Day 7, August 9: Amazingly, Jason and I slept in until 11AM and the family lunch was happening at 1:30. There were so many relatives there weren't enough chairs for everyone at the tables. I can't believe how many cousins the Šarić (which is how are name is actually spelled) and Marinović boys have! It was a mellow day with lots of good food and fun conversation with Anton translating most of the time. It was a challenge to figure out how everyone is related. The older generation though was happy to have everyone around.
The food was amazing as always. Davor grilled up an incredible lamb - salted to pefection. Dino, aspiring to be an executive chef, made a killer veal risotto that we would have inhaled entirely had there not been more food coming. There was the traditional starter of prosciutto, cheese, octopus salad, and ćevapi. The main courses were accompanied by homemade bread the size of my torso, polenta, and a fresh tomato and cucumber salad. We are so spoiled by the fresh foods and everyone's hospitality. I've also been loving the fresh figs from Dominik's tree. They're green on the outside so if you're used to the brown ones, these are different. But they are so sweet and delicious!
By about 6PM most everyone had left. We said our last goodbyes and thank yous then headed back to Dubrovnik. The drive is so pretty you don't even realize it's been an hour or so. We had perfect timing too. Caterina and Pero had just returned from a day on the water. Mato and Maryann were back as well. Mato and Pero started devouring the chunk of lamb we brought back as soon as they opened it. I was surprised there was anything left when they wrapped it back up!
The kids went off to visit their grandmother with plans to go across the water for drinks in the evening. We were invited of course but since we needed to be up at 4:30 AM to get to the airport we declined. Instead, we went back into town around 8:30, this time parking at some garage far above the town wall and it was going to be a dark hike coming back up. The place was packed but we got food before going shopping for souvenirs. We ate at Castro Pizzeria in one of the large town squares. Jason ate there on his visit with the brothers two years ago. We waited patiently for a table and when the pizza finally came it was really good. But I've never seen a pizza put together like these pies. If you ordered 4 toppings each topping would cover a separate quadrant. So I had mushrooms on one part, ham on another and artichokes on the last part. Jason ordered a Quattro Formaggi (which only came with three cheeses on it, so funny) and one area was ALL gorgonzola. I know for those who appreciate cheese like me, you're thinking YUM. But Jason doesn't like gorgonzola. It would have been okay blended with the rest but on its own, it was one rich slice. So he traded for my ham slice instead. Worked out nicely.
I saved a few pieces for the next morning and then it was off to shop. We walked around the shops in and out of alleys. Jason got Tshirts made for the boys with the Croatian seal on it and he bought a full sized flag for himself. It's huge. Like run it up the flagpole huge. Fly it at a European football game huge. No wonder the guy at the store looked at him funny when Jason said he wanted one. After a stop at the ice cream store (where they actually have a flavor called Viagra, I kid you not, I believe it's a berry flavor) we're home and in bed around 12:30 knowing it's going to be rough in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment