Homeschool Writing Assignment: The Heart of Croatia

The Heart of Croatia

by IZ

I strained my ears for the sound of waves gently washing over the rocky beach, but I heard none.  The sea was silent. The salty body of water simply slept in an undisturbed silence. It was as helpless as an infant, relying on the rocks deep down below to hold its up its limp body.  The only suggestion of movement was the small grey fish skimming the surface for nutrients and seaweed brought from the latest storm. The sun danced with the ripples as they continuously marched forward, getting smaller with each circular pattern outward, never quite making it to to the abandoned rock castles that dotted the crescent-shaped beach.  

The beach was different than others I had visited.  It was rocky, with no sand to bury your toes. Instead of palm trees, giant olive trees provided shade as they swayed in the gentle breeze that blew through their strong branches.  The lovely scenery was laid back on the stunning Adriatic Sea in a small town in Croatia. Its red tiled stone houses brought me a scene of home.

I slowly pulled myself up, dusting off all the little pebbles that had made a home on my legs, leaving little red marks.  My calves looked like they had a bad case of the chicken pox, only the dots went inward. I felt as if I was hobbling over the stretch of rocks as they moved below my feet, acting only half solid.  When I finally reached a large rock, I lay down and let my feet dangle into the glimmering Adriatic. The moment they made contact with the water they recoiled with the touch of its cool surface. Ignoring my senses I dove into the water, making a  splash followed by a much bigger ripple effect.

The sea may have seemed calm on the surface but down in the deep blue water under the glassy top it was filled with lively action.  The sun sliced through the surface like a kaleidoscope of turquoise and emerald green. I was in the world’s greatest theater, watching a stunning performance of acrobatic sea creatures.  Bright orange and ruby red crabs battled over a stip of slimy algae covered seaweed. Graceful turtles glided through the act with a stunningly rhythmic cadence. The great strong and powerful sea anemone caught baby fish in its trap of swaying velcro-like arms and legs.  Not only was it a breathtaking experience (literally, I had to swim to the surface multiple times to get more air) but it was the everyday lives of these little creatures.

I returned to the rocky beach once more and listened to the sound of crabs scuttling along the rocks and birds chirping off in the distance.  My mouth tasted of salt, but it was not unpleasant. It was more refreshing and cleansing than I remembered. I welcomed the warm sun to chase away my chills, filling me with warmth.  

I.Z.

Book Reports: Chasing A Croatian Girl.....

Living large on the Hurtigruten

Our time in Norway has involved more driving than we expected.   When Google would say 4 hours, we started to count on it taking 5 or more because there were ferries, buses, sheep, winding roads and all sorts of obstacles.  While I was driving and didn't mind it much, the kids did not look forward to the car trips (although they got impressively good at them).  After making our way down the Lofoten Islands we needed to get back up to Tromsø.  Google told us to count on 10 hours and we all knew that it would be much much more.  Even I was not looking forward to retracing our path for that long, so we took the plunge and got a ferry from the southern end of the island chain back to Tromso.

The Hurtigruten or the "fast route" was established in 1893 to make a regular, more predictable connection between the coastal towns of Western Norway and it helped to build up the whole coastline.  Today it serves not only as a ferry but also as a tourist ship.  When I emailed to make the reservations, I was told if we wanted to do the basic boat, not the tour ships, I needed to contact a different department, and so I figured we would go on a relatively small boat, maybe like the Alaska Ferry System. The day of our ferry departure came and it appeared as though we were the only people in line to board.   It seemed odd.  We double checked our tickets, asked the store clerk, and yep- we were at the right place. Then a massive ship towering above the harbor pulls up sideways to the dock, lined with spectators.   We drove our car on where an elevator took us down to the parking garage, and we left the keys so a "forklift" could park the car.

In a slight daze, we walked to the "reception" area- a gorgeous lobby with a gas fireplace, stunning artwork, and a reception desk.  We checked in and took a look around.   It did not take us long to find the dual outside hot tubs where we jumped in to watch the setting sun and an incoming storm.  

The ferry was 20 hrs of indulgence.  Our pass included a beautiful 4-course evening meal, a huge breakfast, and a lunch buffet.  After being very conscious of cost in Norway, let's just say the kids got their money worth. 

