Beachin' It!

I have been patiently (or maybe not so patiently) waiting for the weather to finally warm up here. Usually, I feel like Croatia in general has a bit nicer weather than Philadelphia but this past winter I was really jealous of the gorgeous spring-like weather Philly was having while we were freezing under the cold gray sky all winter long. Thankfully, the gray has cleared and the sun is shining and it is absolutely gorgeous!

Tomislav and I took a MUCH needed trip to the seaside yesterday. We drove the 173 km (107 mi) to the island Krk which is one of the largest islands in the Adriatic, and a very popular travel destination for all.

What's amazing on the seaside is the way locals switch between languages so fluidly. One minute they're speaking in German to Austrian tourists, the next Italian to the couple from Rome, then back to Croatian, and then to Slovenian! It's amazing how they know so many languages so that they can communicate with tourists from all over. The waiters at this fantastic seafood restaurant we went to in the town Malinska were  constantly speaking different languages. Speaking of that fantastic seafood:

Mmm mussels with olive oil and garlic!

Homemade pasta with asparagus and shrimp in an outstanding savory sauce!

You can't go to the seaside without having white wine :)

To me, there is nothing better than hearing the sounds of the sea and I think T-Slav would agree. See how peaceful he looks?

 Cutie!

It almost looks like a pool behind me! But the water was still really cold, it felt like ice! We only went in about knee deep but there were some people swimming. Adults swimming were wearing wet suits but kids were just swimming in their bathing suits.

Lovely Adriatic with the view of mountains in the background

I already can't wait to go back! Have you been to the beach yet this year?

Ikea = Daycare?

Ikea is an amazing store with 332 stores around the world in 38 different countries. This awesome budget friendly furniture store is finally being built in Zagreb which is really exciting. I always find stores like Ikea or H&M comforting because no matter where you are in the world, the stores look exactly the same. While you're shopping, you can forget where in the world you are and imagine that you're actually somewhere else.

My experience with Ikea began a long time ago. I feel like a lot of my early childhood in New Jersey was spent in the awesome play area (known as Småland which means small land in Swedish) at Ikea. I never went to actual daycare but it was almost like being in that play area on Saturday mornings was like daycare for me since my parents would wander around shopping there. They had the best play areas, with so many cool and imaginative toys and areas to play "house" in, and I distinctly remember watching many a Barney episode while there. I honestly don't know if my parents were always shopping or whether they just dropped me (and my sister) off there and went to do their own thing but I know that I've spent a significant amount of time at Ikea stores!

The Ikea tradition continues with T and I taking bi-monthly trips to neighboring countries to visit their Ikea stores!

We imagined we had his and hers desks like this :)

Swedish meatballs - you know it!

LOVE that all their decor all over the store (like in the dining area) can all be purchased there!

 

Chew-broccoli! So cute! When I was little, I ALWAYS wanted all of the adorable stuffed animals (does anyone remember that plush green snake?) they had there. These days it's no different, T and I literally had to stop ourselves from buying the broccoli, carrot, and strawberry stuffed toys!

Do Not Flush Panties Down the Toilet

Picture this - you see this sign in a dorm room community bathroom:

 PLEASE DO NOT FLUSH PANTIES DOWN THE TOILET

What the??!! While I was in college, I went to Cairo, Egypt to study Arabic for one semester. I was at the American University of Cairo and it was the first year AUC was at it's new campus in New Cairo or القاهرة الجديدة

The new campus is literally in the desert surrounded by nothing but sand and wild dogs. The campus is absolutely gorgeous, it looks like a resort. The students that go to AUC are wealthy as tuition is very expensive. Living in the brand new dorms on the brand new campus was very exciting for a lot of the students. They were split up into boys dorms and girls dorms and we weren't allowed to intermingle at all except in a community room in the middle of the dorms. One of my roommates' brothers lived in the boys' dorm and she wasn't even allowed to go to his room! 

Anyway, back to the panties. The rich girls who lived in the dorms had never been away from home before. They were used to having cleaning ladies, moms, and maids to do all of the work for them and they didn't know how to fend for themselves. Apparently, the community bathrooms were getting flooded on the daily because the girls living there didn't know what to do with dirty laundry. They had never done laundry before and instead of washing their clothes after wearing them or even throwing out their underwear (which apparently they used to do), they would flush them down the toilet! Now, believe me, I cannot for the life of me figure out what their logic was, they must have assumed they would just disappear but it caused the construction of this ridiculously funny sign. 

It was interesting to see what kinds of lives the students led before coming to college. They were used to just paying for others to do things for them. Eventually, some of the girls figured out a better method for doing laundry. They paid the female custodians to do their laundry for them. Going to AUC was an experience I'll never forget. The people I met were some of the most interesting and imaginative of my life and I'm thankful for all the great friends I have from Cairo. But the panty flushers...well, that was just outrageous. I wonder what they're up to today...

