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April 24

The market is only about 200 m from our apartment and it is huge. We have not really had an opportunity to quantify the size but the number of fresh produce stands must be 100 daily setup stands, surrounded by 25 fresh flower stands, then 50-60 semi permanent clothing, meat and bread, a few coffee & beer, fast food bars stretching off in every direction.

We spent some time just wandering and taking pictures in the market this morning. Went to an internet cafe and checked email and posted to our blog before coming back to the apartment for a 10:00 breakfast of the local pasteries. The owner, Miki and Frau Mcklin came by to meet us and we paid for another 2 days and told them it might be longer. Ana has the brightest brightest eyes and had this kind prescence of an older German woman who is not one of the gelt crowd. It was kind of cute first the washing machine was kaput, then she changed her mind and pulled a piece out of the cabinet that was essential for operation and proceeded to show Carol the worked.

We met Neda at 11:30 and she took us around the Diocletian Castle and shows us highlights of the city of Split. We talked and laughed while getting to know each other. She is one of those hard working girls who wishes to study more and take a while to have a boy friend and babies which her friends can't understand:

"Maybe our philosophies brought us to a common place for a time here in Croatia!"

She showed us the poet's square and the poetry in the city park. The audio CD from the accapela group Klape that sing the traditional Croat music is superb. I have copied into my music library. We listening to it as we relax in our apartment in Split looking out over the lights in the harbor.

We took a walk up through Marjan Park to get a beautiful view of the city and excape the hub bub of the city although that is not too bad anyway. Neda's parents grew up in a village not far from Split but back off the coast and go there every chance they get. Neda said she used to hate going to the village but the older she gets the more she sees the value. Her mother's parents lived in Muchen for 30 years for work, but have since returned to their home village in Croatia and this is where the family now has established its center.

Neda said she would be having a party in the weekend following this coming one for her graduation, but only one as the big event of the summer is the wedding of her brother (29) to a woman, Tamara, who lives in a big house on the beach not far from her. She said all the craziness of the wedding planning was going to take up most of the time until the wedding on June 7, but she looked forward to St. Duay, the patron saint of Split, celebration on May 7.

It was a blessing to hear about the dreams and aspirations of a young woman who is proud of her city and country yet tolerant of others. Her desire to travel the world yet remain loyal to family and friends. Neda is the kind of person that gives one confidence that the world will find a way to a desireable future that accomodates humans within the limitations of energy, climate change and over consumption. She has never gotten around to buying a bicycle even though she would like to have one and believes walking will pretty well get her where she wants to go in the meantime. She has traveled some in Europe and has a cousin who lives in Chicago that wants her to come there some time.

It was a nice peek into the lives of the successful working people who call this part of Croatia home year around.