It was striking to see many nicely dressed people speaking English.  We have our own little routine and our own "nuclear family,"  and it was fun to branch outside of this, meet other people, hear their stories and answer questions. Sailing past Senja guests were asking: "what do people do on that island?"  "Do they really live in those houses?"  We knew exactly what it was like to live in one of those houses for a month and it made us all grateful for this extended travel time instead of only being able to scratch the surface.

Our massive home as we made our way back North to fly out of Norway.

As we were waiting for the ferry, Traverse was checking out the awesome Norwegian boats.

More fun waiting on the dock.

Again amazing engineering as we loaded on the ship.

It did not take us long to find the best place to enjoy the sunset on the ship.

We thought this would be packed, but we often had it to ourselves.

Having fun with the Viking beard.

Ridding past the Senja island where we had spent a month.

Ahh these two and this lovely time with them as they grow into amazing adults.

Not sure I can ever get enough of the light and this land.

Taco Tuesday (or Friday)

I would be remiss if I didn't put something in about taco Fridays.  In Alaska, if your neighbor chooses red, then you choose green.   There is this intense American individualism and independence.  Norway, on the other hand, that same intensity appears to be displayed in a degree of conformity that was new and intriguing to us. Be it house color, Sunday family events or what you eat on Friday night, they are in it together, for better for worse.  Maybe it is the fact that the country has only had independence for just over a hundred years, and during that time they were occupied by Germany during WWII.  I am not sure, but it continues to fascinate me that these very similar places in terms of oil, geography, and fiercely practical, resilient people have such a different view of the government and social order in general. 

When I was looking for dried beans in the store (which I never found) I would find these big sections of "tex-mex" food and I thought it was just popular.  However, we soon learned that Friday night is  "Mexican night".  That’s right- a country of only 5 million people spread out across an intense and isolated landscape all eat the same imported food every Friday night.  This is a place where the landscape has kept people so far apart that there are three major dialects and 2 different formal written forms of Norwegian, yet everyone fills their carts with "Old El Paso" on the same day every week.   It’s funny which things catch on in a country, but we did enjoy our taco nights!     

No matter the size store, they always had this shelf, you always knew what would be in people’s carts on Friday.

While Mexican was big, the other two things we loved was the yarn in every store and Traverse and his black licorice. Every kind and variety you could think of. One last bag for the road.

Final days in Norway

Our last few days in Norway were full of excitement, but also we lived in anticipation of our upcoming transition. Our last days in Norway felt like days before a birthday when I was a child when I would count every “sleep” and celebrate the last day of school as a 7 year old, both nervous and excited about turning 8.  There were a lot of lasts; the last time we would have salmon, a last Norwegian fjord hike, the last long run in this fantastic country, yet all with the excitement of something new and unknown ahead.   Norway has indeed begun to feel like home, and somehow we are almost two months into this adventure.  We had a spectacular final day in the southern tip of the Lofoten islands, and it was a bittersweet end to this chapter. 

A final salmon lunch after a great hike - sitting on the water with these mountains in the background and the kids playing at the swing set right behind this picture. Also Traverse sporting his “viking” beard.

I had a fantastic final long run: rain, sun, rainbows, beautiful fjords. It was also the first time in 6 weeks that I was able to run on mostly flat ground because there was no huge hill to climb to get out of our town - so I felt fast and free. I sprinted at the end and then I looked up and this is what I saw. It was just breathtaking (ok maybe I had already lost my breath or was hypoxic) but it was one of those moments you know you will always remember. The light in Norway just appears to dance though the day, coming and going through mountains, clouds and then it is reflected back through the water.

And this is the view the other direction!

Finding hidden sculptures on a near by beach on a day full of rain.

Here is the sculpture we found. The Lofoten island are dotted with these different “natural” sculptures from around the world.

Our last breakfast on the Lofoten island, I had to get a picture of what we saw everyone morning from our kitchen table: all hours of the day people taking pictures of the cabin we stayed in and the massive wall behind us.

“Lets see what is up this hill” Each hike was like this, offering more rewards for getting out and seeing what is around the next corner.

Just checking out the view. Above you can see all the dried fish we saw and bird eggs - I really loved the dried fish light fixutre. Below are the kids being kids while we headed up the near by mountain.

King of the mountain!

On our way to the ferry we took a lunch break and headed up this hill, again taking in the view of this amazing part of the country.

One last shot looking back. Thank you Norway. I can’t wait to come back.

