Hvar city on Hvar island
Felix and I took a trip after his music festival ended. Bus ferry ferry ferry bus bus and buses again…in a week.
book.
our window.
the main square.
(found this in my journal yesterday)
These are things I saw people holding as they walk past a cafe on Astor Place in NYC…where I was currently sitting… drinking eating looking writing thinking… midday on June 10th 2011…
yoga mat
purse
iced coffe
strollar
dog leash with dog attached to it
shopping bag (H+M)
iPod
binder
garbage
groceries
basket ball
black jacket
bottle of water
handle bars of a bicycle
cigarette
cell phone
construction leveler
nikon camera
chinese take out
frozen yogurt
paper documents of some sort
apple
map
yellow juice
newspaper
cow-spotted arm chair
hula hoop
towel
clipboard
If I can’t receive mail through Owl Post, I’ll settle with this.
There’s one main restaurant in Kaštel Kambelovac called Baletna Škola (it use to be a ballet school) and it is where I’ve been eating many meals the past week. If you want to eat fish, a waiter will bring you a platter of 8-10 freshly dead fish (few different types) and you choose one…they cook it.
“You fall in love with one. That is how you know it is fresh.” -Ivan, a local of Kaštela, speaks about choosing the right fish.
“You must cut of the head, then slice the fish in half long-ways, then take out the spine.” -Lotta, another Croatian speaks about how to eat the fish (that you have supposedly fallen in love with).
Yep, still a vegetarian :)
Besides a few day trips to Trogir and Split, I haven’t been doing much here in Kaštela, but the days seem to slip by rather quickly. The sun comes up at 5. I sleep in. I drink coffee. I apply sunscreen. I swim in the Adriatic sea. I admire the sea salt that clings to my arm hair. I hear violins. I drink local wine.
Trogir
Yesterday I took a (very hot/sticky) bus Kaštela to Trogir. There was a market right off the bus station.
All honey, with walnuts, almonds, figs, or cranberries.
The center is a medieval looking pedestrian area with high stone walls and narrow walkways.
I spotted a family in swimsuits and decided to follow them up over a hill…it led me here…
This is Nicolas. He’s from Lyon, France, and currently doing some solo traveling throughout Europe. His next stop is Cinque Terre, Italy (he’s looking forward to the pizza and gelato).
Kasštela
Kaštela: a series of 7 small towns along the Croatia coast. Felix is teaching in the music school right on the waterfront in Kaštel Kambelovac…he could dive from the window into the sea if he got the itch!
If you are a sunbather, bracelet maker, fish skinner, cappuccino drinker, sea lover, cigarette smoker, vespa driver, rollerblading dog walker, card game player, or book reader, you come to the seaside.
boy, girl, bird
Local bus system
Local cafe
Local pet
Two weeks in Bolivia has come to a close. The warmth and kindness I received from the people was truly something special. Until next time, Santa Cruz.
Bolivian things…booklet, new necklace, photos, Bolivianita (special stone found only in this country), coins, el sol.
not tea time, but cheese time
Some of the dance girls took me to a cafe, Fridolin, to try out Bolivian (savory) treats. We ate such things as…
Empanadas de queso: a flaky pastry from flour with a thin layer of cheese inside. With or without powdered sugar on top.
Cuñape: A ball made from yuca flower with cheese inside.
Tamal: A mix of mashed corn, cheese, and a little sugar inside a tamale leaf (i think) either baked or boiled.
Sonso: a baked pastry of cheese and yuca mixed.
Lots of cheese in this country. It’s hard enough being a vegetarian here; thank goodness I am not a vegan.
Amy + Vania
Amy is from La Paz, and Vania from Santa Cruz. Both love living in Santa Cruz, “because of the freedom”. Amy studies physical therapy and aspires to work specifically with dancers; Vania studies international relations and will be a Europe-traveler-first-timer later this month. Both love Bolivian food.
The ballerinas of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
“No dog, just parrot”, says a new friend, Amalia, when speaking on childhood pets.
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Life is so wonderfully strange; I had never even heard of Bolivia until about a year ago, and that’s where I exist right now. This is my first time in the southern hemisphere, and my first time in a third world country. I’m still trying to understand my surroundings here…its all so different then what I know.
-Burglary is common, so all the houses have either high fences or wall surrounding them. I saw one house with barbed wire on top of its wall as well.
-There are little wooden huts scattered around for the guards to watch the streets from.
-People will also claim a street and watch over your parked car. It’s expected to pay them a few coins once you leave with your car.
-I saw a man selling tasters on the street.
-Traffic is QUITE chaotic.
-Family ties seem hugely important, and I noticed this mostly at the airport. Just as many Bolivians were waiting to pick up a loved one from the airport as there were on the whole plane. There was even a brass band playing to welcome someone home! And it was 3am!! Also, huggers and kissers clogged up walkways.
-The city’s full name, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, has a nickname of Santa Cruz de la Tierra (Earth) for when the south winds pick up and blow dirt around.
Today I went to two ballet schools in the city to meet everyone and start planning my project (studios are the only options for dance in this country…no university level dancing, no companies, just studios). Everyone was so kind and welcoming :) I’m excited to see what will happen.
