Croatia

[OnyxCougar]

Kelle had told me about this bar that Hrvoje had taken her to that served the best hot chocolate in the world. I asked Ivan if he knew where it was, and he wasn't sure, but he would ask Hrvoje when we saw them next. As we were walking down the street, I pulled Ivan into the various little shops. I've always wanted a black velvet choker with a little charm on it, and when I told Ivan what I was looking for, we went on a quest. We walked all over Zagreb looking for one. At one shop, they had chokers, but not velvet. I ended up buying a metal bracelet with leather cord accents and small metal beads. It is SO kewl! It was 90 kuna, which is about $12. I wear it every day. Ivan said it makes me look like Xena.

We kept walking and I saw this little kiosk on the street, that had this beautiful mask laying on a basket to the side. I gasped and told Ivan about how Kelle has been a mask collector for years, since she was small, and she had like 26 masks, all of them gifts. They were stolen when she moved last year, and she was heartbroken. We noted the location of the little kiosk, and Ivan said he would tell Hrvoje about it, so he can buy it for her. We completed our little circle and arrived back at the Trg. Ivan and I picked up some roasted chestnuts on the walk home. He can tell the good vendors by the smell. Now I know what "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" is about. He tried to teach me the difference, and I can tell really good from really bad, but I didn't get enough practice to be able to determine the finer subtlties. We caught a tram back to the house. On the walk back to the house from the tram station, Ivan taught me zero to ten in Croatian. I fell asleep right after getting in the door. The jet lag was really catching up to me.