Meet the fockers

yesterday was what I thought my trip to croatia was going to be all about.  we met the relatives, the neighbours, drank their home made wine, survived and thoroughly enjoyed it.  in the morning we went to Sinj which is about an hour from where we were staying.  There we met Lukas cousin and his family.  they welcomed us into their house, where there were the five children, an array of husbands and wives and their grandchildren (which were similar ages to our kids).  don't forget the vegie patch out the back, the chickens in the coop and lots of noise, homemade proscuitto, cheese, homemade bread, gerkins olives, lots of noise, smoking and drinking and we were finally in Croatia.  They were so welcoming and interested in our stories about australia, and how we manage to survive the sharks and crocodiles on a daily basis.  Luka, z, Lukas brother and cousins and I then drove to the house where Luka grew up.  it was about half an hour away.  the house was made out of stone, small but still intact and in a very pretty area of croatia.  The kids had an absolute ball - it turns out the children, learned english at school, so the kids were able to communicate a little.  However when you are that age  all you really need to know is "tiggy" and "hide and seek".  after lunch we went up the mountain, to a lovely stone church which is quite famous and a lot of people come from far away to see.  it was simply stunning to be on this mountain, with the view, and the church that was slowly being restored.  I was touched by their kindness to not only us, but especially to the kids.  we always say how friendly we are in australia - but I wondered if we would have made the same effort to some long lost relatives of Dad's if they came to Brisbane for the day?

The festival of Gaspar then continued....around 5pm we moved on to another family who were near Trogir. Ivo the host was extremely welcoming and made a local feast called Peka.  This was a hot dish of meat and potatoes made in an outdoor oven.  It was the best meal that we have had in croatia so far.  Luka has wanted one of these ovens for quite some time, threatening to put it in our backyard - I have resisted until now - it could be another dish to add into katies famous cooking repertoire.  with more homemade wine and a full tummy it was time to go.  The kids have rated it as their best day yet and with no sladoled (gelati) - that day it just goes to show how much fun they had.  I rate the day just as highly as they did.  Dovigenja for now.