by Krista | May 11, 2010 | Spring
After our hair-raising adventure just over the border into Bosnia, we were delighted to find our road emerge into gentle, rolling hills, some smooth with closely nibbled pasture, others carpeted with thick forests. I was glued to my window, scarcely wanting to blink lest I miss some beauty of this amazing country.
I delighted in the dome-shaped haystacks, shepherds prodding their sheep, children romping in the grass with their dog. I wanted to pull over at every home, magically be able to speak Bosnian, and sit and talk for hours learning about their family and national history. But I couldn’t. All I could do was smile, wave at cute little kids strolling along the highway with sticks over their shoulders, and grin at the dapper old men taking the air in flannel trousers, blazers and hats.
My heart lurched as I saw hillsides covered, absolutely covered in headstones, both Muslim and Christian, women clad in black carrying armloads of flowers. I know every town has a cemetery, but usually the stones are old, covered in lichen, almost hidden by grass, a few new ones noticeable by their glossy marble and fresh flowers.
But not here. Here they gleamed, almost has if they had been erected yesterday. Row upon row of white crosses and black marble pillars. Hundreds of them in tiny mountain towns. My heart ached for the intensity of their loss.
Even as I soberly reflected on the devastation war has wrought on this place, we turned a corner and my heart again lurched, but this time for joy. A jewel of a lake tucked between forested hills, glistening and still, exquisitely reflecting everything around it. We pulled over and just stood there, staring, drinking in the peaceful beautiful of this unexpected place. After a bit some of us clambered down the bank, squelching our way through marshy grasses accompanied by the deafening chorus of thousands of frogs singing their hearts out. We couldn’t see them, but we heard them, and smiled. 🙂
by Krista | May 4, 2010 | Spring
It’s not every day you get lost driving through Bosnia and stumble upon a military installation complete with tanks and fighter jets and end up hanging out the window snapping pictures like mad with your heart beating like crazy because you think you’re going to be shot any second but you do it anyways because your brother is in the middle seat and can’t reach the window and thinks this is SO COOL and really needs to be captured. 🙂
He was right, of course. It was terribly cool and utterly terrifying. It was especially invigorating when, just as we got past the last of the tanks, a loud explosion occurred right in front of us. Our eyes bugged out and our hearts leaped into our throats until we realized that it was only a semi-truck blowing out one of his rear tires. 🙂 Needless to say it took a wee bit for our pulses to stop racing. 🙂
We didn’t intend to get lost, of course, but our well laid plans of “stick to the main highway through Bosnia” came to naught once we crossed the border and suddenly the highway was shut down and we were shunted off into the hills with the aid of orange signs that we can only assume spelled “detour.” Unfortunately for us the detour signs disappeared and we were left to wander through the back country of Bosnia trying to find out where in tarnation we were. 🙂
Wherever we were, it was absolutely gorgeous and, barring the whole military/explosion incident, wonderfully peaceful as we wended our way through pastoral farmland, thickly forested hills, watching shepherds in their fields, children playing by the water, women carrying groceries along the road.
This was not the Bosnia I anticipated. My pictures of Bosnia were formed by grainy WW2 photos and, even more recently, the terrible battles of the 90’s that left so many dead or shattered in body and spirit. I confess I was afraid of Bosnia before I went, but I also desperately wanted to see it, to drive over the land that has been torn by so many wars, to see the faces of the people who have survived, over and over again. In reading their history I can’t begin to fathom the horrors they have seen and experienced, yet they are still here. Still getting married, having babies, working the land. We would see evidence of massacres, battles, and death further down the road, but for now there was beauty, life, and peace.
by Krista | May 3, 2010 | Spring
The wind is whipping madly about the eaves but the sun is shining and a black squirrel just scampered across the yard and dashed up a cedar tree. 🙂 It’s going to be a good day. 🙂
How was your weekend, dear ones?
I had a grand weekend, comfy, cozy and adventurous with dear friends. Saturday morning Deb, Darren, Selwyn and I drove up to Canada to attend the Leonardo DaVinci: The Mechanics of Man exhibit in Vancouver.
The exhibit was fantastic, each carefully preserved piece of manuscript suspended in glass so we could see every detail of DaVinci’s incredible drawings and lovely Old World script. What a brilliantly talented man.
Also on display was an exhibit called Visceral Bodies which elicited shudders and groans of revulsion. Blechy. We were delighted to get back out into the sunshine and indulge in “Crazy Canadian Watching” – which was much more inspiring. 😉
Normally my fellow countrymen are quite dignified and polite, but somehow the sunshiny weather brought out a more diverse crowd. Take the extremely well-endowed, scantily clad hoola-hooper who invited passers-by to join her in hoola-hooping very badly to their hearts content. 🙂 Or the Cannabis crowd who gathered on the front steps of the museum, flags waving, joints smoking, in preparation for their “No Prison for Pot” parade. People are so interesting, aren’t they?
