George: Many visitors say if you see Croatia once, you will come back again. Muriel Chuset and her husband have been driving through the country on their own for two weeks, neither speaks a word of the local language.
Muriel: I compare it almost to Turkey in the sense of it’s unexpected what you see. Visually, it’s beautiful. I didn’t think culturally like we have in the city of New York that it’s all here but visually, the place is magnificent and the people are beautiful. We haven’t met any Americans. This is the first time we have not met any Americans except you on our trip and we’re fascinated with that by the way.
George: In Croatia, fresh seafood, after all, you’re on the water. Now, I tried the sea eggs in – with great anticipation. They’re downright nasty. Now, given the Italian influence, risotto and pasta dishes are fine too. Wine, zinfandel grapes were created in Croatia even though the Italians deny it. Wine is wonderful and it’s inexpensive. Hum is an ancient town in the center of the Istrian Peninsula. Along the route to Hum, there’s a series of ancient monuments evoking the history and the heritage of this region. Hum is the smallest town in Croatia and perhaps all of Europe, there are just 16 homes and getting into the village is not as easy as you might expect.
On a slight hill, there’s a cemetery. Unlike most that I’ve ever seen, in a small community, everyone knows everyone else. A lot like one big extended family. So family photos of the dead are permanent reminders of their lives. If you visit the Istrian Peninsula, take time to stop at home. This entire region is a heartwarming story overcoming adversity and rising from the ashes of war. It’s a beautiful place and you really should come to visit and now, before we go, some words of wisdom on aging. We know we’re getting older when the only thing we really want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it. I’m George Bauer.
Barbara: I’m Barbara --. Travel well, travel safely, do videnja or goodbye from Croatia. See you next week.
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George: Hi again, I’m George Bauer. If you want more information on this episode or the seasoned traveler in general, please visit our website, theseasonedtraveler.com and remember, travel well and travel safely.
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