Tag Archives: travel

cobblestone hills and vino: our first moments in Zagreb

we arrived in Zagreb early evening, the rain pelting the windshield of our taxi as we meandered through country roads towards the city.  

on the outskirts of town, long before we could see the red tiled rooftops of the old city, remnants of communism began to emerge.  old factories and public housing coupled together with new sleek office buildings. the result a hot display of freshly washed worn sneakers. 

the hotel, built for patrons of the orient express, is truly a historical gem in this growing economy.  completed in 1912, the popular meeting place was a celebrated monument to the culture of Croatia, a gateway  to Europe from the Middle East.

occupied by Nazis during WWII, and surviving the Yugoslavic occupation thereafter, the Esplanade has stood as a Zagreb icon over time. 

not a bad view from the honeymoon suite, either. 

the walk to old town isn’t long, but steep on cobblestone streets.  a windy path through closed merchant shops and youth filled pubs led us to Ban Jelacic Square, the night light intensifying our senses.  

up the wooden steps to the by now empty open air market, through small alleyways towards the towering cathedral steeples, then just a few steps north, and we found ourselves at the oldest wine bar in Zagreb, Bornstein’s Vinoteka.  

the sommelier worked his magic and ordered a wine tasting for two, three reds, three whites.  inhabited by the Romans and the Italians, Croatia is one of the oldest wine making countries in the world.

  my favorites so far are the whites: crispy, acidic, with high minerality.  refreshing after a long stroll up the hill.  

after 18 hours of travel and 6 glasses of wine (okay 8!) we tuckered out for a good nights sleep.  two more days to explore Zagreb, eat all the things, and spend some moments together.  

živjeli! 

don’t blink: ten years and counting.

it’s daunting to feel how slow time passes when you count your breaths.  breathe in, breathe out.  two seconds. three seconds.  one minute, then four.  hours become snail trails on a dewy sidewalk.  time stands still.  

it’s much like when you’re taking a road trip, and the clock is aching, laughing at your insistency and sense of urgency.  the metal cage can only move so fast. 

and then you blink.  and days have passed. weeks.  and you’re on the way home, and it only feels like seconds.  but years have flown by.  

a few days ago I was sitting on a bar stool in a dirty Irish pub drinking stout and discussing Europe with a curious, olive eyed stranger.  yesterday I married him in a small German village.  and a few hours ago I gave birth to a bright soul whose quest for intelligence is never hindered.  she stares back at me with those same olive eyes.  

I look up, and realize it’s been 10 years.  ten years since we officially began our life together, although it’s been lifetimes before that.  

it’s been a few seconds since our actual anniversary, and now we are celebrating our life together in the best way we know how.  for the next 10 days we will traverse Croatia: the cities, the coastline, and the islands that create such fame for this Adriatic beauty.  we will drink and eat all the things.  and we will breathe through this one second alone we have together.  

I just keep reminding myself… don’t blink. another ten years will pass us by before I know it. #howeilovemysomm #wemadeit10years