We had a scrumptious brunch in an Old World-ish cafe: smoked salmon frittata with Hollandaise sauce and lovely salty, crispy potatoes. Mmm.
Then we were off to Stanley Park, driving along the coast and delighting in the fresh sea air, white-clad cricketers in a green field, and the beauties of towering trees and sandy beaches.
It was a good day. 🙂
Smoked Salmon Frittata
(From Ina Garten)
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
12 extra-large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled
1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped
3 scallions, chopped, white and light green parts
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Saute the onion and butter in a 10-inch oven-proof omelet pan over medium-low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the heavy cream, goat cheese, smoked salmon, scallions, dill, salt, and pepper and combine.
- Pour the mixture over the onions and place the omelet pan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata for about 50 minutes, until it puffs and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve hot directly from the pan.
by Krista | Apr 28, 2010 | Spring
I’m tucked in bed on a blustery evening, watching a grey squirrel as he laps up water from a puddle, then dashes over to a large cedar tree, grasps a dandelion stem with two paws, and starts nibbling. 🙂 So cute. 🙂
I had a lovely walk today, storm clouds black in the east as the sun shone brightly from the west, glimmering through new green leaves, dappling the stream.
The wind was gusty and cool, reminding me of my recent trip to Seattle when my pals Trish and Todd took me to fabulous little park overlooking downtown Seattle…
…and the ocean. We huddled against the chilly wind, delighting in the pearly sky, so peaceful after the rain.
We ate deliciously greasy burgers, salty fries, and thick milkshakes at
Dick’s Drive-In.
After our adventurous weekend, I was craving oatmeal cookies with chunks of dark chocolate. My favorite recipe is Betty Crocker’s because they always turn out and are wonderfully chewy. Using dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet renders them heavenly. 🙂
Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips
(From Betty Crocker’s Cookbook)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dark Ghirardelli chocolate chips
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients except oats, flour and chocolate chips.
- Mix oats, flour and chocolate chips in separate bowl, then stir into wet mixture.
- Drop dough my rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown.
- Cool.
by Krista | Apr 27, 2010 | Spring
It was just past 5 a.m. as we continued our sunrise stroll through Old Town Ljubljana in Slovenia. The streets were empty save for a few brave souls heading to work, clattering across the cobble stones on bicycles or click-clacking through the square in high heels.
The Ljubljanica River was dark and mysterious, flowing silently under the balustrades.
We gazed in mute respect at the stunning monuments to warriors, victims and leaders of the past, wishing we could read or speak Slovenian so we could know their stories.
I was delighted by this unexpected Art Deco flourish, imagining elegantly dressed women swishing through these portals on their way to fine dinners or afternoon tea.
I don’t know what I expected of Slovenia, but it wasn’t this. Stately buildings and curvaceous bridges alongside modern salons and homey pubs. I loved it.
As the sun rose over the towering gables, the clock struck 6 a.m. and it was time to load up the van and head to Croatia and Bosnia. Our early morning wake-up had left us positively ravenous, and just few miles down the road we pulled into a gas station to see what we could rustle up. Bursting in the doors we stopped in amazement at the classiest little cafe we could’ve imagined! Tiled counters with sparkling glass covers held steaming trays of sizzling sausages, fresh fruit, glossy peppers, pastries, and fresh bread studded with seeds. We were in heaven! We loaded up plastic trays, collected napkins and darling little wooden forks and knives and clambered back in the van. Delicious!
It was such a fond memory for me that this weekend, as storm clouds gathered overhead, I had to replicate it. I gathered all the fixings then set to sauteing bell peppers, onions, and farmer’s sausage with glugs of olive oil and lashings of black pepper. Perfect. 🙂
by Krista | Apr 20, 2010 | Spring
It was barely 5 o’clock in the morning when we rose bleary-eyed from our beds, packed our things and set out to explore Old Town Ljubljana in Slovenia. The streets were deserted, dusky, and still as we wended our way past restaurants, shops and graffiti.
I love the fierce dragons guarding the Zmajski Most – the Dragon Bridge. They are the symbol of Ljubljana, standing for power, courage and greatness. They’re all qualities the Slovenians have needed over the centuries as they battled Huns, Magyars, Fascists, Nazis and Communists before finally gaining independence in 1991.
The Ljubljanica River flows serenely through town, lined with apartments, shops and cafes.
The moon was still visible as we walked, craning our necks to look up at towers, turrets and gables.
Next time I’ll take you along the river, across the square, and share the best gas station breakfast I ever had!! 🙂
