Written by Mary 10/1/20

Things I love/notice about Croatia: I love the smell after a rain because it’s a combo of Seabreeze and Mountain Scent! I love how Croatians (like a lot of Europe) use real functional Shutters and I Love how homes are named - villa Franco (home of the Francos). We are getting our fair share of small towns vs big cities... But don’t expect to get anything done! Rain, holiday, you name it, and they close down! Sunday afternoons are a day of rest in Catholic towns Fortunately for us, there are groceries/small markets everywhere. Europeans loves their daily fresh food! Croatia has protected much of its culture. MANY Croatians don’t speak English (more than we expected), there are no Starbucks in country and I’ve only seen 1 McDonald’s - far less than western influence I’ve seen in Asia. Most Croatians are up to date on American politics, love the US (bc of our support during the Yugoslavia war) and want to discuss the upcoming election I haven’t yet met a Croatian who doesn’t smoke. Seems to be an important part of gathering and chatting. Church bells ring at random all day long as they are not mechanical but are run by volunteers who may or may not be on time As our honeymoon period wears off and we meet and talk more openly with Croatians, we learn more about the governmental corruption and how challenged their economy really is. My final observation (that applies to most of our overseas travel) is the privilege of predictability that America comes with. If a street posts a stop sign, you can assume cars will stop. If a sidewalk leads in a direction, you can assume pedestrians are allowed. Separating ourselves from our American tendencies/privileges and experiencing some culture shock, is one of my favorite elements of overseas travel.