We landed in a postcard

We arrived in a postcard and it was more stunning in person than I had ever imagined.  Traverse kept telling me to watch the road and not my surroundings, but our drive near the end of the island chain was seriously incredible. We arrived around 6 pm, had dinner and watched the sunset, and then vowed to get up early the next morning to watch it rise. The tourism here feels more like southern Norway and we were glad we came on the shoulder season; it is clear why this area is so popular.   This town has bent to the ebbs and flows of tourism; we felt strangely out of place seeing things outside the normal Norwegian routine such as restaurants open on Sunday, evening fires in town and people greeting you on the street.  As we went to bed, I pulled the window curtains closed to hide the tourists taking pictures from the bridge of our little iconic red fisherman’s cottage nestled by surrounding peaks.  We listened to the sounds of the pounding surf with the incoming storm. 

A view on our morning walk into Reine.

The little red cabin in the front is our home for the next 4 days. This is taken from the bridge connecting these impossible islands together and one of many cabins modeled after the traditional fishing cabins.

This is the back side of our little red cabin - or “Rorbuer” as they are known. You can see one of the series of bridges and how this area connects island to island to form a road that goes the length of island chain.

Another set of cabins and an activity center, but the water is so blue. The worlds largest deep water coral reef is off the Lofoten island and you can see even with the storm brewing, the crystal clear water and fish swimming.

Another little place with the traditional insulating grass roofs.

Me: Can you girls go back so I can get a picture of you coming towards me?

Girls: Only if we can do it the way we feel

Me: (a little worried what was going to happen) Ok?

This picture as they were skipping and singing towards me.

Little one taking in the sights.

The ferry boat that takes you to the back fo the fjord to explore the western beaches and hikes in the setting sun.

It was so stunning, I had to have my coffee on the rocks and the world slowly turned towards the sun.

Seeing new sights

After our time in Husoy, we drove six hours south onto the start of the famous Lofoten Island chain; any quick google search of must-see places in Norway includes this group of rocks jutting into the Arctic Ocean. Here you find crystal clear blue water, white sand beaches created by arctic waves and mountains that seem to rise straight out of the sea.  Known for their rugged beauty and rich fishing history, the Lofoten islands had always been on our list, but we put them later in the year to allow the hoards of tourists to clear out first.

As we drove south on a spectacular day, I kept having that dazed feeling you get when you walk out of a movie theater into the bright light.  Every kilometer we traveled had scenery which was new, different, bright and fresh; I kept rubbing my eyes and blinking to make sure it was real. You could spend a lifetime between Senja and the Lofotens and never hit all the peaks, see all the beaches, or run all the trails.

The first few days on the Lofoten Islands we spent in the second largest city of the islands, Svolvær where the airport is located.  We had rented an Airbnb, run by a charming retired Swedish woman, who had opened her basement “to give herself something to do”. We were all figuratively and literally like kids in a candy store in Svolvær. There were cappuccinos, bikes paths, ice cream shops, and endless rocky beaches. We only barely scratched the surface however, because it took us hours to leave our place with its sauna, garden, and sun-drenched yoga deck. We also got late starts after coming back from long morning trail runs.  Svolvær’s walkable beautiful town blessed us with cloudless skies, changing fall colors and the fun of being in a city for the first time in over a month.

Evening explorations took us along the beach and the setting sun. This quite out look was a 15 min walk from downtown and a great place to watch the boats come and go.

The girls wanted some time to play, and I wanted on top of the mountains that surrounded us, so Traverse and I walked from the house and found ourselves here - a breathtaking spot with the city below.

Making a wood and moss shelter.

Fishing is everting to these towns and their history. This used fishing net decorated a house near the waters edge.

“Devils Gate” on our way down from our explorations. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the thing had a pretty good drop off. Fun finding new places and new sights.

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More fun in the sun! I am surprised we are still in summer cloths this time of year this far north. Granted many people in town had down jackets on, but with the direct sun, it was hard to not want to absorb every moment.

Perfectly still water on our walk into town.

more fun with shadows!

A final morning run. You could hear the cheers from the local soccer game all the way up the hill the the joy of a whole town basking in the sun.

