture of the unique way they frame walls with cement.
They have a particular ethnicity here, people who are are called gypsies. I believe they originated from Romania but they tend to live off of the discarded items of other people. They are found traveling around town on their bike and going through the garbage bins. If you leave anything out on the street or front yard, the gypsies will pick it up and carry it away. They gather all kinds of things from plastic bottles (which are recycled) to strips of metal scraps. I think they must be very hard working but they don't have a very good image here.
Every Thursday morning and Saturdays you will find all town centars (centers) filled with local product and home town entrepreneurs. Very truly organic food.
For several months we have driven by a particular spot where on Sunday morning about 5 farmers park their vans loaded with potatoes, cabbage, onions and apples. We first started smiling at one particular man, then a little wave, then big waves and smiles, each time we passed. He returned the waves and smiles but because it was on Sunday we didn't stop to buy his produce, but felt guilty for not stopping week after week. During the the past couple of months, it has now developed into his waving at us before we even get too close. Last week we noticed he was there on a Friday morning. We quickly stopped and met him face to face. We were all smiling and laughing, talking without talking....He didn't speak any English and us no Croatian. but we knew what each were saying. We showed him our badges and purchased our potatoes and look forward to waving at him again this Sunday, but with a much broader smile!!!
When I worked in downtown San Francisco there was a bread shop that I enjoyed very much. They had the most wonderful breads. I haven't found anything like it since. I think the bread was mad with European recipes. Delicous
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