To the Meanest Lady in Croatia:

I don't use my blog to rant very often but today is a different circumstance so be warned:

First of all, I just want to say that I'm not an idiot. You don't have to be such a bitch every time you see me. Ever since the very first time I came to Zagreb and visited Tomislav at work, you've had it out for me and I don't know why. I haven't even been to T's work in so long and obviously I remember why I hate going there. I've tried to be nice and pleasant to you but all you do is turn your nose up at me. I'm not expecting you to even smile or say hello, I'm just hoping not to feel awful after having to sign in with you at the security desk. I understand where I'm allowed to and not allowed to park. I speak Croatian and I understand you when you tell me I can't park there. When I ask you where I should park, you don't have to scream your head off at me right in my face. I'm not deaf, you do not have to yell. You can tell me, in Croatian, where I can park (even if I'm only there for 60 seconds to pick up a key). Instead, I would appreciate if you could just ignore me. I'd rather not hear any of your screams or see any of your rude faces. 

Thanks for making me cry,
Nikki

P.S. People might complain that Americans are known for being "fake nice" but it's a million times better to be surrounded by politeness than by sour faces and while we're at it - Zagrebians- PLEASE be more considerate on the sidewalk and stop pushing and crashing into me!

Shopping Anxiety

I have extreme shopping anxiety. It's a fact. Shopping is really difficult for me sometimes. If I'm in the mood for it, it can be a fun experience but most of the time, I absolutely dread it. Spending money stresses me out, shopping trips need to be carefully planned and sometimes even the slightest thing can pull me right out of the mood and after 5 minutes in the first store, I turn around and go home. I think about an item for a long time before I buy it, maybe even go to the store 3 times to check it, sleep on it, and eventually decide to buy it. Still after I buy it, I try it on, reconsider whether to return it and whether it was truly a good buy.

Nothing is better to me than scoring a great bargain and my Mom has definitely taught me the best ways to find a good deal but I still have to say, I relate more to my Dad because of my shopping habits. My Mom is so stylish and she knows all the trends way before I do, especially because she works in a store. She helps me a lot (unknowingly) to curb my shopping anxiety by buying me clothes that are super cute (and most of the time on super sale!). I'm really lucky because it's so hard for me to go shopping. If I'm not feeling it, I really can't force myself. Having a fiance who likes fashion and loves to shop does not help with my anxiety but I totally think T and my Mom should go shopping together sometime.  

 

I have only met one person in the world so far who seems to have similar shopping habits and it felt amazing to hear his experiences that were similar to mine. I don't think he knows how groundbreaking it was for me to hear about what his shopping trips were like and how much it's stuck with me ever since! 

Last weekend, we got psyched up to go shopping at the Palmanova Outlets between Trieste and Venice, Italy. When I saw that Venice was only 100 km further, I was like, forget shopping! Let's go to Venice for the day! I didn't realize Venezia was so much closer with the car (rather than the train which is how we got there a couple years ago). But alas, we had shopping to do. We're looking for T's outfit for our wedding and I'm happy to say that I behaved myself pretty well. I almost had one breakdown while there but an espresso and gelato break helped with that and we continued shopping throughout the evening.

Espresso always reminds me of my old coworker, David, who is Italian and taught me the importance of good coffee and how espresso is absolutely required after lunch!

 

You KNOW things must have been going well if I was trying on feathered dresses for fun ;)

 

Tomislav found this cutie scarf and showed off his American pride!

Do any of you out there have shopping anxiety? Any tips for me? My idea was that if things got really tough shopping and I wasn't able to go on, to stop and have a glass of wine to help me carry on!

(Fri)Day Dreamin'

Can't quite focus today, keep daydreaming about a certain secret (not-so-secret anymore!) getaway T-Slav and I snuck off to a little while ago. The best trip ever!

 It's a happy day :)

Ladies Give the Best Directions

Last night, I realized something major. Next time I need to ask for directions to go somewhere, I should just ask a woman. I'm proud to be a strong, capable, and independent woman and you know what? I'm not afraid to get lost to try to find my way. I'm also a big fan of using a GPS while driving. Unfortunately, my friends' address wasn't being found in the GPS. Normally, I would ask Tomislav to help me out with finding where to go but instead I called my friend first. It was amazing. She asked what was around me and I described the cafe and 2 markets nearby and she knew exactly where I was and how to lead me out of there. She told me to go straight at the childrens' park, turn left at the first stoplight - landmarks that I could actually see, even though it was nighttime. The reason I'm sharing this is because I had an epiphany as to how much better I can understand directions when they are explained by a woman!

One of the first times I was in Croatia, Tomislav was at work and I was at his parents house on the other side of town. He drew me a "map" and wrote out some "directions" to explain which trams to take and how to get to a university so we could go to a friend's graduation. His directions, no joke, said something like, "Cross the street that's perpendicular to the north side and walk over around the right." Huh??

 

I didn't have a cell phone at the time and I ended up getting controlled in the tram (without a ticket) so I got out and made my way to what I now know is Branimir Centar. I saw there was a Cinestar there (the movie theater). Tomislav used to work at Cinestar while he was in college so I felt some hope. I asked them if I could use their phone to call Tomislav but before they could get me the phone, the girls somehow figured out the crazy ass directions he gave me and led me onto the right tram. When I finally got there, Tomislav was waiting and so nervous thinking the worst had happened to me. I quickly exclaimed, "Your directions! That's what happened!"

I have learned, once and for all, to ask a woman! She won't tell me to look at the sun to figure out where west is or whatever. She probably won't say, go North, you know, towards Sljeme (the mountain around Zagreb). Sometimes at night, it's almost impossible to see the mountain! Especially when I'm already totally lost.

 Landmarks like the big Nikola Tesla statue make giving directions much easier!