Becoming a Viking

As we left Svolvær to drive south along a chain of islands towards the famous town of Reine, we passed the Viking Museum.  Before our trip, we had written this museum off as a “tourist trap”, but now, 2 months of adventures later, we were seeking other ways to learn about our environment.  This interactive museum was a fun change from learning on the internet or from books and chance experiences. These are few of the hundreds of pictures and hundreds of laughs we had pretending we were Vikings and learning about their history.

Fun playing Viking for a day. I kept laughing at these pictures all day.

More fun in costume. The iron link jacket I am wearing had to weigh 30 pounds. Little One felt like she couldn't stand up when she had it on. It is hard to imagine fighting in that thing, let along wielding that sword.

Grinding wheat into flour in costume. Part of the long house living museum which we basically had to ourselves for the afternoon.

Remembering how to spin yarn from wool.

The museum had a lot of information about the Norse Gods. It was fun to see the kids put together what they had read in the Magnus Chase Book Series and what they had learned at the Birchtree School with what they were really seeing in Norway. I know very little about Norse history, but it was interesting to see how the themes play out in modern-day stories, like the home tree in Avitar.

We were too late in the season to get to row this boat, but we still could explore it. It was surprisingly small, and the thought of getting in here and sailing to Iceland was hard to comprehend.

King of the mountain!

Fun day all around.

Saying Goodbye

The earth moves around the sun and time continues to flow past.  Yesterday felt like a significant milestone for us as we packed up and left our little Husøy home.   

Husøy was a benchmark for us, our first real resting place. It was the first place where we slowed down to transition from traveling to life at “home”.  It is where we got caught up, got bored, spent hours picking blueberries and watched the tide come in.  After about two weeks there, we were ready to see something else and explore someplace new. But something happened between weeks three and four. We stopped searching and deeply settled in, becoming more content with the quiet rhythms of the town.  In this quiet, we hardly noticed as the days passed by and suddenly it was time to leave again.

When we chose Husøy, a town of 150 people, we had hoped that the girls would make friends.  We thought it would be small enough to get to know the community. However, we didn't take into account the Norwegian "space bubble" (as we called it) where it is customary for Norwegians to mainly interact through structured events. On our final night there, the bubble finally burst. The girls started to really play with the other kids on the island who had been watching us for the whole month. Five hours later they were bursting at the seams and happily recounting stories of their time with the kids of Husøy. They shared their favorite foods, compared differences between the US and Norway, and played games while laughing and running through the town together.   When I tucked Little One in bed, she must have said "it was so much fun" 50 times before she finally settled down to go to sleep.  Hopefully, they will put these lovely stories into writing, because they reflect what we had hoped the girls would get out of our time there all along.  Our last day brought new friends, a new running record on our little 9% grade hill outside of town and a return of the glorious sun. But alas, the calendar had us moving on, and it was time to say goodbye.  As we drove away, I knew I would always carry with me a piece of Husøy.  I will remember it not only for its quiet, comfortable, simple routine but also for the beautiful hidden treasures that only slowly reveal themselves with time and mindful patience.  

On my way down from my final run up the "hill", the clouds broke and the rainbow appeared, a fitting end to our magical time.

Saying no to say yes

For every action, there is a reaction.  For every “yes” we said to make this year happen, there was a “no” that also had to happen.  This week has been a reflection of those “yes” and the “no”s.

When I was 21, I traveled after college for a year as a Watson Fellow. At that time, there were not a lot of “no”s in my life; I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next, I was not in a relationship, and I had no one and nothing depending on me.  The toughest and most significant “no” that year was not being able to return for the wedding of my aunt and uncle-two people I had introduced to each other. 

This year it was very different.  Our whole family had a house, dogs, work, school and friendships and all of us, especially the girls, had to change in one way or another to leave.   As our time away has progressed, we notice the  things we have had to say “no” to: the first day of school, work gatherings, awards missed, the Alaska State Fair. The world keeps turning, the colors fade to autumn reds, and the windy winter chill makes its presence felt in the afternoon. Our time away has started to feel real and meaningful which is both liberating and sad.  This weekend, one of those “no”s surfaced when my beautiful, funny, smart and gracious cousin got married in Colorado. She played her flute at my wedding, she has always made me laugh, and she has always been my kindred spirit in our crazy family.  To miss her wedding day was hard!  As my family gathered in Colorado, cousin pictures and meeting plans popped up via group text throughout the day and night. The choice we made to be here, instead of at her wedding, continued to crystallize.  The girls talked endlessly about their love for family gatherings, cousin time, grandparents, and what they would be doing if they were present.  We talked about how much we love our families and that sense of community and how we all wished we were there in person but knew we were there in spirit.   We are all grateful that we said “yes” to this year and to our own unique family adventure. We appreciate the clarity that comes with distance, but we recognize that the “no”s we have said are what to allow us to be here for this special time together in our lives.  We spent the day of the wedding climbing another spectacular peak while the girls hiked up a different trail to play in the woods and on a boardwalk - independent and free in the bright sun.  We came home, talked to our families with technology (that gives us the illusion that the world is incredibly small) and we sent our love and our blessings from our little perch - 200 miles above the Arctic Circle. 

Text pictures of a lovely day we experienced from a distance.

Making my way down a little rock face on our way down the mountain with Mt. Segla in the background as we enjoyed this break in the rain.

A favorite post-hike activity has been playing at the beach. How they get in that water and hang out in swimsuits is beyond me. Traverse and I were both in long pants and puffy jackets when this picture was taken.

In and out they went for hours.

A beautiful 9 mile hike through the National Park of Senja.

Boardwalks for miles

Loving our time together as a family.

The amount of mud and miles these shoes have seen over the past few weeks is impressive. It has become standard to have the flip-flops waiting in the car after each day's adventure.

Close up with Norway's Prime Minister, "Where-is-Waldo" and other adventures when people come to town

All week there has been mounting excitement in town. Every year this little town of 150 people hosts a political debate among the different party leaders in the country, and they go all out.  The town put out the Norwegian flag, built a market on the pier to sell local fish, hand knit crafts and berries. They constructed a fish restaurant in a fishing warehouse.  Local kids served the dignitaries fish soup, meats and other local dishes. The dessert table looked as though everyone in town had been baking their family favorites for the last month.  They decorated the warehouse with old fishing nets and pictures of the townspeople. The politically curious and politically influential ate together and enjoyed what felt like a real community event.

Our day started with the discovery that the credit card machines did not take our cards.  We were stuck: not enough cash, no ATMs or banks for the next two days, no cash advances from the grocery store, and no one took US dollars.  We had brought double of everything for this reason and things had been fine in Norway as long as we had both cards until today when we encountered “Waldo”.  "Waldo" is what we have named our neighbor as he is EVERYWHERE.   People say that many Norwegians tend to keep to themselves and we had not gotten to know as many people in town as we had hoped to except for “Waldo”. We first met "Waldo" as we chatted with the school principal about hiking, blueberries, and other adventures- then we started seeing him everywhere. The night before he appeared as the girls were struggling to pay at the ice cream truck. Then he saved the day and got us into a festival offering to lend us money when we could not get cash.   Embarrassed and grateful we entered the festival hoping that this would be the last time he would need to help us. All was well until another machine gave us troubles at the fish restaurant and “Waldo” showed up, paid and ushered us in. Though we knew few people in Norway, “Waldo”’s kindness and generosity mark the feeling of this country and our time.  He knew nothing about us including our names, yet he lent us money and insisted on making sure that we saw and enjoyed every part of the festival.  

That same kindness was apparent during the political debates.  People were casual, lively and kind. A woman sat in the front row and knitted a green sweater as a discussion about taxation, industry, and immigration took place a few feet in front of her.  There was a general feeling of respect and simplicity.  As we stood outside the grocery store debating our next move to get cash, the Prime Minister of Norway (with 5.3 million people) walked passed us without hardly any fan fair.   A few people in blue shoes (her party’s color) walked with her, but that was it-no bag checks, no helicopters, no drama. She was kind, eloquent and she and her rivals debated with respect.  It reminded me of best of democracy and our Norwegian experience was in direct contrast to the turmoil and political discourse in our own country.   We came home full, content and exhausted.  We had not had that much human interaction in weeks and we loved every moment of Husoy days!

More people watching the debates then even live in this town.

No big deal, just the Prime Minister walking past, almost asked for a selfie. I think the guy in the blue jeans is giving me the evil eye.

Selling the amazing local salmon in town. You can see the fishing boat out the window and we now recongize most the people on the poster.

Buying ice cream, as the truck comes to town twice a year and everyone stocks up.

Eating Lefser - a sweet local bread with more games in the wearhouse in the background.